Internal Communication in Europe. Key success factors and managerial approaches

The role of Internal Communication, as a source of competitive advantage, is increasingly confirmed and highlighted by international research that examines the impact on companies of changeable economic and social conditions, constant technological innovation and increasingly frequent organizational changes. This publication is the result of the research project “European Internal Communications” of the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, promoted, coordinated and financed by ASCAI (Associazione per lo Sviluppo della Comunicazione Aziendale in Italia), with the high patronage of FEIEA (European Association for Internal Communication). The publication explores current practices and future developments of Internal Communication in 448 large companies operating in nine FEIEA member countries (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Italy, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland and United Kingdom) plus France. The results of the analysis show that the effectiveness of the Internal Communication strategy is closely linked to the role attributed to Internal Communication by top management: internal Communication is more effective in companies where a valuable system has been put in place to increase the awareness and competence in communication, in order to enable managers to analyze and assess the corporate culture, develop their own social skills, listen to their employees and share their feedback.