ORGANIZATIONAL AND PERSONAL CONGRUENCE

ORGANIZATIONAL AND PERSONAL CONGRUENCE

When we listen to presenters or politicians, we instinctively notice how congruent they are. We may think, ‘That person is lying or does not believe what they have just said’. In some cases they may say one thing at one time and something different at another time. In some cases what they say may not align with what they do. Chapters eight and nine address this question of congruence, not just for individuals but for the management team and the whole organization.

What applies to individuals also applies to the whole management team. If the management team leave the boardroom with different stories, then it will quickly become apparent to the rest of the organization. So chapter eight describes what can go wrong and helps you address the congruence of the management team before the message gets out. That way the message is consistent and aligned.

This congruence also applies to the whole organization. This is not just about the people telling the story. Are you about to communicate a strategy, only to be undermined by the very organization in which it will operate? In ‘The handcuffed organization’, chapter nine provides ways you can check the coherence and integrity of the  whole of the organization’s message. It provides a checklist of organizational processes, systems and cultural
components that you can use to ensure the message is not undermined.

Finally, chapter ten will bring all these pieces together by providing a plan for developing your communication strategy and a contents list for that communication strategy document.

Phil Jones
Author, Communicating Stratgey