Just how well are organisations and individuals prepared for the challenges of operating in the 21st century? Our poll of over 250 top-level Internal Communications (IC) officers on opposite sides of the planet gives an insiders’ perspective on how global businesses are measuring up.
Multidimensional Thinking
Our poll was kick-started by understanding how communications specialists engage with the world around them. We asked if they consider themselves to be Left Brain (Pragmatic, Logical and Fact oriented) or Right Brain (Possibilist, Intuitive and Visionary) Thinkers, or if they consider themselves to be a combination of the two – what we call Multidimensional Thinkers. Globally, almost two thirds (61%) of the audience consider themselves Multidimensional Thinkers. However, looking behind the global results there is a clear disparity, with three quarters (74% of IC in Austalia) describing themselves as balancing right and left brain approaches, compared to under half (47% of UK communications specialists). Since future oriented organisations are more likely to balance factual pragmatic thinking with a visionary ‘possibilist’ attitude – a key to succeed in the 21st-century business climate – it seems that Australia’s top-level communicators are better geared for the future.
Future Focused
The group of top-level IC officers in the UK and Australia were then asked if their organisation has done a good job in preparing them for the future. Only one in three (33%) of IC officers globally believe that their organisation had done a good job in preparing them for the future. A staggering 65% of IC officers are feeling unprepared for the future, with almost a third (31%) responding: “I am ready but they (my organisation) are not” and a further third (34%) saying no, their company has not done a good job. The data shows a remarkable convergence of opinion across continents and indicates that almost two thirds of companies are failing to engage with their key stakeholders – their people – about the future, a clear indication that organisations are not sufficiently future focused and prepared for change.
Leadership and Social Media
According to our poll only 11% of CEOs and leadership teams globally currently communicate via Twitter. Around half in both the UK (51%) and Australia (47%) , are also not using this influential social media tool and 54% globally have no plans to do so. Just over a third of CEOs on both sides of the globe are occasional users. Frequent engagement with social media is part of the leadership strategy of just 14% of UK and 8% of Australian CEOs. Engaging with the possibilities and opportunities of real-time communication is a key benchmark for truly 21st-century organisations, as customers increasingly expect genuine two-way dialogue and a ‘human’ face behind brands they interact with.
Cloud Culture
Finally, we asked our senior communications specialists if their company has implemented Cloud Culture and currently only 33% of global companies expect to be on the cloud by 2015. In the UK, 29% of companies are already on the Cloud and a further 22% will be on the Cloud by 2015. Australia is behind at present, but by 2015 will overtake the UK, with over half (57%) of companies operating on the Cloud. The most surprising result of all is that our poll reveals that, at global level, approaching half (46%) of companies polled do not plan to join the Cloud in the foreseeable future.
Key Take Aways – Key Findings
* 61% of top-level communication officers are Multidimensional Thinkers.
* 1/3 say their company did a good job in preparing them for the future.
* Globally, only 11% of CEOs communicate via Twitter.
* Over half (54%) of Leadership teams have no plans to go on Twitter.
* Only 33% of companies are planning to be on the Cloud by 2015.
* Almost half (46%) of companies surveyed have no plans to join the Cloud.
Scale and Scope
280 top-level IC Officers (SMT and Board)
Communications specialists were polled at conferences in the UK and Australia.
Kjaer Global Polls and Surveys
Assisting in weaving storytelling and future scenarios, Kjaer Global polls and surveys look beyond numbers to consider the emotional and value driven landscape, providing inspirational information that dig deeper into the preferences and lifestyle choices of organisations and people.
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