The Evolution of Internal Communication
This briefing tracks the development of the internal communication function, in particular its growth in numbers, resources and status over the past five years. Internal communication practitioners work more closely with the business and have a clearer idea of their roles and priorities than they did previously. More communicators feel that their leaders are committed to internal communication, and many note that they are called in to help with change initiatives earlier than they had been in the past. (5492 words)

Nuffield Hospitals case study
Combining internal and external communications is a necessity at Nuffield Hospitals, as the complexity of healthcare means that it is impossible to define which audiences are internal and which are external. How the corporate communications department ensured that the group as a whole retains a strong brand, while also allowing each hospital freedom to find the best way to communicate with its stakeholders. (1212 words)

Measuring The Impact of Internal Communication
Why internal communication practitioners must find a way to measure the impact of internal communication on the bottom line to prove their value to the organisation. It shows that while internal communication teams use tactical measurements extensively, only about half of internal communication teams assess their work against business objectives. The briefing includes details of the most widely used measures. (4370 words)

Caterpillar Inc. case study
How the human services communications division at Caterpillar provides an internal communications consultancy to other functions in the organization. The case study explains the extensive use of measurement to plan and assess communication strategies and how this approach has improved the design, implementation and effectiveness of its communication plans. (1304 words)

Communicating Major Change
For the most part, internal communication professionals communicate change. However, they are most likely to be judged according to how well they perform during high-profile change events such as mergers, acquisitions, restructurings and cultural realignments. (8743 words)

The Associates case study
The Associates, a worldwide financial group, completed a major acquisition of Avco Trust. Both companies operated in the financial services market. How the group, subsequently acquired by Citigroup, handled the communications challenge during the integration of the two companies and the results it achieved. (2216 words)

NatWest & The Royal Bank of Scotland case study
The internal communications story behind one of the most dramatic business stories of recent years: the Royal Bank of Scotland's unwelcome takeover of the NatWest Group. The bidding was protracted and complex, and the result was the largest takeover ever seen in the British financial services sector. (1145 words)

Marketing The Internal Communication Function
What internal communications professionals need to do to promote their value to the organisation. The use of standard marketing techniques: segmenting its audiences and ensuring that the department's services meet the needs of each, formulating service level agreements with customers and accepting - and acting on - customer feedback. ng confidence and presentation skills - to integrate at board level. (4750 words)

American United Life Insurance Company case study
American United Life Insurance Company has a communications department which reports to the chairman, president and chief executive officer (CEO) and handles both internal and external communications. The case study explains how the communications team handles all the CEO's internal communications, while other departments have the option of whether or not to make use of the team's services. It explains why the communications team faces the constant challenge of demonstrating the value they provide to other functions. (1094 words)

Looking Ahead - The Future of Internal Communication
Why internal communication professionals are increasingly likely to be part of an integrated corporate communications department, with responsibility for communicating to a wide range of internal and external stakeholders. This briefing also discusses their role as internal consultants, helping senior executives and other departments meet their strategic objectives, changing people's behaviour to better align with corporate goals and helping to improve the communications competency of the organization as a whole. A summary of challenges and opportunities is included. (2745 words)

Internal Communication Survey Results
The detailed findings from a survey sent to over 500 communications professionals globally. The analysis of the results compares UK with international organisations. (3545 words)

Littlewoods Retail Ltd case study
After merging four divisions into a single integrated operation, Littlewoods Retail needed to encourage colleagues to work across boundaries. This case study shows how the company used a major conference to "endorse cross-functional working", together with other objectives. It details the value of professional presenters plus the use of front-line managers, who were coached and guided in their scriptwriting and presentation. In addition, a high level of visual excitement and interactivity was used to engage the audience and allow them to voice issues publicly. (1808 words)

The Communications Imperative - Messages, Media & Practices
Excellent internal communication channels are essential for successfully driving cultural change - the need for honest, open and transparent information. How to plan and implement communications, the use of different media and the pivotal role of leaders in communicating key messages. (7705 words)

DSM Resins case study
With the goal of revitalizing the organization following the early 1990s recession, four key behaviours are used to guide Netherlands based DSM Resins launched a culture change programme called VITA. A questionnaire-based Working Climate Analysis used to gauge employee perceptions of the working environment and organization performance. The results have been used to drive bottom-up continuous improvement. (3366 words)

Raynor Garage Doors case study
How corporate growth, reorganization and the development of new communication channels resulted in significant changes in the communications function at Raynor Garage Doors. The use of a corporate intranet to supplement, rather than replace, other forms of communication, such as a weekly voice-mail report. (1283 words)

The Structure & Development of the Internal Communication Function
The briefing shows that although internal communication still operates as a sub-department, reporting in many organisations, variously, to human resources, public relations, marketing, or other functions, a growing number of companies now have a separate internal communication department. An analysis of the structure, reporting lines and responsibilities of this evolving corporate function. (5879 words)

AXA Group case study
AXA has a group of only ten communicators at its group headquarters in Paris, with the majority of responsibility for communications spread out among its operating companies. The case study describes how communicators at corporate headquarters are responsible for disseminating information and encouraging communications best practice among the operating companies. Their major challenge is the need to communicate with a multilingual audience.  A survey showed that communications were successful, with the biggest issue being a perceived lack of communication between local CEOs and their staff. (1833 words)

Communication Competence
This briefing outlines the competence, background and qualifications of communications specialists. Several organizations have attempted to define communication competence at an individual level. Among them is GTE, where the public affairs department has developed a clearly defined set of core competencies for communications practitioners. At an individual level, internal communication practitioners are expected to have a high level of strategic understanding as well as commercial awareness and change management skills. (7294 words)

Opera North case study
How communications director Paul Gauntlett at Opera North, a national touring company based at the Grand Theatre and Opera House in Leeds in Britain, set about promoting understanding between various groups of employees such as artists and technical staff. This required engaging with the overall corporate strategy as well as the communications strategy. (1103 words)

Linking Internal Communication and Business Strategy
Many internal communication professionals have expressed a desire to link their efforts more closely with their organization's overall strategy. This briefing describes how to develop a strategy for an internal communication department that clarifies how it intends to help fulfil organizational goals. It also shows how, Faced with the threat of cutbacks, the communications team at Royal Bank of Canada proved its strategic worth to the business by transforming itself from a tactical communications service to a strategic partner. (3643 words)

Integrating Internal Communication with other functions
Developing working relationships with other functions continues to be a challenge for communicators. This briefing explains how while most internal communication professionals accept that helping other departments communicate is an essential part of their role, they would like their colleagues to recognize that communication is, ultimately, everyone's responsibility. It describes the methods and techniques that organizations can use to achieve this goal. (6669 words)