internal communication success: best practices within the pharmaceutical and medical device...

Internal Communication Success: Best Practices within the Pharmaceutical and Medical

Device Industries to Ensure Organizational Effectiveness

Best Practices, LLC Benchmarking Report

Copyright © Best Practices®, LLC 1

Project Methodology and Study ObjectivesOver the years, the communication process evolved due to technological advances and changes. This research study seeks to identify the most effective communication strategies and tactics for reaching internal executivesto achieve organizational success/efficiency.

Explore the most effective and preferred

communication strategies for reaching internal

executives.

Research Objectives:

Identify types of internal communication mostly used by executives.

Identify preferred medium for internal communication.

Measure internal communication effectiveness.

Field Research & Insight Development

Research based on survey tool designed and implemented by Best Practices®, LLC.

Tool used to gather insights from 183 leaders at 162 companies.

Leaders are from different industry segments across 6 continents.

INFORMINFORM

Primary Objective


Definitions Used in the Research

Internal Communication: Any kind of interaction between people in the same

or various departments within an organization in order to ensure clarity of

information is termed as Internal Communication.

Communication is a process where information is shared between two or more people or organizations. Field researchers used the following definitions to differentiate communication types.


List of Participating Companies

Best Practices®, LLC gathered insights a total of 63 leaders at many pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

http://www.abbott.com/index.cfm


Internal Communications Highlights

Task Updates are Most Important: Respondents were most interested in company project/task updates, followed by general announcements within the company.

“How am I doing?”: Most respondents were interested in receiving information around coaching and feedback, as well as shared success stories and insights.

Email is King: Over 90% of respondents reported utilizing emails to communicate with colleagues. Alternatively, pharmaceutical respondents depend much more heavily on blogs for internal information than non-pharmaceutical respondents, who depend more heavily on company newsletters.

But Email is Time-Consuming: Nearly 1 in 4 respondents stated that they spend more than 16 hours per week checking emails. Almost have say they spend more than 11 hours checking emails per week.

PowerPoint Dominates Communication within the Company: PowerPoint dominates as the mode of communication, but respondents are much more likely to use memos and reports for subordinates than they are for superiors.

Effectively Tackle Internal Communication Using Type: Organizing emails by type (action required vs. informative) is the most effective method. However, Pharmaceutical respondents then considers (1) the sender and (2) the content while non-Pharmaceutical respondents utilize technology to consider importance.


The majority of the Pharmaceutical segment reported being interested in receiving industry information, performance data and success stories.

Interest in Types of Information Received – Pharmaceutical Segment

What types of information are you interested in receiving?

76%

71%

74%

76%

Success stories/Best Practices

Benchmarking information/ Departmental /Functional Benchmarks

Performance data

Industry information

N=34


The majority of the Pharmaceutical segment reported using emails to communicate internally followed by face-to-face discussion and telephone usage.

Most & Least Commonly Used Medium for Internal Communication – Pharmaceutical Segment

What are the main mediums through which you receive information? Rate in order of 1-9 the most commonly used mediums, 1 being the most commonly used and 9 being least commonly used.

48%

58%

82%

Telephone

Face-to-facediscussions

Individualemails/corporate

emails

6%

7%

10%

20%

Podcasts

Blogs

Weekly/branchnewsletters

Voicemail

Most Commonly Used Least Commonly Used

N=33

N=33

N=33

N=30

N=31

N=30

N=31


Almost all of the Pharmaceutical segment reported using their mobile devices to check and forward emails over all other alternatives.

Use of Mobile for Internal Communication – Pharmaceutical Segment

Which of the following work-related external communications do you check and forward (to colleagues at work) daily using your Mobile device?

96%

25% 21%11% 4%

39%18%

0%0%7%4%

86%

Indi

vidu

alem

ails

/cor

pora

teem

ails

Com

pany

intra

net

Wee

kly/

bran

chne

wsl

ette

rs

Blo

gs

Podc

asts

Voic

emai

l

Check daily using mobile Forward daily using mobile

N=28


Almost all of the Pharmaceutical segment reported that they highly preferred using email to interact with their colleagues on their mobile device. Compared to the overall benchmark class, the pharmaceutical segment is more likely to utilize blogs, and less likely to utilize newsletters.

