corporate communication, coordination and cooperation

Susanne Robra-Bissantz 1

CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS SUSANNE ROBRA-BISSANTZ, GERALD FRICKE AND OTHERS...


What is Corporate Communications?


CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS

internal Communications

Marketing Communications

external Communications

Public Relations

Advertising

eCommerce Web Banners

Newsletters

Bills

press release

advertising campaign

employee newsletter

forums blogs


“Corporate communication has an impact on corporate success!“

“The impact of the sum of communication activities is often less then the sum of the impacts of single communication activities!“

“Active design of corporate communication helps to fulfill corporate goals.“

“Corporate communication is a management task.“

”Active design of corporate communication includes the design of messages as well as the concept of media appliance!“


2 Theory: Communication, Coordination, Cooperation

1 Corporate Communications: Overview

3 Corporate Communications 2.0

4 Brand Management 2.0

5 Internal Communication 2.0

6 Social Media Marketing and CSR 2.0

7 Internet Marketing


„Integrated View“: consistent and authentic picture of the company, common communication concept

„Marketing Communication“

Public Relations

external Communication

internal Communikation

1 2

34


Internal (Company, Employee)

External (Competitiors, Customers…)

Macro (Society, Law …)

Strategies

Goals

Communication Strategy

Strategies for Communication Forms

Goals for Communication Forms

Main Goal

Goals for Target groups

Strategies for Communication Instruments

COMMUNICATION CONCEPT


COMMUNICATION SITUATION

Internal situations company

External situations company

Customers

Competitors

Suppliers

Macro situations Politics Technology

Legal practice Society

Internal situations employee

External situations employee

Working situation

Communication partners

Type of tasks

Macro situations = company‘s situation Company‘s internal situation

Company‘s external situation

Company‘s macro situation


GOALS OF CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS


GOALS OF CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS

Important Characteristic

Not important Characteristic Potentially important Characteristic

High Relevance for Target Group

Low Relevance for Target Group

Strengths Weaknesses

Objective Position

Innovation

Quality

Personal Care

Social Responsibility

Flexibility

Wished Position Objective Position of competitors Subjective Position of competitors

Subjective Position

Potentially important Characteristic

Innovation Social Responsibility


Strategies for communication forms

Personality Strategy

Partnerstrategy Competitive Strategy

external Communications

Marketing- communications Public Relations internal

communications

Strategies for communication instruments

Communication type Advertising Corporate Blog Newsletter

CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS: STRATEGIES


CSP subordinate CSP

No CSP ?

Potential of Characteristic

Relevance of Communication

Innovation

Quality

Personal Care

Flexibility Social Responsibility

PERSONALITY STRATEGY Is characteristic important for the customer? Is characteristic a strength? Is objective position different from wished for position?

Is communication important because subjective position is different from objective? Is communication able to transport the characteristic?

Common Starting Points

of Communication


DECISIONS IN COMPETITIVE STRATEGY

  Is communication a competitive advantage of the company?

  Is media usage a competitive advantage of the company?

  Can communication support competitive advantages of the company?

Differentiation or Cost Leadership?


DECISIONS IN COMMUNICATION PARTNER STRATEGY

  Can communication support the differentiated treatment of customer groups?

  How can communication lead to different images for different shareholders, like customers, press, employees, science etc.?   Selection of important communication partners?   Decision about CSPs for different communication partners

Differentiated Marketstrategy?


FINAL TEST OF FIT

Marketing PR ext. comm. CSP: CSP: CSP:

FIT? Communication partner

Communication forms

1. 2.

1. ... 2.

1. ... 2. ? Customer:

wished CSP

Science: wished CSP

... ...


Information

Transaction

Collaboration

E-Business Partners

ELECTRONIC BUSINESS ACTIVITY


CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS AND E-BUSINESS STRATEGY

E-Business Business Strategy Technologies



2.1 Communication

2.2 Coordination

2.3 Cooperation


COMMUNICATION, COORDINATION AND COOPERATION

Communication means exchanging information between partners – often supported by electronic media.

