Good practice Public Service Communications Unit Communications Function Review 2009

Transcription

1 Final text: 06/04/10 Good practice Public Service Unit Function Review 2009 Purpose The purpose of this paper is to outline recommendations on good practice communications unit models and guidelines for the makeup of these units for agencies of varying size and type. It is designed to help public service chief executives make informed decisions about the structure and resourcing of the communications function in their organisation. The paper implements a recommendation of the Function Review 2009 (A report to the State Services Commissioner). Background New Zealand government agencies operate in an increasingly complex communications environment. Agencies deliver public communications programmes at a time when: public and Ministers expectations of government service delivery are growing; the government communications function is not clearly defined or understood, either within agencies or by the broader public; government communications are delivered in different ways by different agencies, leading to inconsistency in quality, style and approach; and demonstrating value for money is increasingly important. The following quote refers to the communications function in the British civil service, but is equally applicable to New Zealand: [It has been established that there is a] narrow view of communications which is often limited to media handling, rather than an ability to communicate effectively with many different audiences, which is integral to modern government. 1 In August 2008, an established group of communications managers from across the New Zealand public service approved a terms of reference for the Function Review 2009 (A report to the State Services Commissioner). A working group, comprising a different set of managers was set up and the review sponsor, State Services Commissioner Iain Rennie, agreed the terms of reference and directed the group, under the oversight of a steering group, to produce a report on its findings. The terms of reference set out the purpose of the review, including a requirement to provide a view of the current state of New Zealand public service communications and provide some guidance as to where improvements could be made. It achieved this by: 1 office.gov.uk/gcreview/news/index.html p.9 1

2 defining government agency communications providing a brief history of the function describing the current state of communications across New Zealand government agencies developing principles for the delivery of government agency communications, and providing an approach to improving government communications delivery in the short, medium and long term. The working group developed a project plan, which set out a programme designed to support these objectives. Specific deliverables were assigned to and spread across multiple agencies. The work for this paper was primarily undertaken by Department of Corrections staff, with input from other agencies (including Ministry of Justice) and supported by an external consultant with experience in review and design of communications functions. Recommendation from Function Review 2009 Chief Executives surveyed as part of the Function Review 2009 commented that a one size fits all communications structure was not appropriate for application across the public service agencies, given the speciality nature of many agencies. However, there is a paucity of reference information available to Chief Executives and other senior managers on what constitutes a modern, efficient and effective communications unit. The review report concluded there was merit in developing reference material describing typical model units with accompanying documentation describing indicative baseline resources to run such a unit. Recommendation 9 stated: Research is undertaken into the best practice communications units from which guideline information is produced on the makeup of model units for agencies of varying size and type. Guideline material to be included as a component of the Chief Executive Induction packs. The review report further suggested that typical model communications units be described using a matrix approach, as indicated: Small policy Medium policy Large policy Small operational Medium operational Large operational Internal comms Media Social marketing Web content Ministerial comms support OIAs, PQs etc Etc Approach to meeting the recommendation A team comprising communications staff from Justice and Corrections was assembled to address the recommendation. The team also used external resources, notably the 2

3 Department at Massey University and, towards the end of the process, an external consultant with experience in communications function review and design. The initial step was to contract the Department of Massey University to undertake a literature review to capture any international research or papers covering best practice in the design and resourcing of corporate communications units. This review revealed a range of publications discussing the practice of public relations / communications, but no useful reference material on the how the function should best be structured within an organisation, or what level and types of resources were relevant to different types of organisation. In the absence of strong evidence-based research on what is best practice for structuring and resourcing communications units, the team decided that it should instead provide advice on current good practice in the New Zealand public service. The advice that follows is therefore based on current practice within a range of government agencies (especially those where the function has recently undergone formal review) and on the views of experienced communications managers. While the team was able to broadly describe the characteristics of these different types of organisation and to suggest a possible division of resources between general types of communications activity based on the different characteristics, attempts to provide a matrix that could cover the diverse range of sizes and functions found within public service departments failed because of the specialty nature of many agencies noted by chief executives interviewed. The team concluded that there were simply too many variables to provide an accurate and useful matrix that would allow a chief executive to consult a table and say for a department of this size and function these are the communications resources I will need. The question then was, if the reality was too complex to describe in a matrix, were there other resources that could be provided that would be of practical use to a chief executive (and especially to a new chief executive) when thinking about the kind of communications resource they would need in their department. The team decided that the following could usefully be provided: Information on the strengths and weaknesses of different models for organising communications functions within an organisation. Examples of communications structures within three actual organisations, broadly corresponding to the three types outlined below. The communications functions in organisations chosen are considered to be good examples of the type and size of resource that may be required. These resources are attached as appendices. Types of public service organisations For the purposes of this paper, public service organisations have been grouped into three broad categories used by Treasury: Operational Department with significant non-departmental activity Operational Department Policy Ministry. Examples of communications structures and roles for these categories are attached in Appendix 2. 3

4 The specific characteristics or variables affecting an organisation s communications functions needs for each of the categories above, can be determined by undertaking an analysis of key characteristics including: scope and type of services provided, annual budget, size of organisation (employees), structure and skill set of employees. The number of employees and the magnitude of functions attributable to a public service communications unit within an organisation will depend on a Chief Executive s assessment and approach to the requirements of their specific organisation s needs. This paper aims to provide general guidance on good practice communications unit models, as it is ultimately the decision of the Chief Executive as to the needs and requirements of individual organisations. To be effective, communications functions must have good access to senior management and participate in senior management forums. The best way to achieve this is for the head of communications to report directly to the Chief Executive. Where this is not the case, access has to be achieved in other ways, such as ex officio attendance at senior management meetings and fast, direct access to the CE and other senior managers when needed. Focus of communications services in different organisation types The focus for communications services within the three broad categories of public service organisations outlined above are discussed further below. The divisions of external communications, internal communications and public information are one way of arranging communications within an organisation. The team described a probable split of communications resource, based on the characteristics of different types of organisation. Operational Department with significant non-departmental activity The primary focus for communications unit functions and services within operational departments with significant non-departmental activity are on external communications and public information because of the high public accountability and transparency required of such an organisation. External Internal Public Information Operational Department The primary focus for communications unit functions and services within operational departments are on external communications and internal communications because of the high public accountability and transparency required of such an organisation and the number of operational employees requiring information. Public information is also a high focus area, although not as critical, as demonstrated in the diagram. 4

5 External Internal Public Information Policy Ministry The primary focus for communications unit functions and services within policy ministries is on public information because of the need to provide the public with informative and guiding information. Because of the limited number of operational employees and limited public scrutiny; there is less focus on External and Internal communications as demonstrated in the diagram below. External Internal Public Information Guidelines for organising communications functions There are a limited number of ways in which a communications function can be organised internally, or how the function can be structured in relation to the rest of the organisation. Each model has strengths and weaknesses, and each organisation must decide what tradeoffs best meet its particular needs. To assist with this process, Appendix 1 outlines the strengths and weaknesses of different models and provides some guidance on maximising the effectiveness of the basic model chosen. In Appendix 2, examples of good practice models are provided to show how three different types and sizes of organisation similar to those discussed above have structured their communications function. 5

