New Frontiers in Employee Communications
2006Third annual examination of internal communications channels
By Edelman Change and Employee Engagement in partnership with PeopleMetrics
2New Frontiers in Employee Communications
ABOUT EDELMAN CHANGE AND EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT
Edelman Change and Employee Engagement is the organizational communications consulting
practice of Edelman. The mission of Edelman Change and Employee Engagement is to advise
and support organizations on strengthening their ability to implement corporate strategy and
initiatives. We help organizations establish stronger management and employee relationships
that condition organizational behavior to build brands, improve performance and achieve
business goals.
We deliver value by providing clarity and setting expectations between organizations and their
constituents. This, in turn, positively conditions attitude and behavior that promotes
constituent satisfaction – a key driver for business success. In sum, we aim to provide better
business results for our clients – results defi ned against business objectives.
Our approach takes a holistic view of employee engagement and communications. We believe
that alignment and consistency across the entire employee experience is critical in achieving
behavior change. Depending on client needs, our programs may focus on one or more of the
six areas that drive employee engagement:
• Communication and information fl ow
• Leadership
• Involvement and opportunity
• Recognition
• Compensation and benefi ts
• Work environment
ABOUT PEOPLEMETRICS
PeopleMetrics is a leading U.S.-based research and consulting fi rm that helps companies
understand and manage their two most important assets – employees and customers. We
provide dozens of Fortune 1000 companies with Employee Engagement, Customer
Engagement, and Strategic Market Research services.
In particular, PeopleMetrics is a thought-leader in helping companies engage their employees
and customers. Our tested people engagement model includes both functional and emotional
components, while our benchmark databases provide robust competitive norms in a variety of
industries. In addition, PeopleMetrics has extensive experience linking employee and
customer engagement to business outcomes and profi tability.
3New Frontiers in Employee Communications
Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION 4
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 5
AWARENESS OF NEW MEDIA TECHNOLOGIES 7
• AWARENESS DOES NOT EQUAL USAGE 8
USE OF EMPLOYEE COMUNICATIONS CHANNELS 9
• SHARING WITH A CLICK OF A MOUSE 9
• CORPORATE BLOGS 11
• PODCAST USE 11
• WIKI USE 11
• MAXIMIZING THE INTRANET 12
• FAVORING THE FIREWALL 13
A BANNER YEAR FOR CEO BLOGGERS 14
EFFECTIVENESS OF COMMUNICATIONS CHANNELS 15
• PRINT VERSUS ELECTRONIC 16
• NEW MEDIA EFFECTIVENESS 17
• DIFFERENT CHANNELS FOR DIFFERENT GOALS 17
FACING THE REALITIES OF MODERN COMMUNICATIONS 22
• TRACKING EMPLOYEE BLOGGING 22
• OBSTACLES TO ONLINE TOOLS – DEBUNKING THE MYTHS 23
• CREATING A CULTURE OF COMMUNICATION 25
ACCESS TO ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS 27
• RECOGNIZING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE 27
• ACCOMMODATING THE 24-HOUR WORK CYCLE 27
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOUR ORGANIZATION 29
METHODOLOGY 30
VALIDITY 30
ENDNOTES 31
CONTACTS 32
4New Frontiers in Employee Communications
INTRODUCTION
Two years ago we began examining the use and effectiveness of the various communications
channels organizations used to communicate with employees. Our goal was to provide a
benchmark for organizations to evaluate the tools they have implemented and identify best
practices in the industry. The study also aimed to explore the adoption of emerging new media
technologies inside of organizations and investigate the potential these tools hold for corporate
communicators.
A lot has changed since we published the fi rst “New Frontiers in Employee Communications”
study in 2004:
• The number of blogs globally has doubled more than three times, growing from roughly 6
million to more than 57 million.1
• The number of podcasts hosted on the Internet has surpassed the number of radio stations
worldwide.2
• Wikipedia, a public Internet-based encyclopedia launched in 2001 that allows users to
create and edit content, moved from 1 million entries in 105 languages to more than 5 million
articles in 250 languages today. The English version alone has more than 1.4 million entries,
more than 10 times that of the Encyclopedia Britannica.3
The use of new media continues to expand at an exponential rate among the public, but the
potential these mediums hold for organizations remains unclear. Are organizations adopting
new media technologies? If so, for what purpose? Are these new channels an effective way to
communicate to employees? And if they are, are they superior to more traditional methods?
The data above on adoption of new media only tells part of the story. We recognize that
corporate communicators are in search of answers to more meaningful questions as well:
Does this represent a paradigm shift in communications, or are these tools simply for the
tech-savvy? Will these new channels facilitate a more open exchange of ideas, or invite
abuse? What forms of communication will the next generation of workers expect?
This report not only investigates how organizations are currently using new media technologies,
but also points to implications for the future of employee communications and what corporate
communicators need to consider to effectively reach and infl uence workers. Our examination
of employee communications at industry-leading organizations reveals three things:
• Despite increased awareness of new media technologies, companies are hesitant to adopt
them for internal communications.
• Organizations should consider a mix of channels depending on their communications goals.
• Communicators misunderstand the obstacles to implementation of new media technologies
in organizations.
5New Frontiers in Employee Communications
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This year’s study focused solely on industry-leading organizations. Communicators from 75
Fortune 500 companies and dozens of global organizations participated in the survey (see
Methodology p. 30). Among the key fi ndings:
Awareness of new media technologies
• Nearly all respondents reported knowledge of blogs (Web logs), a signifi cant increase
compared to the original 2004 study.
• Awareness of podcasting is high, with more than three-fourths of corporate communicators
citing understanding of the technology.
• Fewer than half of study participants knew what a wiki is.
• Fewer corporate communicators read blogs than adult American Internet users as a whole,
and the number of respondents who have posted to a blog did not increase this year.
Use of employee communications channels
• For the third year in a row, e-mail was listed as the most frequently used communications
vehicle within companies.
