Make it measurable! How internal communication can become a game-changer for your business success
We all know it: internal communication (IC) is crucial to a company’s success. Yet, it is often underestimated—even by those in charge. Strategies remain vague, goals unclear, and the impact of communication measures is rarely fully measured. Many IC teams act more as implementers rather than drivers of transformation and cultural change. But should that really be the case? Our answer is a resounding no!
Our thesis: Internal communication (IC) must think like a business. It’s not enough just to spread information. Communication measures must be strategically planned, aligned with business goals, and—most importantly—measurable. Only then can the contribution of IC truly be demonstrated.
In this blog post, we’ll show you how to make internal communication in your company not only more visible and measurable but also transform it into a game-changer for business success.
What’s going wrong? The missed opportunity of IC
The reality in many companies looks like this: IC is seen as a support function, tasked with “just” spreading a new strategy, process change, or company announcement. But without clear goals and measurable success, many measures fizzle out into nothing.
The result? Employees feel left out, important messages don’t get through, and ultimately, productivity and motivation drop.
Fact: According to a Gallup study, only 16% of employees in Germany are actively engaged. The rest? Either passive or completely disengaged. On the other hand, companies with a high proportion of engaged employees are 21% more productive. This presents a huge opportunity for IC!
Employee Engagement
Quick refresher: Employee engagement describes how connected employees feel to their company and how motivated they are to contribute to its success. It’s about how they think about the company, how they feel at work, and how driven they are to do their tasks. There are three levels:
Actively engaged: These employees are fully committed, feel connected to the company, and willingly give their best. They believe in the company's future and see themselves as part of it for the long term.
Not engaged (passive): They do their job, but that’s about it. There aren’t any major issues, but they’re not exactly enthusiastic either. If a better job offer came along, they’d likely switch.
Actively disengaged: This is where things get critical. These employees are dissatisfied or indifferent, and it shows. They make minimal effort and often spread negativity within the team.
In short: The more employees are truly motivated, the better the company performs!
The 5 levels of success measurement: How to make your IC measurable
To show the true value of IC, it’s not enough to rely on well-intentioned measures. You need a system that makes the success of IC structured and measurable—and that’s where the five levels of success measurement, as described by Alexander Buhmann and Sophia Volk in their research paper, come in:
1. Input:
The foundation of internal communication
The input level includes all resources that go into the planning and execution of internal communication measures. This includes budget, personnel resources, strategic goals, and time for creating measures.
Example
Your team has six employees with a combined 3.2 full-time equivalents available for an important project. The budget is €90,000 for tools, training, and campaigns.
2. Output:
What’s being communicated?
Outputs quantify the communication measures that were actually carried out and received. This could be intranet articles, training sessions, or events.
Example
You plan a series of intranet posts, videos, and training sessions to support the introduction of a new production process. These measures should reach at least 80% of the workforce.
3. Outtakes:
How do employees respond?
Outtakes measure how the target audience reacts to the communication measures. This includes interactions like likes, comments, event participation, or the use of digital tools.
Example
For the introduction of a new shift planning tool, you ensure that at least 90% of employees regularly use the tool after training.
4. Outcomes:
What does the communication achieve?
Outcomes capture the actual effects on employees: Have they changed their behavior? Do they know more? Are they more motivated?
Example
You measure behavior changes through surveys and feedback loops and find that employees now clearly understand how their daily work contributes to achieving company goals.
5. Impact:
The long-term value of IC
Impact refers to the long-term contribution that IC makes toward achieving company goals. This could be higher productivity, stronger employee retention, or an improved corporate culture.
Example
A year after introducing the new shift planning tool, productivity in production has increased by 5%, and employee satisfaction has improved.
Measuring and evaluating: The key to a successful business case
The right success measurement is the cornerstone of any good business case. But success measurement has two parts: measuring and evaluating. Measuring provides the data—the numbers and facts that show how successful your communication measures were.
Evaluation takes it a step further: It determines how effective the communication really was and what long-term benefits it brought to the company.
Fact: According to AXIOS HQ, employees lose up to 63 workdays annually due to inefficient communication. The cost? Up to €10,000 per employee—and even more for executives. Imagine if your IC could recover even a fraction of that lost time.
Step-by-step to a completed business case
Now it gets concrete: A good business case for IC shows how it directly contributes to achieving overarching business goals. Here’s the process for developing your business case:
1. Derive the impact from the business strategy
Start with the company’s strategic goals. What operational or strategic goals has management defined?
Example: At the fictional “Acme Inc.,” the goal is to increase production productivity by 5%. Your task as an IC pro is to communicate this goal clearly and motivatingly.
2. From impact to concrete outcomes
What needs to change in employees’ behavior or knowledge to achieve the goal? Set clear communication goals that target behavior change. Example: You want all employees to understand how their work affects productivity.
Beispiel: You want all employees to understand how their work affects productivity.
3. Define desired reactions and engagement (outtakes)
Think about how you can measure these behavior changes. What reactions show that the communication was successful?
Example: Participation rates in training or the use of digital shift planning tools.
4. Determine concrete communication measures as output
5. Set resources and planning as input
Finally, define the necessary resources. How many employees, what budget, and which tools are needed to implement the plan?
Example: You allocate €90,000 for tools and training and assign a team of six employees to the project.
Two approaches to the business case
There are two ways to structure your business case:
The realistic approach: Show what you can achieve with existing resources. This gives a realistic overview of which goals can be reached with current means.
The ambitious approach: Argue that additional resources are needed to fully achieve the business goals. Here, you show how additional investments in IC could significantly increase the impact.
The big rethink: Turning "nice to have" into a "must have"
Internal communication must stop being just “well-intended.”
It can and should be well-executed—and that means being business-driven, strategic, and measurable.
You’re not just a communicator; you’re a change driver.
IC can do so much more than just send emails. It’s the central nervous system of a company—it connects, informs, and inspires. Be bold, take the first step, and transform your IC from a “nice to have” into a real growth engine.
Because one thing is certain: successful communication starts from within—and is reflected in the success of the entire company.
P.S.: Our new e-book, "From Input to Impact – The Business Case for Internal Communication (IC)," offers you even more tips, best practices, and data for your communications business case.
Stay tuned if you want to completely rethink your IC! And if you’re ready to get specific, let’s chat. We’ll help you build a communications business case that will blow your stakeholders away.
Q&As
Why is it so important to make internal communication measurable?
Internal communication (IC) significantly contributes to business success by informing, motivating, and engaging employees in company goals. Often, the actual impact remains unclear because the effectiveness of measures isn’t tracked. By implementing structured success measurement, IC teams can demonstrate the value of their work and identify areas for improvement.
How can I measure the impact of internal communication in my company?
The five levels of success measurement offer a useful framework for evaluating the effectiveness of internal communication:
Input: Resources invested in communication efforts.
Output: Actions carried out, such as intranet articles or training sessions.
Outtakes: Employee reactions, like likes, comments, or event participation.
Outcomes: Changes in employee behavior or knowledge.
Impact: The long-term contribution to achieving business goals.
What can I do to make internal communication more visible in my company?
To make internal communication more visible, it’s essential to align communication measures with company strategy and set clear goals. Achieving measurable success by tracking employee reactions and behavior changes helps increase visibility. Additionally, positioning IC as a strategic partner within the company, rather than just an implementation function, strengthens its role.
.png)
Kommentarer