How to use management indicators in organizational communication

A key trend in organizational communication is the establishment of the management indicator system, which refers to a methodology based on the Balanced Scorecard applied to organizational communication.

The methodology of the organizational communication management indicator system is relatively simple, it is required to start from a diagnosis that identifies the "indexes of communicative behavior" or ICCOM in each and every part of the organization.

From there, general or corporate indices are established and improvement gaps are established.

Not all communication diagnostic methodologies conform to the system of organizational communication management indicators, therefore one of the recommended methodologies in this field is the PEPCOM survey, which allows the construction of the indices from the moment of application of the survey.

In this sense, communication takes a broader course, given that it not only relates media solutions but also involves communication processes in the organization and its relational references.

Under this type of solutions, we will then find more comprehensive procedures if we take into account that conventional methodology or classic organizational communication, intended in their time to solve all communication problems only from the media point of view.

Today the system of communication management indicators allows organizations to know where their communication problems are and what they are, it can also know if the solutions to be implemented should be applied throughout the organization or if they are only required in a part of it.

This is an important fact if one takes into account that the investigations carried out during 2007 by the Image People firm, showed that companies in Latin America complain that 80% of their management problems originate from their internal communication, a figure comparable to results of a similar survey with public entities that also yielded an 80% relationship on communication problems and not to mention a survey applied to the cooperative sector where employers indicated 100% the incidence of communication problems on their management problems.

This methodology allows establishing a communications plan with clearly measurable elements and objectives. It is, so to speak, to stop concentrating on the media to focus on the objectives, an organization does not develop communication strategies because it does require solving specific communication problems and that is what the system of management indicators of the organizational communication.

Every day a greater process of control over organizational communication activities is required, so that both the executor and the company's management can have a benchmark of the effectiveness of communication strategies and programs in the company.

Therefore, it is natural and, more than natural, necessary, that each communication activity has or has pre-established the indicators that will allow it to be measured.

A matter of effectiveness

Although, the process of control of a strategy that is carried out as a follow-up during the execution process, establishing what will be measured is carried out from the planning stage of the strategy.

Hence, one of the first tasks of the director of communications, if he wants to establish management indicators, is to express in figures the objectives (goals) he pursues with his communications plan and with the different strategies he will choose to carry it out.

To establish the management indicators in communication, it is necessary to clarify that this is a matter of effectiveness, that is, we must know if the communication action will be effective and for this we must take into account two elements. On the one hand, it is necessary to know if the communication action is efficient, that is, if the resources that are being carried out for management are appropriate or if they are being used optimally and reasonably, on the other, if the communication actions are effective That is, if they are fulfilling the objectives for which they were raised.

Basically in communications attributes, processes, channels and goals are measured.

Organizational communication management indicator table

Once the communications strategy has been carried out, you must establish within the planning what you expect to measure and how you will measure it, that is where it is essential to establish your indicator table.

This table is made up of two rows, one vertical and the other horizontal, where the indicators are defined according to their level in the strategy (strategic, tactical and operational) and the other is the measurement of their impact within the organization, that is, the Result (effectiveness) resource (efficiency) and compliance indicators (compliance with the tasks proposed or offered in the strategy).

This way your painting will look something like this: