Successful acquisitions occur more often when there is sharing, not taking, between two organizations. In this webinar, Bob Johnson takes a look at managing an employer brand in a time of transition and shows how a stronger employer brand is created by sharing culture, mission and values.

1. HR’s ad agency.
Employer Branding in Transitions
Workforce Communications Practice │Webinar │June 14, 2016

2. HR’s ad agency.
Today’s Agenda
1) The three choices of employer brand
management in times of transition
2) Benchmarking and gap analysis
3) High-performing internal communications
practices
N. Robert Johnson
Practice Leader, Workforce Communications Practice
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3. HR’s ad agency.
HR’s ad agency.
We apply advertising and marketing practices to
help organizations attract and retain talent.
The focus of The David Group’s Workforce
Communications Practice is to strengthen
employer brands, engage people and cut the
cost of talent.
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4. HR’s ad agency. 4
Perfect Storm
Employer Branding in Times
of Transition

5. HR’s ad agency. 5
2015 was a record year for mergers and
acquisitions. (The value of such deals
surpassed the previous record set in 2007.)
And, yet …
Source: Roger L. Martin, “M&A: The One Thing You Need to Get Right”, Harvard Business Review, June 2016

6. HR’s ad agency. 6
of acquisitions are “abysmal failures”
according to Martin.
Source: Roger L. Martin, “M&A: The One Thing You Need to Get Right”, Harvard Business Review, June 2016
70 to 90%

7. HR’s ad agency.
What’s the Cause?
Acquiring companies tend to focus more on
obtaining value for themselves.
1) Access to a new market
2) Access to a new capability/technology
3) Access to talent
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Source: Roger L. Martin, “M&A: The One Thing You Need to Get Right”, Harvard Business Review, June 2016

8. HR’s ad agency.
What’s the Solution?
Successful acquisitions happen when the acquiring company
focuses on giving value to the acquired company.
1) Capital
2) Better management practices
3) Skill transfer opportunities
4) Resource sharing
5) Employer branding (Our add-on of employer brand promise,
attributes and internal communications effectiveness)
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Source: Roger L. Martin, “M&A: The One Thing You Need to Get Right”, Harvard Business Review, June 2016

9. HR’s ad agency. 9
A purposeful employer brand (based on
mission, culture and values) is perhaps the
greatest value that the acquiring company
can provide.

10. HR’s ad agency.
The Three Choices
When combining employer brands, there are
basically three choices:
1) Use the acquirer’s employer brand
2) Use the employer brand of the acquired
3) Create a merged, or hybrid, employer
brand
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11. HR’s ad agency.
To Do:
Establish the employer branding baseline –
the benchmark – that will deliver the most
value to the new organization.
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Benchmarking and Gap Analysis

13. HR’s ad agency.
The Goal
To have a roadmap to managing your
employer brand. (We also want to strengthen
your employer brand along the way.)
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14. HR’s ad agency.
The Tool
A gap analysis: by benchmarking and
comparing employer brand elements and
internal communications practices of each
organization, we can prioritize and focus on
areas of need.
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15. HR’s ad agency.
Where to Start
Define and document the employer brand
promise, attributes and employee value
proposition elements of the “new” organization.
Given the imperative of the transition, these
should be centered those things that unify
purpose and direction.
This is our baseline.
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16. HR’s ad agency.
Where to Start
Benchmark the current employer brand promise,
attributes and internal communications channels and
effectiveness of each organization.
1) Employer brand platforms
2) Employee engagement data
3) HR Data (on-boarding/stay/exit data)
4) Internal communications audit
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17. HR’s ad agency.
What to Look For
1) Dimensions of culture, mission and values (ties to
everyday experiences)
2) Dimensions and drivers of engagement, however you define
them (for us: line of sight + commitment)
3) For change management purposes, pay close attention to:
1) Transparency
2) Change readiness
3) Empowerment (individual voice)
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18. HR’s ad agency.
Dealing with Change
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54%of employees feel positive (confident, excited)
about workplace change while …
45%feel negative (nervous, hostile) about
workplace change.
Source: Workhuman Research Institute at Globoforce, 2016

19. HR’s ad agency.
Dealing with Change
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Source: Workhuman Research Institute at Globoforce, 2016
3x
as likely to be excited about
change.
When workers feel that their company is
open and transparent, they are more than

20. HR’s ad agency.
Dealing with Change
20
When workers feel that their voice matters,
they are …
Source: Workhuman Research Institute at Globoforce, 2016
4x
as likely to be excited about
change.

