For as long as I’ve been in comms, line managers have come in for a bit of stick. Lots of blame for poor communication is placed at the feet of these poor individuals who are expected to deliver against a staggering array of responsibilities – everything from performance targets to staff development, innovation to cost control – and in the middle of that we want them to ‘deliver communication’ as well. Line managers are often seen as a tricky middle layer where communication gets ‘stuck’, and which seems impermeable to frustrated comms teams and senior leadership. But is it fair to blame them, or should we be blaming the comms team, senior leaders….or someone else?
Read More
The power of an interconnected EVP and Employer Brand informed by research, colleague involvement, and cultural indicators, and that when brilliantly conceptualised, connected, and executed, it can unleash strategic, cultural, and reputational opportunities.
Read More
Today’s breakfast session was even more energised and interactive than usual, and no wonder with such an evocative subject at the heart of our discussions! Safe to say AI is here to stay, and we’re all only just starting to get to grips with it – what it can do for us, the pitfalls and all the governance issues it raises. Kudos to Katie Marlow and Lisa Pantelli for agreeing to present today – as finding anyone confident enough to share their thoughts on this topic was not easy! Katie shared insights into how she uses AI within her consulting practice, and Lisa provided a whistle-stop tour of definitions, and an overview of how she uses AI in her role as Director of Communications at Elsevier.
Read More
The room at today’s breakfast session was packed with IC pro’s – all keen to hear fresh ideas around the thorny topic of how best to support your leaders to deliver effective communication.
Read More
We’re regularly asked by candidates and clients alike about the current ‘state of the market’ – and often that’s a hard question to answer! With another new year just around the corner, experience shows that a lot of people may take the opportunity for some reflection on their career aspirations during the festive break – and companies may be gearing up to start their candidate searches in the new year.
Read More
We’re regularly asked by candidates and clients alike about the current ‘state of the market’ – and often that’s a hard question to answer! With another new year just around the corner, experience shows that a lot of people may take the opportunity for some reflection on their career aspirations during the festive break – and companies may be gearing up to start their candidate searches in the new year.
Read More
Once regarded as a specialism, having the skills to support change initiatives is now arguably a pre-requisite for our everyday toolkit as communicators! With the help of a little Slido interaction, Phil and Lou really brought the conversation to life and it was great to hear so much discussion around the topic. Here are their top tips for making sure your change comms hit the mark:
Read More
We were delighted to get together with some of our network last week for a breakfast session on the role of IC professionals in supporting ESG. Huge thanks to our client, Hyve for hosting us in their fabulous Paddington offices!
Read More
ESG can help organisations articulate, live and breathe a sense of purpose and meaning that is good for our people. And it’s good for business too - affording genuine competitive advantage, not just some standardised thing that’s indistinguishable from others in the same industry.
Read More
I’ve been taking a look at structure, culture and power sources within organisations and how this impacts internal communication. In this final blog of three I’ll be looking at organisational power sources. Whilst this isn’t meant to be an academic paper, you’ll find here a brief overview of some of the models, and the references are listed at the end if you want to go and find out more. Obviously – there are lots of models out there – and this is not an exhaustive review of them all!
Read More
I’ve been taking a look at structure, culture and power sources within organisations and how this impacts internal communication. In this second blog of three I’ll be looking at organisational culture. Whilst this isn’t meant to be an academic paper, you’ll find here a brief overview of some of the models, and the references are listed at the end if you want to go and find out more. Obviously – there are lots of models out there – and this is not an exhaustive review of them all!
Read More
I’ve been taking a look at structure, culture and power sources within organisations and how this impacts internal communication. In this first blog of three I’ll be looking at organisational structure. Whilst this isn’t meant to be an academic paper, you’ll find here a brief overview of some of the models, and the references are listed at the end if you want to go and find out more. Obviously – there are lots of models out there – and this is not an exhaustive review of them all!
Read More
As a business that’s worked a lot with partnerships and professional services, I took that there’s much learning not only within the sector to be shared but also with other organisations on how engagement and collaboration can make for better communication.
Read More
We’re hoping to celebrate throughout the year – and to get the ball rolling we thought we’d share 21 facts about HarknessKennett that you may not have known about:
Read More
It was a real treat today to be back face-to-face at one of our breakfast sessions after more than two years of running them virtually. It was a reminder to everyone just how important it is to meet ‘IRL’ (in real life) and was a living example of the benefits of face-to-face communication!
Read More
It’s not new news that front line managers are key to successful internal communication, particularly during periods of change, but the challenges of implementing effective line management communication is something that many organisations still struggle with.
Read More
I was delighted to be asked to present at the CIPR Inside and CIPR South West group on Workplace Wellbeing on Wednesday 18th May. Unusually, I was asked to present as a trustee of iprovision and not in my usual day job as a comms pro. I’ve been a trustee of iprovision since March 2019 and it was a great opportunity to showcase some of the great work iprovision does.
Read More
More people are leaving their jobs voluntarily than at any time before; it has become apparent that nearly half of the employees who voluntarily left the workforce during the pandemic aren’t planning on coming back*.
Read More
Here at HK ‘Workshop Day’ always brings great excitement – and last week’s was no exception. We were particularly pleased to be able to share a joint case study with our client Susan Quain, Associate Director of Global Digital Channels at Fidelity International. During last year and despite the ongoing challenges of the pandemic, Susan and her boss joined forces with our Associate Director Chris Crofts and HK Partner James Harkness to deliver a bespoke training programme to build a world class communications team.
Read More