The internal communication of the future must break down departmental boundaries in order to achieve goals.
The marathon of change is underway and it is not stopping at internal communication. Its competencies are becoming more and more decentralized, as good communicators are needed in many areas of the company and are trained and deployed accordingly. Change has become so constant that it has spawned its own departments. This is where the mindset for strategy and transformation is communicated to employees.
Trend researcher Harry Gatterer predicted that the “I” will become a tangible “we” as early as 2019: “Today, the megatrend of individualization is still very egotistical. In the future, however, it will increasingly rely on tribes, community and collective intelligence. Individualization is changing and expressing itself in a new ‘we’ culture. Communities, collaborations and cooperation are moving into focus instead of the ego.”
Anyone who hasn’t noticed this yet is either running out of competition (e.g. public service) or already lagging far behind. The midfield is large, the pacesetters just within sight. These companies are leading the way, practicing agile working, daring to try new things, using collective knowledge to react quickly to changes. This requires collaborative structures that no longer need internal moderation.
What remains for internal communication? In our view, it should question itself, rediscover its role and fill it with life. Our forecast looks like this:
It becomes a source of inspiration: hackathons, idea workshops or boot camps – such formats accelerate exchange and creativity. They need moderation, someone to initiate and promote them and feed the results back to the participants.
It becomes a link: we is the trump card – and internal communication knows how to animate the “we”. It links individual needs with collective requirements and organizational purpose.
It will become a collaborator: in future, internal communication will have to work together with those who complement it in the best possible way: Human Resources and those responsible for change combine very important skills in order to effectively change organizations. Internal Communications can contribute its communication expertise there. Because when it comes to addressing target groups, nobody is (yet) fooling them.
She becomes a supporter: the trend towards sharing is not new. Internal communication can either watch as external coaches help managers move forward or take the reins themselves. There will always be teams and team leaders who want and need to be taken by the communicative hand.
No need to get anxious or even fear for your job. After all, such a change could also be an opportunity that needs to be seized. Thinking outside the box helps you to see where and with whom you can become effective beyond your current areas of expertise. Now, at the latest, is the time to network strategically. With marketing, HR, external communication and everyone who is interested in a strong “we”.
Copyright lead image: Unsplash / Bekky Bekks