6 APPENDIX 1 Guidelines for organising your communications function 1. Introduction This paper provides guidance on what your communications function should deliver and on different ways of organising the communications function within your organisation: it outlines the range of services provided by communications it discusses the strengths and weaknesses of different models for how the communications function relates to other business units it looks at how the communications function can be organised internally. 2. What communications delivers The public service communications function enables the effective flow of information and ideas between an agency and its internal and external publics, to facilitate participation, service delivery, and informed decision-making, and to build accountability and trust in government. This is achieved by developing, delivering and evaluating public agency communications based on good practice communications techniques, supported by the principles of integrity and neutrality of the public service. You should expect your communications function to deliver most of the following services. If you manage a large public sector organisation that delivers services directly to the public or seeks to influence public attitudes or behaviours to achieve outcomes, your communications function should have the capacity to deliver all these services, or to ensure that they are delivered by managing relationships with other internal and external providers. services: advice and planning Strategic and tactical communications advice to senior management Formal communications planning for the organisation, business units / workstreams and for projects Crisis and issues management Brand management Management of visual identity / organisation s look and feel Management and / or advice on other aspects of brand (e.g. recruitment brand / advertising) depending on the nature of the organisation. Management of relationship with design and advertising agencies (if used) Reputation management 6

7 Media services Strategic and tactical advice to management on managing media issues Media liaison (reactive and proactive) Drafting of media releases and placement of stories. Monitoring of media coverage and analysis of media trends Media training and coaching / image coaching Publications, web and audio-visual Writing for business unit publications, corporate publications (including accountability documents), for web and for intranet Editing and proofing Design and production of publications, web or management of these services by external agencies Advice on new media and management of risks and opportunities around use of new media Audio-visual production (including photography and video production) or the management of these services by external agencies Events and presentations Speech writing Speech / presentation coaching Event management Design and production of presentations and supporting material Internal communications Management of, or support for, programmes to foster employee engagement and communicate corporate and business unit objectives Change management communications OIAs and PQs Drafting of OIAs and PQs and management of the OIA and PQ process, or close liaison with this function if located elsewhere in the organisation. Relationship and stakeholder management Support senior management to manage relationships with key stakeholders Management of resources supporting this e.g. contact database Social marketing Advertising Research related to customer satisfaction and reputation 7

8 3. Models for how the communications function relates to the rest of the organisation Any organisation has communications needs that are general to the whole organisation (corporate communications) and communications that are specific to particular operational business units, support business units (e.g. HR) or projects. Inevitably there is some tension between these needs: Business units need communications people who are able to develop a deep understanding of that part of the business, and to have continuity within communications programmes so that messages are consistent and well targeted. Projects often need communications people who have change management skills and understand the cultures and needs of different parts of business towards which communications are directed. The organisation as a whole has a need to ensure that communications from different parts of the business (sometimes including public-facing parts that may have a higher profile than the organisation as a whole) are consistent with the organisation s over-all positioning, and that business unit communications are coordinated with corporate communications to ensure there are no conflicts in timing or message. Organisations that communicate effectively successfully resolve these inherent conflicts and are able to meet the needs of both the organisation as a whole and those of business units and projects. The following section examines the different ways in which communications functions can be organised and the strengths and weaknesses of each. Model 1: Fully distributed CE GM Business unit GM Business unit GM Business unit GM manager / advisor manager / advisor manager / advisor team All business unit communications All business unit communications All business unit communications Corporate communications only Each part of the organisation recruits and manages its own communications resource. Co-ordination is achieved through general line management, not through functional line management (e.g. communications staff in each business unit have line management to the chief executive through the business General Manager, not through the General Manager ). The corporate communications function delivers corporate communications, and possibly has a dotted-line training and co-ordination function for communications 8

9 staff in the business units. It does not deliver communications services to other parts of the organisation. In this model business units are more able to work independently and central direction tends to be relatively weak. To deliver corporate needs, strong focused leadership is needed from the corporate communications backed by strong CE support / direction. Advantages & opportunities staff focused completely on communications for the individual service line. Dedicated staff develop detailed understanding of the culture, issues and communications needs of the Service. Disadvantages & risks Skills and resources available to the unit restricted to those possessed by directly employed staff. Harder to co-ordinate communications across the organisation because units are independent. Skills of communications staff may not be available to the rest of the organisation. Limited career development path for communications staff. Higher level skills e.g. strategic communications advice harder (or more expensive) to obtain internally because each communication unit will be small. Units more likely to be managed by a manager who is not a communications specialist. Model 2: Centrally managed / distributed workforce GM business unit CE Business unit coms staff GM business unit 2 Business unit coms staff GM business unit 3 Business unit coms staff GM Unit: corporate communications & support services e.g. design & publications staff are employed and managed centrally. Staff that deliver communications services for particular business units or major projects are located in those units and have strong dotted line responsibilities to their general manager / service manager. This may go as far as staff being seconded back into the service line, which provides their pay and rations, though professional management and development remains with the General Manager. Services to be provided are set out in agreed plans. 9

