internal communications report summry

1Copyright © Best Practices,

LLC

BEST PRACTICES,®LLC

Internal Communications Excellence:Optimizing Group Structure & Operations

Page - 2 BEST PRACTICES,

®LLCCopyright © Best Practices, LLC

Table of Contents•Project Blueprint- pg. 3

•Executive Summary: Benchmark Insights and Research Gro

up- pg.4

•Internal Communications Group Structures: Key Trends & Dri

vers of Sub-group Evolution- pg. 9

•Internal and External Communications Group Models and Str

uctures- pg. 18

•Internal Communications Group Resource Benchmarks:

Key Staffing and Investment Trends - pg. 24

TOC Continued

•Internal Communications Service Levels: Trends In

Activities That Inform the Enterprise- pg. 29

•Building Bridges: Working with Colleagues- pg. 42

•Working Effectively in The Integrated Pharmaceutical

Network: Forging Accountability and Clear Roles Among

External Partners- pg. 51

•Communicating the Value of Communications In a

Global Bio-Pharma Company- pg. 56

•Contact Information- pg. 61

Table of Contents



Optimizing Structure Involves Integrated Practices & ApproachesThere are no perfect structures. “Form follows function.” New market pressures and lifecycle events compel structures to evolve. Optimizing structure reflects the integrated management of units, people, process, technology, communications, incentives and other management factors.

Internal Communication:

Evolving Structure to Stay Relevant to Changing Goals,

Strategies

1. Realign to Support New Corporate Goals, Strategies

2. Fine-tune Internal Group Structure

3. Establish Service Levels to Reflect

Priorities & Resources

7. Drive Long-Term Priorities & Respond

to Ad Hoc Issues

4. Integrate Operations to Bridge BU’s, Geographies & Sub-Groups

5. Use Funding / Budgeting Process to Reaffirm Alignments

8. Manage / Coordinate Rolesfor a Fully Integrated Pharmaceutical Network

10. Assess Performance,

Refine & Continuously

Improve

6. Refine Talent

Management Strategies &

Systems to Fit New Structure

9. Optimize Learning to Enhance Performance

“No institution can

possibly survive if it

needs geniuses or

supermen to manage it.

It must be organized in

such a way as to be

able to get along under

a leadership composed

of average human

beings.”

-Peter Drucker



Universe of Learning: Internal Communications Participants

Participants in this benchmarking research included 30 Communications executives and managers at 26 leading companies from bio-pharmaceutical, healthcare and other industry segments.



Internal Communications Organized to Cover Entire CompanyInternal Communications is organized functionally to cover all aspects of an organization or business unit’s operations. About half the benchmark class is structured to support either the entire business unit or corporation. Other factors influencing sub-group structure include Therapeutic areas and projects. Very few are designed to focus primarily on a product’s internal communications needs.

Q11. Internal Communications Sub-Group Structure: Note all functional factors describing how your internal communications organization is designed.

(n=25)

Total Benchmark Class

32%

28%

28%

12%

48%

33%

Enterprise-Wide Focus

Business Unit Focus

Therapeutic Area Focus

Matrix Model

Project Focus

Product Focus

% of Companies

Pharma Segment

38%

29%

24%

14%

52%

48%

Business Unit Focus

Enterprise-Wide Focus

Therapeutic Area Focus

Project Focus

Matrix Model

Product Focus

% of Companies

(n=21)



Labor & Travel Claim Lion’s Share of Internal Communications Budgets

Q28. Labor & Non-Labor Resource Allocations: Estimate the percentage of total budget allocated to each labor and non-labor category.

(n=7) % of Respondents


Field Travel & Lodging 9%

Outsourced labor 12%

Non-labor support systems

7%

Corporate allocations 22%

Other 9%

Internal labor 41%

Pharma Segment

Field Travel & Lodging 10%

Outsourced labor 9%

Non-labor support systems

20%

Corporate allocations 7%

Other 12%

Internal labor 42%

(n=5)% of Respondents

Approximately 50% of all Internal Communications budgets go to staff salaries and field travel. Key points of budget allocation variance lie in the relative amount of spend for non-labor support systems: The Pharma segment invests 20% here versus 7% at the multi-industry benchmark class.



Evolving Technology Essential for Effective Communications

“We have iPhones, some of us anyway, and that does make a big difference because it’s really easy to edit on the go and review documents, which does make a big difference actually.”– Director, External Communications

One communications leader based in Europe spoke of how new technologies were vital to more effective communications between teams separated by time zones. “Between 70 and 80% of communications is non-verbal so just sitting on the end of a phone makes it quite difficult when you want to put a point across,” she said.

“We’ve just got laptops with cameras in them installed in the laptop and I think that’s the next thing. Once we get the laptops cracking, then in theory we can be at home and have the video and there’s something about a virtual meeting that feels more conducive.” – Director, External Communications



Building Bridges: Working With Colleagues

Note: The remainder of this study presents data from the perspective of the Communications function, and thus Internal and External

Communications responses are combined.



Universe of Learning: Internal & External Communications Benchmark Research Participants Participants in this benchmarking research included 39 Communications executives and managers at 33 leading companies from bio-pharmaceutical, healthcare and other industry segments.



Most Benchmark Partners Provided Insights for Both Internal & External Communications

Most research participants work in leadership roles in the Communications function and thus were able to answer for both Internal and External Communications.

Q2. Please note for which groups you are able to respond.

(n=39)


18%

59%

23%

Both Internal andExternal

Communications

ExternalCommunications

InternalCommunications

% of Companies

Pharma Segment

18%

58%

24%

Both Internal andExternal

Communications

ExternalCommunications

InternalCommunications

% of Companies

(n=33)



Best Practices, LLC6350 Quadrangle Drive, Suite 200,

Chapel Hill, NC 27517www.best-in-class.com

[email protected]: 919-403-0251

About Best Practices LLCBest Practices, LLC is a research and consulting firm that conducts work based on the simple yet profound principle that organizations can chart a course to superior economic performance by studying the best business practices, operating tactics and winning strategies of world-class companies.

internal communications report summry

Documents