In a changing world of work - between hybridization, the rise of AI and the quest for balance - internal communication is becoming strategic for strengthening cohesion, commitment and collective performance. Yet a growing proportion of young professionals say they are disengaged, often due to a lack of meaning in their missions. So how can we make work meaningful again? What internal communication levers can be activated to recreate links and mobilise teams? Here's an update from Aude Mioni, an expert in network communication and team management.
According to a Robert Walters survey (September 2024), 42 % of young professionals say they are disengaged. This is not just a temporary malaise, but a strong signal to the business world that their expectations have changed.
These days, attractive pay and a stable contract are not enough. What these young professionals are looking for is direction. Useful work, aligned with their values, in which they can feel involved. When this sense is lacking - mechanical missions, unclear objectives, little recognition - commitment crumbles. Less motivation, less initiative... leading to premature departure.
For companies, the stakes are clear: it's no longer just a question of’organising work, but bringing a collective mission to life in which everyone can identify. Meaning is no longer a soul supplement. It's the foundation of sustainable commitment.
Faced with this challenge, internal communication becomes an essential driver of transformation.
- Internal communication: a key driver of transformation
- Lever 1: give meaning - Clarify for better engagement
- Lever 2: Make sense - Structure for greater cohesion
- Lever 3: Make sense - Co-construct to mobilise
Internal communication: a key driver of transformation
Internal communication is the set of actions, tools and interactions implemented to share information, values and orientations within an organisation. It does more than simply convey messages: it aims to creating commitment, to strengthen team cohesion, to encourage individual responsibility, and to establish a climate of transparency conducive to confidence.
Well thought-out, it contributes to the’collective efficiency, by aligning the actions of employees with common objectives, while encouraging motivation and individual performance.
Here are three levers that can be activated to give meaning, make sense and have meaning, thanks to internal communication.
Giving meaning means setting a course. To make sense is to link action to direction. To have meaning is to bring that direction to life from the inside, through involvement.
Lever 1: give meaning - Clarify for better engagement
Giving meaning means charting a course that makes everyone autonomous and responsible for the benefit of the group. This is also known as corporate culture or organisational identity.
Are you clear about the direction that your organisation wants to share with its teams and on the expected behaviours to achieve this?
The HR brand platform is the compass for internal communications. It goes beyond corporate culture, which often remains on the surface. Strategy is built around more contextual elements (the why). This platform is based on 6 key elements to align individual behaviour and collective objectives:
- Vision the way each organisation sees its own professional world
- Mission what the company wants to bring to this world
- Ambition shared collective objectives
- Values The principles that guide internal decision-making
- Team culture behaviours encouraged collectively
- Behavioural expectations actions promoted individually
A comparison of two different corporate cultures, Alpha IT and Omega IT
| Elements | Alpha IT | Omega IT |
| Vision | Today's world is marked by constant change | Information systems ensure the continuity of the company's activities |
| Mission | Helping customers adapt with new solutions | Guaranteeing stability and reliability |
| Ambition | Be recognised for your creativity and responsiveness | Being a stable point of reference for customers and teams |
| Values | Boldness, openness, collaboration | Rigour, consistency, control |
| Team culture | Encouraging experimentation and initiative-taking | Valuing rigour and predictability |
| Behavioural expectations | Proposing, adapting and innovating collectively | Execute with precision, safety and reassurance |
Two cultures, two objectives, two types of communication. The key is to be consistent, aligned and readable.
Without a compass, everyone decides for themselves, to the detriment of collective performance.
Don't underestimate informal culture, This is the culture of informal leaders. Aligned with the official culture, it strengthens cohesion. Divergent, it can create tensions, undermine cohesion and sow confusion.
Who are your informal leaders? What are they saying? Is their compass aligned with that of your organisation?
Lever 2: Make sense - Structure for greater cohesion
Making sense means linking day-to-day actions to collective values and objectives. This requires a 5-step strategy.
1. Analyse what already exists
These 3 key tools will help you identify where meaning is being lost and how to restore it:
- The tool Ishikawa enables us to explore the possible causes of a malfunction by asking the right questions: what do the actors internal? Visit process are they suitable? Visit tools being used effectively? Visit messages are they clear? L’environment help you achieve your objectives?
- The 5 why helps to get to the root of a problem. It encourages us to look beyond appearances by asking the question «Why? five times, to bring out the real cause of the problem.
- Le SWOT sheds light on the internal and external levers for action.
