Communications, Culture and COVID19

If we had too much on our minds to be thinking about organisational culture last week in Level 4, then we definitely have too much now as we prepare for Level 3. Right?

No. Culture is everything. It drives all you do and more right now.

As you are busy focusing on adapting your operating models, frameworks and procedures to meet government guidelines for Level 3, how well are you remembering to keep in touch with all your customers, stakeholders and staff? Your communications reveal your culture.

Communications are all the formal and informal forms of communication with your staff, your shareholders, customers, suppliers and all stakeholders within your community.

In this new landscape, what are the rituals, symbols and traditions that can carry over into a remote working environment? These are the glue that keep your culture alive. 

Do you still have your coffee and quiz morning teas, Friday evening drinks, and what about team building initiatives? An example would be on Friday 24 April, which was the last working day at Level 4.    One organisation encouraged their staff to go for a walk, take photos and share these as a historic record of the day, with prizes to be collected at a later time.  Another example is of a leader who knew it was a team member’s birthday last week and co-ordinated with all the team and the staff member’s husband to bake a cake, so they could continue their birthday morning tea traditions. 

These examples may seem small, but they communicate a great deal about how you value your staff and value their well-being – a great example of a culture where “People are our greatest asset”.

Then there are the more formal communications from the CEO or General Manager.  Many organisations explicitly mention and recognise staff who demonstrate the Values of the organisation, some provide a small token of recognition.  Should the CEO have a group Zoom call every Friday with all staff?

Moving to external communications, presumably you all have a stakeholder engagement strategy which has been updated to reflect requirements under COVID19.  If you have a Value of “Customers First” then presumably this is reflected in that strategy, in terms of the frequency, language, messaging and method of communications. 

Innovation may well be a Value for some organisations and it would make perfect sense for this to be reflected in the manner in which you communicate with your customers, shareholders and stakeholders.  For example, sending a podcast of your Chief Executive and Chair, having a conversation about the challenges you are currently facing in getting product, or delivering that high-quality service, would have way more impact than receiving an email or a newsletter.

If your communications are not aligned authentically with your culture, you will be impacting on your brand and reputation.  My topic for next week.