21. HR’s ad agency.
Dealing with Change
21
When workers are excited about change …
1) 38% are more likely to recommend working at
your company
2) 25% are more motivated to work harder
3) 40% are more likely to believe that your
company is a best place to work
Source: Workhuman Research Institute at Globoforce, 2016

22. HR’s ad agency. 22
Gap Analysis
Illustration
Using
Engagement
Data

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Gap Analysis
Illustration
Using
Engagement
Data

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1.7 Gap
1.7 Gap
1.9 Gap
1.9 Gap
Gap Analysis Illustration Using Engagement Data

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High-Performing Communications Practices

26. HR’s ad agency.
Why Internal Communications?
26
In this moment – managing an employer brand
through a transition – the focus is to unite
different groups of people under one shared
sense of purpose and direction.
(If accomplished, the employer brand will be
stronger.)

27. HR’s ad agency.
The power of
internal
communications
Retain great
people
Help great
people
accomplish
great things
Empower
great people
to tell your
great story
Create a
great
workplace
environment
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Internal Communications
High-performing internal
communication programs are …
1) Planned
2) Systematic
3) Purposeful
4) Aligned to business needs
(in this case, unifying under a
common purpose)

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Hierarchy of Internal
Communications
Success
Senior Most Leaders Involved in Shaping
Communications
What success looks like
Communication
Integral to
Change
Leader and Line
Managers create
Line of Sight
Managers’
Actions Support
Words
Making it work
Activity Links to
Business
Strategy
Evaluation Data
Acted Upon
Feedback
Known to Senior
Management
Line Managers
Trained and
Evaluated
The basics
Skilled
Communications
Planned
Messaging and
Timing
Old and New
Channels
Listening and
Intelligence
Gathering
Line Managers
Clear about
Role
Based on work by Towers Watson, Melcrum and D’Aprix

29. HR’s ad agency.
IC Best Practices
29
A Few Do’s and Don’ts
Do Don’t
Plan content Let content be the only thing to think about
Base the plan around underlying
business needs and have specific
outcomes defined
Have an assumption that results will speak
for themselves
Make it relevant to the audience; Connect
business need to employees’ daily
experiences as validated by research
Do it just because of business managers’
requests
Choose channels most appropriate for
each audience and measure results
Pick channels for organizational
convenience only

30. HR’s ad agency.
IC Best Practices
30
Purpose Mapping for Internal Communications
Purpose Style Channels Types
Create awareness or
inform
Factual, use frequent
and varied media
Mass, impersonal E-mail; newsletters,
group meetings
Influence opinion or
attitudes
Persuasion Targeted and
personal
Face-to-face,
alignment to
personal drivers
Secure commitment Motivational Personal, peer or
leadership
Group or team
focused, aligned to
outcomes
Create a purpose map for your internal communications to
define purpose, style, channels and types of communication.
Sample/Illustration

31. HR’s ad agency.
Summing Up
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1) Align employer brand and internal communications,
focusing on unifying the new combined workforce
under a common mission and purpose
2) Speak to the engagement drivers that resonate most
strongly with your employee audiences
3) Execute tactics like responsive templates, branded
design and identifiable WIIFM messaging
4) Be mindful of the practices of change management

32. HR’s ad agency. 32
N. Robert Johnson
Practice Leader, Workforce Communications
216.685.4486 │nrjohnson@davidgroup.com
davidgroup.com
The David Group Inc. All rights reserved.