• More than three-fourths of organizations use some online tool to share information and
promote best practices, with intranets being the most commonly used channel.
• Nearly one-third of respondents report their organizations host, author or support a blog.
• More than one-third of corporate communicators report their organizations use podcasts.
• Slightly more than 10 percent of leading organizations report the use of wikis.
• Nearly all organizations use an intranet and nearly three-fourths use portal technology.
• Leading organizations are more inclined to use new media channels to communicate with
internal audiences as opposed to external stakeholders.
Effectiveness of communications channels
• For the third year in a row, in-person communications was rated as the most effective
channel to communicate to employees.
• Among organizations that use multiple new media channels, wikis are viewed as the most
effective.
• Blogs are considered a useful tool to impact culture change and identify employee issues
within organizations.
6New Frontiers in Employee Communications
• Respondents rate podcasts as a useful tool for employee training.
• Wikis are seen as a useful tool for collaboration and knowledge management.
Facing the realities of modern communications
• Only 13 percent of respondents said their company monitors employees’ blogging activities,
and nearly two-thirds of corporate communicators are not sure if their organizations monitor
employee blog use.
• Organizations that have a blog (internal or external) are more likely to have a policy
regarding employee blogging, less likely to have a policy that prohibits employees from
posting on external chat rooms and message boards, less likely to prohibit the use of instant
messaging from their computers and less likely to block access to the Internet than
companies that do not have a blog.
Access to electronic communications
• At nearly one-third of industry-leading organizations, fewer than half of employees have
access to a computer at work.
7New Frontiers in Employee Communications
AWARENESS OF NEW MEDIA TECHNOLOGIES
Blogs gained mainstream prominence during the political events of 2003 and 2004, but it took
a while for the technology to fully enter the consciousness of corporate communicators. This
year, all but one of 119 respondents reported knowledge of blogs. Awareness of podcasts was
also very high, with 86 percent of individuals noting they knew of the technology. However,
fewer than half of respondents (48 percent) said they understood what a wiki is.
0
20
40
60
80
100
NoYesNoYesNoYes
Do you know what a blog (Web log) is?
2006 2005 2004
Per
cen
tag
e
99% 1% 83% 17% 59% 41%
Per
cen
tag
e
0
20
40
60
80
100
NoYes
86% 14%
Do you know what a podcast is?
2006 2005
Do you know what a wiki is?
Per
cen
tag
e
01020304050607080
NoYesNoYes
48% 52% 39% 61%
8New Frontiers in Employee Communications
Awareness does not equal usage
The recognition of new media channels does not necessarily translate into fi rst-hand
familiarity. Fewer than one-third (29 percent) of corporate communicators report reading a
blog regularly; the same number say they have posted to a blog. The number of respondents
reading blogs has increased slightly over last year, but is fewer than the number of adult
American Internet users who view them (39 percent).4 The number of corporate
communicators who posted to a blog remained the same as in 2005.
What is a wiki?
According to Webster’s New Millennium Dictionary a wiki is “a collaborative Web site set up to allow user editing and
adding of content.” This means that any visitor to the page who is granted permission to contribute can alter the
material that appears on the site. This is different than a standard corporate Web site where visitors cannot add
content, or a blog or message board where visitors can merely add comments. The word wiki is short for wiki-wiki,
which means fast in Hawaiian. The fi rst wiki (WikiWikiWeb) was launched in 1995 by computer programmer Ward
Cunningham.
Wikis are particularly useful for creating libraries of information or developing communications that will evolve.
Perhaps the most famous use of wikis is Wikipedia, an online encyclopedia launched in 2001. As of October 2006,
Wikipedia had more than 1.4 million entries in English and more than 2 million entries in French, Italian, German,
Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, Polish and Swedish.
By allowing multiple users to contribute to a central source, organizations are able to leverage their collective
intelligence. A key benefi t of wiki technology is that it does not require users to know HTML in order to edit page
content. In fact, many recent wikis use a What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get (WYSIWYG) editing format that makes
contributions even more intuitive for users. Open-source wiki software is available for organizations to implement
behind fi rewalls, or wikis can be hosted by commercial providers with a variety of security options.
Due to the open nature of wikis, they are often viewed as vulnerable to vandalism and misinformation campaigns.
However, when used inside an organization, identity controls and monitoring can prevent most abuse.
2006 2005
Do you read a particular blog regularly?
Per
cen
tag
e
0
20
40
60
80
100
NoYesNoYes
29% 71% 19% 81%
9New Frontiers in Employee Communications
USE OF EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATIONS CHANNELS
For the third consecutive year, respondents listed e-mail as the most frequently used form of
communication in organizations, followed by the company intranet and in-person exchanges.
New media channels (blogs, podcasts, etc.) were rarely mentioned as commonly used forms
of sharing information.
Sharing with a click of a mouse
One of the greatest challenges among industry-leading organizations, many of which are
decentralized or operate globally, is how to share best practices across the company. Data
reveals that a clear majority of organizations favor using an electronic tool to share information
with and among employees. The most commonly reported medium was a company intranet,
with more than three-fourths of respondents leveraging a central, internal online page or
portal.
What channel does your organization use mostfrequently to communicate to employees?
Wikis, instant messaging (IM), message boards, forums and chat rooms received 0%
Intranet
In-person
Podcast
Telephone
Blog
Other
53%
28%
12%
2%2%
1%1% 1%
2006 2005
Have you ever posted to a blog?
Per
cen
tag
e
01020304050607080
NoYesNoYes
29% 71% 29% 71%
10New Frontiers in Employee Communications
- Twelve companies, more than 10 percent of respondents, use Microsoft SharePoint
(software that provides intranet and Web portal capabilities) to facilitate collaborative
communications.
- Only seven companies, fewer than 10 percent of respondents, use a custom tool to share
information. This suggests that the majority of companies use off-the-shelf solutions, or
work with vendors to implement offerings, instead of investing signifi cant time and
resources in personalized products. This data also suggests that the technology already
exists to meet the majority of corporate communications needs. Current tools can be
formatted to refl ect existing organizational brand presentation.
Does your organization use an online tool toshare information and promote best practices?
85%
15% Yes
No
What type of online tool does your organization use toshare information and promote best practices?
Too
ls
01020304050607080
Intranet/Portal
E-mailWebcast/Online
Meeting
ForumsNewsletterCustom Tool
BlogWikiPodcastRadio
SharePoint12
78
11877 75431
Number of companies reporting use
11New Frontiers in Employee Communications
Corporate blogs
Nearly one-third (32 percent) of respondents reported that their organizations host, support or
author a blog, up signifi cantly from a year ago (See sidebar).* Communicators are recognizing
blogs as an opportunity to build deeper relationships with stakeholders. “When we fi rst started
going to senior leadership, we positioned the blog as an extension of our brand, and at
Southwest our brand is our people,” says Angela Vargo, senior specialist of business
development at Southwest Airlines and co-creator of the company’s external blog Nuts About
Southwest. “This is a forum for our best and major asset, our people, to communicate directly
to the public. A blog is very much supposed to be an extension of a company: whatever they
think, they believe, their mission. That was the selling point.”
Podcast use
While blogs have existed for several
years, podcasting is a relatively recent
addition to the new media mix, with
the term not appearing until early 2004.5
However, communicators have been
quick to adopt podcasting, with more
than a third of organizations reporting
podcast use.
Wiki use
The least known of the new media
offerings, wikis are quickly gaining
interest among internal communicators,
with slightly more than one-in-ten
(11 percent) of leading organizations
reporting use of the channel.
2006 2005
Does your organization author,host or support any blogs?
Per
cen
tag
e
0
20
40
60
80
100
NoYesNoYes
32% 68% 13% 87%
Does your organization use podcasts?
35%
65%
Yes
No
*Note: The number reported in this study for blog use by companies is higher than the numbers found in research by other organizations and individuals. Several reasons may account for this discrepancy. Our study looked at overall use of blogs, regardless of whether they are public or private (our data supports the fi nding that a number of companies operate internal-only blogs), while some previous work looks only at external-facing material. In addition, the assumption can be made that given the size and resources of industry-leading organizations, they may be more likely to have implemented blogs in some manner (such as among engineering, information technology or communications teams). Some studies have looked at a broader range of corporate blog usage, including smaller, non-Fortune 500 and non-global companies.
However, we also recognize that these numbers may be somewhat infl ated due to the small sample size and the possibility that companies with active new media programs may have been more likely to participate in the study.
Does your organization use wiki technology?
11%
89%
Yes
No
Podcasting vs streaming audioThe fundamental differences between a podcast and streaming audio are the ability to download podcasts and load them onto a portable media player and the option to subscribe to a feed and automatically receive new podcasts from a particular source. However, the majority of podcast listeners never transfer the audio to a portable player, preferring to listen on their computer. While podcasts allow users to control when and where they listen to audio, organizations can reap many of the same benefi ts of the medium – more engaging and dynamic content delivered by a human voice – with streaming audio or static MP3 fi les.
12New Frontiers in Employee Communications
Wikis are particularly useful for communications efforts that evolve and benefi t from input from
a diverse network of stakeholders. The Central Intelligence Agency is currently leading an
effort to use wikis as a way to gather information from analysts at 16 different government
agencies. The project, named Intellipedia, makes information from subject-matter experts
scattered across the globe available in a central and searchable online space. Another
differentiator for wikis is that they document revisions, allowing users to see when changes
occur and compare alternate versions.
Maximizing the intranet
Perhaps no internal communications tool is more versatile than the intranet, due to its ability to
serve as a portal, displaying and providing access to a variety of different channels. While use
of intranets is nearly universal among leading organizations (99 percent report usage), and
portal technology is commonplace (72 percent), few companies seem to take full advantage of
these sites by integrating communications channels and interactive features. Only slightly
more than a third (34 percent) of companies reported using a message board, group or forum
on the intranet, and nearly one in fi ve companies (18 percent) are not able to stream video.
Does your organization operate an intranet?
1%
99%
Yes
No
Does your organization use portal technology?
14%
72%
Yes
No
I'm not sure14%
Can your organization’s intranet stream video?
18%
78%
Yes
No
I'm not sure
4%
Does your organization’s intranet contain message boards, groups or forums?
34%
66%
Yes
No
13New Frontiers in Employee Communications
Favoring the fi rewall
Internal use of new media avoids several risks associated with opening communications
channels to external involvement. Inside of organizations, communicators can moderate,
facilitate and track conversations to ensure that employee participation is contributing to
organizational goals and complies with appropriate standards of behavior.
Communicators have recognized internal implementation as a way to test the usefulness of
new media technologies without facing the risks and uncertainty of the external marketplace.
Nearly one-third (32 percent) of organization blogs are aimed exclusively at internal audiences,
and 19 percent are focused solely on external stakeholders. Perhaps a more signifi cant
indicator of the hesitancy to take a corporate blog public is that more than one-third (37
percent) of respondents said they would never use a blog to communicate externally with
customers and stakeholders. The focus on internal audiences is even more pronounced
among senior executives who choose to blog. Almost two-thirds (58 percent) of senior
executive bloggers aim their writing exclusively at employees. “It’s easier to sell an executive
on internal blogging,” says David Carter, chief technology offi cer and vice president of strategy
at iUpload, a content management and corporate blogging company that has worked for
several leading organizations including McDonald’s and Cannondale Bicycle Corporation. “All
they need to do is audit their Sent Mail folder for one-to-many communications that probably Sent Mail folder for one-to-many communications that probably Sent Mail
should have been a post in their internal blog.”
To what audience is your organization’s blog aimed?
49%
19%
Internal
External
Both
32%
In your opinion, do you think your organizationwould consider a blog as a way to communicate
internally with its employees?
