What the DTI says about Corporate Communication and UK Winning Companies

"Winning companies invest in people through good training, teaming and communications."

"Continious communication forms an essential part of the process of empowerment and continuous change, and is always a two way process.

Just as the leaders of a company communicate their vision of where the company is going, they welcome and encourage feedback and ideas from all their employees, for they recognise that all have something to offer….Communication takes the form of team briefings, frequent internal newsletters and regular contact with customers. In addition, senior management frequently gets out to meet employees by walking round the organisation and talking with individuals, encouraging the team concept of "Us" rather than "Them""

From "Winning", a distillation of the views of over 100 Chief Executives, published by the dti and the CBI

The Chairman's View

"The worst thing about public relations is the lack of commitment by very senior people in understanding it and being objective about it.

They think it is something you can just turn on and off again.

The underlying requirement is for consistency and direction and to regard it as just as important in corporate terms as finance and human resources. You have to be honest. Even in the minds of big industrialists you turn on public affairs when you want to put a shine on the job. That is dangerous and surprisingly prevalent."

Sir David Plastow, former Chairman, Vickers plc, quoted in "Stratetic Communications Management" by White & Mazur, The Economist Intelligence Unit, 1995

Just what I have been telling my clients for years. Labour Spin Doctors take note. You can only fool people some of the time!

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