We, Trusted, offer assessment workshops to check the process of promoting open innovation. In the course of this, we have found that the new coronavirus scourge has also had a significant impact on internal communication. In this issue, we would like to make recommendations on the issues that HR departments need to address as a result of the changes in internal communication in the coronavirus disaster.
Over the past few years, email and online communication tools have evolved dramatically, making it easier to get the information you need anytime, anywhere to support remote working. Today, even internal communication is dominated by email, apps and online tools.
However, many managers feel limited in sharing their so-called 'corporate identity', which is more important than sharing business information and is difficult to visualise, such as sharing the company's vision, values and the level of work required by the management team.
The lack of opportunities to share the actual work situation in real life has affected the development of young human resources in no small way. The benefits of being on site cannot be compared to those shared later via email or tools.
By sharing the work site in real life with senior employees and other departments, new graduates and young employees were able to experience and absorb not only how to work as knowledge, but also the whole work process, how to build relationships with superiors and other departments, how to interact with clients and external stakeholders, in other words the entire company's existence.
Furthermore, managers made good use of drinks and lunches to talk about their daily enthusiasm, past successes and failures, and subordinates were able to easily voice questions and concerns that were difficult to express face to face. This was one of the best ways to share the corporate identity and to naturally involve new graduates and younger employees.
Now that these are no longer possible, managers are working on their own devices to carry out their daily tasks. These include daily individual online meetings with subordinates, frequent surveys, digital transformation (DX) to share information without omission, and online meetings to encourage free speech.
However, managers know from their own experience that online information sharing for business purposes alone is not enough for the future of a company, and that a company needs to pass on its corporate identity to increase its value and ensure its continuity and prosperity, not just to carry out its business.
In the spread of COVID-19, we believe that the succession of corporate identity is an issue that should be addressed not only by frontline managers, but also by the HR department, which should take the initiative in acting as the secretariat, based on a common company-wide understanding.
By strategically setting up a forum where dialogue with the president and management, feedback on presentations and examples of past project successes and failures can be shared in an interactive environment without fuss, it will be possible to spread the corporate identity.
The HR department has many important tasks, such as recruitment, evaluation, assignment and training, which are becoming even more important in the Corona Disaster and require the implementation of new strategic initiatives for the transfer of corporate identity.
Born in Uzbekistan. Graduated from Samarkand State University of Foreign Languages with a degree in English and Japanese linguistics. Founded SOPHYS, a human resources development consultancy, and Trusted, a global business development support company, in Tokyo.
