While many think globalization is dead, it really has yet to begin for internal communications. Even with the best and biggest global companies, employee communications is often completely fractured. Rarely is there a consistent message spread across the country, let alone a consistent vehicle that all employees share.
Translation (or lack thereof) throws a huge wrench into the corporate communications cog. If you don't have people on staff who can do their own translations, it can be trick and quite expensive.
And for those who have tried to globalize their communications, you know how challenging it is. Intranets were supposed to be a big help and are in most cases. But if you've ever been part of developing a global intranet, I send my sympathies. It's a brutal, brutal undertaking. Many are never the same afterward.
Some companies attempt to put out a global newsletter but it's all handled at the top. Very rarely is their local input or authority on content. The corporate messages are key, but so are the local messages. And the integration of the two will determine success. Unfortunately, print is one of the "easy cuts" that companies make when budgets get attacked.
We've seen companies have success with using digital signage as a global tool. Not only can the corporate contribute the wide-reaching messages, but the local communicators can also add in their own unique messaging. This helps employees tie what they do to the larger corporate objectives - a challenge for those troubled with employee engagement.
If you're a global communicator, ask yourself if your tools and messages are truly representative of your audience. If you're a local communicator, are your messages reaching "the top" and can you customize the big picture?
You're at a prime point to make a huge impact globally. Employees are hungry for information and need to trust the information source. Become the trust adviser to your business and deliver value across borders.
___________________________
Photo credit, cupcakes2
Translation (or lack thereof) throws a huge wrench into the corporate communications cog. If you don't have people on staff who can do their own translations, it can be trick and quite expensive. And for those who have tried to globalize their communications, you know how challenging it is. Intranets were supposed to be a big help and are in most cases. But if you've ever been part of developing a global intranet, I send my sympathies. It's a brutal, brutal undertaking. Many are never the same afterward.
Some companies attempt to put out a global newsletter but it's all handled at the top. Very rarely is their local input or authority on content. The corporate messages are key, but so are the local messages. And the integration of the two will determine success. Unfortunately, print is one of the "easy cuts" that companies make when budgets get attacked.
We've seen companies have success with using digital signage as a global tool. Not only can the corporate contribute the wide-reaching messages, but the local communicators can also add in their own unique messaging. This helps employees tie what they do to the larger corporate objectives - a challenge for those troubled with employee engagement.
If you're a global communicator, ask yourself if your tools and messages are truly representative of your audience. If you're a local communicator, are your messages reaching "the top" and can you customize the big picture?
You're at a prime point to make a huge impact globally. Employees are hungry for information and need to trust the information source. Become the trust adviser to your business and deliver value across borders.
___________________________
Photo credit, cupcakes2
Last week, I was in Chicago for the Strategy Institute Building Your Digital Signage Business. This is the fourth Strategy Institute conference I've been to and it was another solid conference. 
With "The" as a middle name, Seth writes that you're defining a category. We even saw it creep into politics this past year with Joe The Plumber, which maybe means that "The" as a middle name isn't all that great. I hope we've seen the last of that "The." And, as Seth points out, Winnie The Pooh may not be strongest example either.
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