10 In this model there is a high degree of central direction, but business units have dedicated staff over whom they have significant influence. The model can deliver on everyone s needs, provided there is a clear plan setting out what is to be delivered and that business units have ways of holding the communications section accountable. Advantages & opportunities Staff seconded to Service are able to develop detailed knowledge of Service culture and communications needs Disadvantages & risks Will not work without clear, agreed plans that set out what will be delivered to each part of the organisation. The business unit has access to the full resources of the communications unit, meaning that additional skills can be brought in where required and additional resources applied to meet peak workload. The skills and experience of the communications staff working primarily for the unit are available to the rest of the organisation. (The service agreement can specify how and when full-time staff may be used to help other parts of the business and how cover is provided) Staff are managed by a person who understands their skills and is able to judge their performance. Staff have greater development and career options. Easier to integrate corporate and Service communications because all staff part of same team. Service levels need to be reviewed regularly (at least annually) to ensure they meet chiefs / business unit managers needs. Distributed workforce may be more difficult to manage / may involve more staff travel for workshops, planning etc. Model 3: Fully centralised CE GM Coms GM Business unit GM Business unit Etc Corporate communications Business unit coms staff Business unit coms staff Business unit coms staff staff members are employed and managed centrally, and mostly work from a single central location. Individual services lines have few, or no, dedicated staff and are instead serviced from a central pool of communications people who work across the organisation. 10

11 services to be provided are clearly set out in agreed plans, which may be supported by service agreements. This model often uses an account management approach to deliver services to business units. In this model there is a high degree of central direction. Business units need very clear communications plans and / or service agreements that set out what will be delivered, and someone to manage the relationship and ensure the services agreed are delivered. Advantages & opportunities Easy to manage and synergies between communications staff easy to realise because they work closely together. The business unit has access to the full resources of the communications unit, meaning that additional skills can be brought in where required and additional resources applied to meet peak workload. The skills and experience of the communications staff are available to the whole organisation, and can be applied where they are needed. Staff are managed by a person who understands their skills and is able to judge their performance. Staff have greater development and career options. Easier to integrate corporate and Service communications because all staff part of same team. Model 4: Outsourced Disadvantages & risks Will not work without clear, agreed plans that set out what will be delivered to each part of the organisation. Service levels need to be reviewed regularly (at least annually) to ensure they meet chiefs / business unit managers needs. More difficult for communications staff to get inside the Services because they work offsite. CE Manager & small unit (1-3 people) PR agency provides most communications under contract. Business units serviced by external account managers. Little or no internal communications resource is employed internally and instead services are bought in from an external agency or agencies. Consultants who do the work mostly work off-site. The relationships are most commonly managed centrally by a senior in-house communications manager who negotiates the contracts with the agencies. 11