Coordination refers to the “fine tuning” of single activities between two partners. This is necessary if there are interdependencies between several systems. (e.g. personnel, departments, companies).

Cooperation is the co-action of several systems having a common goal.

Cooperation

Effort + Effort Coordination

Activities to “fine tune” + +

I I

Activities to “fine tune“ Interdependencies

Cooperation

Communication

+


COMMUNICATION, COORDINATION, AND COOPERATION SYSTEMS

Cooperation System, e.g. Group-Decision-Support-System, Interorganisation System

Coordination System, e.g. Workflow-Management-System

Exchange of information Fine Tuning Fine Tuning Exchange of

services Exchange of

services

Communication System, e.g. fax etc.



2.1 Communication

Situations Tasks Mechanisms Systems

2.2 Coordination

2.3 Cooperation


DEFINITION OF TERMS: COMMUNICATION

Communication describes the transmission of information from a sender to a recipient.



2.1 Communication


2.2 Coordination

2.3 Cooperation


COMMUNICATION SITUATION

S

E E E E E

1:1 1:N

•  Number of partners

Consumer Company

B2C “business to consumer“

Internet

Employee

B2E “business to employee“

Intranet

Business partner

B2B “business to business“

Extranet

Administration

B2A “business to

administration“

•  Function of partners



2.1 Communication


2.2 Coordination

2.3 Cooperation


COMMUNICATION


LEVELS OF COMMUNICATION

I will drop by your place tomorrow at 2!

Syntax

Semantics

Pragmatics

Messages Comprehension 2? drop by?

Information (intention, effect)

Comprehension promise? threat?

Signs Transmission / comprehension dialect? accent?


Syntax

Semantics

Pragmatics

Messages comprehension 2? drop by?

Information (intention, effect)

understanding promise? threat?

Signs transmission / comprehension dialect, accent?

LEVELS OF COMMUNICATION

Invitation

Directions

Line


COMMUNICATION MODEL - SHANNON-WEAVER

Information reception

Information transmission

Information delivery

Mes- sage

Receiver Sender

Encoding Channel Signal Signal Decoding Mes- sage


EXTENDED COMMUNICATION MODEL

Receiver Sender

Mes- sage Encoding Channel Signal Signal Decoding

Mes- sage

Informa- tion

Encoding

Informa- tion

Decoding








CONTENTS OF A MESSAGE

•  Information •  Explanation •  Criticism •  Motivation

•  Kind of relationship •  Self portrayal


ANATOMY OF A MESSAGE - SCHULZ VON THUN

Factual content

Appeal

Self portrayal Relationship

Mr. Smith, you don´t work too much!

Mr. Smith works 6 instead of 8 hours a day.

Mr. Smiths boss is dissatisfied with his work.

Mr. Smith and his boss are not on good terms

Reproach: Mr. Smith you have to show more dedication!



2.1 Communication


2.2 Coordination

2.3 Cooperation


MECHANISM OF COMMUNICATION

  Transmission or on demand communication,

  Synchronous or asynchronous communication,

  Standardized or individual contents,

  Natural or planned control of communication,

  …



2.1 Communication


2.2 Coordination

2.3 Cooperation


COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS

Media

Computer

Computer

Computer Computer

Person

Person

Person

Person

Person WWW

EDI


MEDIA CHOICE FROM A BUSINESS PERSPECTIVE

Resources for system implementation

Frequency of communication

Proportion of unstructured communication

Security of communication

Constancy of relationship

Data volume

Standardization of data

Importance of flexible access

high

low

high

high

high

high

high

low

EDI Extranet E-Mail

low

low

low

low

low

low

high

high


MULTICHANNEL MANAGEMENT - MEDIA CHARACTERISTICS

Perception Information flow Presentation Address Characteristic Medium optical acoust i cal dire c-

tional interactiv e dyn a mic static individual mass

Mailings x x x x x Telephone x x x x x x Printmedia x x x x Radio x x x x TV x x x x x I nternet x x x x x x x x


