Communicating to Management Monica Mueller May 19, 2003.
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Communicating to Management Monica Mueller May 19, 2003
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Transcript of Communicating to Management Monica Mueller May 19, 2003.
Communicating to Management
Monica MuellerMay 19, 2003
The Company
Andersen Corporation Andersen Windows, Renewal by Andersen,
five other divisions 100-year-old company Privately owned Largest window manufacturer in the world 8,500 office and production employees
across 28 locations
The Issue
Managers are key drivers of communication
Communicate corporate strategies to employees, tie into department and individual goals
Do managers have what they need to help employees make this connection?
Background
Corporate Communications Department formed in 1999
Tools launched in 2000 to help in communicating to middle management E-mail messages to managers Update Meetings for managers Manager’s Toolkit Online
Why do this research?
To determine if current methods are working
To uncover best practices
Research Question
Do current communications to management provide managers with the information they need to communicate corporate strategies to their employees?
The Study
Sample Population Approximately 548 managers and
supervisors
Survey Design 16 questions Web-based survey Sent through link from e-mail
The Study Questions
Overall Communications to Managers
Communication of Corporate Strategies to Managers
Demographic Information
The Study Responses
Sample size 548
Number of returned surveys
204
Response rate 37%
Employees Supervised 63% supervise five or more employees
Length of time as manager
50% five or fewer years
Employed at Andersen 46% - fifteen or fewer years 54% - fifteen or more years
Demographics of Respondents
The Results
Select level of agreement on how effective the resource is for you to receive communications
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
E-mail Messages Update Meetings Online Toolkit
Management Resources
Pe
rce
nta
ge
of
Re
sp
on
de
nts
Very Effective
Effective
No Opinion
Ineffective
Very Ineffective
90%
58%
96%
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Keeps me fairlywell informed
Keeps meadequatelyinformed
Keeps me fullyinformed
Gives me onlylimited
information
Doesn't tell memuch at all
Level of knowledge
Pe
rce
nt
Re
sp
on
din
g
10%
50%
34%
5%0%
The Results
Overall, which best describes your impression of communication you receive from resources
Method Percent of Sample
E-mail messages 94%
Meetings - Management Update Meetings
59%
In-Person meetings with your leader
53%
Intranet- Manager's Toolkit Online
28%
Print - Memos, The Frame Maker, Employee Annual Report
16%
The Results
Select your preferred method of receiving management communications
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
Frequency of Communication
Pe
rce
nta
ge
of
Re
sp
on
de
nts
The Results
How frequently do you discuss corporate strategies with your employees?
30% 28%
20%
16%
5%
0% 0% 0%
141
119
96
49
158
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
Team ordepartmentmeetings
One-on-onemeetings
Informalinteraction
E-mail Over the phone Voice mail
Discussion method
Nu
mb
er
of
Re
sp
on
de
nts
The Results
How do you discuss corporate strategies with your employees?
Choice Percent of Sample
Management E-mail Messages 83%
Management Update Meetings 82%
Manager’s Toolkit Online 24%
The Results
Information from which tool do you use to discuss corporate strategies with employees?
Managers Thoughts on Communications
Managers said: “Push” communications to them, they
do not want to have to look for information
Communicate in a timely manner and consistently update materials
Communicate clearly how projects/tactics align with corporate strategies
Corporate Communications Responds
1. Reframe e-mail messages and Update meetings to clearly identify projects and tactics along with strategies
2. Ensure messages are pushed to managers by providing links, documents
3. Evaluate and restructure Manager’s Toolkit Online so information is kept current
In Conclusion
Study showed that current communications to managers do provide them with the information they need to communicate corporate strategies to their employees, but improvements can be made. Increase number of managers who feel they
are fully informed Increase usage and value of Manager’s Toolkit
Online
Questions?
Thank You