12 Sometimes this model is used by part of the business (a business unit or project) and not others. Typically this happens in competitive models, when provision of support services is fully contestable, though it also sometimes occurs when the centre is unable or unwilling to provide the services required (see mixed below). In this model (assuming the contracts are centrally managed) there is a high degree of central direction and high dependence on the quality of the manager negotiating the contracts and managing the relationship. Contracts need to set out what will be delivered. Advantages & opportunities Management risks are externalised. Can change whole team if needed. Use only resource required. Disadvantages & risks Dependent on external service little or no internal resource if there is external service failure. Transition risk when changing suppliers. Harder for external communications staff to develop good understanding of culture unless they are physically located onsite. Danger of resource capture by centre Tends to be more expensive for similar volume and quality of work because hourly rates much higher than for in-house resource. Model 5: mixed Usually not a conscious model, but the result of parts of the business using their own resources to fill needs that have not been met from the centralised communications function. Some services are provided from the centre and others are provided by communications staff working directly for the business unit as employees or on contract. Typically there is inconsistency in what is provided to and within different parts of the business and there is lack of clarity about roles. Is unlikely to deliver good value. 4. Models for the internal organisation of communications sections There are three common approaches to the internal organisation of communications functions. By audience Organising communications functions by audience is most common in marketing, where audiences (or markets) are segmented according to product, demographics or psychographics. It works well in marketing because in a commercial model you can choose your audiences, deciding which to target and which to ignore. This is more difficult for a public sector organisation which must serve the entire community and which therefore can not choose to ignore any audience. The main strength of this model is that it brings a strong focus on end customers (audiences). Its main weakness is that corporate communications programmes tend to cover multiple audiences and if the communications function is organised exclusively by audience it does not always lend itself to integrated programme communications. 12

13 By programme or client (account management) This is sometimes referred to as an account management model and it is common in consultancy (including public relations consultancy) where teams of consultants will service a single large client or a group of smaller clients ( accounts ). It is less commonly used within large organisations where communications staff are allocated to internal clients and asked to manage all the communications for that client or work area. Its strengths are that it focuses strongly on achieving integrated communications for a particular programme or work-stream and that communications staff build expert knowledge and relationships. Its weakness is that teams are small and are unlikely to have the full range of communications skills required, nor the capacity to meet peaks in workload. For this reason companies and consultancies that operate this basic model usually also have functional specialists - in areas like publications, or web, or media - that work with the account team from time to time. By channel or function In this model, communications is organised by communications channel e.g. media, publications, web, intranet etc. The strength is that people with similar skills are grouped together, creating synergies and allowing specialisation within areas (e.g. specialist writers for speeches, web, in-house publications etc.). The weakness is that most communications use multiple channels and need integration across those channels. It can lead to the means being mistaken for the end ( you have a communications need, therefore you need a newsletter because I do newsletters ). What happens in practice? Because each of the above models has significant weaknesses that need to be overcome if an organisation is to communicate effectively, in practice communications functions that employ more than two or three people are almost always matrix models, typically having some staff who are primarily functional specialists (e.g. media experts, speech writers, web publishers) and some who are organised either by audience or by work stream. Successfully managing a matrix model can be challenging, because of the potential for overlapping responsibilities. Successful matrix models typically have: strong line and strategic management clear plans to work to a strong team focus and commitment a high level of communication within the team flexibility team members take on different roles depending on the needs of a particular project, and clarity about roles within each project i.e. team members may have different roles within different projects, but roles within each project are clearly set-out and understood client focus a strong desire to meet the needs of the project, business unit or organisation overall, depending on the work being undertaken As with all good design, form should follow function. The starting point for any discussion should be what do we need to achieve? - in this case - what communications outcomes do we need to achieve for the organisation as a whole, and for the individual parts of the business. Different models should be judged against how well they meet those needs, and if there are trade-offs between competing needs, these should be explicitly acknowledged. 13

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15 APPENDIX 2: Examples of communications structures 1. Small policy ministry Chief Executive Corporate Manager Coms Manager/ Snr Coms Assistant Outsourced services: Publications design Web design Some event management, writing, other services (for busy periods). 15

16 2. Medium / large operational department Chief Executive Manager Executive Assistant Manager Ministerial Services Manager Media & External Manager Internal Manager Manager Publications & Web Manager Business Unit Senior Media Snr Comms Snr Coms Media Note: Uses account management approach Web Outsourced services: Publications design Web design 16

17 3. Large operational department with significant non-departmental activity See separate document 17