TASK ORIENTED COMMUNICATION MODEL

Task oriented demands Complexity Confidentiality Speed

Comfort Accuracy documented

low high Degree of task structuring

Face-to-face Face-to-face Telephone Fax, Voice Mail Letter, Fax

Video telephone

Telephone, Visual phone E-Mail Data

communication

Textual communication

Fax E-Mail Letter Speech

communication

Suita

bilit

y

very suitable

suitable

not suitable


MULTICHANNEL BUSINESS: TRANSACTION PROCESS


MULTICHANNEL BUSINESS

Produkte Products Standardised

securities business Monetary transactions Standardised

savings and investment - - business

Parts of credit business Property management Businesses with high

demand of consulting (e. g. loans to purchase property)

Vertriebskonzept Distribution channels Customer Self Service human-computer- interaction

Semi personal concepts (passive and active)

Personal communication via branch or sales force

Anforderungen an den Kommunikationsprozess Communication needs Speed/comfort important not important

Complexity low high Degree of task structuring high low


Theoretical Explanatory Model

Communication Theory A Message consists of its factual content, its intention and relational aspects

e. g.

Marketing Theory Media usage is a two-stage process of demand for communication services

Decision Theory Media usage is a decision with goals, alternatives and situations

Theory of critical mass systems The use of telecommunication systems faces barriers of usage

DEMAND ORIENTED MODEL OF MEDIA CHOICE


EXPLANATORY MODEL OF MEDIA CHOICE

Cause of communication

Media Relevant media Selected medium

Media application

Decision Suitability

Communication need

Communication situation

OBJECT SUBJECT


MEDIA CHOICE IN STRUCTURED / UNSTRUCTURED COMMUNICATION

Information to be communicated

Fixed message

Variable message

•  Regularly •  Decisions made by management •  always to the same message

•  Decisions made by employee •  different messages depending on individual employee

Unstructured communication

Structured communication

Cause for message

Problem

Cause of communication

Business operations


EMPIRICAL RESULTS: SUITABILITY OF MEDIA

Speed

Variety

Security

1

1

1

2

2

2 3

3

3

4

4

4 5

5

5

Transaction communication

Dialogue communication

Negotiation communication

Contact communication

Letter

Fax

E-mail

EDI/ Data communication

Telephone


EMPIRICAL RESULTS: MEDIA USAGE

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Contact Dialogue Negotiation Transaction Bureaucratic

MM EDI Data c. E-Mail Letter Fax Phone


MEDIA RICHNESS

Over complication

Oversimplification

Media Richness

Complexity / equivocality of communication task

Medium

Face-to-face-dialogue

Video communication

Telephone

Voice mail

Computer conference

Telefax

Electronic mail

Letter / Document


CONTENTS OF A MESSAGE

•  Information •  Explanation •  Criticism •  Motivation

•  Kind of relationship •  Self portrayal


SUITABILITY OF MEDIA IN TERMS OF INTENTION

Impress emotionally

E-Mail

Telephone

Fax

Letter

Multimedia document

Reach understanding

Visual phone

Transmit Contents Have Intentions Act

Inform Conclude Explain Motivate


SUMMARY: COMMUNICATION

Situations: Different ways to communicate: - Depending on the number of partners (1:1; 1:N; N:N) - Depending on the function of the partners (B2B; B2C; …) - Depending on structured and unstructured information

Tasks: - Transmission of information (signals, signs and syntax) - Delivery of information (messages, semantics and pragmatics) - Reception of information (Understanding: Transmission/ comprehension; dialect? accent?) -> Communication models

Mechanisms: - Transmission or on demand communication - Synchronous or asynchronous communication - Standardized or individual contents - Natural or planned control of communication,

Systems: Face-to-face-dialogue, video communication, telephone, voice mail, computer conference, telefax, e-mail, letter/document -> Media Richness: Use different systems for effective communication


2 Theory: Communication, Coordination and Cooperation

2.1 Communication


2.2 Coordination

2.3 Cooperation


DEFINITION OF TERMS: COORDINATION

Coordination describes the “fine tuning” of single activities and is needed if

interdependencies exist between activities of several systems (e.g. people, departments,

companies).



2.1 Communication


2.2 Coordination

2.3 Cooperation


COORDINATION SITUATION - GOALS

Common goals

Example: Members of a corporate network execute sales orders.

Different goals

Example: Supplier sells goods also to other companies.

COOPERATION


Consumer 1

Supplier

Direct dependency

Consumer 2

Indirect dependency on supplier

Direct dependency

PROCESS DEPENDENCIES



2.1 Communication


2.2 Coordination

2.3 Cooperation


WHAT DOES COORDINATION CONTAIN?

Coordination tasks Examples

Management of B2C relationships Flow control und assessment

•  Management of chronological dependence

Notification, process control, tracking / tracing

•  Transfer management Temporary stock keeping, Just-in-Time concept

•  Management of usability Standardisation, interface definition

Management of shared resources Allocation

Task assignment as special case for the employee or organisation seen as resource

(Computer-based) group decision or discussion

Management of simultaneous events (Computer-based) time management

Management of task decompositions and task combinations.

Modularity techniques, group decision


COORDINATION PLAN

Strategic Selection and specification of a suitable coordination mechanism

Operational

Mechanism used in particular business cases



2.1 Communication


2.2 Coordination

2.3 Cooperation


COORDINATION MECHANISM

Coordination

Direct Indirect

Heterarchy Hierarchy Reliance Principles, values, and standards


GENERAL COORDINATION MECHANISMS

Commercial Coordination

Market mechanism

Coordination tool: price

Basic principle: competition

Hierarchical mechanism

Coordination tool: adjustment

Basic principle: power

Indirect Coordination

Reliance

Principles and values



2.1 Communication


2.2 Coordination

2.3 Cooperation


ELECTRONIC HIERARCHIES

A

B

D

C

Steering company

Communication via EDI

Order

Delivery

Order

Order Order

Delivery

Delivery


CENTRAL AND LOCAL SUPPORT OF MARKET MECHANISMS

Supplier

Communication network

EM-Mechanism

Internet

Supplier

EM- Mechanism

EM- Mechanism

EM- Mechanism

EM- Mechanism

EM- Mechanism

EM- Mechanism

Intermediary and customer Intermediary and customer


EXAMPLE COORDINATION TOOL: DOODLE.COM

www.doodle.com


SUMMARY: COORDINATION

Situations: - Common goals vs. different goals (highest price – lowest price) - Process dependency: direct or indirect

Tasks: - Management of B2C/B2B/… relationships - Management of shared resources - Task assignment as special case for the employee or organization seen as resource - Management of simultaneous events - Management of task decompositions and task combinations

Mechanisms: - Direct Coordination (Heterarchy and hierarchy) - Indirect Coordination (Reliance, Principles/Values/Standards)

Systems: - Electronic hierarchies - Central and local Support of Market Mechanisms



2.1 Communication


2.2 Coordination

2.3 Cooperation


DEFINITION OF TERMS: COOPERATION

Cooperation describes

•  mutual support in tasks •  work-sharing accomplishment of tasks

with common goals.



2.1 Communication


2.2 Coordination

2.3 Cooperation


COOPERATION SITUATION

Shared Goals

Example: Members of a corporate network process a sales order

COOPERATION

Mutual Support

Collaboration


COOPERATION AND PARTNERS

Customers

Competitors Complementors

Suppliers

Company

Horizontal cooperation

Vertical cooperation

Direction of cooperation

horizontal

vertical

diagonal

Number of stages in the value creation process:

two – more

Number of partners:

two – more



2.1 Communication


2.2 Coordination

2.3 Cooperation


COOPERATION PLAN

Strategic General agreements, controlling

Operational

Projects, Orders, etc.