43%
19%
38%
Yes
No
Maybe
In your opinion, do you think your organizationwould consider a blog as a way to communicate
externally with customers and stakeholders?
Yes
No
Maybe37%
37%
26%
14New Frontiers in Employee Communications
A BANNER YEAR FOR CEO BLOGGERS
As of the time of publication of this report, only four Fortune 500 CEOs had contributed to a
public blog. While it’s likely that several chief executives contribute to internal blogs, insight
into that content is not available (an exception is Intel CEO Paul Otellini, who began blogging in
December 2004 when he was president of the company. Excerpts from Otellini’s blog were
leaked to the San Jose Mercury News in February 2005). While the blogs examined here are
external forms of communication, it is important to recognize that they still serve as a powerful
employee communications vehicle as workers will visit the site, comment on the material and
discuss posts among themselves. Corporate blogs can become the face and mouth of an
organization online, shaping perceptions in a more personal way than a standard Web site
would. As such, it is critical that employees be considered as an audience for any online effort
whether it is internal or external. The examples listed below demonstrate that there is no one
right or wrong strategy for blogging and that the content and style should refl ect the
personality of the author.
Jonathan Schwartz (Sun Microsystems) – When Jonathan Schwartz became CEO of Sun in
April 2006, he became the fi rst Fortune 500 CEO to regularly blog. Schwartz, who since 2004
had been blogging as president and chief operating offi cer of the company, leads an
organization that has more than 3,000 employee blogs. His blog attracts more than 50,000
visitors a month and caused Schwartz to tell the Associated Press, “The blog has become for
me the single most effective vehicle to communicate to all of our constituencies - developers,
media, analysts and shareholders.”
John Mackey (Whole Foods) – Technically, Mackey became the fi rst Fortune 500 CEO blogger
when he posted an entry in September 2005. However, Mackey posts sporadically, amassing
only seven entries in the fi rst year of his blog. His posts, which are often repurposed writings,
are long, detailed and clearly well-researched, but they lack the spontaneity and
conversational tone commonly associated with blogs.
Does your organization have a CEO or a member of senior management who blogs?
18%
61%
Yes
No
I'm not sure
My CEO would never blog
17%4%
Who is the audience of your organization’sCEO/management blog?
18%
58%
Internal
External
Both
24%
15New Frontiers in Employee Communications
Rick Wagoner (General Motors) Rick Wagoner (General Motors) Rick Wagoner – In late July 2006, the GM CEO authored a post on the
company’s FastLane Blog. The blog, which originally featured contributions by vice chairman
Bob Lutz and now contains posts from several employees, usually addresses GM products
and programs. Wagoner, however, used the medium to make his case that the company was
making signifi cant progress with its turnaround plan. The post came shortly after GM had
released its second-quarter earnings and addressed several specifi c company developments
that had already been explained to analysts. The entry garnered dozens of comments, some
supportive and others critical of the company’s actions.
Gary Kelly (Southwest Airlines) – When news broke that Southwest was exploring the idea of
abandoning the company’s well-known open-seating policy, CEO Gary Kelly posted on the
company’s blog, Nuts About Southwest, which launched in April 2006. Kelly’s entry clarifi ed
rumors circulating about the Southwest policy and promised further communication to
customers. The post generated more than 600 comments from readers. Kelly has since added
two additional posts to the blog: one asking for advice on a Halloween costume (complete with
pictures of him from previous years dressed as Gene Simmons of the rock band KISS and
Wild Bill Hickok) and a follow-up entry providing an update on research into the company’s
boarding policies.
EFFECTIVENESS OF COMMUNICATIONS CHANNELS
Repeating the pattern of previous year’s studies, in-person communication was listed by
corporate communicators as the most effective form of communication, followed by e-mail
and the company intranet.
What channel do you find most effective for communicating to employees?
16%
75%
In-Person
Intranet
Telephone
Wiki
4%1%2% 2%
16New Frontiers in Employee Communications
Print versus electronic
The low rating of print publications versus electronic mediums, both in terms of usage and
effectiveness, suggests that communicators at leading organizations have embraced
electronic communication as the primary approach to reach employees. Given the size of
industry-leading organizations and the diversity of their operations, electronic tools pose
several advantages over print communications:
• Connects a global workplace – Online tools provide platforms for corporate communicators
to reach diverse sections of employees and allow workers in different countries, sites and
locations to communicate and collaborate.
• Audience segmentation/moderation – Online tools allow for targeted one-to-one, one-to-
many, many-to-many and many-to-one forms of communications, depending on the context
and goals of the efforts.
• Real-time – Constant connectivity means communications can be received the moment
they are distributed and automatically updated as new information develops.
• Inexpensive – Decreasing broadband and bandwidth costs, combined with savings in
printing and shipping costs, mean that online tools can provide organizations with
signifi cant savings for communications.
• More context – By providing an expanded space for information, a linked environment and
improved search tools, employees can have access to specifi c information sent, as well as
to related information that’s communicated on an ongoing basis.
• More dynamic – Corporate communicators can use online video and audio capabilities to
make communications more engaging for stakeholders.
• Document trail – By storing and tracking communications, as well as by providing the ability
to follow changes in information, new media channels can document the evolution of
communications in organizations.
• Greater feedback – Electronic communications provide an easy and intuitive outlet for
individuals to collaborate on business operations and strategy, allowing for immediate
and personalized feedback directly to the communicator or user.
• More conversational – Often more free-fl owing and informal, online communications often
seem less “corporate” and provide a forum for candid discussions.
• Measurement – Online tools let corporate communicators track the use and comprehension
of material more accurately, allowing for segmentation analysis and documentation of
behavior change.
17New Frontiers in Employee Communications
New media effectiveness
One reason that podcasts may be more attractive than blogs is that they’re a controlled
medium. Podcasts can be scripted and edited, and while many podcasts solicit feedback from
listeners, those comments are not open for viewing the way they are with blogs and wikis.
