Are PRs transformers in disguise?

If you work in-house for a company, you may have heard the ominous-sounding word ‘transformation' muttered at some point over the past few years. For many businesses, this transformation could be as simple as hiring a new leader or shifting to hybrid working. For others, it could mean finally dragging their tired IT system kicking-and-screaming into the 21st century. Sometimes, it's accompanied by words such as "efficiency", "significant cost savings" and "synergy-related headcount adjustment", triggering all the gut-wrenching anxiety these euphemisms suggest.

When embarking on transformations, the CEO usually drafts in an army of advisors plucked from finance, HR or IT. The public relations department rarely gets a look-in. But business operates very differently in the post-pandemic world. If leaders want to engage employees in their transformations, they'll need to communicate in a different way: more empathetic, less stentorian, just all-round nicer. And this is where PRs come in. 

"Transformation is about things which are new and changing, which is in the DNA of PRs," says founder, Gong and Co-CEO Wilful, Narda Shirley, "It's about pitching things just right: helping people understand what's going on, not talking down to them. This is what good comms people do every day."

Around 70% of corporate transformations collapse, according to management consultancy McKinsey. An inability to secure employee engagement through poor communication was identified as one of the main reasons they fail, according to landmark new research recently published by Oxford University's Saïd Business School and accounting group EY. Transformation Leadership: Humans@Centre found that transformations traditionally see leaders focus on designing project plans and hammering out KPIs - while ignoring the workforce whose lives will be most impacted by these changes. As a result, employee enthusiasm in the projects wane, eventually turning sour and cynical. 

"Our research found if you put humans at the centre [of transformations], you have a greater than 2.5 times chance of success," says Andrew White, senior fellow in management practice at Saïd Business School, who co-led the research. "If I'm told my job's not needed or it will change, it'll put me in a state of anxiety. Leaders should create space so people can process their emotions."

And if the boss's demeanour is more grisly than good-hearted, PRs could suggest sympathetic substitutes. "One of the worst mistakes you can make when advising leaders is asking them to be somebody they're not," says Shirley. "If leaders are putting it on, people can smell the inauthenticity a mile off. If you've got a leader who isn't empathetic, don't wheel them out in a crisis. Instead, find the right spokesperson for the message: there could be a good COO - it doesn't always have to be the CEO."

A WELL-DEFINED PURPOSE
The pandemic - which stressed the need for ‘compassionate CEOs' who can lead with empathy - has created an environment where checking in on staff emotions is no longer viewed as weird or weak. 

"The genie's out of the bottle now," says Shirley. "Leaders need to be more concerned about the welfare of their people; it links with business performance too. As the Great Resignation has shown, many people are making big career changes. If they don't like the general direction of travel [of a company transformation], they'll check out much faster."

According to White, the events of the past few years have "fundamentally changed the dialogue and communication between bosses and employees. It's shifted from ‘broadcasting' a message - i.e. them telling you stuff - to listening. If you're a communications expert, you can facilitate that listening."

Shirley agrees: "In transformations, staff will have a little voice in their head, asking, ‘How will this affect me and my job?' Anticipating these questions - or ‘FAQs' - is the bread-and-butter of PRs. That's why leaders should want somebody from comms sitting by them, thinking about how their message will land with people and anticipating their questions. It's much better than leaving staff hanging."

Having a well-defined purpose and strong values, as well as setting bold goals is also crucial for securing staff buy-in. As the Saïd/EY research found, "Vision forms the foundation for transformation. Leaders need to collaborate on a compelling ‘why' for the transformation in which both leaders and workers can find purpose." Articulating this sense-of-purpose is another area in which PRs could assist, using their language skills and knack for storytelling so that the ‘vision' resonates with staff. 

The medium for delivering this info is also important. Just posting press-release style missives on the company intranet won't cut it: today's employees are just as likely to read important transformation info on their LinkedIn feeds.

"It's hard for busy people to read emails or look at the intranet, because they don't have time," says Shirley. "But as you scroll through your social feeds, you may stumble across company news from your CEO." PRs can help craft these messages and tailor them towards different audiences.

There could still be a long way to go, with many bosses overlooking the multi-faceted talents of modern comms teams. "Many people who haven't worked with comms professionals think PR is only about publicity," says Shirley. "But PR is such a broad church, covering many different disciplines. It's a shame because it means those people who should have a seat at the table in transformations have to fight hard for it. If you're rolling out a transformation and you've got in-house comms professionals, why wouldn't you get them involved?"

Ultimately, PR itself might need some good… PR.