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mandy.thatcher@melcrum.com
August 12th, 2008
At Melcrum's Strategic Communication Management Summit in Chicago next month, Kelley Haggert, director of internal communication at The Walt Disney Studios, will talk about communicating the brand to engage employees internally.
Despite working with a powerful brand, Kelley still faces the common challenge of trying to get employees from different parts of the organization to feel part of the company as a whole. In an interview for Strategic Communication Management Kelley shares her biggest challenges, key projects and guiding principle for internal communication.
What challenges are you currently facing?
One big challenge is making employees from the different divisions feel part of the Studio as a whole and to harmonize all the different regions and cultures. Fortunately, my function resides in the HR department so I can tap into information around the broader employee experience, meeting the changing needs of the population, informing and inspiring employees around the world.
What key projects are you working on?
We have five key internal communication priorities that we’re currently focused on:
- "Studio Exclusive" executive videos for the intranet. These give employees insight into the roles and personalities of our senior leaders. The challenge is in making the videos informative and entertaining, while meeting the high creative standards associated with the Disney brand.
- Breaking news. I work closely with Studio corporate communications to help "break" exciting news to employees at the same time it hits the media. This enhances their feelings of involvement in the business.
- Studio Executive Coffee series. A group of 20 Studio employees (directors and below) get the chance to meet a senior executive, learn more about their experiences and what they're working on.
- Redesigning the Studio intranet. We're currently working on creating a more interactive and customizable intranet.
- Onboarding for new hires. We want to make the orientation process more of an ongoing dialogue rather than a one-off induction.
How would you describe the culture at Disney as a whole and the Walt Disney Studios?
The company as a whole has a very collaborative, creative culture. We know that we have an incredible brand and we're all very invested in that brand,
we protect it and help it flourish. That said, each line of business in the company has a different culture by virtue of the product they put out. The Studio culture is very fluid, we have to be able to adapt to the different projects and changing priorities.
What’s your guiding principle for internal communication?
Authenticity. If you don't believe in what you're doing, no one else will. You need to be very open, honest and forthcoming with messaging and information to employees. They just want to know what the challenges and opportunities are, what’s happening to the business and what’s going to impact them. They want to feel involved, appreciated and respected. Authentic communication is really the way to make that happen, and if your tactics line up with that, then you infinitely increase your chances of succeeding.
See you next week!
P.S. Are you a Melcrum member? If so, join us at the next member-exclusive breakfast briefing in London on 9 September. Not a member yet? Join now to attend!
Create a winning intranet strategy
Annie Waite, The Internal Comms Hub, August 7, 2008.
Forthcoming webinar explores AEP's approach to fulfilling its intranet's business objectives.
Move to board role sparks fear in many leaders
Annie Waite, The Internal Comms Hub, August 11, 2008.
Advice from national leaders about communication in more senior positions.
Taking the visual approach at Endo Pharmaceuticals
Strategic Communication Management, June/July issue, 2008
Improving employee engagement through the use of “discovery maps”.
The Source
for Communicators is a free resource for corporate communicators
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