Study: Internal comms seen as a business afterthought
New data show that most communicators in the U.S. and Canada are smothered within a larger department, which stymies progress, growth, influence and productivity.
Internal communication is the Rodney Dangerfield of the business world—it gets no respect.
According to new research released by Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., 86 percent of the more than 100 internal communication pros surveyed said they are under a “broader department.” That lack of autonomy, influence and resources continues to shape the roles and responsibilities of the profession, rendering many as mere corporate “order takers” (an apt metaphor conjured by Ragan Consulting Group co-founder Jim Ylisela).
Read on for more salient takeaways from Gallagher’s findings:
Measurement is still a problem. Twelve percent of respondents admit “not measuring their communication effectiveness at all.”
Manager communication is a barrier. Most respondents give their executives high communication marks, but the mushy middle remains a problem. Just 17 percent of respondents think line managers are “effective communicators,” and 51 percent “report poor line manager communication skills as a barrier to success.”
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