However, the lack of interaction among users also means that podcasts are a poor
communication channel to promote collaboration or to identify issues within the organization.
Different channels for different goals
While new media is often viewed as a group, each channel offers distinct advantages and
disadvantages. Effective use of new media in organizations must consider the goals of
communications and look to match the appropriate medium in order to leverage messages.
Culture Change – Blogs were listed as the second-most-favorable form of communication for
culture change, trailing only in-person meetings, and one of only two channels to receive a
majority of favorable ratings. The ability of blogs to create a community around issues and
events makes them a powerful tool for culture change. By providing a channel for management
and employees to share stories, and creating a forum for more open discussion, blogs can
help shape a more aware and inclusive organization. “Blogs can help bring humanity back into
the workplace,” says Michael Wiley, senior vice president with Edelman’s me2revolution, who
formerly served as Director of Global Communications Technology and New Media at General
Motors. “We have become so concerned with communicating numbers and processes that
employees have forgotten how to build relationships. How can companies ask employees to
provide superior service and innovative thinking when everything they see and hear fl ies in the
face of that? Blogs help create a culture that supports those behaviors.”
Per
cen
tag
e0
10
20
30
40
50
BlogsPodcastsWikis
47% 40% 29%
Provide your opinion of the usefulness of eachchannel as a tool to communicate with employees*
*Percent listing useful or very useful
18New Frontiers in Employee Communications
Collaboration – Surprisingly, e-mail rated highly as a collaborative channel, viewed as the
second-most-favorable tool behind in-person communication; however, this may have been in
part due to the frequency of e-mail use and not an accurate refl ection of its benefi ts. In fact,
while e-mail can be a vehicle to promote collaboration, it’s not in itself a collaborative form of
technology because it does not provide a shared space for individuals to contribute
simultaneously - like a chat or wiki would. Wikis, which allow many users to provide input in a
shared and evolving space, also scored high in terms of usefulness for collaboration.
Training – This is the area in which organizations appear to rely most heavily on traditional
communications methods such as in-person, intranet and print communications (print
communications received its highest favorability rating for training). This is not unexpected, as
training is likely to be a more prescriptive, top-down form of communications that might not
benefi t from the collaborative nature of many new media tools. The form of new media scoring
highest for training is podcasting, which offers an engaging way to communicate information
and largely lacks the two-way aspect of other new media channels. Several leading
organizations including Capital One, Xerox and National Semiconductor have begun
distributing MP3 players to employees to facilitate training programs and information sharing
through podcasts.
Per
cen
tag
e
0
20
40
60
80
100
PrintWikisPodcastsBlogsE-mailIntranetIn-Person
95% 53% 65% 38% 15% 56% 17%
Rate each communications channel with regardsto collaboration*
*Percent listing useful or very useful
Per
cen
tag
e
0
20
40
60
80
100
PrintWikisPodcastsBlogsE-mailIntranetIn-Person
97% 47% 38% 54% 38% 27% 47%
Rate each communications channel with regardsto culture change*
*Percent listing useful or very useful
19New Frontiers in Employee Communications
Media Monitoring – No communication channel received a majority of favorable ratings for
media monitoring. E-mail and blogs scored highest, with both tools able to easily categorize
and store information.
Trend Analysis/Tracking – Overall, the favorability ratings for trend analysis and tracking were
relatively low, with only blogs garnering high marks from more than one-third of respondents.
Blogs offer employees the ability to aggregate information on a variety of topics, helping
workers identify topics of increased interest. In addition, Really Simple Syndication (RSS, see
box on side) feeds allow employees to track developments in the organization and the
marketplace in near real-time.
Per
cen
tag
e
0
10
20
30
40
50
PrintWikisPodcastsBlogsE-mailIntranetIn-Person
18% 29% 41% 37% 6% 13% 18%
Rate the usefulness of each communicationschannel with regards to media monitoring*
*Percent listing useful or very useful
Per
cen
tag
e
0
20
40
60
80
100
PrintWikisPodcastsBlogsE-mailIntranetIn-Person
92% 71% 30% 9% 46% 31% 55%
Rate each communications channel with regardto training*
*Percent listing useful or very useful
What is RSS (Really Simple Syndication)?
RSS (sometimes called web feeds or RSS streams) is a category of online feeds of information that allow people to subscribe to internet content that others have syndicated. In essence, RSS means that people can receive updates on material from numerous Web sites, blogs, podcasts, etc. without ever having to navigate to the pages where the information is housed. RSS feeds are received through aggregators, also commonly referred to as feed readers, which can collect and organize numerous feeds. The result is that individuals can self-select the information they want to receive and the material is delivered in near real-time and in an unobtrusive manner.
RSS feeds can be used to supply people with information from a variety of sources: mainstream publications like The New York Times or Wall Street Journal, blogs on industries and companies, Google search results, etc. Feed readers can be Web-based, incorporated into e-mail or embedded into existing Web pages.
20New Frontiers in Employee Communications
Identifying Employee Issues – In-person communications is the preferred way to identify
what’s on workers’ minds. Among new media tools, blogs were considered the most favorable.
Monitoring blog posts and comments by employees can be a useful way for communicators to
gauge employee opinions.
Knowledge Management – The highest-rated communications channels for knowledge
management are in-person, intranet and e-mail. However, while these communications
channels are currently viewed as the most favorable, none provides a robust solution to
knowledge for a large and complex organization. In particular, in-person communication,
which lacks a distinct method to capture and store information, is a poor long-term knowledge
management solution. E-mail and intranet also have limited capability to search information
and provide context. “In business, there is a need to change how we manage information,”
says iUpload’s Carter. “If I want to share my business plan, chances are I e-mail it to people
who I think need to see it. However, new employees don’t have a historical inbox of
information. Workers that retire or quit don’t have their e-mail inboxes made public as a
company asset and when someone changes roles their expertise goes with them. That
knowledge is gone forever.” The form of new media that scored the highest for knowledge
management was wikis, which allow multiple users to contribute to a shared library of
information.