Preference vs. Effectiveness: Internal Communication Using Mobile – Pharmaceutical

Please indicate preference and effectiveness of the following types of internal communication you used to interact with your colleagues through your Mobile.

94%

44%38%

0%9%

25%

3%9%

31%25%

38%

78%

Individualemails/corporate

emails

Companyintranet

Voicemail Weekly/branchnewsletters

Podcasts Blogs

Highly preferred Highly effective

N=32


Both the Pharmaceutical and general benchmark classes reported that they find face-toface meeting to be the most effective way to share vendor communications internally. Webinars, voicemail, blogs, and newsletters are considered ineffective.

For the following types of content that could be communicated to you from internal parties, please choose the most effective tools.

Effective Tools for Vendor Communications – Overall and Pharmaceutical Segment

2% 5% 9%

63%

35%

49%

3% 6%

77%

30%

47%

7% 3% 7% 7% 3%

Newsletters

Blogs/SocialMedia

Voice mail Webinars Intranet Phone Emails Face toface

meeting

Overall Pharmaceutical Segment

N Overall=93 N Pharma=30


Both the Pharmaceutical and general benchmark classes reported that they find email to be the most effective way to share best practices internally followed by the Internet and face-to-face meetings.


Effective Tools for Best Practices – Overall and Pharmaceutical Segment

1%

13%

35%

57%

42% 43%

5%

24%

50%50%

40%

0%7%

13%

20%

43%

Voice mail Phone Blogs/SocialMedia

Newsletters

Webinars Face toface

meeting

Intranet Emails




Both the Pharmaceutical and general benchmark classes reported that they find email to be the most effective way to share benchmarking information internally.


Effective Tools for Benchmarking Information – Overall and Pharmaceutical Segment

2%

11%

24%

66%

25%

42%

3%

24%

63%

30%

47%

3% 3%7%

23%27%

Voice mail Phone Blogs/SocialMedia

Face toface

meeting

Webinars Newsletters

Intranet Emails




24%17%

7%

37% 37%

13% 13%17%24% 28%

76%

20%

73%

24%17%17%

31%

69%

PowerPointpresentation

Excelsheet Worddocuments/

Reports(Written)

Briefingnotes Memos Webinars

Superior Peer Subordinate

Sharing Benchmarking Information with Superiors, Peers & Subordinates– Pharmaceutical Segment

Which of the following templates do you prefer to use for internal communication with your peers, Superiors and Subordinates?

The Pharmaceutical segment reported that they prefer Power Point format from all of their colleagues when sharing benchmarking information.

NSup=29 NPeer=30 NSub=29


Please rate the most effective way to prioritize communications received.

64%42%

22%47%

30%42%

25%

38%

29%

6% 12%

38%16%

52%

By typeofcommunication

(Informativevs.actionrequired)

By type of content By level of sender By technologythat indicates

priority

Size of thecommunication

Highly Effective Somewhat effective Neutral

Effective Tactic to Prioritize Communications – Pharmaceutical Segment More than half of the Pharmaceutical segment reported that organizing information by type is the most effective way to prioritize communications followed by organizing by technology that indicates priority.

N=33 N=32 N=33 N=32 N=31


Voices From the Field

Based on your experience, what are ways of using/modifying external and internal communication communications to improve productivity?

“I don't want to miss something important because I was offended by the manipulative introductory sentence.”


Best Practices, LLC is a research and consulting firm that conducts work based on the simple yet profound principle that organizations can chart a course to superior economic performance by studying the best business

practices, operating tactics and winning strategies of world-class companies.

Best Practices, LLC6350 Quadrangle Drive, Suite 200, Chapel Hill, NC 27517

[email protected]

About Best Practices, LLC

internal communication success: best practices within the pharmaceutical and medical device...

Health & Medicine

research communication

internal communication

communication types

communication process

internal information

mode of communication

copyright best practices

nonpharmaceutical respondents