TASKS IN COOPERATION

  Strategic and operational cooperation (see coordination)

  Organization of general agreements and controlling   Common goals

  Mutual support

  Common achievements

  Operational cooperation for single orders or in projects

  Examples for combined manufacturing processes:   Order taking

  Order allocation

  Order monitoring



2.1 Communication


2.2 Coordination

2.3 Cooperation


COOPERATION MECHANISM

Hierarchical mechanism Market mechanism

Move to the market Move to the hierarchy

Move to the middle

New cooperation mechanisms - in order to build a closer linkage with market mechanisms

(e.g. trust, bilateral investment)

Price Instruction Plans/ Regulations

Coordination mechanism

&

Common goals


GENERAL COORDINATION MECHANISMS

Coordination in business

Market mechanism

Instruments: Price

Basic principle: Competition

Hierarchical mechanism

Instruments: Instructions

Basic principle: Power

Hybrid mechanism

Instruments: Market and hierarchical mechanisms,

trust, same standards

Basic principle: Voluntary cooperation in order to

achieve a common goal – interdependency


PROCESS OF ADAPTATION

Communication process

Coordination process

Interdependency Adaptation process

+ +

+ +

•  Creation of „connectivity“ •  General agreements and standards


COMPARISON

Market Cooperation Hierarchy Coordination mechanism Price Hybrid mechanism, relation,

standards Authority, routine Time frame Short-run, one-off Medium term Long-run normative basis Contracts, property

rights Complementary strengths Relationships to employees

Conflict management Negotiation Coordination of interests Control Threat Opportunism Trade-off Inefficiency Relationship Precision,

suspiciousness Mutual advantage Formal, bureaucratic Autonomy of decision Independence Dependence Dependence Level of formalization Non-formalized

negotiation Partially formalized Formalized Level of integration Unrelated relations Investment based on

relationship, mutual adaptation

High level of integration

Flexibility High Medium Low



2.1 Communication


2.2 Coordination

2.3 Cooperation


SYSTEMS FOR COOPERATION

Systems for Communications

Systems for Coordination

Systems for Cooperation


COOPERATION PLATFORMS

www.inhaus-zentrum.de


SUMMARY: COOPERATION

Situations: - Coordination with shared goals (mutual support or collaboration) - Direction of cooperation (horizontal, vertical, diagonal)

Tasks: - Strategic and operational cooperation - Organization of general agreements and controlling (common goals, mutual support, common achievements) - Operational cooperation for single orders or in projects - Combined manufacturing process

Mechanisms: - Communication Mechanisms - Coordination Mechanisms

Systems: - Systems for communication - Systems for coordination


TEST YOURSELF

•  Describe the levels of e-business: communication, coordination and cooperation and tie them together •  How can you describe structured and unstructured information and how to deal with? •  How to use media in multichannel business? •  Describe the levels of communication in terms of pragmatics, semantics and syntax. •  Describe the communication model of Shannon-Weaver and the task oriented communication model and describe the differences. •  Specify the different communication systems. How can they be used effectively? •  Give an example of a coordination situation with different goals. •  Give some examples of coordination tasks. •  Doodle.com is a typical coordination tool. How can it support cooperation? •  Define the term cooperation •  A company cooperates with different partners of the value chain. Name and describe the different kinds of cooperation. Give examples. •  Describe in your own words the process of adaptation. What does „creation of connectivity“ and „general agreements and standards“ mean in this context.


CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS SUSANNE ROBRA-BISSANTZ, GERALD FRICKE AND OTHERS...

corporate communication, coordination and cooperation

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