Per
cen
tag
e
0
20
40
60
80
100
PrintWikisPodcastsBlogsE-mailIntranetIn-Person
96% 42% 40% 58% 11% 24% 15%
Rate the usefulness of each communications channelwith regards to identifying employee issues*
*Percent listing useful or very useful
Per
cen
tag
e0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
PrintWikisPodcastsBlogsE-mailIntranetIn-Person
26% 28% 29% 35% 14% 22% 19%
Rate the usefulness of each communicationschannel with regards to trend analysis/tracking*
*Percent listing useful or very useful
21New Frontiers in Employee Communications
Per
cen
tag
e
0
20
40
60
80
100
PrintWikisPodcastsBlogsE-mailIntranetIn-Person
85% 85% 70% 25% 41% 56% 53%
Rate the usefulness of each communicationschannel with regards to knowledge management*
*Percent listing useful or very useful
These responses demonstrate that communications channels cannot be seen as isolated
tools. Rather, corporate communicators have available an array of options to reach employees
and should adopt channels dependent upon the communications goals and organizational
environment. Furthermore, the results show the value of using a mix of communications
channels to best reach employees and impact knowledge, attitudes and behaviors.
22New Frontiers in Employee Communications
FACING THE REALITIES OF MODERN COMMUNICATIONS
Tracking employee blogging
A mere 13 percent of respondents noted that their organizations monitor blogging by
employees, while nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of communicators didn’t even know if their
companies track employee blog activity. However, when one considers that 9 percent of
American adult Internet users keep a blog, it’s unlikely that any leading organization does not
have employee bloggers. Furthermore, the number of blog authors jumps to 19 percent among
American Internet users ages 12 to 17 and 20 percent among those 22 to 28, meaning that a
generation accustomed to contributing thoughts online will soon be entering the workplace.6
Given that 76 percent of bloggers write about personal experiences and 35 percent of
bloggers note that colleagues, co-workers or bosses are aware of their blog, content may
often touch on workplace issues and have an impact on organizational culture.7 The fact that
an organization does not sanction blogging does not mean employees are not talking about
the company online.
One possible explanation for the lack of monitoring of employee communications online is that
it is often viewed as the purview of the IT or HR department. However, since public blogs can
have a signifi cant effect on the organization’s reputation, it’s imperative that corporate
communicators be aware of the conversations taking place among stakeholders. This is
crucial to identify any ethical lapses or inaccurate information and rumors. Additionally,
monitoring internal and external blog content can help identify employee opinions and
perceptions – serving as an organic focus group. Furthermore, identifying employees who are
interested in new media or who are vocal in online communities can help build evangelists for
products and initiatives.
Not surprisingly, companies that have a blog are signifi cantly more likely to track employees’
blogging. These organizations recognize that paying attention to the conversations taking
place online is a valuable way to protect corporate reputation and gain insight into employee
attitudes.
Does your organization track blogging by employees?
23%
64%
13% Yes
No
I'm not sure
How many conversations
are you missing?
23New Frontiers in Employee Communications
Corporate communicators should understand that the only necessary cost associated with
monitoring is the time commitment. There are several free services available online that allow
people to track online conversations about companies, brands and employees (several
organizations, including Edelman, offer monitoring services to companies for a fee). However,
while automated services will aggregate mentions of terms, individuals must still review
content to determine context and signifi cance.
Obstacles to online tools – debunking the myths
This year, we asked communicators to list what they perceived as the greatest obstacles to
the implementation of new media technologies in their organizations. The results demonstrate
that the hesitancy to implement new media stems largely from a misunderstanding of the
infrastructure requirements for the technology and a resistance to experiment with channels
unfamiliar to the organization. We examine the top ten listed obstacles:
1. Inadequate resources (time and/or money) – When weighed against the amount of money
that corporate communicators spend on publication production, media monitoring services
and intranet design, new media initiatives can results in tremendous cost savings. In addition,
many industry-leading organizations are outsourcing tasks like blog tracking and conversation
monitoring to agencies.
2. Disconnected employees – Many new media advocates often forget that a signifi cant
portion of employee populations at leading organizations do not have daily Internet access at
work. These workers should not be ignored and online strategies can be designed with
complementary or redundant offl ine materials that ensure all employees have the opportunity
for engagement. Aggregating information online can help identify pressing issues and make
subsequent offl ine efforts more effi cient and relevant.
3. Resistance to change – People are wary of strategies they’re not familiar with, so it’s up to
corporate communicators to make the business case for change.
Per
cen
tag
e
0
5
10
15
20
25
Organizations that do not have a blogOrganizations that have a blog
23% 8%
Does your organization track bloggingby employees?*
*Difference is significant at a 90% confidence interval
What is holding you
back?
24New Frontiers in Employee Communications
4. Desire to control communication/fear of unknown – By adopting new media within
organizations and effectively communicating policies, communicators actually gain more
access to conversations. There’s a perception that empowering new media among employees
will result in a fl ood of complaints, leaked information and inappropriate conduct. However,
corporate communicators often do not recognize the moderation and security levels possible
with these channels – the most secure of which is to keep participation internal. Furthermore,
information that is inappropriate to distribute through new media is likely to be inappropriate
when communicated through any medium.
5. Not convinced of benefi ts – Communicators must make a business case for new media,
demonstrating how improved communications and engagement will allow employees to better
execute organizational goals. The low barrier of entry into new media, particularly with internal
implementation, means that the risk is minimal compared to the rewards.
6. Perceived lack of IT capabilities – Many organizations are working with third-parties to
implement new media channels, either adapting products to their needs or allowing for secure,
external hosting. The result is that minimal infrastructure is required to reap the benefi ts of new
media and most tools can be seamlessly integrated into existing IT structures. While IT should
certainly be consulted on new media initiatives, it is corporate communications that should be
driving, and maintaining, the programs.
