Feature
A thriving company culture often rests on the strength of its internal communications. As businesses grow more complex and employees more dispersed, the need for a robust method of delivering those communications has never been greater.
Companies use internal communications technologies to help workers seek and share information, as well as foster a sense of community and shared purpose across the brand. And in 2024, many internal comms leaders expect to make big changes to the systems and technologies they use.
Martin Stubbs-Partridge, internal communications officer at the Scottish Funding Council, is one such person involved in making a change. He and his team set a goal to design a modern internal communications service from scratch, while launching a basic interim intranet in the meantime.
Right now, Stubbs-Partridge is in the phase of gaining strategy sign-off for implementation of new channels — something the company will do over the next 12 months.
How I Decided to Build an Internal Communications Service From the Ground Up
Stubbs-Partridge’s story, as told to Reworked, has been edited for clarity.
A Problem to Solve
Our strategy is designed to enhance business effectiveness through improved internal communication. This includes a shift towards digital ways of working and the adoption of Microsoft 365 to facilitate increased levels of self-service. The strategy will increase understanding and alignment with our strategic priorities and will bring clarity for colleagues in a constantly evolving workplace.
The strategy’s aims are:
- Achieving greater alignment means being clear about why we’re communicating.
- Improving our governance means greater coordination around when and where we communicate and being clear about our roles and responsibilities while doing so.
- Placing more emphasis on engagement means shifting mindsets beyond a “broadcast” mentality, where information flows only one way, to a method where channels and practices drive greater interaction and understanding.
- Supporting collaboration means providing opportunities for colleagues to come together to share and apply their knowledge and skills.
- Providing an excellent employee experience means designing channels, content and practices that are simple to use, inclusive and accessible across a hybrid workplace.
Stakeholder Involvement
I wanted teams who could impact the strategy’s success, and similarly benefit from its implementation the most, on the steering group from the outset -– HR, IT, Comms and Digital — plus others on speed dial including Governance and Finance. This allowed the main service providers to take ownership of the strategy and mesh its dependencies with other transformation initiatives. This allowed us to develop a draft set of aims and objectives quickly and create a framework for the discovery phase to work within.
The Discovery Phase
Discovery included identifying strategic priorities and dependencies, colleague needs including frustrations and preferences, industry benchmarking, sector research and networking and drawing on my own experience and the wealth of knowledge available within the organization.
Methods included in-person and virtual workshops, team focus groups, all staff surveys, one-to-one conversations, informal feedback and an equality impact assessment. Having championed digital accessibility in my previous organization and seen first-hand how powerful and useful an EIA could be, I was determined to do so again. Fortunately, the steering group was equally enthusiastic that no stone be left unturned. Wherever we go, we go together, has become our ethos.
Gaining a Consensus
Gaining a consensus wasn’t challenging at all! During the first steering group meeting I was waiting for the fight to come. It never did. The support and leadership to push the door open as far as it could go within our constraints continued throughout. Looking back, not having to expend energy on justifying recommendations and servicing requests for 'more information' provided mental breathing space and motivation to bring my best self to work. As a result, I’ve grown as a practitioner and hopefully as a colleague.
Having leaders on the steering group meant that senior managers were kept in-the-loop throughout and were able to feed-in at several points. Their feedback and appreciation of being involved was invaluable.
Presenting the strategy to the Executive Team and gaining their endorsement for the approach, timeline, tech and funding was a moment that will live with me for some time.
Looking back, being able to co-design without it feeling like a management process, built trust along the way. Having leaders including the chief information officer (CIO) on the steering group meant that what I thought would be difficult decisions were fairly straightforward — although I did get the odd cheeky curveball that I expect was designed to keep me on my toes!
Balancing Change With Staff Capacity in Mind
I would flip this on its head. If you understand the limitations, you can be as ambitious as you want to be within them. For example, if skills, time and cost are a problem, then this points towards an implementation approach and technical options.
Focus on how the outcome can be achieved. Our goal is to develop a digital experience platform (DXP) made up of several integrated technologies. But we know we can’t get there in one go. We’re a small team with operational duties. So, we’re launching Viva Engage first, integrating it natively with our current intranet, before moving onto implementing a new MVP intranet (which will take us most of the way) and finally the DXP where we aim to integrate workflow for requests and approvals currently undertaken in disconnected back-office systems. Plus a lot more!
Are we having to let go of anything? Not yet, but I’m pragmatic. If we need to cut our cloth between MVP and DXP we will. It’s the outcome that ultimately matters. If we need to pare back our ambition we’ll be open and honest and people will understand.
Looking Back at the Beginning
In all honesty, if I'd known a new intranet was about to be launched a week into my tenure, I may not have joined the organization. It was a bit of a shock to the system to find this out on a team call!
But the fact that my line manager and deputy director backed my suggestion for it to become an interim 'alpha' solution without hesitation, set the tone for everything that followed. I felt trusted, supported and respected. I still do.
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Ironically, before joining the organization I was trying to think of ways to discover longer-term needs while reaping some immediate benefits. A quick mental pivot during the infamous team call made me realize the solution was ready-made. My colleagues had done a superb job getting the interim intranet up and running and I was quickly able to demonstrate some of future state benefits within its limitations.
So, I think the lesson for me is — don't take things at face value. Look beyond personal preferences and short-term ambitions, get the job and make it work. Learning to pivot is all part of the fun!
