Internal Communications for Corporate Vision and Strategy
 
Situation:

After a major strategic overhaul, a leading international corporation needed to engage its employees and partners in its vision for the future. The vision represented a dramatic shift from the past and required significant change in how key stakeholders worked, how they led and how they made decisions. Without their strong awareness, understanding and enthusiastic involvement, the strategy – and the business itself – could not succeed.

Approach:

• Crafted a simple, yet powerful statement and messaging that clearly and compellingly summarized the company’s vision
• Organized the company’s initiatives under three strategic imperatives that were easy for employees at all levels to understand and embrace
• Developed a communications strategy leaders at all levels could use to create ownership of the vision among their teams, including:
  • Ongoing strategic Board communications
  • Annual, week-long meeting of senior level management where leaders refresh the vision and communicate updated strategic imperatives
  • Leader guides that help cascade the vision and strategies throughout the organization in ways that are relevant to various levels and business units
• Celebrated wins and created action plans during quarterly town hall meetings with senior management.
• Drove conversations about strategic initiatives, projects and necessary actions down to the front-line level with leadership guides.

Results:

• 25 percent jump in earnings 18 months after the program’s launch
• 93 percent of corporate employees say they are committed to the company’s goals
• 95 percent say they understand how the work they do contributes to the company’s strategic priorities
• Eight years later, the company continues to use both the vision statement and the strategic platform we created