Case Studies
By Raha Naddaf, Staff Writer
(note: all case studies are in PDF format)
TELUS CEO Mailbox Analysis - Enhancing Corporate Dialogue
TELUS Corporation
When CEO Darren Entwistle joined TELUS in July 2000 he brought with
him an intense
commitment to communication. Passionate about the power of direct
communication
between the CEO and employees, he initiated a weekly, electronic
letter to all 28,000 TELUS team members. Facilitated by the electronic
medium, employees wrote back. Believing the voluntary exchange prompted
by the CEO's e-letter held clues that would contribute to strategic
communication management, the internal communication director developed
a content analysis and tracking process. Provided weekly to the
CEO and the executive leadership team, the analysis has become a
catalyst for action, a gauge of corporate message effectiveness,
and a method by which the transformation of TELUS is being recorded
-- not in the words of corporate communications but in the words
of TELUS employees.
(full
case study here...)
Rewriting the Book on Chapter 11: How Dade Behring Won Stakeholder
Support
Dade Behring
Faced with filing a pre-packaged Chapter 11, Dade Behring developed
a proactive communication plan to manage perceptions and convince
employees, customers and other key stakeholders to stand by the
company. As a private firm, Dade Behring didn't have shareholders,
but banks and bondholders were a key constituency because of their
crucial role in the debt to equity swap. Their importance dictated
that the CEO and CFO personally communicate/negotiate with this
key group throughout the process. Information packets were delivered
on the day of the filing to employees, customers and suppliers worldwide,
containing a letter from the CEO targeted for each audience. Letters
were also sent to key financial stakeholders and to the CEOs of
key competitors. A conference call from the CEO with a reassuring
message to all employees was also used. A special section of the
Dade Behring web site including a message from the CEO went live
the day of the filing. The site received nearly 800,000 visitors
during the filing period, and a potential negative issue was repositioned
as a positive, galvanizing event.
(full
case study here...)
Only You
Pristop Communications
Pristop Communications, Slovenia's leading corporate communication
agency, was appointed a new CEO in September 2002. This was an important
turning point for the closely connected agency (as most of the employees
have been with the company for at least five years, while many have
been there from the start-up). Employees were at first somewhat
hesitant. All of the agency's business partners as well as the general
public had to be notified of the new CEO appointment, which is why
a proactive communication program, including a wide spectrum of
informative and entertaining activities, was implemented. The program
contributed to an increase in employee satisfaction and a warm welcome
to the new CEO.
(full
case study here...)
Interview with the IABC's 2003 EXCEL winner
For Ned Barnholt, chairman, president and CEO of Agilent Technologies
Inc., to get IABC's Excellence in Communication Leadership award
is in some ways quite a surprise. This is a CEO who had to lay off
a substantial portion of his workforce in the last two years just
to keep the company viable. Yet Agilent remains among Fortune
magazine's "Most Admired Companies." Clear and consistent
communication has been critical along the way.
(full
case study here...)
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