Introducing: The two founders of Kraftplus GmbH, Sonia Soutter and Patricia Ehrbar. As sparring partners, the two support companies in transformation, cultural development and team building. Sonia Soutter, owner of the personnel agency Werbekraft GmbH, is an experienced HR specialist, systemic coach and mediator with extensive experience in HR management and leadership. She has been advising agencies and SMEs on HR consulting and development for many years. Patricia Ehrbar, communication expert specializing in change communication and internal communication. In addition to her degree in media and communication sciences, she combines several years of experience in leadership and cultural development.
Under the Kraftplus GmbH brand, both founders combine key aspects that belong together: In this edition of Ask the Expert, they shed light on the crucial relationship between internal communication and HR in promoting a strong corporate culture.
Sonia and Patricia, how do you relate to internal communication and HR?
As external sparring partners, we support SMEs in transformation, cultural development and team building. Always with the aim of reviving corporate culture and retaining talent for the long term. In doing so, we focus on people and their experiences with their employer and make adjustments, especially where there is undreamt-of potential: In the interaction between the areas of internal communication and HR. Team building, team development and positive employee experiences cannot succeed without internal communication, just as commitment and productivity are also based on this interaction between the areas.
What role do internal communication and HR play in cultural development? Why is collaboration important?
Cooperation between the areas of (internal) communication and HR in companies is central to the implementation of a successful corporate culture and to inspiring employees for the company in the long term and attracting potential talent. If the two areas work closely together, i.e. with joint planning that is not only geared towards strategic focal points and central issues of the company but also includes the entire employee journey, unimagined potential can be exploited. Experiences can be created that ultimately have an impact on engagement, employee satisfaction and productivity.
The focus on experiences in the working environment is more important than ever: fluid collaboration between departments across the employee lifecycle lays the foundation for ensuring that experiences with the employer are in line with the company's purpose, goals, values, etc. But transformation and change are also easier to achieve. Of course, IT also plays an important role here when it comes to collaboration, communication and automation. This is precisely why we always involve all departmental managers in our work for an analysis of the current situation with regard to collaboration. Because if the interaction between the individual areas is successful, fertile ground can be created for a culture that involves employees, cultivates appreciation and empathy and shapes the company's long-term success.
Your target group is SMEs: what is your experience of how this collaboration works in companies?
In our work, we often find that HR development and internal communication in SMEs up to a certain size do not even exist as individual (responsible) areas. And if they do exist internally, these areas do not yet work together seamlessly. Based on our two years of experience as managers in each of these areas, this is more than understandable for us: day-to-day business, important strategic decisions, meetings with external parties - strengthening internal collaboration is often put on the back burner. Because there is no other way. Or the HR department is completely occupied with personnel administration and internal communication is handled by assistants or secretaries on the side. As external sparring partners, it is easier for us to press the pause button and remember what everyone knows: that beyond all departmental boundaries, the most central and valuable asset is your own employees. And that it is of central importance to engage, promote, develop and build them up. This requires a common employee strategy, a common thread that runs through the activities of the individual departments and leads to storytelling. This means that Recruiting, HR and Communications are already working closely together and that the common thread continues through onboarding, Welcome Day, etc. If this process is designed together, there is great potential to get employees excited about the company in the long term - and it doesn't take much. After all, every interaction with the (potential) employer reflects the corporate strategy, culture and appreciation.
What does it mean for employees if the departments do not work together internally?
(Potential) employees quickly notice how cooperation works internally across departments. This can be seen, for example, in the flow of information. Be it because no uniform channel is defined for internal information, no procedure is defined for the transfer of knowledge or internal responsibilities regarding internal communication are unclear. This can also manifest itself in the internal positioning of the executive board or management, which may be consistent or inadequate in the context of the company. The whole area of talent management and team development is also affected if the departments do not work together. This can even lead to employees not feeling supported or taken seriously. Interaction is also key in transformation and change in order to proactively involve employees and enable feedback channels.
What do you think about the potential of AI in the areas of HR and internal communication?
AI has the potential to revolutionize internal communication and HR work in companies. For example, AI can help to communicate information faster and in a more targeted manner, whether through greater personalization of messages or the automation and streamlining of repetitive tasks and HR processes. This can not only relieve the burden on employees, but also free up space and resources for strategic and social aspects, creativity and the promotion of emotional and relationship-oriented components that incorporate culture. It is precisely this potential that we want to exploit: In our work in SMEs, we therefore analyze tasks, competencies and responsibilities to determine where there is potential for the use of AI.
