Determining factors of success in internal communication management in Spanish companies

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the factors that influence the success of internal communication in Spanish companies, specifically the importance of the channels used, activities conducted through ISM and the role played by the communication professional. Design/methodology/approach The model employed argues that to obtain success in internal communication, three factors are considered necessary: first, communication professionals must participate in strategic decisions; second, they have to use together social media channel and classical channel to communicate with employees; and finally they must choose which activities they carry out during the use of social media. These elements are developed in the literature review. To research practices of internal digital communications and level of success of internal communication across types of organizations, a quantitative survey between professionals from Spanish companies was conducted. Findings The results revealed that the hierarchical level, participation in the strategic decision process and dedication of the communication practitioner, alongside with the use of face-to-face and online communication channels, and the perceived importance of communication activities conducted through social media platforms are the key factors that influence the quality of internal communication. However, no significant relationship between the level of success and the use of social media channels was found. Research limitations/implications The current study has several limitations that should be noted and addressed in future research. The main limitation lies in the fact that the dependent variable – success in communication – is entirely based on communication professionals’ perceptions. Replication studies can be conducted to cross-validate the results obtained from this study using business outcome metrics to measure the communication effectiveness. A further limitation is related to the sampling procedure. Obtaining a representative sample of communications professionals in Spanish companies poses a number of limitations due to the impossibility of having accurate data on the total population. Practical implications The findings of the current study provide important implications for public relations professionals on what (i.e. the content) and how to (i.e. the channels) communicate within an organization. In general, internal communicators should move from historical roles as information producers and distributors to advisory roles in strategic decision making. Additionally, the implementation and use of ISM should be carefully revaluated. Communication practitioners should examine and address the difficulties involved in choosing the correct channels, devoting the necessary time to their adequate management, analyzing employees’ feedback and improving the engagement. Originality/value The study shows that internal communication practices in Spanish companies are changing. The model used in this research can be applied in an individual organizat...

Six ways to leave a lover: how sensemaking of the purpose of internal social media changes over time in a public sector organization

“…The present study adds to research on internal strategic communication and ISM by adding a sensemaking lens. In order to succeed with participatory communication on ISM, previous research has demonstrated the importance of a clear purpose of ISM (Denyer et al , 2011; Madsen, 2017; Trimi and Galanxhi, 2014), support from top managers (Chin et al , 2015; Trimi and Galanxhi, 2014) and that ISM are part of the strategy (Bochenek and Blili, 2013; Ingelmo Palomares et al , 2018; Miles and Mangold, 2014). In the municipality, participatory communication was part of the strategy in terms of promoting new communication roles for employees, and the city executive manager really supported the idea and wanted to hear the voices of the employees.…”

“…However, several studies have found that organizations are far from unlocking the full potential of ISM (Madsen, 2017; Men and Hung-Baesecke, 2015; Ruck, 2015; Sievert and Scholz, 2017). Scholars have found that ISM fail due to an unclear purpose (Denyer et al , 2011; Laitinen and Sivunen, 2020; Madsen, 2017; Manuti, 2015; Trimi and Galanxhi, 2014), lack of support from (top) managers (Chin et al , 2015; Trimi and Galanxhi, 2014), ISM not being part of the strategy (Bochenek and Blili, 2013; Ingelmo Palomares et al , 2018; Miles and Mangold, 2014) or employees interpreting and understanding the social technology in a different way than anticipated (Högberg, and Olsson, 2019; Madsen, 2017; Rice et al , 2017). Many of these studies tend to explore ISM in private organizations, not in public sector organizations (PSOs).…”

Del sector secundario al quinario

“…Los datos revelan que la planificación de objetivos de CI es un aspecto esencial de la comunicación organizacional y que esta responsabilidad recae habitualmente en los departamentos de comunicación corporativa; aunque en las empresas del sector quinario también tiene un papel relevante la dirección general de la entidad. Se observa así que las empresas españolas de todos los sectores atribuyen la determinación de los objetivos de CI a departamentos en los que está implicada la alta dirección, condición esencial para que la CI adquiera un carácter estratégico (Miquel-Segarra y Aced-Toledano, 2019; Cuenca & Verazzi, 2018;Ingelmo et al, 2018).…”

“…Para ser realmente estratégica, la CI debe estar alineada con la visión de la organización (Apirian & Lepis, 2017) y garantizar que las opiniones de las partes interesadas (organización y público interno) se incorporen en la estrategia (Verwey y Plooy-Cilliers, 2003). Además, ha de contar con la implicación de la alta gerencia de la organización (Miquel-Segarra & Aced-Toledano, 2018;Cuenca & Verazzi, 2018;Ingelmo et al, 2018;Tkalac Verčič & Pološki Vokić, 2017;Walden, Jung & Westerman, 2017).…”

El rol de la comunicación interna ante los desafíos de la digitalización

“…Por otra parte, la comunicación interna ha de ser capaz de incorporar las innovaciones tecnológicas para no quedar desfasada (Ingelmo et al, 2018).…”