MRCC's Communicating for Corporate Effectiveness (CCE)

International Winner - "Best Employee Communications" - International Association of Business Communicators

Change - A Communication Challenge

To be successful in today's rapidly changing marketplace, a company must be constantly evolving. Successful corporate change takes vision, but vision means little without total commitment and support from every member of the organization. Achieving that commitment is essentially a communications challenge. CCE meets that challenge where traditional methods fail.

The CCE Solution

MRCC's Communicating for Corporate Effectiveness (CCE) is an integrated communication, planning and performance improvement process which works where other interventions fail because it takes advantage of the organizational structure rather than subverting it. CCE is designed to harness the support of your management and staff towards developing concrete action plans. The result -your Vision is translated into Performance. For a full list of MRCC programs including Formats, Videos, Languages, Assessments, Leader`s Guides see MRCC Profile

SUCCESSFUL CLIENT APPLICATIONS

Some examples of the CCE approach in action:

Cost-Control Campaign
A multi-national pulp and paper mill wanted to persuade a highly critical group of union employees that a cost control and quality improvement initiative was necessary, fair and achievable.

• 74% of the workforce of 2000 participated
• 165 suggestions were received
• The campaign was credited with "contributing significantly to a $6-million cost saving"           in the first year alone.
• International Winner: "Best Employee Communications" IABC

Productivity Campaign
A major service company wanted to improve productivity through increased employee involvement.

• All of the 3000 employees were involved
• 900 different ideas were generated
• 100 concrete action plans were developed based on those ideas
• The project was credited with vastly improving communication and understanding           within the company.
• "An upswing in motivation and productivity is evident as a result of this program."
• The original campaign has continued and expanded over 3 succeeding years,           strengthening employee participation company-wide.

Corporate Goals and Strategies Campaign
A major financial organization wanted to communicate company goals and strategies, and maximize support for them.

• 90% of the 700 managers responded
• Managers were unanimously positive about the benefits to them and their staff
• The program was extended to include the company's 1,600 sale representatives
• Senior management concluded: "The (campaign) generated effective
• two-way communication and support for the company, while creating an           unprecedented image of professionalism within (the company)."
• The campaign has been institutionalized, and continues on an annual basis

Quality Control Campaign
A division of a multi-national tire manufacturer wanted to improve quality control.

• 80% of the 6000 North American employees participated
• Ongoing communications workshops were initiated
• Management response: it sent a shock wave through the organization.”
• Returns of defective product fell by 30%

Marketing Campaign
A multi-national resource company wanted to gain support from a sales force unit for a marketing program

• Sales objectives for the following 12-month period were achieved in 6 months• 80% of           the sales force unit participated
• Sales managers unanimously endorsed continued use of the program through           sequels

How It Works

The CEO meets with his/her Executive team to begin the process. Then they meet with their immediate teams and so on. The message "cascades" down the line until it has reached the entire organization.

These meetings achieve ‘buy-in' and long-term support because they are led by their natural work unit leader. Each unit develops an open communication and creates relevant action plans, which it submits to management for approval. Then the work unit leader is in a position to implement the planned action for maximum effectiveness, and alignment to the corporate goal.

And the communication goes both ways: the vision is communicated down the line- reaction and concrete results are communicated back up the line.

THE VIDEO

The centerpiece of each meeting is a short video production. The video production provides a variety of benefits:

Consistency
The video carries the exact message you want to communicate. It's the same message from meeting to meeting, from one end of the organization to the other. Your message is presented clearly and persuasively.

Impact
The video is produced according to the principles for persuasive communications developed in MR's Presentations That Work II program. Video techniques ensure maximum impact. Complex messages can be communicated simply and briefly.

The meetings have three parts, each fulfilling a separate purpose necessary to the success of the communication process:

Video - Understanding
The video kicks off the meeting. Its purpose - to inform, to build understanding.

Reaction - Support
Part two of the meeting is reaction by the group to the video and discussion of the message - that builds support.

Brainstorming - Action
Part three of the meeting is a brainstorming session to translate the message into an action plan - concrete ideas for applying the general principles to the work unit's daily practice.

THE ADVANTAGES

This "cascading meetings" approach has a number of advantages;

1. Speed - The message can be passed through an entire organization in days.
2. Effectiveness - The intimacy of the small work unit meeting encourages frank discussion and involvement; the work unit and only the work unit can effectively translate a concept into day-to-day action. And, as the International Association of Business Communicators' studies have shown, the employees are most receptive to a message delivered by their immediate superior.
3. Empowerment - CCE empowers the unit leader by placing the responsibility of communicating an important corporate message squarely on his or her shoulders. That builds commitment and credibility. CCE reinforces the organizational structure rather than subverting it.
4. Cost-effectiveness - Delivering a major corporate message across a large organization can be an extremely expensive proposition involving hundreds of man-hours from top executives, training departments, or consultants. CCE turns your line of command into a delivery system for major savings.
5. Ensured Follow-up - The best efforts of training departments are often subverted by the fact there is often little they can do to ensure application of the participants' new skills and attitudes on the job. In casting the manager in the role of facilitator of the message, CCE ensures proper follow-up action.