Klavs Valskov pulls a 180˚ on Internal Communication at Maersk Line

DEBATEEach month, we ask two communication expertsto argue respective sides of a burning issue. Here,Nick Howard and Tom Crawford debate whetherthe increase in employee use of mobile devices toaccess company information will change the game forInternal Communication.YESNick HowardWhat a few years ago may haveseemed like science fiction is swiftlybecoming reality. Today mostpeople have access to a mobiledevice – whether that’s a tablet,smart phone or “feature phone” (thepolite term for a dumb phone). Sowhy wouldn’t organizations makeuse of this ubiquitous technology tocommunicate with employees?Mobile devices are, well, mobile.They’re easy to carry around andare always with you. They’re used bythe vast majority of people, from aplant foreman in a small UK town,to a supermarket shelf stacker inArkansas or a tea picker in Kenya.Mobile devices can giveinnovative communicators newand creative ways of engagingemployees and linking campaignsChances are you have a mobiledevice of some sort in your pocketand it may be the only piece oftechnology you use to communicatewith others. In fact, mobiles areat their best when they’re twowaycommunication devices – ormultiple-way communication devicesif you use them for social networking.Nick Howard is Director of Employee Engagement atEdelman. He has over 15 years of experience advisingbusiness leaders across Europe, North America and UAE.Before joining Edelman, Nick was Retail CommunicationDirector for Lloyds Banking Group, where he led thesuccessful communication of Europe’s biggest financialservices integration of Lloyds TSB and HBOS.Nick.Howard@edelman.comDid you know that half ofall Facebook and Twitterusers share their thoughtsand views through theirmobiles?No othercommunication devicecan fit in your pocketand be an immediateconnection to others.Mobiles also bridge agap between online andoffline communication– QR codes on posters,image recognition andGPS location-basedservices are all examplesof this. Mobile devicescan give innovativecommunicators new andcreative ways of engaging employeesand linking messages and campaigns.I know of at least one globalcompany that’s using mobile devicesto connect its people in ways thatwouldn’t have been possible justa few years ago. Employees arebeing encouraged to take part inlocal charity projects and sharewhat they’ve achieved (and howproud they feel) through theirmobile devices. They’re inspiringother employees to do even moregood work. But most of all they’reconnecting with one another so thatthey feel part of something biggerthan just their day job.Another well-known consumerbrands company is using mobilesto help employees connect withthe outside world. Edelman’s 2012Trust Barometer shows that, morethan ever before, employees aretrusted sources of informationabout the company they work for.This company is giving its peopleencouragement and guidance, sothey can share positive and credibleWill Mobile chfor Internal Coinformation about their employer toinfluence consumers.These are just two examples outof many. As the nature of workchanges and the lines betweenpersonal and work lives blur, mobiledevices will become the means bywhich employees manage theirlives and relationships – insideand outside of work. The cost ofmobile technology – hardware andthe ongoing permanent connectioncosts – will continue to fall. Thecapabilities of mobile devices willcontinue to improve and they willbecome even more portable. Thiswill put the ability to make trulymeaningful connections betweenemployees and employers ineveryone’s hands.So perhaps the question we’reasking here is not about usingmobile devices to “deliver companymessages”, but about using mobiledevices to make meaningfulconnections between employees andtheir employer, each other and theoutside world.4 scm April 2012