PwC gets audited - inside out

Mention the word "audit" and you'll have most businesses running scared. Place the word "internal communications" before it and the smart ones will be lining up, eager for the opportunity to increase their overall operational efficiency through a measured approach to communications.

Like any audit, you need to make sure this one is carried out in the right manner, by the right people. That's why PwC tasked icandi COMMUNICATIONS - an agency with more than 11 years' experience in the internal communication arena including communication measurement for blue chip clients like Nedbank, Old Mutual, DBSA - to measure its current internal communications against its long-term strategy and vision.

Being an accounting firm, PwC wanted an agency that would look at its communications the way it views its clients' businesses - with a systematic approach that can be measured against a strategic intent. That's why icandi's methodology is so effective as it not only measures exactly where a company is falling short, but maps out a better, more measurable, way going forward.

After scrutinising the results of a company-wide survey (in which 25% of employees responded) that measured a range of outputs - from whether the communications mediums favour employee workflows to whether the actual messages support the culture and values of the business - a clear picture started to emerge, helping the icandi team to formulate a report and recommendations for communication going forward.

"So many companies spend millions of Rands putting the latest technology in place or upgrading their current communications systems without ever measuring how effective they are down the line. Effective communications is not about keeping up with the latest technological developments; it's about keeping up with your employees' cultural and social development. When you have measured data you can create a communications plan that is not only more in line with your employees' behaviours but also in keeping with the business's strategic objectives, which doesn't always evolve at the same pace. Measured communication is really the only way forward," says Kim Nelson, MD icandi COMMUNICATIONS.