Internal communications, or, as they are often called - corporate communications, business today pays more and more attention. It is understandable: this is not a tribute to fashion, but a growing need and a vital necessity. Much depends on the quality of the internal communications system in the company. And it has already become quite customary that large enterprises single out it as a separate functionality, creating appropriate divisions and hiring specialists in this field. However, small organizations often quite sincerely believe that their small “dimensions” still allow them to do without internal communications. And some companies in their conviction go further, believing that they do not have internal communications, and they do not need them at all. Let's deal with this misconception.

First fallacy: in a small company there are no internal communications.

Before discussing internal communications, let's define the basic concepts.

Internal communications are communication in the company of personnel and management in the course of joint activities: the exchange of information, ideas, thoughts, solutions, tasks.

Internal communication channels are specific ways of moving information flows in a company, which are a tool for distributing information in a certain direction, quality and for a specific purpose.

The internal communications system is a structured set of information channels that allows receiving and optimally distributing information messages of business, intellectual and emotional content in a company purposefully and with a given efficiency.

From the definition of internal communication channels, it is also obvious that communications are not transmitted by airborne droplets, like viruses, but through specific channels. Therefore, if there are communications, then there are channels.

From the definition of an internal communications system, it follows that there is no system in a company where the channels are not structured and not interconnected.

General conclusion: in the most unfavorable scenario, the company does not have a system of internal communications, and not VC as such.

“The enemy enters the city, sparing no prisoners, because there was no nail in the forge”

If we proceed from the thesis that there is a VC in any company, and the system of internal communications is not everywhere, then it becomes clear that in the absence of a VC system, they "live their own lives", develop independently, the company is not managed, but only used.

Misconception two: only big business, large companies need an internal communications system.

Consider the situation. Company A with 60 employees actively uses e-mail and skype for communication. A workplace for a new employee was organized in one of the office premises. After a while, it became obvious that, due to the specifics of the functionality, he needed a local printer. Colleagues told the newcomer that permission to purchase office equipment is given personally by the general director, the purchase is handled by the office manager, and the installation is carried out by a technical support specialist. The employee, following the advice of colleagues, wrote a memo addressed to the general director about the need to purchase a printer, to be sure, he duplicated the application by e-mail, sending a copy also to the office manager. And in order to speed things up, he promptly informed the technical support specialist via Skype that he needed to install a local printer. And the turmoil broke out. While the office manager and the technical support specialist figured out among themselves who and what to purchase / install, while they found a memo with a brilliant general visa, time passed. Which, by the way, both - both the office manager and the system support specialist - should spend not on figuring out such things, but on completely different, useful activities. Meanwhile, the new employee, meanwhile, was sitting without a printer, running for his printouts to a network printer, winding extra kilometers around the office and also wasting his working time.

There is an unsettled process and an eternal companion of this phenomenon - chaos in internal communications. The cost of this chaos is the loss of working time and a decrease in labor productivity.

How often do we encounter the fact that internal communication channels are used irrationally and chaotically, at best, according to informal rules, and at worst, it comes to anyone’s mind.

If there are several of these channels, and with the current level of information technology development in any office, as a rule, there are not one or two of them, then employees do not have the opportunity to structure the flow of incoming information. And they are forced to parse this stream on their own, often receiving and sending messages that duplicate each other through different channels. At the other extreme, the data is transmitted through the wrong channels. And this is also the result of the lack of a system of internal communications. For example, employees transfer files by mail or other means of communication, and not through server storage, which is found in many corporate networks. Or they schedule a meeting using Skype or some other communicator, instead of Outlook, which has the corresponding service. Unfortunately, there are many such examples.

The smaller the company, the easier it is to build internal communications into a system

As you can see, these things are not connected with the scale of the company's business. Rather, they are associated (and exacerbated) with business growth. And to seize on building a system of internal communications during the period of rapid development of the company means to follow the well-known domestic principle “you need it yesterday.”

The smaller the company, the easier it is to build internal communications into a system. And when the enterprise enters a phase of rapid growth, it will no longer be possible to restore order in the communication chaos.

Misconception three: the system of internal communications is an expensive pleasure.

Internal portals, corporate social networks and other "corporate communication happiness" - all this requires an impressive investment. And for a compact company that does not have a regional network, these solutions are not needed. She needs order in communications. And order is the system. And no order requires any impressive investments. To restore order, it is necessary to realize the need to restore it, the will of the management and the establishment of a clear, intelligible regulation on the use of all VC channels in the company. Regardless of whether it acquires a corporate portal or uses only the capabilities of Outlook and Skype for communication.

“The song helps us to build and live”

Misconception four: internal communications are part of the corporate culture, and corporate culture is corporate holidays, various events outside of work, and other “excesses”.

Of course, internal communications are part of the corporate culture, and a very important part of it. But corporate culture is not only holidays. This is the culture of doing business in the company, the culture of interaction between functions, processes, divisions, employees. Internal communications are not entertainment, but a realized necessity. Treating it as an excess and luxury negatively affects the quality of any business interaction.

So, we figured out the main misconceptions about internal communications.

Brief summary. Every company has internal communications. They must be linked into a system in order to work effectively. This is not a luxury, but a necessity for a successful business. The quality of communications does not directly depend on the amount of investment in the development of communication channels.

Here comes the crisis...

Now consider such an important aspect as the role and importance of internal communications in times of crisis or changes in the company. It is in these cases that the importance of communications in general, and internal communications in particular, increases so much that they are “remembered” even by those companies that sincerely considered the communications system a luxury or, worse, an unnecessary excess.

And the last introductory "news" in this regard - the crisis has become a permanent phenomenon. Crises only change their configuration, scale and appearance, but accompany the business environment constantly. Hence the moral - to build a business and, accordingly, internal communications should be with the understanding that we are in a state of crisis, not serene stability.

With the onset of the crisis, the competitiveness of the business environment sharply increases. And this environment requires prompt response to any information signal, to any change. In a competitive race, the winner is not the one who owns the information, but the one who quickly and efficiently manipulates it: finds, structures, transmits, receives. This is exactly what the communication system provides. All major business transactions must be carried out quickly, clearly, and efficiently.

The internal communications system (ICS) is a tool for company management. Clearly built, it allows you to increase the involvement of employees in the implementation of business strategies, manageability by reducing and optimizing information chains, thereby reducing costs. Agree, in a crisis this is extremely important. The speed and quality of information flows is a necessary condition for a company's prompt response to a rapidly changing business environment and market situation.

An effective ICS is a tool that helps reduce the stress of all staff in a company in a crisis situation. It is internal communications that provide opportunities to convey the leader's ideas to the staff, reduce the demotivating influence of aggressive external circumstances, unite the team and unite it against the "external enemy".

One of the most destructive factors for the corporate environment is information hunger. The information space of the company does not tolerate a vacuum, and any “hole” in it is instantly filled with fantasies that can undermine any, even the most harmonious system. It is the ICS that maintains a smooth information background of the company and ensures the timely receipt of the necessary information.

Thus, ICS today is by no means a luxury and a privilege of big business, but a system that ensures the survival and development of a company of almost any size in modern conditions.

For the formation of the ICS, it is not at all necessary to unfasten impressive investments. There are many budget solutions. Including those that allow you to more effectively use the communication tools that the company already has.

Every organization has a corporate email. A well-organized system of mailing lists, the rules for their use: who, what, to whom (target audience) and for what reason sends out. This is one solution that does not require additional investments - a more efficient use of an existing channel.

Bulletin boards, flyers, corporate paper media - the old fashioned way. To some, it will seem too unfashionable, but nevertheless it is effective and attractive with its budget.

Information events: different formats, fast, mobile, for different staff audiences. A little organizational effort - and the required information background has been created.

The so-called speakerphone is a fast and effective way to promptly notify the office of any event.

All this and much more, linked into a logical system managed by a single communication center, can effectively solve the problem of information support without additional funding. Only by putting things in order and regulating the work of internal communication channels.

Internal communications must be proactive. The external environment is active, it quickly forms an information field on any event, so the company needs to be ready not to catch up with explanations of information received from outside, but to get ahead of its penetration with its informational message.

You can fight as much as you want with office abuse of employees in the use of social networks. But in any case, it is possible to lower the "iron curtain" only for a period of working time. Outside of it, no prohibitions on employees apply. They actively scoop out from the external environment what they were deprived of during working hours. If a company is not ready to oppose them with its high-quality information field, then it will inevitably fail in this unequal battle.

The recent global financial crisis has clearly shown how helpless in the face of panic, penetrating from the external environment, were companies that did not work on their internal communications. They were forced to respond to circumstances that did not directly affect their business and work on the demotivating factors brought by employees from the expanses of a nervously pulsating market. All this can and should be prevented using internal communications. During the crisis of 2009, there were massive layoffs in companies, and budgets for social security and training were sharply reduced. Information was unloaded in a stream into the external information field, creating nervousness (to put it mildly) and anxious expectations of the personnel of those organizations where things were going well. This inevitably led to a decrease in work efficiency and labor productivity.

If, under such conditions, the company does not work with its own information field, does not create transparency for the staff regarding the state of the company's business, then one has to reap the fruits of such an external panic. And the internal corporate information field is formed and filled with internal communications.

When any factors really undermine the company's business, causing damage to it and forcing it to take unpopular measures against personnel, internal communications can reduce the severity of the situation and stress reactions. If the company's informational response to negative factors arrives untimely, then there is a risk that the staff will work ahead of the curve, and react faster and more aggressively than management can expect.

SVK creates controlled information flows aimed at company employees and displacing informal speculation, external and internal panic reactions.

SVK - tool of any modern leader. After all, the manager must form communication and broadcast his version of the explanation of what is happening to his subordinates. Today, the leader who manages information flows is successful. And you can manage them through the SVK. And today, those companies that are able to act quickly, providing high speed and quality of information exchange in their business environment, are successful. All this is solved by the system of internal communications.

In a crisis period, the possibilities of long-term planning with a high share of implementation are sharply reduced. The periods of real planning are becoming short, which, however, does not cancel the natural need of the staff to understand the prospects: business, company and their own. Management cannot afford to make promises to people without guarantees that they will be kept. But if the staff does not receive such forecasts from the management, then an information vacuum arises, which is always filled with their own assumptions, usually negative ones. Employees always need long-term forecasts - this is the only way they can plan their own future or get confidence in its stability. In a crisis, the only way is to move in small steps, highlighting business plans at accessible and visible (planned) stages. Therefore, constant communication between management and staff regarding plans and business opportunities for the short term is extremely important. Employees transform the company's strategic plans into their little guarantees of a "bright future". But when great plans become essentially unfounded slogans (which is obvious to people and therefore does not “warm”), it is imperative to offer “momentary reality”.

Figuratively speaking: we do not know what will happen to the climate in 10 years, and people need to plan their lives in favorable conditions. Therefore, we show the weekly dynamics of the weather, on the basis of which you can make small forecasts and be sure that the ice age will not come tomorrow.

The only way out of this situation is the constant communication of management with the company's personnel, which ensures the regular flow of reliable information in equal doses over short periods of time. Such a rhythmic dialogue - as evidence of the presence of constant communication - stabilizes and improves the situation in the company, which is extremely important in a crisis period. And in a favorable market situation, loyal and engaged employees will allow the organization to get ahead, maintain its position in the market or capture higher ones.

So, we have considered what an internal communications system is, and how significant a role it plays in the company's business. Obviously, the internal communications system is not a luxury available only to large businesses, but a recognized necessity for a company of any size if it seeks survival, prosperity and development.

Who should be in charge of all this "restless economy"?

In practice, if the company does not allocate ICS into a separate cross-functional area, then this function belongs to the HR or PR department. In my opinion, it is more efficient to transfer it under the responsibility of HR specialists, because ICS goals are directly correlated with the goals of the HR department, which, in turn, permeates all business processes of the company. The PR service is a partner in the ICS, since it is she who owns the main tools of internal communications. Often there is a situation when IT is engaged in internal communications in a company. This is fundamentally wrong, because. The IT department only delivers technical solutions through the main ICS channels.

The great era of proud silence of management and obedience of the staff is gone forever. It's the age of communications. They "flash" our whole life and are the key to survival. Therefore, the illusory belief in the absence and uselessness of internal communications due to the scale of the company is not an argument for ignoring the fact of their impact on life in general and business in particular.

The structure of the organization and the decision-making process are served by the internal communications system (ICS). The analysis of communications is necessary, since the relationship between employees of different ranks has a direct and tangible impact on the work of the organization as a whole, influencing motivation, value systems, and positions of groups and individuals. In addition, it is impossible to fully cover intra-company relations without studying the channels for disseminating information.

One of the main communication problems is the problem of the quality of information, as well as its sufficiency, timeliness, and accuracy. Both formal and informal communications obey some general laws:

Before a communication is established, both sides of it, as a rule, quite accurately determine its goals.

Strong communications occur when both parties do not try to achieve results immediately and in full.

Of great importance for the effectiveness of communications is their physical and psychological environment, as well as the ability to quickly adapt to specific conditions.

Communication is more effective when non-verbal communication methods are used (intonation, gestures, posture, etc.).

The effectiveness of communications is increased by valuable and useful information for the recipient, even with fragmentary contacts.

Feedback is essential to control the quality and content of information and the quality of communications.

Within the organization, communications should be based on long-term interests and goals. This increases their stability and flexibility in everyday work.

Of great importance for communication is the practice of active listening, which involves, first of all, the cessation of one's own speech, benevolent attention to the interlocutor, the absence of a dispute and extraneous activities during the conversation and an attempt to accept the interlocutor's point of view (or at least understand it).

Stable two-way and one-way channels in an organization form a communication network. It relies on intra-company communication and is mostly informal, like communication in a small team as a whole. Modern psychological management argues that management should take an active part in informal communication. In addition, the manager can use informal communication channels to quickly disseminate important information. This approach seems to be effective in the presence of a small team. With its help, it is possible to determine with a high degree of certainty the internal springs of personal communication - the goals and motives of communication.

All personal relationships have at least one of four main goals:

• Formation of a correct idea about the world around and society, including about oneself;
• expression of feelings and emotional contact with others;
• influence on the behavior of others, including - its change in the desired direction;
• business goals.

In each case, communication has several goals, but one of these will play a decisive role.

Note that, from the point of view of each individual, business goals are by no means the only component of human relationships. Moreover, according to P. M. Diesel and W. McKinley Runyan, the most important and widest function of human personal relationships can be considered the formation of a correct idea of ​​the world around us, society and oneself, which is also confirmed by research in the field of motivation. It is the realization of this goal of communication that allows each person to satisfy a number of higher-level needs.

For the identification of the world, society and self-consciousness, the following factors are of decisive importance: perception, communication, the role of a person in an organization. Thus, building an effective system of internal communications in an organization is an important and necessary condition for its prosperity.

The internal communications system (ICS) is a set of information channels that allow the transfer of information of business, intellectual and emotional content within the organization between employees. At the same time, top managers, line managers and employees of specialized departments that work with the ICS in the organization can be singled out as subjects of communication.

Ideally, the ICS in any organization, regardless of its type of activity, should meet the following principles:

l openness;

l simplicity and clarity;

l regularity;

b sufficiency;

l complexity;

l credibility;

l timeliness.

Communications must be clear, precise, provide the necessary information related to professional activities. They should create an atmosphere of trust, improve the socio-psychological climate in the team.

The causal relationship between the effectiveness of the ICS and the results of the organization's activities is confirmed by studies conducted among employees of Western companies, 28% of which showed that the information they need reaches them too late, and more than half (58% of employees) believe that the disseminated in the company, information is not related to professional activities. As a result, 60% of the employees surveyed want to change jobs. At the same time, to change the composition of personnel, serious financial investments will be required both for the selection and determination of the level of professional competence of personnel, and for the adaptation period. It will take three to nine months for new employees to reach the level of “self-sufficiency” (when the economic result of the new employee's activity exceeds the investments invested in him).

The main criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of the internal communications system are:

l number of communication channels;

the quality of joint work that requires the efforts of different departments of the company at the same time;

l the number of intermediate links in the transmission of information;

l timeliness of dissemination of information;

l adequacy of the use of information channels in the field of activity of the enterprise;

ь the presence of a balance between vertical and horizontal communications within the company, between documented (formal) information and verbal means;

l the state of the socio-psychological climate in the team;

l the number of disseminated informal communications (rumors).

To create a positive image of the company in the market, it is necessary to bring the necessary information to employees in a timely manner, which, as a result, will make it possible to increase the overall manageability of the company, increase work efficiency, staff motivation and operational activities in the market, as well as improve the socio-psychological climate in the team.

Creating an effective internal communications system consists of seven main steps.

First of all, it is necessary to diagnose the existing communication system. For example, find out if company meetings are held, is there a corporate Internet portal, bulletin board or honor board, where photos of employees and a list of their achievements are located, understand through whom and how quickly rumors spread, whether opinion polls, questionnaires are conducted in the company, in-house training. The next stage is the creation of a single information space, the development of a company policy and standards in the field of VC, then the implementation of these standards, strengthening the loyalty of personnel, then monitoring the performance of the VC system, assessing its effectiveness and taking measures to improve it, setting new tasks in the field of internal communications management.

Tools for building and improving the efficiency of the internal communications system are divided into four main types: informational, analytical, communicative and organizational.

It is important to note that most companies use no more than two groups of tools at the same time, while it is recommended to use the tools of each group to build an effective system.

In general, we can say that the most effective use of communications depends on such important factors as the professionalism of managers, the structure of the organization and its characteristics, the presence of stable interpersonal relationships between members of the organization, the culture of subordinates, the position of the organization in the external environment (closedness or openness), the competence of employees .

Thus, the effectiveness of management depends on the effectiveness in communications and building an optimal communication process.

Well-functioning internal communications allow management to listen to employees and correctly understand the information being conveyed. This helps to timely identify the strengths and weaknesses of the production process and adjust management decisions.

From the article you will learn:

• formation of a single information space within the enterprise;
• strengthening the level of loyalty and involvement of employees in the activities of the organization;
• ensuring the speed and quality of information exchange;
• overcoming communicative gaps and achievement of mutual understanding of colleagues necessary for the working process;
• establishing effective feedback with employees of the enterprise;
• clarification of the strategy, business goals of the organization, corporate policy in terms of staff training and development;
• formation of uniform standards of behavior for employees in accordance with the corporate code and ethics of the company.

The role of high-quality information exchange increases especially sharply in conditions of change and during crisis situations. In addition, internal communications should help the employee understand corporate culture, its goals and values, to form a sense of community.

Increasing labor productivity

It is important for an HR specialist to build such a communication system so that each employee not only obeys the instructions from above and follows instructions, but can also act independently. All this contributes to increased productivity and efficiency of business processes.

Properly built communications with target groups allow the company to create a positive image in the eyes of staff and the public. Thus, internal corporate communications at the enterprise provide motivation for employees.

How to build internal communications in an organization?

In internal communications, the form of information presentation is important. The same fact can be communicated in such a way that it will be perceived in a positive or negative way, leave people indifferent or interested.

Good internal communication allows the HR specialist to establish effective role interactions in the team and distribute a responsibility employees.

To do this, information messages must have the following features:

1. information content;
2. independence and impartiality;
3. clarity - the message should be clear to the person to whom it is addressed;
4. timeliness;
5. brevity.

A mandatory principle of well-functioning internal communication in an organization is feedback. The HR specialist, along with management, should receive feedback from the staff in response to information messages and give feedback to employees in a timely manner.

When building working internal communications, it is important for the HR manager to demonstrate the following qualities:

• openness - the ability to speak with any audience and listen to any proposal;
• honesty;
• readiness for dialogue.

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Channels of internal communications

Internal communication channels are the ways in which information flows are carried out. The following channels are most common in organizations:

• internal website of the company;
• internal email distribution;
• regular meetings;
• informal meetings where employees can speak directly with management;
• corporate social network;
• corporate press;
• virtual meetings;
• conferences;
• communication activities;
• information boards-stands.

Through these channels, using internal communication tools, HR specialists convey the necessary information to the staff. Most channels can also be used by staff to communicate with management.

Corporate culture

Both external and internal communications at the enterprise must be carried out in compliance with business ethics and communication rules, corporate culture.

Types of internal communications

An HR specialist can use a variety of types of internal communications. They can be oral or written, group or personal.

According to communication channels, communication is distinguished:

1. Formal. Determined by the rules existing at the enterprise: organizational and functional.
2. informal. Represent social interaction between people. Often, such communication is understood as the transmission of rumors.

According to the spatial arrangement of channels, internal communications are:

1. vertical. Directed from top to bottom, from the leader to subordinates (descending), or from bottom to top, from subordinates to the leader (ascending).
2. Horizontal. Aimed at coordinating the joint work of employees of different departments at the same level of the hierarchy.
3. Diagonal. Carried out by employees of departments of different levels of the hierarchy.

There are interpersonal communications that are carried out with the help of words and non-verbal means of communication between workers face to face and in groups.

In their work, an HR specialist needs to take into account that in recent times, personnel for internal communications use technical means: e-mail, telecommunications systems and other modern information technologies.

Internal communications management

The exchange of information affects the achievement of enterprise goals. The HR specialist is responsible for managing internal communications and maintaining a certain number of channels.

The better the information exchange, the less time employees spend on understanding or searching for the right information. Labor productivity increases.

Communication process

To effectively manage internal communications, an HR specialist needs to understand the essence of the communication process and understand how the environment affects the exchange of information. HR managers must learn to avoid instances of ineffective communications.

To do this, an HR specialist can use different approaches in an enterprise:

1. Targeted Approach. In this case, communication is established with a given target audience. The more accurately the informational message is composed, the more likely it is to be fully perceived by the audience.
2. circular approach. Here interaction is established through positive human relationships. It is important for an HR specialist to work to ensure that each employee enjoys not only work, but also coming to work. Such motivation can be formed through long and open discussions with employees on all issues of concern.
3. Active Action Approach. Internal communications are facilitated through hands-on interactions where situational awareness and HR intuition are essential.

Job descriptions are used among the main management tools for internal communications. Other means of building internal communications are selected individually for each enterprise, taking into account the specifics of the business, the characteristics of the corporate culture and established team.

Conclusion

In their work, it is important for an HR specialist to follow the basic principle of forming modern internal communications between a company and its staff. It consists in the maximum involvement of employees in all production processes and corporate events. Only in this way the enterprise will be able to achieve maximum efficiency in solving business problems. In parallel, this approach also provides a motivational component of the personnel management process.

Watch the webinar series on how to improve internal communication in a company.

Organizations have a variety of means of communicating with key elements of their external environment. So, for example, firms communicate with existing and potential consumers of goods and services produced, primarily through advertising and other means of promoting goods on the market, as well as conducting various sociological surveys.

Much attention is paid to creating a favorable image of the organization in public opinion, for which special public relations departments (“public relations”) are created in large firms, whose specialists, using a variety of means, disseminate the information necessary for this. This is not a complete list of examples of communications between an organization and its external environment.

Internal communications are understood as information exchanges carried out between elements of the organization. Within an organization, information is exchanged between levels of management (vertical communications) and between departments (horizontal communications).

For a long time, internal communications in an organization were seen as the "foster" of PR, but now that has changed - now PR and corporate communications departments in organizations follow the old adage: "good PR starts at home."

External communications system

External communications are the exchanges of information between an organization and its external environment. Any organization does not exist in isolation, but in interaction with its external environment. And on what factors of this environment (consumers, competitors, government regulatory bodies, public opinion, etc.) have the greatest influence on the work of the organization and its results, the nature and methods of its communications depend.

The task of external communications is to transform the desired strategic position into the behavior of the organization, its communication messages and symbols at the organizational, production and functional levels. Managers must clearly decide how they want to represent the organization and its products, clearly identifying key public groups, and understand what the image of their organization is. Then they must develop a set of corporate image tools that can communicate it to the public, while keeping a close eye on competitors' corporate image development and changes. An acceptable set of such tools should include:

* definition of communication tasks;

* selection of target groups (customers and members of the public relevant to the organization);

* formulating appropriate message(s);

* choice of means and planning;

* organization (coordination) of actions.

The task of corporate communications is to reduce the gap between the desired and actual image of the company; creation of a consistent holistic portrait of her, development and application of recommendations for the coordination of all internal and external communications, as well as control and management of communications. To achieve the goals of the company among the external public, PR also includes marketing communications.

A corporate feature (personality) is a strategically planned and tactically (at a practical level) applied self-presentation of an organization (corporate "I") based on the desired image. A strong corporate identity contributes to:

* increasing the motivation of employees;

* creates a sense of confidence among representatives of key groups of the external public;

* recognized as vital to the organization based on a good knowledge of the advantages and disadvantages of both its own and other suppliers. Managers must decide where and how to compete. Now on to external communications related to strategic PR. Probably the most obvious activity is media relations to create popularity and positive interest in the company. And managers must win their respect, show an understanding of the essence of the news, be constructive, go towards journalists and producers, and create media confidence in the company. As a rule, journalists expect: * a quick response to requests; * an open and honest policy towards the media; * a willingness to deal with negative news; * the availability of managers, and not the press and media department in general; * an easily understood object can be recognized, and with the help of which people describe, remember and form their attitude towards it. It is the result of the interaction of human beliefs, ideas, feelings and impressions about the object.

Impression management is the policy of presenting an organization to key groups in order to create a favorable image for them or prevent them from developing an unfavorable image.

Corporate reputation is what people think and say about the organization, its products/services, and the behavior of those people.

Strategic positioning is essentially the conscious choice of a specific basis for building a competitive advantage. It is a combination of appeal to a customer or stakeholder and competitive considerations that can endow a company or brand with a distinct identity as perceived by those people. Thus, a company in the mind of its target group must be better than its competitors, regardless of what its members themselves consider important. The company must appear better than it really is, and therefore must sell its products to the "right" customers, based on a good knowledge of the advantages and disadvantages of both its own and other suppliers. Managers must decide where and how to compete.

Now let's move on to external communications related to strategic PR.

Probably the most obvious activity is media relations to create popularity and positive interest in the company. And managers must win their respect, show an understanding of the essence of the news, be constructive, go towards journalists and producers, and create media confidence in the company. As a rule, journalists expect:

* fast response to requests;

* an open and honest policy towards the media;

* readiness to deal with negative news;

* the availability of managers, and not the press department and the media in general;

* easy to understand and easy to use information (not overloaded with unnecessary technical or other details);

* a proactive policy of maintaining contacts (regular, consistent, personal).

The main topics of media coverage include marketing news, company policy coverage, news of general interest, personalities, current events. Messages should be intended primarily for articles on specific topics and not just for self-promotion of the company.

Publicity is the dissemination of deliberately pre-planned and highly executed messages through selected (unpaid) media in order to arouse public interest in an organization or individual.

Press relations activities differ significantly from promotional and sales activities in that they are aimed at gaining publicity or satisfying public interest in an organization and/or its product(s). On the other hand, propaganda is an attempt to influence public opinion in order to spread a particular desired belief.

Financial relations are aimed at creating relationships of support and management of communications with shareholders (both current and potential) during the financial year, as well as with investors, representatives of the business community (in particular, with analysts, stock market brokers, merchant banks) and financial journalists. magazines.

Preparing for public events can include planning strategic communications and dealing at a corporate level with a variety of audiences—government and business representatives, the press, civil society organizations, shareholders and trade unions, and the general public.

Lobbying (government events) occurs and operates among legislators and government agencies in the specific interests of the organization at the local, national and international levels. In fact, to really present any issue that needs lobbying to ensure constant strong pressure on legislators, a wide-ranging study, even intelligence, is required. This is a more complex process than simple monitoring of parliamentary activity. The purpose of lobbying is to influence government circles and the legislature and thereby push through decisions that are beneficial to the organization, which can seriously affect the effectiveness of its activities in the present and future.

Industry links include communications with various organizations within the same industry in which the company operates, such as trade associations, research (expert) agencies.

Corporate advertising sees the company as a product and is the "face and voice of the company". Managers often have little understanding of corporate advertising and are wary of this high technology public communications that does not directly increase sales or market share and is therefore often difficult to justify. Research has shown that despite being expensive, corporate advertising can enhance a company's image.

Corporate social responsibility is by far the most important item on the agenda of any PR manager. In the field of corporate social responsibility, the key for managers is the concept of beneficiaries as individuals or groups with legally secured property rights (or participation). They interact with the company in some of its activities. Their participation is essential if the company is to succeed and prosper. Beneficiary relationship management can be seen as an investment and as one of the core areas of business planning and management.

Sponsorship - a company acquires the exclusive right to any event or sports competition or lends its name to any product for the purpose of promoting itself through media coverage and / or planting in the minds of citizens a positive association of its name with an interesting or significant event. By supporting an event or activity, company managers can expect to receive a material return on the money and effort expended - for example, in the form of the notional value of business relationships, i.e. the price of accumulated business relationships, the company's intangible assets, say, brand prestige, experience in business relationships, acquiring the ability to influence customers, creating a high reputation for the organization, its product or trademark.

Information services are an essential part of the process of building mutual trust and understanding between a company and other groups in the public. The PR department must take the lead in coordinating the delivery of information to the media about the company's activities, and this often requires accompanying explanatory material to help the public learn more about the company and its scope.

Advice and consulting is also one of the most important activities of PR teams in many companies. PR professionals are increasingly being called upon to provide advice and guidance on organizational management and policy issues. As communications management is taken more seriously and is increasingly recognized as an important competency in business, PR professionals are increasingly being brought in to advise managers on communications with the "outside world", also to provide the technical side of the relevant PR communications chosen by the specialist.

Crisis management looks at the future in terms of anticipating and preparing for likely events that could destroy relationships that are important to the organization. Here, the responsibilities of a PR specialist can extend to a wide range of activities, including contingency planning, limiting damage, taking into account the lessons of previous crises, streamlining and managing managers' ideas about the crisis and their attitude towards them, up to managing the crisis itself.

Problem management is the systematic identification of possible problems that cause concern to the company, and actions aimed at correcting its policy in the conditions of their occurrence. Problem management differs from crisis management only in time frames and a sense of panic. Managers must learn to view problems from the perspective of different groups of the public. PR in its activities must anticipate the possibility of these problems and be able to manage the organization's response to them.

Designing and writing printed materials is also one of the responsibilities of the PR department for external communications. These are special literature on PR, brochures and booklets published by the company (annual report and history of the company, as well as a story about the main products of the company). Increasingly, the preparation of audio and video materials is required. Much of this work is planned to be promotional, and therefore close collaboration between marketing and PR professionals is needed to ensure consistency in creating and maintaining corporate identity. Analyze the communication needs of the organization and the coverage of all its key public groups. Planning is an essential part of the PR manager's role.

Introduction

Chapter 2. Analysis of communications of OAO Oil Company Lukoil

Conclusion

List of sources used

Introduction

The term "communication" is general, and in Latin "communicatio" means to share, connect, communicate. Until the end of the 19th century, communication was considered only in an engineering and technical sense, and only in the 20th century did the term acquire a social meaning. Today there are more than 150 definitions of "communication".

Communication in a broad sense is understood as communication, the transfer of information from person to person. In the organizational context, the concept of "communication" is considered as a process (communication is the communication of people: the exchange of ideas, thoughts, intentions, feelings, information) and as an object (a set of technical means that provide information transfer processes).

Relevance of the problem. Currently, this problem is relevant, as well-established communications contribute to ensuring organizational efficiency. If an organization is effective in communication, it is effective in all other activities. Communications should be such that the management of the company, the firm has objective information at the right time and in a convenient form for decision-making. So, ultimately, in relation to the problems of organization theory, the most important is the communication process.

Communication is the process of communication and transmission of information between people or their groups in the form of oral and written messages, body language and speech parameters.

Communication in an organizational context involves interaction between people. It is the process of exchanging information and transferring information between individuals or their groups. Organizational communication is the process by which leaders develop a system for providing information to large numbers of people and individuals within the organization as well as to institutions outside of it. It serves as a necessary tool in coordinating the activities of departments of the organization, allows you to obtain the necessary information at all levels of management.

object research is OAO "Oil company" LUKOIL ". Subject research is the management of internal and external communications in OAO "LUKOIL".

Target course work - a study of the management of internal and external communications on the example of OAO "Oil company" LUKOIL ".

In accordance with the goal, the following tasks :

1 Examine the internal and external communications of the organization;

2 Consider areas of communication activities;

3 Analyze the implementation of communication in OAO "LUKOIL".

Hypothesis- Proper management of external and internal communications of the organization favorably affects the climate within the team, forms a positive opinion about the organization and helps to increase its publicity capital.

Applied research methods Key words: analysis of sources, research of messages, observation.

Work structure. This work consists of an introduction, two chapters: theoretical (Theoretical Foundations of Organization Communications) and practical (Analysis of Communications of OAO Oil Company "Lukoil"), conclusion and list of references. In the theoretical part, we will consider various theoretical foundations of communications, their purpose in managing an organization. The practical part contains an analysis of communications in OAO "Oil Company" LUKOIL ".

Chapter 1. Theoretical Foundations of Organizational Communications

1.1 Internal and external communications in the organization

The main function of any organization is to solve problems related to interaction with both the external and internal environment. The internal environment of an organization is the source of its strength. It contains the potential that enables the organization to exist and survive in a certain period of time. But the internal environment can also be a source of problems and even the death of the organization if it does not provide the necessary functioning of the organization. The factors that determine the internal environment of the organization, researchers include such variables as the structure of the organization, its goals, objectives, technologies, people. The internal environment can be considered as a set of interacting structural components of the organization.

Any organization, even a "closed" type, is connected with the outside world. It cannot exist without receiving resources "from outside" - information, energy, raw materials, which, after processing, returns back in the form of products of its activity. The organization is surrounded by the external environment, as the Earth is surrounded by the atmosphere. But the resources of the external environment are not unlimited. And they are claimed by many other organizations in the same environment. Therefore, there is always the possibility that the organization will not be able to obtain the necessary resources from the external environment. This can weaken its potential and lead to many negative consequences for the organization. The task of strategic management is to ensure such an interaction of the organization with the environment that would allow it to maintain its potential at the level necessary to achieve its goals, and thus enable it to survive in the long term.

The external environment of an organization can be defined as the totality of physical and social factors external to the system that are directly taken into account in the process of making organizational decisions.

The integrity of the organization and its openness as a system determine the separation of the internal and external environment, the organization's dependence on external factors, the interaction of the internal and external environment, the varying degree of influence of the parameters of the internal and external environment and their management.

Since the organization is created by people, all its elements and connections are to some extent variable. The structures of the organization are determined by the logical and quantitative correlation of the elements of the system and levels of management. The manageability of an organization is determined by the ratio of the number of managers and subordinates, the number of people who report to one leader, as well as the relationship of decision-making time with the time of transition of control objects to various states, including predicted ones.

The most important part of both the internal and external environment of the organization is the infrastructure, i.e. a complex of elements and links that provide the conditions for the life of the organization's team and serve the main processes of production and management. Infrastructure includes communications and organizational culture, in which a huge role is given to people, their knowledge, abilities and the art of interaction.

Communications are both means of communication (air, water), and forms of communication (oral, written), and communication channels (telephone, radio, etc.). But the main thing in this process is not just the exchange of information between two or more people, but the exchange of meaning, the content of information. There are quite a lot of obstacles and obstacles for the correct transmission of the meaning of messages both in channels and in the environment. Even in face-to-face communication, there are barriers to clear communication (differences in perception, attention, etc.). Communications as connecting links in management information processes are a necessary condition for management itself.

It should be noted that the role of a person in the communication processes of management is very important. The quality of communication processes largely depends on the organizational culture of the organization. Organizational culture is a system of norms and values ​​that distinguish employees and the organization as a whole. The system of norms and values ​​of an individual is in a complex dependence on his individuality and personality and on the attitudes and values ​​in the organization. All these elements together determine the behavior of employees and the success of the organization.

Internal environment

Internal communications system (ICS) - a set of information channels that allow you to transfer information of business, intellectual and emotional content within the organization between employees. At the same time, top managers, line managers and employees of specialized departments that work with the ICS in the organization can be singled out as subjects of communication.

Ideally, the ICS in any organization, regardless of its type of activity, should meet the following principles:

openness;

simplicity and clarity;

regularity;

sufficiency;

complexity;

· credibility;

timeliness.

Information about the internal environment of the company is necessary for the manager to determine the internal potential that the company can count on in the competition to achieve its goals. Analysis of the internal environment also allows you to better understand the goals and objectives of the organization. In addition to the production of products, the provision of services, the organization provides an opportunity for the existence of its employees, creates certain conditions for their life.

The causal relationship between the effectiveness of the ICS and the results of the organization's activities is confirmed by studies conducted among employees of Western companies, 28% of which showed that the information they need reaches them too late, and more than half (58% of employees) believe that the disseminated in the company, information is not related to professional activities. As a result, 60% of the surveyed employees want to change jobs. At the same time, to change the composition of personnel, serious financial investments will be required both for the selection and determination of the level of professional competence of personnel, and for the adaptation period. It will take three to nine months for new employees to reach the level of "self-sufficiency" (when the economic result of the new employee's activity exceeds the investments invested in him).

To create a positive image of the company in the market, it is necessary to bring the necessary information to employees in a timely manner, which, as a result, will make it possible to increase the overall manageability of the company, increase work efficiency, staff motivation and operational activities in the market, as well as improve the socio-psychological climate in the team.

Creating an effective internal communications system consists of seven main steps. First of all, it is necessary to diagnose the existing communication system. For example, find out if company meetings are held, is there a corporate Internet portal, bulletin board or honor board, where photos of employees and a list of their achievements are located, understand through whom and how quickly rumors spread, whether opinion polls, questionnaires are conducted in the company, in-house training. The next stage is the creation of a single information space, the development of a company policy and standards in the field of VC, then the implementation of these standards, strengthening the loyalty of personnel, then monitoring the performance of the VC system, assessing its effectiveness and taking measures to improve it, setting new management tasks internal communications.

The introduction of a system of internal communications is ultimately intended to synthesize theories of management, the theory of organization, the psychology of management and interpersonal communication, and the theory of communication itself. "Gaps", incompetence in one of these areas entails the replication of errors and ineffective actions in all other areas. This applies not only to the work of managers, leaders of all levels, but also to any specialist and the so-called "ordinary" employees, i.e. employees involved in the process of communication with other people.

As the American authors V. Hovell and P. Deepboy rightly point out, sooner or later every person faces a choice: stick to the bureaucratic, soulless principles of work "in the old fashioned way" or make the "human factor" the main axis of their activity. The second path requires from a person complete dedication, intellectual tension, readiness for risk, for making non-standard decisions and the ability to be responsible for other people's destinies. The results of such work are capable of exceeding the wildest expectations.

External environment

The external environment for an organization whose goals is business is a complex set of subjects, systems and their relationships, both among themselves and with the organization. This set can be divided into two sectors. The first, which is the space of the business environment for business, includes the entities and business systems that interact with the organization, i.e. being in a relationship or relationship with her. The second includes those entities and systems whose activities have some impact on business organizations, but there are no direct communications between them.

External communications are communications with the world outside the organization, these are communications between the organization and the external environment.

The task of external communications is to satisfy the information needs of the organization, to establish relations with government agencies, the public, suppliers, and customers. With the help of external communications, the image of the company is formed and maintained.

The structure of subjects interacting with the organization is quite complex and has the following form.

1 Links and relationships of the organization established with:

business partners;

consumers;

· competitors;

· market infrastructure operators;

investors, analysts (financial relations).

2 Business systems:

market infrastructure;

national business traditions.

The external environment is characterized by:

1 the relationship of environmental factors - the level of force with which a change in one factor affects other factors. A change in one environmental factor may cause a change in others.

communication internal external team

2 the complexity of the external environment - the number of factors to which the organization is obliged to respond, as well as the level of variability of each factor;

3 mobility of the environment - the speed with which changes occur in the environment of the organization. The environment of today's organizations is changing at an ever-increasing pace. The mobility of the external environment may be higher for some departments of the organization and lower for others. In a highly mobile environment, an organization or department must rely on more diverse information in order to make effective decisions;

4 environmental uncertainty - the ratio between the amount of information about the environment that the organization has, and confidence in the accuracy of this information. The more uncertain the external environment, the more difficult it is to make effective decisions.

Thus, in any organization, the analysis of both the internal and external communication environment is very important, since the external and internal environments are the main components of the integrity of the organization.

1.2 Directions of communication activities

Communication activity is defined as the movement of meanings in social space. A communication action is a completed operation of semantic interaction that occurs without changing the participants in communication. The subjects who have entered into communication can pursue three goals: firstly, the recipient wants to receive from the communicant some meanings that are attractive to him; secondly, the communicant wants to communicate to the recipient some meanings that affect the behavior of the latter; thirdly, both the communicant and the recipient are interested in interaction in order to exchange some meanings. Accordingly, three forms of communication action are possible.

Successful management of corporate communications requires a well-thought-out communication policy. Once upon a time, public relations were carried out mainly through the press and other media. With the development of communication management, the public, to which the information impact was directed through the press, and which was initially presented as a kind of homogeneous target group, was segmented according to various social and functional characteristics. The selection of specific segments allows you to plan work more efficiently, reach the required audience using the most appropriate methods and tools for a particular case.

· Communication with the media.

· Interaction with staff.

· Interaction with consumers.

· Interaction with investors and financial relations.

· Interaction with authorities. Lobbying.

· Communal communications.

· Ecological connections.

· Crisis communications.

The activity of work in one direction or another, the allocation of financial and other resources, is directly dependent on the marketing and social significance of this direction in a particular period for a particular enterprise.

Media Relations

Interaction with the media refers to the regular and purposeful joint activities of the organization and the media, aimed at improving public information, presenting objective reality and achieving mutual understanding.

Relations with the media include the preparation and distribution of analytical press materials, press events, participation in reviews, exclusive interviews, press monitoring and press clipping, informal contacts with journalists.

Some public relations experts emphasize that it is possible to win the sympathy of journalists by providing them with absolutely reliable data, even when this is not directly related to their own company. Thus, showing, first of all, their own awareness, and secondly, their readiness to selflessly cooperate with the media.

In choosing the media to publish publications, many leading companies prefer the printed word. This has obvious advantages: the newspaper lives longer, it can be passed from hand to hand. In addition, newspaper pages provide an opportunity to comment on the company's position on a particular issue in more detail and in detail, to establish feedback with the reader by publishing telephone numbers of "hot lines" or information services.

Time-limited television and radio sometimes do not allow more detailed information about the business and the services provided, the "life expectancy" of information is relatively short, and numerous repetitions dramatically increase costs.

When building a technology for interacting with the media, it is necessary to clearly represent your target audience. Based on the direction of its activities, the company builds its advertising and PR strategy.

Interacting with the media, the company's PR service is somehow forced to use various methods of manipulating public opinion. At the same time, some of them are absolutely unacceptable and unethical: direct deception of consumers of information (use of deliberately false figures and facts); impact on subconscious instincts (hidden inserts in TV, video, film programs, computer files); insulting persons or organizations and discrediting goods or services. The most creative methods of manipulation are "silence" (holding back negative information), "montage" (priority of positive news), "selection of quotes" (influential people or 2-3 representatives of the target audience talk about positive aspects in the company's work). As well as the selection of the "necessary" fragments from polls and ratings, the involvement of an authoritative intermediary and emotional nourishment.

The implementation of the goals of communication management, such as conducting communication processes that are optimally favorable for the organization, the formation and maintenance of the image and public opinion, consent, cooperation and recognition, is directly dependent on properly organized interaction with the media.

The fact of the conditional division of information transmitted by the media into evaluative and semantic should be reflected in the corporate publications of the organization. An important point in this case is the provision that it is evaluation information that most actively influences the formation of public opinion. Thus, evaluation information is the most effective tool used to form the image of an enterprise, promote its ideas and goals.

Interaction with the media and the wide dissemination of information about the enterprise is carried out in two directions. Direct informing of the public by information services of the enterprise and informing through journalists. The main tools for the work of these two areas are the dissemination of publicity, the distribution of press releases, holding press conferences and other events for journalists.

Interaction with staff

Under the organization of effective interaction with personnel, one can understand many different points: from the formation of business processes (interaction between people depends on how technological procedures are built and what roles are played by those involved in them) to issues of effective communication (transfer of information from leader to subordinate and vice versa).

The task of interaction with the staff is to ensure the motivation of employees to optimally perform their work better. This direction is carried out by specialists of the Corporate Communications Department together with the HR Department.

For the correct and adequate perception of corporate philosophy, as well as effective interaction with personnel, it is necessary to observe the following principles arising from theories of labor motivation.

· Respect. Employees appreciate showing respect for them as individuals, especially from management.

· Recognition. The staff feels successful if their contribution to the common cause is appreciated by the management.

· Encouragement. Of course, money has always motivated employees, but it also requires moral encouragement and support for further productive work.

Activities carried out within the framework of interaction with personnel contribute to the creation of a humane atmosphere at the enterprise. In the context of growing alienation, individualization, and insufficient self-identity of the population in society, the creation of a benevolent microclimate in the organization, as well as the formation of a good comradely environment, not only perform an important task of optimizing production processes, they also carry socially significant and important social and moral functions.

Interaction with consumers

Interaction with consumers is an important area of ​​marketing communications of the organization. In this case, direct informing consumers about goods or services, about the organization itself is singled out. This direction also includes various types of direct and indirect communications with consumers, responses to letters, suggestions, complaints, etc.

The clientele of the organization includes consumers of finished products or services that receive them directly from the organization - the subject of business relations. The class of customers unites all consumers of finished products, both consuming a standard finished product and placing an order for the manufacture of a specific product sample.

Businesses and organizations, through consumer engagement activities, seek to use a variety of forms of direct contact with their end customers. As a result of the development of computer systems and electronic technologies, such contacts are established not only with the help of traditional mailing lists, etc., but also with the use of the Internet, e-mail, telephone, SMS, teletext.

Consumer engagement activities allow manufacturers to contact buyers directly, bypassing sellers and resellers. In this direction, such communication means and tools are used that allow the manufacturer to receive immediate feedback about the product or service, actively motivate the consumer, and quickly respond to consumer behavior. Consumer engagement activities allow manufacturers to communicate directly with buyers, bypassing sellers and resellers.

Organizations, through customer engagement activities, seek to use a variety of forms of direct contact with their end customers.

Interaction with investors and financial relations

This direction is focused on the financial community, investors, state financial authorities that regulate the activities of joint-stock companies.

Large Russian companies began to pay more and more attention to relationships with existing and potential investors. At this stage of development of Investor Relations, companies in most cases resort to the help of Western agencies or invite Western specialists, nevertheless, PR specialists should know the basics of the mentality of large investment companies and investment analysts, as well as the main stages of building an IR practice, their methods and means of achieving goals.

The basic principle of IR is very simple, although not yet fully achievable in our country: a company or individual will not invest money if they do not have full information about the state of the company and its prospects for the coming years.

Communications in the financial sector are provided with a wide range of information about financial activities, the conduct of a particular financial transaction, changes in the stock price, etc. to the composition of the audience to which this activity of corporate communications departments is directed - financial analysts and analysts of the securities market, that is, those who forms an opinion and gives a competent analysis of the financial situation.

Important areas of work carried out within the framework of financial relations and a characteristic of the organization's communications services are the publication of annual financial reports and the preparation and holding of shareholders' meetings jointly with management.

Interaction with authorities. Lobbying

This direction is addressed to the economic, social and political environment of the organization. The task of communicative interaction with authorities is to ensure joint work with government agencies, society, and action in the structure of the overall economic system.

An important and delicate area of ​​interaction with authorities is lobbying, that is, the influence of interested groups or organizations on decision-making by power structures, as a rule, legislative bodies. Lobbying in the interests of public associations is carried out mainly in the direction of environmental protection, problems related to education and the social sphere.

Utility connections

Communal communications are communications focused on those living in the location of the organization and aimed at the formation of good neighborly relations. The development of communal ties is determined not only by its place in the economic life of society, but also in the social one. The social role of the organization is actively manifested in the location of its production structures.

Communication policy, focused on the territories adjacent to the organization, is also determined by personnel interests. Also, good neighborly relations are determined by the desire to prevent territorial conflicts, possible conflicts due to crisis and emergency situations.

The importance of good neighborly relations is determined, among other things, by the desire to prevent territorial conflicts, possible conflicts due to crisis and emergency situations. For enterprises producing consumer goods, the population of adjacent territories is also an interested and especially motivated layer of consumers. It is known that the products of enterprises located in the area of ​​residence enjoy increased attention of buyers.

Environmental ties

Environmental ties address issues of environmental balance and representation of the organization in discussions about environmental action. Attention to the environmental theme is constantly growing. For large industrial enterprises, the problem of environmental pollution remains an important problem. For manufacturers of consumer goods and food products, the problem is the environmental safety of the product. Requirements for environmental safety are caused not only by actively changing public consciousness, but also by major industrial and technological accidents and catastrophes, new epidemics of domestic animals, plant diseases, and the use of chemicals and fertilizers in the agricultural industry.

The task of the corporate communications departments is to provide all kinds of support, including information support, for such initiatives, the formation of an environmental initiative, and action in a group of public interests. An important direction is not only the implementation of environmental programs, but also information about them. Such information contributes, on the one hand, to strengthening the credibility of the organization, and on the other hand, it contributes to the further development of environmental programs, increases the interest of top management in their development.

Thus, the implementation by the organization of full coverage of all spectrums of communication areas contributes to the harmonious and progressive development of its activities.

Conclusions on the first chapter

In every organization, the analysis of both the internal and external communication environment is very important, and the communication management process is an integral part of any organization. External and internal environments are the main components of the integrity of the organization.

The external environment of an organization can be defined as the totality of physical and social factors external to the system that are directly taken into account in the process of making organizational decisions. Organizations use a variety of means to communicate with the components of their external environment. In the field of public relations, priority is given to creating a certain image, the image of the organization at the local, national or international level.

The internal environment plays an important role in the existence of the organization, providing a constant and most direct impact on the activities and existence of the organization. The role of a person in communication management processes is very important. Therefore, the proper management of relationships between people in the team is essential in the life of the organization.

The organization should carry out full coverage of all spectrums of communication areas, contribute to the harmonious and progressive development of its activities.

Chapter 2. Analysis of communications of OAO Oil Company Lukoil

2.1 General information about Lukoil

LUKOIL is one of the largest international vertically integrated oil and gas companies. The main activities of the Company are the exploration and production of oil and gas, the production of petroleum products and petrochemical products, as well as the marketing of manufactured products. The main part of the Company's activities in the exploration and production sector is carried out on the territory of the Russian Federation, the main resource base is Western Siberia. LUKOIL owns modern oil refineries, gas refineries and petrochemical plants located in Russia, Eastern and Western Europe, as well as neighboring countries. The Company's products are sold in Russia, Eastern and Western Europe, CIS countries and the USA.

LUKOIL is the second largest private oil and gas company in the world in terms of proven hydrocarbon reserves. The Company's share in global oil reserves is about 1%, in global oil production - about 2.4%. The company plays a key role in the Russian energy sector, accounting for 18.6% of Russia's total oil production and 18.9% of Russia's total oil refining.

In the exploration and production sector, LUKOIL has a high-quality diversified portfolio of assets. The Company's main oil production region is Western Siberia. LUKOIL also implements oil and gas exploration and production projects outside of Russia: in Kazakhstan, Egypt, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia, Colombia, Venezuela, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Iraq.

In 2005, with the commissioning of the Nakhodkinskoye field, the Company launched a gas program, according to which gas production will grow at an accelerated pace both in Russia and abroad, and the share of gas will be increased to one third of total hydrocarbon production. The resource base for the implementation of this program is the fields of the Bolshekhetskaya depression, the Caspian Sea and the Central Astrakhan field in Russia, as well as international gas projects - Kandym - Khauzak - Shady in Uzbekistan and Shah Deniz in Azerbaijan.

LUKOIL owns oil refining facilities in Russia and abroad. In Russia, the Company owns four large refineries - in Perm, Volgograd, Ukhta and Nizhny Novgorod, and two mini-refineries. The total capacity of Russian refineries is 45.1 million tons/year of oil. Abroad, the Company owns refineries in Bulgaria, Romania and Ukraine, as well as a 49% stake in the ISAB refinery complex (Sicily, Italy) and a 45% stake in the TRN refinery (Netherlands). The total capacity of the Company's foreign refineries is 26.4 million tons/year of oil. In 2009, the Company's refineries (including shares in refining at the ISAB and TRN complexes) processed 62.70 million tons of oil, including 44.46 million tons at Russian refineries.

In 2008, as part of the implementation of the Strategic Development Program for 2008-2017, OAO LUKOIL created a new business sector, the Electric Power Industry. In addition to OAO YuGK TGK-8 acquired in 2008 and its own power plants at the fields in Russia, it also includes enterprises generating electricity and heat in Bulgaria, Romania and Ukraine. In 2009, the total electricity generation by sector organizations amounted to about 14.7 billion kW/h, and thermal energy generation - 16.9 million Gcal. In the long term, the Electricity business sector will become an important factor in the growth of the Company's cash flows and shareholder value.

As of the beginning of 2010, the Company's sales network covered 26 countries of the world, including Russia, neighboring countries and European countries (Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Hungary, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Serbia, Montenegro, Romania, Macedonia, Cyprus, Turkey, Belgium, Luxembourg, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina), as well as the United States, and consisted of 199 oil depot facilities with a total reservoir capacity of 3.13 million m3 and 6,620 gas stations ( including franchising).

The process of communications in OAO "LUKOIL" is very diverse and very peculiar. The purpose of both external and internal communications of OAO "LUKOIL" is the implementation of changes, the impact on activities in such a way as to achieve the prosperity of the enterprise.

2.2 External communications of OAO "Lukoil"

The management of OAO "LUKOIL" external communications is carried out very efficiently. This is evidenced by well-established contacts with segments of the external environment. Further, we will consider in more detail how OAO "LUKOIL" interacts with these segments.

Figure 1 - Scheme of external communications of OAO "Lukoil"

Relationships with partners B2 b)

Since the main activities of the company are the exploration and production of oil and gas, the production of petroleum products and petrochemical products, as well as the marketing of manufactured products, the main partners of the company are various companies, gas station networks, large oil and gas companies. The company's partners include the Indonesian oil company PERTAMINA, GAZPROM NEFT, KAMAZ OJSC, GAZ Group, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Russia, Stavrolen LLC, Qatar Petroleum, Novolipetsk Iron and Steel Works, Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, YuGK OJSC TGK-8", ConocoPhillips, "Severstal-Avto", "ADK", "DE BEERS" and many others.

Communications are carried out mainly on the acquisition of various types of products, such as tanks, means of transporting oil (railway tanks), means of transporting auto products (tanker trucks), equipment for drilling rigs for drilling wells in field development, vehicles, pipes for transporting oil and liquid petroleum products through oil pipelines and many others. etc. For example, the GAZ Group purchases vehicles, the Novolipetsk Metallurgical Plant supplies metal for the production of oil pipelines, as well as pipes for transporting oil and liquid petroleum products.

Relations with authorities B2 G).

Since the enterprises of the group belong to strategic sectors of the economy, this indicates the need for fairly strict regulation of their activities by the state. The state technical policy is focused on improving the economic and energy efficiency of all stages of production, transformation, distribution and use of energy resources; rejection of excessive centralization of energy supply with its approach to consumers; environmental and emergency safety of energy sources and reliability of energy supply to consumers; development of efficient technologies for the extraction and processing of hydrocarbon raw materials, etc. Since the company is subject to government regulation, it constantly fills out lengthy written reports in this regard. In its annual reports, the company provides information on finance and marketing, as well as details of its location, career opportunities, benefits, and more. Using lobbyists and making various contributions in favor of certain political groups, committees, the company is trying to influence the content of various laws and regulations. The activities of the company are constantly regulated by the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation. Also, the company cooperates with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Industry, the Government of the Russian Federation, the UN, etc.

Relations with third sector organizations ( B2 S).

OAO "LUKOIL" pays special attention to cooperation with non-profit organizations. "Given their ever-increasing role in solving a number of social problems, especially in the regions where the company operates, we are carefully studying their proposals for the participation of the company or its subsidiaries in social projects," says Igor Beketov. Social and charitable programs are part of the company's corporate strategy and help constructive cooperation with the state, business circles and society. In 1991, the LUKOIL fund was created. The Foundation provides charitable and sponsorship activities. The purpose of this fund is to support Russian culture and help in the organization and implementation of specific projects. Cultural support is a traditional area of ​​sponsorship and charity for large Russian companies. The peculiarity of partnership with these institutions lies in the fact that support is of a complex nature - it is not only pure sponsorship (financing of new productions, exhibitions, etc.), but also charitable assistance. The company's priority is to support classical art of various kinds. OAO "LUKOIL" provides support to a number of major domestic museums, among which is the State Museum of Fine Arts named after A.S. Pushkin, Moscow Kremlin Museums, State Russian Museum, Tretyakov Gallery. The company carries out various projects with Museums, theaters, sponsors sports events, and is also an official partner of the National Olympic Committee of Russia. Helping children is considered by the Company as its main priority, which is present in all ongoing programs: charitable, sponsorship, programs for the development of children's and youth sports, culture. An integral part of charitable activities is the participation of the company and its subsidiaries in the process of restoring religious traditions and spiritual culture. At the same time, OAO "LUKOIL" pays special attention to supporting those institutions whose activities include social service. The company considers helping children to be its main priority, which is present in all ongoing programs: charitable, sponsorship, programs for the development of children's and youth sports, culture. Social investments in human capital seem to be the most reasonable in modern conditions. The Company strives for a balanced approach, supporting both children who, due to unfavorable family conditions or health, find themselves in worse conditions than their peers, and children from well-to-do families, helping them develop their natural abilities and talents.

Thanks to this program, pupils from 60 orphanages, boarding schools, and organizations of disabled children receive assistance from the Company, its subsidiaries, and the LUKOIL Charitable Foundation. The company helps their graduates to get an education, improve their health, find a profession and find their place in life.

Every year, the LUKOIL Charitable Foundation organizes summer vacations for children from sponsored orphanages in Kirov, St. Petersburg, Staraya Ladoga, the Astrakhan Region and the Perm Territory. In addition, pupils of children's institutions make sightseeing trips around the country. So, the best students of orphanages in the Perm Territory, Astrakhan Region, Kstovo, Langepas, Kirov, St. Petersburg and St. Ladogi in January 2009 and 2010 spent the winter school holidays in Moscow. Since 2006, the LUKOIL Charitable Foundation has been paying nominal "Lukoil" scholarships to graduates of sponsored orphanages studying in higher and secondary educational institutions. As experience has shown, receiving a "Lukoil" scholarship increases the level of progress of graduates of orphanages.

The priority direction of the company's activity is caring for the younger generation and training young qualified specialists for the Russian oil industry. OAO "LUKOIL" provides support to a number of higher educational institutions, which train oil and gas specialists. Also, the company supports a number of the largest specialized medical research centers. Front-line oil workers, veterans of the Great Patriotic War and the labor front enjoy special attention and care of the company. Every year, on the eve of Victory Day, they receive cash benefits and gifts. The company also provides support to the families of servicemen who died in local conflicts. By supporting the disabled, the Company not only provides them with financial assistance, but also tries to help them solve material problems on their own and feel needed by society.

The company contributes to the development of the system of medical services in the regions of its presence. In particular, in 2008-2010. The company helped purchase expensive equipment for the Limanskaya (Astrakhan Region) Central District Hospital, the Astrakhan Children's City Clinical Hospital No. 1, the Ust-Tsilemskaya (Komi Republic) Central District Hospital, the Penza Regional Clinical Hospital, the Saratov 1st City Clinical Hospital. Yu.A. Gordeev, Novoburasskaya Central District Hospital of the Saratov Region, Bolshemurashkinskaya (Nizhny Novgorod Region) Central District Hospital, Children's City Hospital No. 1 in St. Petersburg.

Relations with information sector organizations ( B2 I).

These relations have numerous well-established ties with various media, including foreign ones. It should be noted that according to the results of 2008 the company is the most information open company of the year. It has its own press center, which transmits news information to other media sources. The Press Center publishes monthly publications, which include articles on the topics of new contracts, new types of products or services, signing agreements and cooperation. The company cooperates, as a rule, with major news agencies in Russia, such as INTERFAX, ITARTASS, RIA Novosti, Continental, Reuters. Also on the site of the company "Lukoil" are placed various interviews, speeches of representatives of the organization. For example, an interview with V.Yu. Alekperov (Chairman of the RSPP Committee on Energy Policy and Energy Efficiency, President of OAO Lukoil) in Rossiyskaya Gazeta, Vedomosti newspaper, Expert magazine, Kommersant newspaper.

A huge number of articles and notes about the activities and news of the company are placed daily in various search engines. Press conferences and briefings are systematically held for journalists, press releases and the history of the company are posted daily on the company's website.

Relationships with individuals B2 P).

The company communicates with existing potential customers through advertising and other promotion programs. In the field of public relations, priority is given to creating a certain image, the image of the company at the local, national and international level. The main clients of the company are people, electricity consumers, car owners, factories, various companies, airports, gas station networks. For example, a potential consumer of LUKOIL oils is Toyota Motor Manufacturing Russia.

JSC "LUKOIL" group of companies has its own Internet site, which displays in detail the activities of not only the head center, but also of all divisions in Russia. Here you can find information about the company, its mission, goals, objectives, history of the company from the first years of its existence, press releases, articles, news, publications of the company's press center, photo and video reports, as well as other information. The site gives a complete picture of the company's activities and its responsibility to society.

Thus, OAO "LUKOIL" pays great attention to the process of managing interaction with segments of the external environment.

2.3 Internal communications of the organization

Employees of the management apparatus participate in the communication processes in the company. This is a vital link between the manager and the organization, between the organization and the external environment, because in daily work the manager must use information from various available sources - superiors, subordinates, peers, customers, suppliers, media, etc. . After all, if people cannot share information, it is clear that they will not be able to work together, formulate goals and achieve them. However, communication is a complex process consisting of interdependent steps. Therefore, effective communications are necessary for the successful operation of OAO LUKOIL.

It is generally recognized that communications are of great importance for the success of a company. Thus, surveys have shown that 73% of American, 63% of British and 85% of Japanese leaders consider communication the main obstacle to achieving the effectiveness of their organizations. According to another survey of approximately 250,000 employees in 2,000 different companies, information sharing is one of the most difficult problems in organizations. Thus, these surveys have shown that ineffective communication is one of the main areas of concern.

Internal communications in the organization are carried out vertically and horizontally. Vertical communications are carried out both from superiors to subordinates, and in the form of feedback - from employees to superiors.

So, descending communications are carried out as follows: the management apparatus issues guidance documents that are delivered to subordinate levels and report on current tasks, recommended procedures through information letters and bulletins, regulatory documents, orders, written and oral instructions, reports, proposals and explanatory notes. Upstream communications also serve the function of alerting the top about what is being done at the lower levels. In this way, management learns about current or impending problems and suggests possible solutions to correct the situation. Also, this includes reporting documentation from divisions, from companies included in the main group, various reports on the economic condition of regional companies, as well as various petitions and awards.

The latest managerial innovation in bottom-up communications at LUKOIL is the creation of groups of workers who meet regularly to discuss and solve problems in production or customer service.

In addition to sharing information down and up, a company needs horizontal communication. Since the company consists of many departments, the exchange of information between them is necessary to coordinate tasks and actions. Since an organization is a system of interrelated elements, management ensures that specialized elements work together to move the company in the right direction. Regional sales managers meet periodically to discuss common problems, coordinate marketing strategies, and share product information. Key middle managers from manufacturing, marketing, and R&D meet to coordinate product innovation. Also, employees of the company communicate by phone and e-mail (e-mail).

Based on the underlying technology, companies can produce a variety of products, so it is extremely important to get information through the R&D department about what the market wants. This allows the company to remain close to the consumer and continue to meet their needs effectively. Additional benefits of horizontal communication are the formation of equal relations. Such relationships are an important component of employee satisfaction in the company.

Special trainings, seminars, meetings and conferences are held for the employees of the LUKOIL group of companies. Thanks to this, employees have the opportunity to gain new knowledge, communicate with colleagues from other cities and exchange professional experience, as well as organize an intensive information exchange between divisions of the group of companies. All of the above allows you to coordinate plans and schedules for the supply of raw materials, materials and semi-finished products, their processing and delivery of final products to the consumer.

The most important component of communication in an organization is the relationship between the leader and subordinates. These relationships constitute the main part of the communicative activity of the leader. Studies have shown that 2/3 of this activity is carried out between managers and managed. In addition to the exchange of information between the leader and subordinates, there is an exchange between the leader and his working group. Communication with the working group as a whole allows the leader to increase the effectiveness of the group's actions. Since all members of the group participate in the exchange, everyone has the opportunity to reflect on the new tasks and priorities of the department, how they should work together, about upcoming changes and their possible consequences for this and other departments, about recent problems and achievements, proposals for improvement .

The company's employees are the backbone of OAO LUKOIL's potential. Today, the staff consists of about 150 thousand specialists operating in more than 60 regions of Russia and 30 countries of the world on four continents. Given that it is the professionalism of employees and job satisfaction that are the basis of prosperity, the company has a personnel management policy. The main objective of the personnel management policy is to create such a personnel management system, in which OAO "LUKOIL" would have a stable status of "preferred employer" in the labor market.

Communication in this company is carried out both formally and informally.

Formal communications are also of great importance in the activities of OAO "LUKOIL". They reflect the connections necessary for the performance of functions and powers, the connections determined by the nature and system of distribution of functions.

Such communications exist in the form of a written message on paper, electronic media, fax and telephone. These include: instructions, orders, incentives, sanctions, orders, bulletin boards that post operational information, congratulations on holidays, photos of the best employees are posted.

These communications have certain advantages in that they can be stored as records and reference sources; they are often more elaborate than verbal communications and sometimes save both time and money. Such communications are used to carry out a huge amount of paper work when concluding transactions and agreements, setting out organizational charts and rules, drafting the charters of the LUKOIL group of companies and other legal documents, publishing bulletins, memorandums, drafting contracts and claims, advertising and press releases, a presentation of the course of action, delegation of authority, job descriptions and many other things. Such communications preserve documents for legal purposes.

Informal communications arise in the process of communication between employees of OAO "LUKOIL" on various interests: worldly, psychological, situational. These communications are not recorded in any organizational documents or official requirements. They play an important role in the activities of employees, determine the socio-psychological atmosphere of work. Employees communicate with each other through ICQ, as well as directly talking. Such communications contribute to the rapid and complete exchange of information. This includes instructions, congratulations, business communication, encouragement, reprimands, and rumors. But they in no way complicate the work of this organization, they do not distort the information received from the management apparatus.

Conclusions on the second chapter.

LUKOIL demonstrates socially responsible business conduct: it interacts constructively with stakeholders; knows how to conduct a dialogue with the authorities in the territories of presence, representatives of the public; the company's social policy is built into the company's overall business development strategy. Due to the fact that the company has introduced the principles of responsible business conduct into its business practices, it has an additional margin of safety, including at the moment in the context of the economic crisis. From the point of view of the sustainability of companies and the credibility of the external environment, such performance characteristics as corporate culture standards, management quality, cost efficiency in all key areas of the implemented corporate policy are becoming increasingly important.

High professionalism, well-established communications, innovation, developed corporate culture, care for young specialists, active social policy - all this ensures the guaranteed success of LUKOIL in all its activities and undertakings.

Conclusion

Communications are the most important component in the activity of any organization. This is the most important element in ensuring the effectiveness of its management. Almost everything leaders do to help an organization achieve its goals requires effective communication. According to research, managers spend 50 to 90% of their time on communications. This seems incredible, but it becomes understandable when you consider that the leader does this to fulfill their roles in interpersonal relationships, information flow and decision-making processes, not to mention the managerial functions of planning, organizing, motivating and controlling. Precisely because the exchange of information is built into all major types of management activities, communications are considered the link in the activities of the organization. We were able to observe this on the example of the analysis of communications of OAO "LUKOIL". We have considered the system of internal and external communications of the company. In general, it can be concluded that communications are established effectively and are functioning quite successfully.

In conclusion, we can say that the hypothesis posed at the beginning of the work was confirmed: the correct management of external and internal communications of the organization has a positive effect on the climate within the team, forms a positive opinion about the organization and helps to increase its publicity capital. Thus, the goal is achieved, the tasks are solved.

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