Strategic Leadership in Corporate C ommunication: Aligning I mage and Identity

1. Communication and Leadership Lac Leman Communications Forum, September 1, 2011 Strategic Leadership in Corporate Communication: Aligning Image and Identity Rosa Chun Prof. of Corporate reputation, ethics and marketing

2. CCO - Chief Communication Officer • Increasing tenure • 2007 (54 months) to 2010 (69 months). • Twice longer than CMO • Reporting to CEO directly • 62% at Fortune’s Most Admired companies • 39% at less esteemed Contender companies. • Increasingly dealing with complex communication challenges and reputation threat • “Corporations need to have a voice and presence in order to maintain good reputation” • The most important communication function is…………… • Source: The rising CCO survey 2009/ 2010, Spencer Stuart/Weber Shandwick

3. Source: The rising CCO survey 2010, Spencer Stuart/Weber Shandwick

4. Elements of Corporate Reputation Identity (What the company is) Desired Image (What the company says it is) Image (What the customers think it is)

5. Reputation Gap Identity (What the company really is) Gaps Desired Image (What the company says it is) Image (What the customers think it is)

6. Personification Metaphors as a Measurement Approach

7. Qualitative Techniques • If Apple / Samsung came to life as a person, • What newspaper would it read? • What car would it drive? • If Lausanne came to life as a person, what kind of personality would it have?

8. The 7 Dimensions of Corporate Character Agreeableness Enterprise Competence Corporate Character Chic Ruthlessness Machismo Informality

9. AGREEABLENESS Warmth Empathy Integrity Cheerful Concerned Honest Pleasant Reassuring Sincere Open Supportive Socially Responsible Straightforward Agreeable Trustworthy

10. Corporate Character The 7 Dimensions of Corporate Character (Davies et al 2003)

11. Image and Identity are Linked

12. A Good Reputation is when: Staff have a Better View of the Organisation than the Customer

13. Department Store No. 1 Machismo 4 3.5 Enterprise Informality 3 2.5 2 Agreeableness Ruthlessness Competence Chic staff customers

14. Department Store No. 2 Machismo 4 3.5 Enterprise Informality 3 2.5 2 Agreeableness Ruthlessness Competence Chic staff customers

15. The Way Forward - Strategic leadership in communication • Focusing on projects designed to increase external reputation (image) as Marketing do, can be short-sighted.. • In reality, • Corporate communication function heavily overlaps with Marketing – 50% believed (Lurati 2010) • Telecom/Media: 37.5% believed cor. com is part of Marketing function, 10% identical to Marketing

16. The Way Forward - Strategic leadership in communication • Marketing and HR departments need to work together. • In reality, none of our survey organizations had adopted a communication function that embraces a number of different line functions • Training and employee engagement are helpful.

17. Conclusion - Strategic leadership in communication • From the ‘spin doctor’ to ‘soul doctor’ role • From tactics to strategies • From ‘outside-in’ to ‘inside-out’ approach in closing the reputation gaps