7. Culture not accepting – New media should never be forced on a community that’s not ready
for it. Corporate communicators can shape new media implementation, including the
restrictions and policies associated with it, to refl ect and support existing organizational
culture.
8. Senior management won’t allow it – In situations where executives resist the implementation
of new media, it is incumbent upon corporate communicators to make a case for adoption. “A
lot of research was done before we launched our blog, listing the potential pitfalls and the pros
and cons,” says Southwest’s Vargo. “Having that research done allowed us to say to
leadership, ‘We understand this is a bit of a leap and seems scary, but the rewards far
outweigh the risks.’ In the end it was actually a pretty easy sell.” When possible, build a
prototype or test a new media program among a sample group of employees.
9. Legal/governance/regulation issues – As mentioned earlier, the legal/governance/regulation
issues associated with new media are likely to be covered by existing company guidelines
concerning communications, confi dentiality and ethics. In addition, the accountability built into
new media participation can deter inappropriate activities.
10. Would require too much training – Effective new media tools are intuitive and offer a low
barrier to entry. The only obligatory training around these tools is in relation to policies and
ethics associated with the media. The larger issue is engaging employees in contributing and
using content, something that will be infl uenced by culture, leadership and communications
strategy.
25New Frontiers in Employee Communications
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Organization without blog
Organization with blog
Organization without blog
Organization with blog
Organization without blog
Organization with blog
Does your organization have guidelines or apolicy in place regarding employee blogging?
Yes No Not sure
Per
cen
tag
e
48% 25% 44% 60% 8% 16%
0
20
40
60
80
100
Organization without blog
Organization with blog
Organization without blog
Organization with blog
Organization without blog
Organization with blog
Does your organization have a policy prohibitingemployees from posting on external chat rooms
and message boards?
Yes No Not sure
Per
cen
tag
e
15% 23% 81% 57% 4% 20%
01020304050607080
Organization without blog
Organization with blog
Organization without blog
Organization with blog
Organization without blog
Organization with blog
Does your organization prohibit the use ofinstant messaging from its computers?
Yes No Not sure
Per
cen
tag
e
24% 27% 72% 59% 4% 14%
0
20
40
60
80
100
Organization without blog
Organization with blog
Organization without blog
Organization with blog
Organization without blog
Organization with blog
Does your organization block access to any Web sites?
Yes No Not sure
Per
cen
tag
e84% 91% 12% 7% 4% 2%
Does your organization prohibit the use of instantmessaging (IM) from its computers?
12%
62%
Yes
No
I'm not sure
26%
Creating a culture of communication
The data reveals that organizations that currently implement social media are less likely to
restrict employee access to online information but are more likely to develop policies around
the use of new media technologies.
This demonstrates that the use of new media technologies is both a product and refl ection of
the culture of an organization. By taking a strategic approach to the use of new media
technologies, communicators can ensure that the tools used align with and support either the
existing or desired organizational culture.
26New Frontiers in Employee Communications
One of the strongest arguments in favor of implementing new media technologies within an
enterprise is that employees are likely already using them. With all the free blogs, wikis,
podcasts, instant messaging (IM) platforms and message boards available on the Internet,
employees are able to use a variety of tools to communicate both inside and outside the offi ce.
Workers who use one communication channel outside of work and are prevented from using
that medium at the offi ce may become frustrated and reject existing structures.
By implementing new media technologies, companies are able to keep more conversations
inside of the organization, in a form that they are able to manage. This means that they can
more easily regulate identity, track participation and identify issues as they arise.
Another signifi cant benefi t of adopting these tools internally is that the organization then has
ownership of all the intellectual property produced through the communications. When former
Microsoft employee and popular blogger Robert Scoble left the company earlier this year, he
took his site, which is run through the blog platform WordPress and read by thousands of
people each day, with him. If employees use tools outside of the organization, then information
housed there is tied to the worker and will be lost if that individual leaves.
27New Frontiers in Employee Communications
ACCESS TO ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS
Recognizing the digital divide
Organizations looking to implement new media technologies need to recognize the digital
divide that exists in many companies. At nearly one-third (32 percent) of leading organizations,
up to 50 percent of the employee population does not have daily access to a computer at
work. Corporate communicators need to fi nd ways to keep these workers, who often have
customer service or production responsibilities, aligned with business strategy. With their
ability to aggregate information inside the company in a variety of ways, new media tools
package communications in a form that can be easily taken offl ine. Communicators, who
ideally are paying attention to conversations among employees, can identify the most
meaningful and relevant information. In fact, the use of new media within an organization can
help reduce the resources and time necessary to produce other communications such as
printed internal newsletters.
Accommodating the 24-hour work cycle
Companies are more willing to allow employees to access their work e-mail from home than
they are to provide off-site intranet access. While some of this may be related to the IT issues
of remote intranet access, by eliminating a credible source of company information
organizations invite employees to look elsewhere.
What percentage of your employees have access to a computer at work?
14%
24%
100%
91% - 99%
81% - 90%
71% - 80%
61% - 70%
51% - 60%
41% - 50%
31% - 40%
21% - 30%
I'm not sure
8%
7%
7%3%
17%
8%
7%5%
What percentage of your organization’s employees have access to the intranet from home?
38%
62%
Have access
Do not have access
28New Frontiers in Employee Communications
The easier companies make it to access relevant communications provided by the
organization, the more likely it is that individual will view the company as a credible and
meaningful source.
What percentage of your organization’semployees have access to e-mail from home?
