Many senior communicators report to business leaders who may not be familiar with our profession. As a result, many companies have opportunities to improve the way they hire communicators. If you are getting ready to recruit for a senior communications professional and have not done so before, here are my tips to make sure that you hire someone who can make a real difference at your company.
Communicators and IT. Oil and water, right? Maybe not.
There has been a lot of historic tension between these two parts of large organizations. Communicators want more collaboration and free flow of information, and get frustrated with restrictive IT policies – even to the point of taking the issue to the web. In return, IT has its own axe to grind with communicators, from recent very public disdain for PR practices by IT luminaries to constant battles with the technologies of Web 2.0 being introduced by non-IT practitioners, bypassing careful controls and adding to support, maintenance and ongoing management headaches.
Wherever you stand on the issues found at the links above, I would think few would disagree that there is value to a closer, more collaborative relationship between communications and information technology functions. The technology analyst firms certainly believe there is value in stronger MarComm / IT connections.
Here are some of my suggestions based upon my experience working at the interface between technology and communications on how communicators can contribute to a closer, more collaborative relationship.
Many of us are on board with operational governance: Editorial advisory boards and intranet steering committees are great to help you deliver what your stakeholders want to see in their favored communication channels. What they can’t do is ensure that your communication function as a whole stays aligned with – and relevant to – your organization’s needs. For that you need to take governance to the strategic level. Just like your colleagues in IT.