Gatehouse Blog
Make research your resolution for 2009
I remain appalled by the amount of research into the effectiveness (or otherwise) of internal communication that goes on inside most UK businesses. It’s a real frustration for me and is, I believe, holding our profession back.
A recent study by The Engage Group and YouGov (see previous post) found that just 28 per cent of board members claim to use robust measures of employee engagement. I suspect the figure is even lower when it comes to researching the effectiveness of ‘bread and butter’ communication channels/tactics.
For years we’ve banged on about the importance of demonstrating our value to business leaders and proving our worth (indeed, some would argue we’ve obsessed about it), but in 2009 it’s still obvious that only a small minority of mainly large organisations are willing to put their money where their mouth is in this respect.
Not that research has to cost the earth. There are plenty of cheap yet highly effective ‘guerrilla’ techniques practitioners can use – re-analysing the people survey results, conducting a basic online survey, interviewing leaders and managers, running a focus group, telephoning a cross section of your audience to test message penetration, carrying out a content analysis of the corporate magazine.
Even specialist consultancies like Gatehouse can undertake a robust, scientifically sound piece of research – perhaps focused on a particular channel – for as little as £3-5k. We’ve done plenty of channel reviews – and larger scale IC audits – for our clients over the last 12 months. (Get in touch with me if you would like us to quote for doing this for you).
The problem is that, as recession begins to bite, we’re already seeing the casualties of this professional shortsightedness. It appears that channels – particularly print-based ones – are now being axed as the people in finance target what they see as low hanging fruit. I’m hearing more and more stories about much-loved and potentially very effective channels being sacrificed as part of a wider cost-cutting drive.
What’s more, if a recent thread on the Melcrum discussion forum is anything to go by, it seems that old chestnut that print should be replaced by online has raised its ugly head again. How many times do we have to explain that organisations need an appropriate mix of channels – face-to-face, print, electronic – to communicate effectively? Again, without hard evidence it’s difficult to defend your professional pride and joy…
The same happened in the last recession, yet we don’t appear to have learned the lesson. Clearly, without the research they need to show how effective and valuable a specific channel, wider strategy, or the function/team itself is, communicators face a losing battle.
The other problem, of course, is that the research budget itself – if there happens to be one – is also seen as easy prey for the cost-cutting vultures. Catch 22.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. As you think about and plan for the year ahead, why not make a commitment to undertake some proper research to assess your internal communications? You don’t even have to call it research or single it out as a budget item – just ensure you earmark a percentage of each key project for research & evaluation.
Research is not a bolt-on, nice-to-have activity – it’s something that is integral to effective internal communication planning. That stands in good times and in tough times. If you don’t know where you are now, how can you possibly know where you’re going or how you’re going to get there?
If budget is a problem, as I’m sure it will be for many, then make it your mission to identify some low cost or DIY research techniques. It doesn’t have to be rocket science to be scientific…
It may be shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted, but it’s about time we all made research a priority.
I’ll step down off my soapbox now…