18 Large operational department with significant non-departmental activity Chief Executive Director Personal Assistant Manager Brand & Media Manager Strategic Manager Editorial & Publishing Chief Media Senior TV, advertising & brand Senior Writer (publications) Chief E-publishing Senior Media Comms Manager Business unit 1 Senior Writer (speeches) Web integrator Media (monitoring) Comms Manager Business unit 2 Production Coordinator (pubs) E-publisher Media (Maori & ethnic) Marketing Mgr Recruitment E-publishing assistant Media advisor (Regional liaison) Comms Manager Business unit 4

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20 Determining what is, and is not, a core communications role Many public service organisations have difficulty determining what is a core communications role. As a result it is common to find roles that are currently designated communications or public relations roles which are substantially focused on areas that are not core public relations functions. These include roles that provide client information, promotion of core services to business or other stakeholders, or community engagement. This mis-designation contributes to the confusion about roles and responsibilities. Core public relations / communications roles Roles that are essentially concerned with media relations, public relations planning, brand or image management, or public relations content (writing and design of publications, web or other channels that explain the organisation s role, support its reputation or provide general information to the public) are clearly communications roles and should be designated as such. Typically these roles deal mostly with mass audiences ( the media, the general public, staff ) and with information that is not directly related to delivering services to clients. Client information services roles and community engagement roles Roles that directly support the delivery of core services to clients (client information services) or engage directly with groups of stakeholders who have a direct input into the successful delivery of those services or outcomes (community engagement). Client information services roles typically involve production and delivery of information that is directed towards an individual client to inform them about an entitlement, service or product. Community or stakeholder engagement roles typically involve face-to-face contact with individuals or small groups of people who partner with the agency to deliver services or policy outcomes or whose direct involvement is otherwise necessary to the delivery of a agency output. support roles support roles are primary concerned with development and maintenance of communications channels or production processes, rather than communications content. Examples of such roles include: all web technical and web management roles (i.e. all those not concerned primarily with the production of content for the web) database maintenance roles publications design and production roles. How these roles are designated in many organisations depends on where the roles report to, rather than the nature of the function. Thus a web support role that happens to be attached to a communications unit tends to be designated communication, but an identical or very similar role in IT or attached to a business unit will be designated as web, or IT, or business support. Ideally roles should also be treated consistently across the organisation.

21 DETERMINING HOW TO DESIGNATE A ROLE Does the role mainly involve producing or delivering information, or seeking to engage stakeholders? NO Not a communications/client information/ community engagement role. YES Does the role mainly involve producing content for, or liaising with, the media? YES NO Does the role mainly involve producing or delivering information to staff? YES role NO Does the role mainly involve any combination of: public relations planning and risk management reputation, brand or image management speech writing writing and design of publications, web or other channels that explain the Ministry s role, support its reputation providing general information to the public or mass audiences? YES NO Does the role mainly involve: design or production of publications technical development or maintenance websites maintenance of contact databases production of static images, video or audio? YES Support role NO Does the role primarily involve production or delivery of information that is directed towards individual clients to inform them about, or help them to access, an entitlement, service or product? YES Client Information Services role NO Does the role primarily involve face-to-face contact with individuals or small groups of people who partner with the agency to deliver services or policy outcomes, or whose direct involvement is otherwise necessary to the delivery of a agency output? NO Does the role primarily involve engagement with community organisations or seek to involve groups of people directly in services or the policy development process? YES YES Community or Stakeholder Engagement role NO Not a communications/client information/ community engagement role

22 The test therefore does not rely on whether the role uses some of the same tools and skills as a core public relations / communications role many positions call for some of these skills (including all management roles) but rather what the tools and skills are used to produce, and whether they are primarily directed towards mass audiences or individual clients or stakeholders. When applying the test it is also necessary to consider the prime purpose of the role. Some roles may include some public relations activities (e.g. being a point of contact for local media), but if the majority of the role s content is spent on other things, it should not be designated a public relations / communications role.