PageViews Monthly - Issue 6

PageViews Monthly is a public-facing newsletter for member teams and other communicators. To subscribe, click here.

Aug 28, 2024

Earlier this month, Page President Roger Bolton and Eliot Mizrachi, vice president of strategy and content, dove into the challenges and opportunities presented by the expanding role of the communicators outlined in our latest report, Beyond Communication. From CCOs having bigger seats at the executive table, to more integrated relationships between communications and other functions, the role is on the rise.

In a separate conversation, I sat down with the PageConnect Manufacturing group to get their perspective on the current state of affairs. Notably, there was significant overlap between these two conversations.

Doing a quick poll of 10 manufacturing members, I asked about their optimism for the current operating environment (one being most pessimistic, 10 being most optimistic); the group averaged at 6.8, indicating an uneasy optimism. Following up on their responses, one member described how even though the outlook was generally positive, there were a couple of persistent issues that were harder to solve. Specifically, they said:

"Right now, the operating environment is a bit like an engine with five pistons, and three are running well. But no matter how much you tinker, you can't get them all properly timed."

We then dove deeper into some of the risks that are dampening their outlook.

Internal Communications and Engagement

• A few of the manufacturing members mentioned how tough it can be to communicate to employees while implementing cost-cutting strategies. As one member pointed out, highlighting efficiency and agility when a company is growing and profitable can make employees feel burnt out or undervalued. 
• Employees who do not understand company strategy, or their role in it, have a much harder time delivering meaningful value to the organization.
• As discussed in the Beyond Communication call, effectively communicating company strategy to middle managers is crucial for driving engagement and alignment across the entire organization.

Geopolitics and Elections

The manufacturing group discussed the impact of geopolitics on employees, and domino effects on the economy and supply chains. Some were concerned about setting the expectation that their organizations will remain neutral during elections while others reported being concerned about taxes, tariffs and potential trade wars.

The Good News

• When asked about their optimism, one attendee responded that there is much more stability in global supply chains now than pre-Covid, helping mitigate geopolitical risks. 
• Another noted how the expanding role of communications is allowing them to make increasingly strategic decisions with their resources, especially as generative AI technologies mature. 
• For example, one of the attendees is currently collaborating with human resources to draft the organization’s employee value proposition, which will help engage, activate and retain employees.

Speaking of Expanding Role

• Below is a direct quote from Beyond Communications, which highlights how stakeholder competency is driving the growth of the remit.

“Most compelling is the growing number (of CCOs) who are now accountable for neighboring functions with a stakeholder focus – areas like HR/people (a relatively small portion at 8.2% but still double what it was in 2020); corporate culture (55% increase), social impact/CSR (48% increase); public affairs/government relations (42% increase); marketing (29% increase); and ESG/sustainability (13% increase).”