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Is measurement measuring up?

A 2008 survey tells us about the state of internal communication measurement across the globe, and reveals that many communicators think senior managers have little belief in the value of communication measurement.

by Susan Walker, director, Alignment Evaluation Solutions (AES)

The question posed to communication professionals in a survey carried out in June 2008 was "Is current measurement 'measuring up'?” The response? “Not really”.

However, when asked how important internal communication is to an organization’s success, 88% gave a high score (between 8 and 10 on a 10-point scale.) This compares to a slightly lower score of 75% for external communication – revealing that communicators recognize the value to a company of good internal communication.

How the survey was carried out
This online survey was carried out among professional communicators by Susan Walker of AES. Participants were asked a range of questions about measurement and asked to provide a marking of 0-10. In all, 114 participated. Of the respondents, 49 work in internal comms, 16 in external comms, 39 for both and 10 within other functions. 48 came from North America, 52 from Europe and 14 from other countries such as South Africa and Australia. A selection of their responses to the question: "What are the main barriers preventing measurement being more effective for internal communication?" appears within this article.

Value is tough to measure
But it's a different story when we look at the extent to which organizations are measuring value.

Here, just 3% say they're doing this activity well, while 20% give a low score (0-2 on a 10-point scale.)

External communication fares better but only 20% give their organization top marks and 4% opt for the bottom end of the scale. The rest take the middle ground.

Communication and business performance
There's a growing expectation that communication activities should be closer linked to business performance. But when we asked if this is happening, most communicators considered it's not.

Only 1% gave a top rating for internal communication being linked to business performance at their organization, while 29% felt this is not happening. The picture is only somewhat better for external communication, where 13% gave top marks and 4% low, with most saying communication is linked with business performance at least some of the time.

Is the situation any better for linking communication with specific business measures (e.g., customer research) and financial measures (e.g., profitability)? Now even more – 42% – think this link is not happening with internal communication, although this number falls to 13% for external communication.

Reasons measurement needs work
So if measurement isn't measuring up, why is this? When asked, communicators gave a range of reasons but the main factors identified were:

1. a lack of expertise/knowledge of how best to measure; and
2. lack of time and resources (including budget) to measure.

Lack of support or understanding by senior management was also suggested as a reason for why communication isn't measuring up.

When asked if they think senior management believe measuring the effectiveness of communication activities will add value to their business, only 2% gave top marks for this group's belief in internal communication.

But the figure rose to 26% for external communication, suggesting that senior management have little belief in the value of measurement for communication overall, either internal or external. See the sidebox for tips for how communicators can address this issue.

• How communicators can address the problem of senior management having little belief in the value of measurement for communication:
  • Communicate the established links between communication and business performance – hence the importance of measuring that communication.
  • Involve senior management in the communication campaign from the start so the results provide the information they need that aligns with the business goals.
  • Identify the action points which need to be undertaken at senior management level.
  • Emphasize that the areas where investment is less effective will be identified – so the measurement is not just about gaining a bigger budget and could actually result in savings. But clearly show which action points will have the most impact – especially on the budget.
  

What barriers prevent more effective internal communication measurement?

• Management doesn't want to devote the time or financial resources to the project. They probably don't want to face the answers and they sure don't want to follow up fixing them.
• Most practitioners tend to view measurement as a "nice-to-do" extra rather than a necessity, and they've been able to get away without doing it for decades.
• It's just not top of mind in planning budgets, project timeframes, and so on, and often the results aren't seen as statistically valid or concrete enough to draw meaningful conclusions that would incite change or improvements.
• Unlike external communication, which can be said to generate sales, or media coverage, internal communication primarily generates employee engagement, morale and motivation, which are harder things to measure (and harder to directly attribute to communications prowess or lack thereof.)
• Lack of understanding of how internal communication supports the success of other business activities – there needs to be a mixture of success factors like clear strategy and robust policies and practices, as well as having strong internal communication skills as a core leadership competency.

Susan Walker is a specialist in communication measurement and evaluation. Following a career in communication, she joined MORI, a UK research firm where, as research director she headed the communication and employee research practice. Now she runs her own business focusing on aligning measurement with organizational goals and strategy to identify communication's value to the business.

Susan regularly presents at Melcrum events and also at IABC New York 2008 discussing “Is Measurement Measuring Up?"

Have your say
Would you agree with the survey findings, that "Most practitioners tend to view measurement as a "nice-to-do" extra rather than a necessity? Do you find measurement a drag, or a core aspect of your role? How else can you, or do you, prove your function's value to management?

Recommended resources:
Q&A: What's the best practice for measuring internal communications?

Employee research: What are your people really telling you?

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