87%
Have access
Do not have access
13%
29New Frontiers in Employee Communications
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOUR ORGANIZATION
None of these new media technologies in and of themselves are truly innovative in terms of
what they offer – blogs and wikis are simply easy-to-update Web sites and podcasting is
merely a new way to transmit audio fi les. What has changed are the expectations individuals
have of the ways they create, receive and share information. Today communications need to
be relevant, interactive, portable and immediate. If organizations are not able to reach
employees, or workers cannot access the information they want, when they want it, the result
is likely to be a disengaged employee. “Communicators who dismiss new media technologies
do their employees and organizations a disservice,” says Jeffrey Treem, analyst with Edelman
Change and Employee Engagement. “The pace of change is quickening and communications
structures need to adjust to meet the demands of the modern business landscape.”
In fact, new media technologies are likely to become ever more engrained in our everyday
lives. Newspapers such as The Washington Post are allowing consumers to comment on every
story online and providing links to bloggers writing on related topics, in effect, turning each
article into a blog post. The current generation of Web browsers have RSS feed readers built
in, allowing people to subscribe to material with the click of a mouse, regardless of whether
they know the technology. The use of podcasts exploded last year when people were able to
listen and download shows, many of them free, through Apple’s popular iTunes Music Store.
Corporate communicators need to take the responsibility of educating themselves and their
organizations about new media technologies. The communications landscape is changing
quickly and organizations need to be able to adjust their strategies accordingly to maintain a
competitive advantage. Three times as many 18- to 26-year-olds read blogs as do adults ages
41 to 50, meaning a generation accustomed to new media technologies will soon be fl ooding
the workforce.8
The results of this study are not meant to argue that new media is a panacea for internal
communications in organizations. Rather, they point to the need for communicators to
consider a range of options to match the medium with the message. A strategic approach to
internal communications can be a key differentiator for your organization, helping to engage
employees and drive business results.
30New Frontiers in Employee Communications
METHODOLOGY
• Senior communicators at Fortune 500 companies and clients identifi ed as industry-leading
organizations were sent an invitation to participate in the study. In total, 787 survey
invitations were e-mailed to prospective participants.
• 138 responded, resulting in 111 complete surveys. This provided a participation rate of 18
percent and a response rate of 14 percent.
• 75 Fortune 500 companies participated in the study.
• Participating Companies include: 3M, Abbott Laboratories, Allstate, American Airlines,
American Express, Aon, AstraZeneca, Boeing, BRP, Caterpillar, Coca-Cola, Dell, Delta Air
Lines, Disney, DTE Energy, Eastman Kodak, EDS, General Electric, General Mills, General
Motors, Goodyear Tire & Rubber, Hewlett-Packard, H.J. Heinz, Honda, Honeywell, IBM,
Johnson & Johnson, McDonalds, Microsoft, Motorola, Nissan, Offi ce Depot, PepsiCo,
Pfi zer, Progress Energy, RadioShack, ServiceMaster, Shell, Starbucks, T-Mobile, The Walt
Disney Company, UPS, Wendy’s, Whirlpool, Wrigley, Xerox, Yum! Brands.
VALIDITY
Although every attempt was made to make these results representative of the current internal
communications environment at leading organizations, we recognize that this is not a scientifi c
study and that there are several threats to the validity of the data:
• Although the sample size of 111 completed surveys is adequate for the population, this
number was smaller for several questions due to the fact that we had multiple respondents
from some companies, and a limited number of companies currently implement new media
technologies. This resulted in a small sample size for some questions, and those results
cannot be said to refl ect the population.
• Lack of familiarity with new media technologies may have biased respondents to a neutral
view on the effectiveness of channels.
• Because one of the purposes of the study was to examine the use and effectiveness of new
media technologies, we likely received a disproportionate number of responses from
individuals currently using, or planning to implement new media technologies in their
internal communications mix.
• Although the survey was sent via dedicated links to senior-level communicators at each
organization, we cannot say with any certainty that their answers and opinions accurately
refl ect the communications environment in their respective companies.
• Comparisons to previous years’ data may be misrepresentative of actual trends due to
differences in participant enrollment and the varied demographics of participating
companies.
31New Frontiers in Employee Communications
ENDNOTES
1 Sifry, David. “State of the Blogosphere, October, 2006.” Technorati. 6 Nov. 2006. <http://technorati.com/weblog/2006/11/161.html>
2 Klau, Rick. “Expanding Universe: Podcasting Market Update.” Burning Questions: the Offi cial FeedBurner WeblogBurning Questions: the Offi cial FeedBurner Weblog. 18 Apr. 2006. <http://blogs.feedburner.com/feedburner/archives/001755.html>.
3 Wikipedia.org and /www.britannica.com/premium
4 “Internet Activites.” Pew Internet & American Life ProjectPew Internet & American Life Project. 19 July 2006. <http://www.pewinternet.org/trends/Internet_Activities_7.19.06.htm>.
5 Hammersly, Ben. “Audible Revolution.” The Guardian. 12 Feb. 2006. <http://technology.guardian.co.uk/online/story/0,,1145689,00.html>
6 Fox, Susannah, and Mary Madden. “Generations Online.” Pew Internet & American Life ProjectPew Internet & American Life Project. 22 Jan. 2006. <http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Generations_Memo.pdf>.
7 Lenhart, Amanda, and Susannah Fox. “Bloggers: a Portrait of the Internet’s New Storytellers.” Pew Internet & American Life ProjectAmerican Life Project. 19 July 2006. <http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP%20Bloggers%20Report%20July%2019%202006.pdf>.
8 Li, Charlene. “Listen Up Marketers: 24% of Gen Yers Read Blogs.” Charlene Li’s BlogCharlene Li’s Blog. 11 Sept. 2006. <http://blogs.forrester.com/charleneli/2006/09/listen_up_marke.html>.
32New Frontiers in Employee Communications
CONTACTS
If you would like to learn more about how your organization can use a variety of new and
traditional communications channels to effectively reach and engage employees, contact:
Jeffrey Treem
Analyst
Edelman Change and Employee Engagement Group
+1 312 233 1340
Gary Grates
President and Global Director
Edelman Change and Employee Engagement Group
+1 212 704 8184
Kate Feather
Vice President
PeopleMetrics
+1 215 979 8037
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