Branding and Internal Communication
by:
Robert F. Abbott
In the I-HR newsletter, moderator Letter N. Carvin asked if the idea of stigmatization could be used, effectively, to improve productivity and retention. This is an dilated version of my response to her question:
Yes, I think you can use the idea of stigmatization as a tool for up worker
productivity and retention.
Let's approach it from the perspective of a manager communication with his or her subordinates. If the manager sets out to build a positive reputation over time and over a series of messages, then we mightiness say he or she is embarking on a stigmatization exercise. It's an attempt to create the trust and goodwill necessary to have messages some
accepted and acted upon.
Marketers stigmatization products do basically the same thing: send out a series of messages designed to build a positive reputation over time.
And, once
messages to employees enjoy trust and goodwill, then the manager can use communication to increase productivity and retention.
For example, in publication worker
newsletters for my corporate clients, I've always emphatic the need to provide articles and information of value to readers (the employees). By doing that, employees move to see their institution news-sheet as a useful resource, and not management propaganda. That, in turn, opens the door to asking employees to do or not do certain things (safety measures, for instance), and acquiring a positive response from them.
In a sense, referring to this process of building trust and goodwill as stigmatization mightiness be simply a linguistics
exercise. However, I think that once
we put a name to a process, we do it easier to comprehend and follow. And, that may be the real value of referring to stigmatization in the context of worker
communication.
Let's besides look at this issue in a broader sense, too, because it's important to remember the some roles of communication in productivity and retention. Three generic types of communication numbers in our thinking: instructional, contextual, and motivational.
Instructional communication provides information that helps others do their jobs much efficiently. Discourse
communication provides the bigger picture, which should help recipients do their jobs much effectively. And psychological feature
communication shows recipients the benefits of responding as we've requested.
To build trust and goodwill, the education
communication should be accurate, timely, and functional. The folk who obtain our messages should be able to act on them, and cognize they can act on them with confidence.
The discourse
communication should be relevant and helpful. It should put the task or issue in question into a framework that helps others understand how specific tasks or issues fit into the strategic flow.
And, the psychological feature
communication should focus on them, not on you. It should show them the importance of their contributions.
In summary, think of stigmatization as the process of building trust and goodwill, a process that does it possible to increase productivity and retention through communication.
About The Author
Robert F. Abbott
The process of branding, as it's viewed by marketers, mightiness be used in worker
communcation, to increase productivity and retention through communication.
communication-newsletter.com
robert@communication-newsletter.com
