Internal Communication Challenges

One of the challenges I’m facing as a student undergoing work experience within a multinational company, with a headquarters in London and offices globally is operating is internal communication.  As someone actively aware of the organisations external communication strategies, I quickly became aware of internal communication challenges. I found the internal communication within the company highly challenging, as a result of my own lack of experience within corporate organisations and the vast size of the company.

The structure of the multinational is sectioned into hierarchical divisions. The multi-national, national and commodities divisions are all sub-divided and how these hierarchies fitted together was a very early lesson in my time at work experience. Whilst the departmental structures were logical and enabled employees to view exactly hoe their work contributed to the company, it also ‘silo-ed’ departments into isolated compartments. So far my experience has been that limited communication between departments occurs. I understand that with over 60,000 employees worldwide there is no easy way for communication, but the awkward interactions and isolation felt between employees in office cubicles on the boundary or overlapping department fringes has been a real internal communication wake-up call for me as a communications student.

My awareness of the large organisations challenges with internal communication was made clearer within my work within the organisations Communities Division Whilst almost all other employees I interact with are hard working and well intended, the spread of offices between Perth and remote and regional West Australia only enhanced the issue. Most strategies and plans are nutted out in the city then transferred across to operation and town sites regionally, this system often creates challenges with a disjoint between strategic business departments in the cities and operations sites regionally. Sometimes creating confusion, missed opportunities and an element of frustration as ideas and implementation clash.

I’m having to adapt my own communication methods to suit this environment with a heavy reliance on technology including conference calling, phone meetings and emailing being primary forms of contact over my preference of face to face meetings. I’ve found not meeting the majority of the team I work within other than via teleconference particularly challenging and a little uncomfortable, as a natural communicator not physically meeting the majority of my working team for a few weeks is scary. These preferences within the organisation demonstrate how its coping with a globally spread company, utilising technological resources to improve internal communications.

Participating in an organisation that faces so many internal communication challenges, I’ve begun to understand that good internal communications isn’t an additional extra, its critical. Working on internal communications needs constant attention and is critical to maintain health and robust organisation.

                    An interesting TED talk on how integrated technology is in our communication.