A review on the subject of Communication Strategy leads to a wider consideration:
The actual VUCA enviroment - Company's Socialization Process - Reputation Capital.
W.H.Bender Quote 62 - Always strive to be a Hospitality Service professional
Communication Strategy
1. Communication
Strategy
Synthesis of Simon Sinek’
Golden Circle theory
General communication criteria and further considerations on :
VUCA environment – Companies Socialization – Reputation Capital
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2. 2
COMMUNICATION
Behind every single sign, gesture or word, there is a world; the key
to access these worlds is culture.
An intangible and fluid key like the time, that we can conceptualise
but it will never be in availability to anyone.
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In a market context, no longer inspired by the need for goods but
by the emotion they induce, the criteria of communication must
be reviewed at least by relying on the V.U.C.A. context, which came
by this transition.
‘’Starting from why’’ is a book by Simon Sinek that is based on a
simple concept:
"People do not buy what someone do, they buy why he do it“
This is, in a nutshell, the postulate by Simon Sinek,
creator of the Golden Circle’ concept.
PREMISE
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The idea developed by Sinek is as simple as it is founded:
- Most companies put at the center of their own
communication “What’’ they do, WHAT
- followed by “How" they do it, HOW
- Not always, they declare “Why" they WHY
do it.
When not declared it is equivalent:
‘’to make money’’
THE GOLDEN CIRCLE
5. THE GOLDEN CIRCLE
As stated, most companies operate
from a Product perspective, WHAT ,
relying on what offered as a means
and purpose to operate, with the firm
belief that this is the reason for
existing.
All organizations in the world know
what they do.
WHAT - represents the products or
services offered to the market.
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6. THE GOLDEN CIRCLE
In the Golden Circle, ''How we do
what we do‘’, HOW, does not change
position, regardless which direction
communication strategy is operated.
Its meaning, however, is better
profiled when the ‘Why’ is considered.
Not all organizations know how they
do what they do.
HOW - represents the special and
distinctive elements with respect to
the competitors' offer.
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7. THE GOLDEN CIRCLE
By introducing and focusing on ‘Why’,
we give meaning to the purpose and
the passion that determine the
actions we undertake.
By nature, this is what gives the real
sense of existing to a company.
Very few organizations know Why they
do what they do; ‘’making money‘’ is
just a mere consequence.
WHY - Is purpose, cause, vision. The
natural essence of an organization.
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WHY - Is how the market perceives us
8. THE GOLDEN CIRCLE
In summary, most organizations
market and communicate with this
sequence:
WHAT: ‘’Here is our product’’
HOW: ‘’We have the most advanced
machinery in the industry’’
‘’Have you seen our customer list?’’
WHY : Purpose,
"Come and do business with us!"
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9. THE GOLDEN CIRCLE
Starting from the product, or assuming that our product and process,
WHAT/HOW, are better than others, does not inspire any change action.
Facts and figures have a rational sense, but people's decisions are les and less
based solely on facts and figures, however needed, especially if we refer to
those companies and products laying on the market since several seasons.
This communication sequence makes sense if we deal with raw materials or
basic product and, in any case, competition amplifies the depressive effect on
the prices; globalization generates an overabundance of goods and services
in competition, a very fertile ground for ‘’Price-Driven’’ policies & p.o. fellows.
Investigating -WHY- is increasingly of interest for market leaders and inspired
managements.
“Since always, similar go with their own kind”
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10. THE GOLDEN CIRCLE
For a greater communicative impact,
Sinek suggests to reverse the stream
sequence, starting from:
WHY - We believe in sustainability and
job stability to better serve the needs
of our customers so they can focus on
their core business, making the
difference.
HOW - We work on a transparent
collaboration between people inside
and outside the organization which
allows us to collaborate with the best
world organizations.
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WHAT - Come and see for yourself
11. THE GOLDEN CIRCLE
At the base of the approach developed by Sinek, there is the idea that an
organization does not buy what a company does but rather "purchases" the
reason WHY it does, which, in turn, determines HOW it does that determined
thing, WHAT; thus rooting trust and balancing its supply chain Risk.
In support of his theory, Sinek does not refer to strange psychological
implications, but simply to the biology of the human brain.
Basically, he states that:
“if we use the Why - How – What sequence, we do nothing more than
support our brain in its normal operating principle”,
our reasons will be implemented much more easily and quickly by the
audience than using the classic What - How - Why sequence.
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12. THE GOLDEN CIRCLE
The brain is divided into three main components, which match perfectly with
the Golden Circle:
• the neocortex, which corresponds to the - WHAT – level: responsible for
all our rational, analytical and our language thoughts;
• the limbic system, the other two sections, How-Why,: responsible for our
feelings as well as our behavior and our decisions.
This means that when we communicate in the traditional Product-Centric
way, people can understand a wide range of information, even complicated:
characteristics, benefits, facts, numbers, etc., but this communication does
not have the power to inspire changes in the behavior of those who listen.
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13. THE GOLDEN CIRCLE
In reverse, if we set our
communication from the inside out,
‘’Starting from Why’’,
we speak directly to that part of the
brain that determines the behavior of
our audience and theyr sense of trust.
so we put such people in a position to
better rationalize the tangible things
we say and do, inspiring their decision.
