COMMUNICATION FOR LEADERS 2020
From talking to listening – the neglected mode of corporate communication Strategic corporate listening helps companies stay in tune with changing social, environmental and economic expectations. Ambiguity, complexity, globalisation and societies in overdrive characterize today’s hypermodern world. Multiple stakeholders with diverging and sometimes irrational interests constantly monitor the behaviour of corporations and other organizations. Increasing stakeholder activism, such as the Greta Thunberg-inspired “Fridays for Future” movement, and rising public demands for social equality constantly challenge firms’ freedom to operate. Traditional gatekeepers, who used to influence public communication, have lost their relevance as many stakeholders are able to reach out to companies in direct ways to state their concerns. Consequently, the ability
8
to understand stakeholder perceptions and needs is an increasingly important driver for corporate success. This situation leads to an increased sensitivity towards stakeholders and new challenges for communication management.
FROM MESSAGING TO LISTENING It is not surprising that many still perceive and misunderstand corporate communication as a one-way messaging activity. There is a rich academic debate about messaging strategies and integrating communication across multiple channels. Today, many organizations establish corporate newsrooms to address audiences more efficiently. They also run integrated campaigns to frame public debates and build consistent images.
MARIA JAGDHUHN (NÉE BORNER), Senior Consultant Strategic Communication, FTI Consulting (Berlin) and ANSGAR ZERFASS, Professor II, BI Norwegian Business School
From a strategic point of view, however, this perspective is shortsighted. Companies do not operate in a vacuum. They are social systems that interact with their environment and this interdependency with the outside has increased in the last decades. Therefore, it is important to consider two equally important dimensions of corporate communication: An Outside-In perspective (listening, understanding, reflecting) and an Inside-Out perspective (messaging, sending, positioning). It is essential that a firm clarifies its interests and coordinates actions between itself and its stakeholders. Effective communication helps with understanding stakeholders’ points of view, which in turn can lead
to change in corporate thinking and practices. However, this requires a mindset that leads to management decisions that encourage sensitivity towards the environment and diverse stakeholders. In other words, an outside-in listening perspective.
LISTENING AS A STRATEGIC MODE Corporate listening is not a single activity nor a new communication instrument. However, it should be understood as a strategic mode of communication, as a strategic “attitude”. • Corporate listening is a strategic mode that represents the outside-in dimension of corporate communication with management decisions taking into account stakeholders’ opinions and behaviors. • Corporate messaging, on the
