The relationship between Communications and HR is complicated. Sometimes it’s blissful, at other times, combative. Perhaps most common is the passive-aggressive “frenemy” relationship where each function feeds off of the other’s struggles and misfortunes. “Well, if you had just asked us, you wouldn’t be in that position now would you?” the one head chides the other. Even though Comms and HR often sit near one another and care about a lot of the same outcomes, they certainly don’t always get along. That’s a problem—especially in today’s agile enterprises. In CEC’s latest meeting with Gurus of Communications, we learned that—when it comes to leading the agile enterprise—our gurus fell into two camps. The first camp, we’ll call them, “Camp Comms,” believes that Communications has the potential to lead the organizations’ efforts to be more agile. Camp Comms pointed to three reasons for Communications’ leadership.
- Communications is already seen by executives as the owner of change. For example, the mission of one function starts with, “As agents of change, we shape the beliefs…”
- HR is ill-equipped to own this emerging responsibility. While HR has proven itself adept at handling succession and benefits challenges, the function hasn’t dealt with large-scale change from a multi-stakeholder perspective. Managing stakeholders is Communications’ bread and butter.
- “Building an agile organization” is no small task, and it lays out a huge chunk of real estate that no one currently owns, so why shouldn’t Communications be the one to take up this mantle? Communication is the lifeblood of agile enterprises. The function has an unprecendented opportunity to redefine itself and leave a lasting impact on the organization.
These are fighting words, Heads of HR. What’s your rebuttal? The second camp, “Camp Collaboration,” warns communicators to “stop drinking your own Kool-Aid”!! It’s downright preposterous to think that the function alone can lead a major transformation. This camp warns that Comms’ hubris will be its downfall.
- Because building an agile enterprise is such a large endeavor, Comms must realize that tight partnership with other functions is critical. For Comms’ to have any serious impact, it needs to partner with other functional allies—and HR is the most likely—to rally leaders around a vision of agility and present potential solutions to the CEO as a united front. After all no CEO wants to hear about another “communications program.”
- Partnering with other functional heads alone won’t lead to major change. The practices of agility must be embedded in the business.
- Finally—and this is the biggie—Camp Collaboration reminds that just thinking in terms of functional roles and responsibilities actually reinforces silos—one of the fundamental barriers to organizational agility. Therefore, Comms and all functions need to shift their mindsets from being function- or company-centric to employee-centric.
All right, let the battle begin. Which camp do you side with? Are you friends, foes, or frenemies with the other function? How could your working relationship be better? CEC Related Blog Posts:
- Don’t Hate. Collaborate!
- Peeking Down the Hallway – What’s HR Doing?
- Why Your Change Communication Isn’t Working
CEC Related Resources: Building Communications’ Effectiveness in Times of Ongoing Change
on 6 March 2011
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Perhaps some of the communicators in ‘camp comms’ are those pioneers who fought hard for a seat at the table in tough environments. Organisations get better outcomes when they consist of communities rather than camps.
As organisations strive to find the edge in terms of innovation, agility and performance, collaboration will become a core differentiator. It delivers more sustainable outcomes, builds capability and is fundamentally engaging.
Mature, strategic communication functions are in a unique position to model collaborative capability without resorting to resource-depleting internal competition.
Drawing on skills in consulting, engaging, involving, coaching, facilitating, negotiating, listening, amplifying and sharing, mature communicators have the opportunity to foster and build collaborative organisations.
However, be prepared:
1. Collaboration takes longer – the first time. But as it is practiced, the skills, behaviours and culture that form the bones, muscles and fuel of collaboration start to adapt and become match-fit. Join camp collaboration early – before your organisation is in a capability crisis. Start ‘flexing and stretching’.
2. Collaboration must be more than a mindset. There is an inherent paradox involved in effective collaboration. Organisational collaboration must begin with intent, but it only ‘exists’ through activity and outputs. Something is created by shared intent AND skill AND effort – collaboratively.
3. Know your organisational limits. Everything we know about communication and leadership starting at the top is even more important for collaboration. Senior/exec/C-Suite open and authentic collaboration is the price of admission. If they can’t co-create, the chances of successfully building a collaborative capability approach zero.
Collaboration is a skill that organisations can practice and must learn in order survive for the long term.
on 9 March 2011
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Appreciate the comprehensive and thoughtful response. You illuminated how the skills of the best strategic communicators are absolutely necessary to foster organization-wide collaboration. Reminds me of my reaction to an HBR blog post, Who Should Be Your Chief Communication Officer? in which the author made the case for current C-suite executive to take on this important role. The Communications executive was left off the list!
http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2010/10/who_should_be_your_chief_colla.html
on 15 March 2011
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[...] handle on using communication channels for promotions, so shouldn’t Comms own it?. In yet another battle of Communications vs. HR, an executive in our Employee Communications Forum recently sparked this [...]
on 1 April 2011
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[...] Communications & HR—Friends, Foes, or Frenemies? [...]