The significance of sharing common goals with internal staff through internal branding. Exploring with examples.

"We just can't seem to hire good people..." "Talent doesn't stick around, and we keep losing our top performers." Many company executives and HR managers likely share these frustrations. For them, fostering shared goals with internal staff through inner branding could be the key to solving these issues. This article explores the significance of inner branding and the key points for its success.

Inner Branding: Aligning the Entire Organization Around Shared Goals

Inner branding refers to branding efforts directed internally within a company. In today's world where work styles are diversifying—with employees no longer staying at one company until retirement, but instead moving to new jobs, becoming freelancers, starting businesses, or taking on side gigs—it's crucial for companies to make both current staff and job seekers strongly feel, "I want to work for this company" in order to secure top talent. Inner branding is one method to achieve this. It involves activities aimed at sharing and instilling the company's goals, corporate philosophy, and brand value among internal staff.

"Inner Branding" vs. "Outer Branding"

When people generally think of "branding," they might imagine activities aimed at external audiences—consumers, customers, business partners, or job seekers—to communicate the appeal of the company or its products and enhance its image. This type of external branding is called "Outer Branding." In contrast, "Inner Branding" focuses on branding directed inward, toward the organization itself.

The difference lies in their purpose and methods. The primary goal of outer branding is to increase product sales or acquire new customers. Inner branding, however, aims to share the company's vision and values with its internal staff. If each employee takes pride in the company brand and the products/services it offers, they are more likely to confidently and proactively promote the company. Furthermore, deepening their attachment and trust in the company can boost motivation and improve performance. A workplace with many highly motivated employees may see higher staff retention rates and potentially attract more talented new hires.

While outer branding typically involves broad information dissemination through websites, mass media, and social media, inner branding primarily utilizes internal portal sites, emails, and company training as its main communication channels.

The importance of internal branding is increasing due to changes in work styles and the "visualization" of information

One reason inner branding has gained attention recently is the long-standing issue of labor shortages due to Japan's declining birthrate and aging population. Additionally, factors like corporate globalization, work-style reforms, and the normalization of remote work due to the COVID-19 pandemic have contributed. The diversification of work styles has led to problems such as "management's vision and goals struggling to permeate down to frontline staff" and "a decline in staff unity and sense of belonging." Consequently, there is now a growing need for internal branding to effectively share the company's vision with its staff.

The increased visibility into each company's internal workings cannot be ignored. While it was once rare for a company's internal affairs to be so transparently communicated to the public, services now exist where job seekers can provide information about their current employer to third parties to gain insights about their desired next employer. It's no exaggeration to say that information like evaluations of the company's management, the openness of communication, and salary levels are almost completely transparent. Services exist where job seekers share evaluations of companies they applied to and details of interview questions asked. Since today's job seekers actively exchange information using such services and various social media platforms, companies must first accept the reality that their internal reputation is largely transparent.

To succeed with internal branding, understanding the current situation and measuring effectiveness are crucial

So, how should inner branding actually be implemented? While there is no one-size-fits-all approach, the following process is one possible example:

1. Clarify the company's philosophy and goals
2. Assess how deeply these principles and goals are actually ingrained within the organization
3. Establish metrics and an implementation plan for measuring effectiveness
4. Implement necessary measures to achieve the goals
5. Measure and analyze the effects after implementation

First, it is essential to clearly define the corporate philosophy and goals that should permeate the entire organization. Then, it is necessary to understand the current state of how deeply these are ingrained within the organization through surveys, interviews, and other methods. Next, establish the goals and plans for internal branding, defining what means will be used and what outcomes are targeted. Establishing metrics for measuring effectiveness may also be effective for checking whether goals were achieved. For example, survey results from internal staff can serve as one clear indicator. Once these preparations are complete, specific measures are executed. After implementation, it is crucial to measure and analyze effectiveness, linking this to setting the next goals and planning more effective measures.

Representative Methods of Internal Branding

While there are various measures to instill corporate philosophy and goals, representative examples are listed below.

• Distribution of Credo Cards and Handbooks
• Information dissemination via internal portal sites, company newsletters, and internal social media
• Conducting events like training sessions and workshops

Credo cards are "cards containing the company's beliefs and behavioral guidelines." Distributing such cards or handbooks is one of the easiest measures to implement. Summarizing abstract philosophies and goals in short sentences makes them easier to understand for frontline staff. Furthermore, providing them in a compact, portable format like cards allows employees to refer to them anytime, facilitating easier permeation.

Repeatedly conveying messages from management through internal portals, newsletters, and internal social media is also a relatively easy and effective method for ensuring penetration. Furthermore, clearly expressing and communicating the vision through videos or posters is also effective.

Providing learning opportunities for staff through training sessions and workshops allows for direct, interactive communication. While labor-intensive, this approach can deliver messages strongly and reliably when executed well.

Key Points for Enhancing Organizational Strength: Lessons from Successful Inner Branding Cases

Finally, let's consider the key points for success based on examples from companies practicing internal branding.

Case Study: Major Cafe Chain Implements Behavioral Standards Without a Service Manual

A major coffee chain does not provide manuals for customer service or interactions. Instead, it encourages the initiative and creativity of its staff. In place of manuals, staff carry a booklet summarizing the behavioral standards expected of them as employees. They have also fostered a culture where, if a colleague notices someone acting in line with these standards, they write a message card highlighting the positive behavior and pass it to them. These initiatives promote shared values and boost motivation.

Major IT Company Case Study: Fostering Ownership Through Internal Communications

Major IT companies view "talented individuals as the most critical management resource in the internet industry." They actively work to create comfortable working environments and implement various measures to boost employee motivation. For example, they regularly hold company-wide meetings, cross-team sessions to brainstorm new ventures, and internal contests. They also invest heavily in creating internal newsletters and posters, aiming to clearly communicate management messages and the intent behind initiatives using catchy copy and impactful visuals. Furthermore, by actively featuring internal staff in these materials, the company aims to foster a sense of ownership among employees.

In both cases, the key point is not just delivering one-way messages from the company, but also encouraging internal staff to take action themselves and fostering a sense of ownership.

The True Significance of Sharing Goals with Staff Through Internal Branding

Reflecting on these examples, sharing goals with internal staff through inner branding not only enhances their satisfaction but also positions each individual as an ambassador who actively promotes the company. It's crucial for internal staff to articulate and share the company's philosophy, and even proactively communicate it externally.

Considering this, the very distinction between inner and outer branding may become an outdated concept. Moving forward, the prevailing view might align with the diagram above: "Strengthening inner branding ultimately leads to enhanced outer branding."

Engaging in inner branding increases staff satisfaction, transforming the content of external communications into more positive messages. The resulting outer branding heightens external interest in the company, promoting new recruitment opportunities and creating fresh chances for inner branding. This very cycle represents the true essence of corporate branding in the modern era.

Inner branding refers to branding efforts directed inward toward an organization, specifically initiatives to share and embed the vision and goals set by management with internal staff. Rather than simply conveying these messages unilaterally, eliciting employee understanding and resonance ultimately connects to outer branding. The era of compartmentalizing inner and outer branding is now a thing of the past. Moving forward, it seems necessary to consider more integrated branding while maintaining both perspectives.