Lately I’ve been thinking quite a bit about why HR often has such a difficult time getting traction for some of its HR/Talent Management initiatives. Even when it seems like
everyone is so on board to improve the performance management process, or tackle employee learning and development, or transform goal setting, resistance is lurking around every corner.
I think it comes down to marketing. All products begin as idea in the consumer’s mind. They envision themselves using the product or getting the benefits and, if the idea of the product is something they want or need, it’s a marketer’s job is to get them to see the value in owning it.
In HR, we often assume, for example, once we’ve told our managers that performance reviews will be “so much faster and easier” that this is enough to carry them through the harsh realities of adoption and change. We have to understand that most users don’t have any idea what faster and easier looks like, it just sounds good to them.
Marketers, on the other hand, understand that potential buyers have often formed assumptions about what their experience will be like if they buy their product (good or bad). A marketer’s job is to replace those assumptions with facts and give buyers a clear set of benefits (to carry them through the decision-making process). The marketing communications function (commonly called “marcom”) has many communications tools available to do this. Some might use advertising in print and online media, while others might rely on a different media mix, such as public relations outreach, or putting on events.
However, no marketer worth their salt can be sure they’ve got the right mix without first creating a marcom strategy that is aligned with the overall strategic marketing direction of the company.
The idea is to create a “messaging strategy” which is a consistent theme or fundamental selling message that will he used in all of the marketing messages. Another key aspect is developing a “positioning statement.” This brief statement tells what you sell, whom you sell it to, and WHY they should buy it.
The positioning statement is critical to making all of the other parts of the marketing communications strategy work because every awareness-building program needs to paint a clear, concise picture of what you are selling and how users will benefit.
Once a strong positioning statement is developed, programs follow. For most companies this means things like PR, advertising, seminars, conferences, educational opportunities, collateral, etc. Some even go so far as to create a “mind map” to see what programs would be most effective with different groups or types of users.
So, the question is… Is there a messaging problem with your HR initiatives?
Consider this statement from HR:
“We are going to put in a new system that will make sure individual employee goals are properly aligned with department goals, and ultimately top-line business objectives.”
Now, let me translate what your managers actually hear:
“We (you mean YOU) are going to put in a new system (fantastic, another clunky piece of software to waste everyone’s time) that will make sure (nag me some more when I’m trying to do my job) individual employee goals are properly aligned with department goals, and ultimately top-line business objectives (please, nobody here knows what that is).”
You know why this happens? Because all communication consists of a sender-encoded transmission delivered to a device-decoding receiver.
Come back for Part 2 and I’ll explain what that means and why I believe HR needs a dedicated Marcom function in your budget for 2012 (if not sooner).
Another infusion of knowledge…
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