October 2015

The best bits of the

Melcrum Summit

PurposeExploring

What role can purpose play in an organisation’s success?This year’s Melcrum Summit aimed to answer that very question through two days of jam-packed case studies, workshops and shared stories.

From the carpet company that aims to change the world, to the bank brand that brings true diversity to its workforce, Melcrum demonstrated just how important purpose is in engaging employees and customers.

Here are our best bits from across the two days. Enjoy!

Purposeful business can fix the world Keynote, Jon Miller Partner at Brunswick & co-author of Everybody’s BusinessBig businesses are never far from bad press – from oil spills to tax evasion – many corporate companies are seen as faceless, unaccountable entities. Miller believes that not only can a little bit of purpose go a long way to help these brands resonate with employees and customers, but it might even help fix the world.

Along with fellow author Lucy Parker, Miller has undertaken extensive research with big name brands from Nike to IBM, developing the ‘Business Prism’.

Purpose – what is your purpose? And it can’t be profit!

Products – what are your products and how do they relate to your purpose?

Practices – how does your business go about doing what it does?

Philanthropy – what is your business giving back to the world?

Point of View (POV) – the secret ingredient. What is your company’s view on the subjects that matter? Think how POV is inherent with brands such as Apple and Greenpeace

The Prism suggests that a business’ role should encompass five key elements:

The Prism in actionUnilever Project TaxiIn the research, Unilever shared its experience of introducing a programme that brings single-use shampoo samples to the poorest areas of India. The company also developed an ‘Avon lady’ style programme for women in villages, leading to a broad empowerment of women and better hygiene, all whilst growing market share in India.

Want to know more? Get the book: http://amzn.to/1lhSZcJ

Be inspired. Watch this: http://bit.ly/1O0SKw3

Peter Koenig Storytelling to help people understand purpose Author of 30 Lies About Money

Purpose means making a difference. Purpose is a collective of vision, values, passion and implementation

Money can often get in the way of true purpose. People fall into traps such as ‘I have to earn my living’

It’s therefore up to businesses to make sure that individuals can find – and work towards – their own personal purpose within their roles

Koenig suggests that to be truly passionate about your work you need to have personal purpose:

“We’re moving into a new age of immaterial desires in purpose – peace, happiness, security, love – all of those things relate to individual purpose.”

Employees embody purpose – but communicators can amplify Jen Shatwell, MD, Global Advisory, Melcrum

It was nearly 25 years ago that employee engagement came to the attention of businesses, with Gallup writing its first article on the effects of globalisation on the talent market and how employers had to start working harder to keep employees.

The world has changed dramatically since then, and so has the employee engagement model.

Why?

Volatile

Uncertain

Complex

Ambiguous

Because we’re living in a VUCA world.

The world is changing: Employees want to be empowered

to make things happen (see South West Airlines example below)

Employees are looking for an organisation that has a conscience and makes a contribution

Organisations need to be clear about the role they play in the world – so that employees can be proud

Individuals want to work for an organisation whose purpose resonates with them – so that there is a connection between personal purpose and what the organisation is trying to achieve

Purpose in Action: Shatwell shared a story of a South West Airlines employee truly living the brand’s purpose of ‘connecting people to the things they love’. They let a family past security to spend a bit more time with their soldier dad, who was about to fly off to Afghanistan

Case study: Teva Pharmaceuticals Tackling the “We’ve got new purpose and values statements – now what?” question

Who: Teva Pharmaceuticals employs 43,000 people worldwide

What: A new Corporate Communications Division was established and – entering its 114th year in business – the team knew it was time to look at creating a new vision, values and purpose to fully engage its global employee base

How: Wanting to ensure that the vision and values were meaningful Teva undertook an eight-month extensive research programme to discover: Why do we exist? Who are we? What do we stand for? What drives us? Experiential formed a core part of the strategy

HR and communications worked hand in hand to conduct global research across all employees

Town halls were used to reach 70% of people

‘Teva Talks’, in a similar style to ‘Ted Talks’ were focused on insights, research, reason and rationale, and were extremely well received

A three-day global leadership conference was split into three areas – saturation talks, revealing the purpose, values, my story, then moving forward

Teva sent its exec team off to an isolated retreat to deliberate the question of why they exist and what the transformation journey key messages should be

“Culture eats strategy for breakfast: organisations need to reflect upon why they exist. What do they want people to know, feel, do, differently?”

Case study: Network Rail and The Edge Picture Company Communicating purpose through unforgettable storytellingWho: Network Rail employs 75,000 people with 35,000 working as engineers remotely

What: Network Rail needed to promote safety to its workers, including some contentious new rules such as banning hands free mobile use in vehicles. Wanting to communicate these in an impactful and memorable way, Network Rail commissioned a series of short safety films to help its people make the right choice at the right time (over the complacent choice or easy choice)

How: Network Rail used ‘unfinished’ comms in order to tap into their employees’ brains for completion of the story, deepen understanding and accelerate change. The films they developed were realistic, impactful original, creative and used real people. This hard-hitting approach was similar to the drink drive adverts and caused quite a stir among staff. The videos resulted in a number of complaints, which helped aid discussion between employees online.They were promoted via teaser posters, the intranet and mandatory monthly video briefings

Make it personal and real

Use more than words

Treat your audience like adults

Don’t give it all away. Let your audience finish the story

Top tips on using video: “Film is a very effective

way to communicate purpose because it is both visual and emotional. It’s persuasive and influential.”

Case study: Unilever Communicating purpose through unforgettable storytellingWho: Unilever has always had purpose at its heart and aims ‘to make sustainable living commonplace’.

What: Unilever’s ambition is to double its business, reduce its carbon footprint and make a positive social impact. The world is changing at an unprecedented rate, and so is the role that a business must play in solving world problems. Unilever recognises this and has created a new partnership between HR and Communications that is ensuring employees understand the business purpose, and what it means to them individually. This in turn will build consumer trust and business growth.

How: Implemented ‘Bright Futures’ an initiative that explains how the

company actively participates in making the world a better place

Bright Future workshops are being held, helping people to establish their individual purpose. People are now identifying their personal point of connection

A 2020 vision introduced: ‘We are Unilever, We Win because We Care’

A volunteering day saw a number of themes created around what people can do that relate to the big initiatives Unilever are doing globally

Managers now have to put purpose into their personal development plans

Unilever has recruited 200 apprentices which serves two purposes – it ignites a passion for young people in the business and gives a talent stream longer term

Unilever created a poster campaign to break up the stigma around mental health and to signpost the resources that are available. 80% of staff have agreed that stigma has been reduced and 80% have a better idea where to get help

“Purpose is a human thing, not a corporate thing and people want purposeful, value-driven leadership”

Case study: BNP Paribas How Diversity and Inclusion demonstrates purpose in actionWho: BNP Paribas, a global banking and financial services organisation

What: Changing stakeholder opinions and an examination of the bank’s role in society has led to an ongoing conversation internally about what employees expect from BNP Paribas, and in turn what is expected of them. An embodiment of this conversation in action is the bank’s Diversity & Inclusion programme, which aims to tackle unconscious bias within the business and provide support to employees from every background

How: True commitment to the cause with the

creation of a brand new role – UK Head of Diversity & Inclusion

Launch of Diversity & Inclusion week three years ago – 2015 event was biggest yet with 70 events in 13 offices

Various Diversity & Inclusion groups set up within the business including gender, nationality and LGBT with plenty more to come

Diversity & Inclusion is not a HR issue, it’s a business issue

Think about how you brand groups or events – do you say LGBT or Pride?

Groups and events should be welcoming to all – a women’s gender equality initiative is just as important to men

Remember the differences between exclusion, separation, integration and inclusion

Top tips for Diversity & Inclusion:

“Diversity is inviting everyone to the party, inclusion is getting everyone to dance.”

Defining a meaningful purpose for your organisationBreakout session Jon Miller and Lucy Parker, Brunswick GroupMiller and Parker asked the audience to think of their own company’s purpose, using the ‘Business Prism’ from session one (see page 3 and 4). They also gave us an insightful case study into a brand which now has purpose at its heart.

Case studyWho: Nike

What: 20 years ago, Nike was in the middle of a PR storm, with protests over sweatshops and working conditions. The company needed to radically think how it ran its business and its CEO publically promised change. Purpose was at the heart of this u-turn, and today Nike has gone from corporate villain, to hero of sustainable business.

How: Embraced transparency – giving full supply chain

transparency by publishing a list of ts factories

A focus on sustainable products and processes which now runs through its entire business. Embodied by the launch of the Flyknit trainer which drastically cuts down on waste materials

Nike Launched Green XChange which shared its intellectual property for free with other companies

“Nike had a radical re-think, and now the purpose of sustainability is a driver of new products, CSR initiatives and employee engagement.”

Case study: HSBC Shut up and listen: renewing purpose and unity

Who: HSBC employs 250,000 people in 72 countries worldwide

What: The banking brand’s internal communications function wanted to open the doors between its senior management and employees and change the ‘top down’ culture following an employee survey which showed a 50% drop in trust in leadership.

The HSBC Exchange programme – unofficially called the Shut Up and Listen programme – broke down the trust deficit within the business and fostered a safe environment for everyone to share their thoughts and views. HSBC understands that employees are the most effective early warning sign. Leaders needed to listen.

How: HSBC Exchange is an uninhibited forum for

employees to raise concerns to leadership

They are kept as small groups of 10 people, held with upper level management including the CEO

People can submit subjects before the meeting on anything – compensation structures, ideas to help collaboration between business lines, processes that are bad for customers

Leaders are not allowed to interrupt, counteract or correct

A leader’s only remit is to listen, take notes and update an online platform

Challenges: There was initial resistance from leaders

at first who didn’t want to ‘listen to people moaning’

Persuade your leaders of the benefits – their minds will be changed! HSBC’s CEO was ‘humbled’ by the experience and keen to book the next session

People can be uncomfortable about being vulnerable, saying they’re sorry and promising to fix things

“Leaders now welcome the Exchange and feel wholeheartedly privileged to be eavesdropping on these types of conversations that they never would have heard before.”

The Dunbar NumberThe Dunbar number is the result of a study of primates and suggests that humans can only ever have stable social relationships with a maximum of 150 people at a time. So, how could HSBC possible effectively connect with its 250,000 employees? How do you influence the behaviours of so many people, in such a complex organisation?

Case study: Rolls-Royce Rethinking the role of technology in internal communications

Who: Rolls-Royce is a global agriculture, air and military engineering company with a revenue of 14.5b and a staff base of 55,000

What: Following an employee survey, Rolls-Royce restructured its internal communications division to meet the needs of its employees. It needed to focus on two areas – collaboration and cascade, and embraced technology to enable this. Realising the corporate speech of the past was irrelevant to much of its workforce, it also adopted a new friendlier tone of voice.

How: Launched an Innovation Portal, allowing people

to share ideas, ask questions, challenge ideas and solve problems

It is a global platform, overcoming any geographic boundaries. Includes ability for peer-to-peer voting

Currently piloting Yammer

Now use Newsweaver for a quick and easy way to cascade information – with average open rate of 70%

Introduction of video and podcasts to enable a more personal approach

All platforms now integrated and automated

Introduction of digital signage to encourage conversation on the shop floor

“Every function within a business is embracing technology, from manufacturing to sales. The IC function should be no different.”

Results Stopped the needless duplication of content for various channels

Turned the IC team into curators not creators

Giving more time to focus on face-to-face

The new tools give leadership visibility – the CEO ‘liking’ a status or directly replying to an employee can mean the world to someone

Case study: Interface How purpose drives action and innovation at Interface Who: Interface is a global carpet tile business with 3,500 employees and sales in 110 countries

What: In the early 1990s the late founder of Interface, Ray Anderson changed the strategic direction of the company towards one of sustainability. This move, which was seen as radical at the time now drives every single business decision from products to processes and attracts employees who are equally passionate about the environment.

But it has not been without its challenges; with a 40% share drop when the announcement was first made. But Anderson stuck with what he knew was right and Interface is now one of the “Most Admired Companies in America” and listed in the “100 Best Companies to Work For.”

How: Introduced ‘Mission Zero’ where the company

is aiming to 100% eliminate its impact in the environment by 2020 – this is the company’s purpose

Constant product innovation that embodies this purpose – such as the development of TacTiles – a carpet tile that uses no glue

Encouraging employees to constantly think of ways to drive purpose forward – such as the introduction of Net-Works which turns discarded fishing nets into carpet tiles. This helps the environment and provides an income for local communities in countries such as Thailand who have been trained to weave the carpet tiles

This purpose impacts hiring – Interface wants collaborative entrepreneurs who want to solve problems.

“Remember: purpose fuels passion”

In conclusion…

Thinking about purpose is an interesting way of opening up the value a company can make in the world

Making the purpose more personal makes it more powerful

Employees want to work somewhere where they can make a difference

Your purpose should run through everything you do from products, to processes to the way you communicate and recruit

Key takeaways:

Melcrum Summit brought together internal communications, marketing and HR professionals from across the world who all had one purpose; to learn, to foster ideas and to challenge norms.

It was a fascinating two days which left everyone in no doubt that defining their organisation’s purpose – and living and breathing it every step of the way – is imperative in the modern working world.

Until next year!

www.synergycreative.co.ukwww.synergycreative.co.uk/internalcomms

+44 (0)117 962 1534

Gemma McGrattangemma@synergycreative.co.uk

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