February 2007 - Posts

• P.S. We fired them all

  LONDON -- No one likes to be the barer of bad news. But that's no excuse for the consistently horrible way that redundancies are communicated. A reduction in force... Corporate synergies... A big restructuring... Rationalisation... Inefficiencies... "You Read More... Posted 26 February 2007 09:00 by David Ferrabee | 3 Comments Filed under: Strategy, Engagement, involvement, morale, motivation, Consulting, People management, Internal communications, Change Management, M & A

• Corporate Grooming: Facial Furniture

  GENEVA -- I am inspired by Phil's lament to his lost beard (and bored silly on a plane trip). I delight and horrify my young children by being able to recite George Carlin's ode to facial furniture: Here's my beard Ain't it weird? Don't be skeared It's Read More... Posted 23 February 2007 13:30 by David Ferrabee | 1 Comments Filed under: Culture, People management

• Who is YOUR audience? (Mine's Laura's mum)

  We're working with a brilliant global manufacturing client to review their communications now. One of the executives we interviewed said "I always test the corporate videos on Ali. The moment Ali's eyes glaze over and he starts to nod off, I switch it Read More... Posted 22 February 2007 11:20 by David Ferrabee | 1 Comments Filed under: Leadership, Engagement, involvement, morale, motivation, Internal communications

• Corporate nationalism

  I've just been in Ireland for a week. With my mobile phone and Blackberry mostly turned off. It's been great. But it gives you a chance to look outside of our regular world and see things from a new angle. I read a lot of Irish history during the week, Read More... Posted 19 February 2007 08:55 by David Ferrabee | 0 Comments Filed under: Culture, Engagement, involvement, morale, motivation, Europe, Middle East

• *The Office*: Nature or nurture?

  My old boss Bill Quirke used to love to say that a middle managers job was to "shield front line employees from the blinding brilliance of the leader's vision", and interpret the dangerous rumblings of front line staff for leaders. Middle managers are Read More... Posted 07 February 2007 08:49 by David Ferrabee | 1 Comments Filed under: Leadership, Engagement, involvement, morale, motivation, People management, Change Management

• The changing workforce: you need to ask Y

  There was an article in the Sunday Times in London yesterday that suggests that change is bad. "The latest generation of graduates — Generation Y — shows the most extreme traits of self-absorption." In my opinion, that would be very funny if it were in Read More... Posted 05 February 2007 08:29 by David Ferrabee | 2 Comments Filed under: Strategy, Culture, Engagement, involvement, morale, motivation, People management, Internal communications, Change Management

• What is change management?

  Um. Good question. I my last post I had the social media apostles take exception to the idea that internal communications could be about managing conversations . So now I'm hesitating about the concept of managing change. But I will soldier on. Maybe Read More... Posted 04 February 2007 09:55 by David Ferrabee | 2 Comments Filed under: Engagement, involvement, morale, motivation, Internal communications, Change Management