Example At Omega IT, the SWOT reveals that stability reassures but hinders innovation. The challenge is to create a form of communication that both calms and encourages flexibility.
Alert
Absenteeism, staff turnover, low participation in internal events... These weak signals indicate that the sense of mission is being eroded and that it's time to act.
2. Set your SMART objectives
Objectives that are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound.
They may concern :
- knowledge of current projects (go to visit)
- understanding the strategy (make people understand)
- adherence to culture (make people love)
- taking action (take action)
Example
At Omega IT, the decision was taken not to impose flexibility but to encourage a change in team behaviour by providing support. The company wants everyone to see flexibility as a benefit. Internal communication will therefore not be top-down, but bottom-up, by bringing out the opinions of employees via articles in the internal newsletter.
The SMART internal communication objective becomes: 70 % of employees will have taken part in the communication action to promote flexibility within 6 months.
What will be your priority in terms of internal communication?
3. Identify your influencers
Identify the key figures (managers and informal leaders) who influence and disseminate meaning. Effective internal communication also relies on the authority of peers within the company.
Example Romain, a highly respected technical expert, wants to become a relay for the transformation message. He is co-hosting a plenary presentation of the internal newsletter project with the Internal Communications department, to encourage them to take part.
Tip
Don't hesitate to mobilise the «obvious» ambassadors, but also the more «resistant» players. When the latter are listened to, they are often the source of ideas for improvements that will benefit the group as a whole.
Read also : Employee advocacy: how to create an effective programme
4. Choose the right channel
Combine formal and informal formats.
- Descendant newsletter, posters, management meetings
- Ascendant internal surveys, feedback
- Transversal communities of practice, collaborative platforms
- Informal team cafés, social events, etc.
Example Omega IT is including a «Useful Innovations» section in its internal newsletter. Each month, a member of the team describes an innovation from the point of view of its positive impact. This regular format enhances the visibility of flexibility.
5. Evaluate and adjust
Track KPIs (key performance indicators) to measure what makes sense: message open rates, participation rates, satisfaction rates, etc.
Example The KPIs for the «Useful innovations» action would be the editorial participation rate and the reader satisfaction rate.
Alpha IT and Omega IT, two different strategies
| Strategy | Alpha IT | Omega IT |
| Target culture | Agility, innovation, collaboration | Stability, reliability, clarity |
| Priority objective | Stimulating new ideas | Streamlining communication on flexibility and its usefulness to customers |
| Prescribers | Volunteer ambassadors to relay initiatives | Business experts to facilitate the transfer and convince |
| Key actions | Collaborative platform + internal challenge | Useful innovations“ section in the newsletter |
| Monitoring KPIs | Number of ideas shared, collaborative engagement rate | % of employees taking part in the internal communication campaign |
Lever 3: Make sense - Co-construct to mobilise
70 % of French people are looking for professional development (Robert Walters survey, September 2024). And what if internal communication became an area of initiative, motivation and progress?
Having meaning means ensuring that everyone feels it and shares it. Far from top-down communication where management asserts its truth, the most sustainable actions are often those that are co-constructed with employees.
Internal communication initiatives are designed to bring out the needs and ideas that will have a positive impact on the company, by giving everyone involved a voice.
What works :
- involving teams in the actions carried out
- value all contributions, even small ones
- building trust through open dialogue
Example
At Omega IT, the «Useful innovations" initiative » :
- involve teams in internal communication initiatives
- value their opinions and words
- give a voice to the players in the company.
To remember
When we try to impose an idea, there is often natural resistance. By creating the right conditions for everyone to understand, support and contribute, we can create a culture of meaning that mobilises people and builds loyalty.
Other examples:
- Launch a collaborative team building workshop to redefine corporate values
- Create a technology watch team, distributed via the intranet.
Get trained!
Would you like to find out more? Discover the training programme Successful internal communication.
Key points:
- Identifying the evolving scope of internal communications
- Design an internal communications plan that is consistent with the company's strategy
- Mastering the different types of internal communication
- Measuring the effectiveness of your actions
- Communicating in times of change or crisis
Example of practical work: creating internal communication performance indicators.
Participants speak out:
«Each subject was dealt with according to the needs of each participant. I learnt a lot and feel better equipped to continue my work in communications.»
«Lots of instructive lessons that can be put into practice quickly and easily.»
In short, internal communication is more than just an information tool: it is an engine for collective transformation. When strategy meets practice, cohesion is strengthened and performance goes viral. And you, are you ready to activate these 3 levers and follow these 5 steps to move... in the right direction?