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14. THE GOLDEN CIRCLE
This explains, for example, the reason why some companies cannot break
away from the product/sector in which they operate.
DELL, for example, has remained deeply anchored to PCs despite several
attempts to extend the range.
APPLE, on the contrary, born as a computer manufacturer, has managed to
create:
- the mp3 player, a reference-product for the market,
- has acquired a significant share of the mobile phones market,
- opened the tablet market.
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15. THE GOLDEN CIRCLE
DELL, like most companies, addresses the market with a classic
communication approach:
- We make fantastic computers What
- They are well designed, easy to use and intuitive How
- They have competitive prices. Do you want to buy one? Why
APPLE, which comes from the same market, uses, on the other hand,
an inverse communication sequence:
- In everything we do, we believe in the challenge of the status quo;
‘’We think different’’ Why
- We focus particularly on simplicity and intuitiveness of use How
- So we make fantastic and even aesthetically beautiful computers. What
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16. THE GOLDEN CIRCLE
People who recognize themselves in the "challenge to the status quo" are
encouraged paying attention to Apple, regardless of the proposed product.
In addition, APPLE, in a Smart* mode, satisfies people’s stand out desire,
giving equal dignity both to the technological level and to the aesthetic level.
“ People do not buy the "thing", but they buy the "why" something is done in
a certain way and aesthetics counts. ”
Nokia did not realized that ….
* SMART : Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound.
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17. THE GOLDEN CIRCLE
The ''Product-centric‘’ communication,
we can conclude, is not aligned with
the current context.
It can give vent to an engineering
''show up‘’ instinct, but it overshadows
the ''essence'' of the corporate
microcosm constituted over the years;
our - WHY -
Years ago we communicated:
‘’A Value to pass on’’
Not a Product to pass on !
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There was countless ‘’ What ''
recoveries from 1953 up today,
now identified in the various
INMAN’ Companies & B.U.
18. COMPANIES SOCIALIZATION
Context features
- Volatility of the demand
- Uncertainty in medium/long-term
decisions
- Complexity of the solutions
- Ambiguity on the positios
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The current context in economics, is classified with the acronym V.U.C.A.
Counteract
Positioning - Medical devices x CBa
Certainty - efficient organization
Complexity - aimed '' Smart '' *
Unambiguous - Values of reference
for the Organization and stringent
Resources’ Management.
* SMART : Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound.
19. COMPANIES SOCIALIZATION
The same evolution, moreover, is found in the Quality Systems that, from the
mere Quality Product Engineering –WHAT-, migrated then to the Process -
HOW-, now deeply investigating the QUALITY of the ORGANIZATIONAL
SYSTEM of a Company, direct consequence of the Values of the same –WHY-;
indexing the risk that the same brings when acting in a supply chain.
Equally, financial valuations are emancipated from traditional balance sheet
analysis, enriched by sectoral benchmarks and organizational risk rating in a
scale of the arch BOB to WOW*, aimed at determining the organization's
ability –WHY- to adapt to the current VUCA context, path induced by the
drastic decline in the average life expectancy of the organizations; passed, in
a matter of a few decades, from 67 to 15 years.
* BOB : Best of Best -----Average ------ WOW : Worst Of Worst
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20. COMPANIES SOCIALIZATION
Why accelerate the ongoing enterprise’ Socialization process?
The individual value system of the entrepreneur, which has traditionally held
smaller companies (SMEs = 98.02% of European industry), is no longer
satisfactory, or better, compatible with the complexity of the actual economic
VUCA environment, indeed described.
The Value System, foundation of any Organizations, is the gene that produces
the greater or lesser risk, the ability, therefore, to perpetuate itself over time.
“In my personal and debatable judgment, it must be the result of collectively
shared rules, emancipated from individualistic and nepotistic caste fideism.”
Communication, Quality and Finance, as seen, are moving same direction to
better investigate those aspects, ‘’business essentials’’, generating an
increasingly stringent Risk-Management policy.
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21. Reputation Capital
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Definition
Reputation Capital, for a company in business, is the sum of the value of all
corporate intangible assets, which include:
- Processes & Organization
- Trademarks & Patents,
- Quality & Safety,
- Reputations for Ethics and Integrity;
- Sustainability & Security,
- Resilience.
Delivering functional and social expectations to any of the organization’
“stakeholders” & managing to build a unique identity, creates that trust to
generate the informal framework of the organization; the “ WHY ” is all that.
22. Reputation Capital
The “Why”, once cleared, provides "return in cooperation at any stakeholder
level" and produces Reputation Capital, so that we can state:
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The higher the Reputation Capital
The less the Cost for Supervising and exercising Control
Thus facilitating the organization’ Smooth Operativity.
“A positive reputation will secure a company’ long-term competitive
advantages and reason to be in business.”
23. Reputation Capital
The Reputation Capital is also the dowry that bears any act and any single to
the organization.
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- Legitimisation of a position of power
and Social Recognition,
- Trust
- a premium-price, better: a “Value-
Quote”, for goods and services
offered,
- a stronger willingness among
shareholders to hold on the shares
in times of crisis,
- a stronger readiness to invest in
- project support (stakeholder)
- company’s stock (Financial system)
Reputation Capital is a strategic corporate asset, to be carefully managed,
especially in a market’ VUCA environment, accumulated and traded in for: