According to BDO Capital Advisors, “M&A activity in the BP&M industry is expected to remain strong throughout 2018, driven by low interest rates, strong industry fundamentals, and an abundance of debt and equity capital accessible by private equity and strategic acquirers."
 
Growth is desirable, but with it comes turmoil. New plants, products, people and processes are brought into the fold, and too often, the transition isn’t smooth. All technical and logistical challenges aside, there’s real risk of internal misalignment if “new people” joining the organization don’t have a strong understanding of (and a willingness to embrace) organizational values, vision and processes. Geographic and emotional divides become productivity killers, and both the bottom line and customer perceptions of the company suffer.
 
M&A activity is just one cause of upheaval in the building and construction industry. Changing regulatory paradigms, economic swings, labor shortages and leadership transitions can also cause uncertainty and rapid organizational shifts. With any of these changes comes a need to communicate clearly and effectively across the organization to maintain business continuity. And that isn’t always easy.
 
Better Communications = Better Business.
Whether working in the field, in a plant or at a desk, people doing drastically different tasks in different locations with different levels of knowledge all need to be aligned for the organization to function effectively. Achieving this is only possible by investing in internal communications programs strategically tailored to the organization’s needs.
 
Get started by:
 
1. Developing a baseline. Before you can address a communications challenge, you must understand how pervasive it is. You’re communicating with your diverse internal stakeholders now, but are you doing it effectively? What should various stakeholders know? Do they know it? Find out by executing an internal survey and establishing benchmarks to see what employees know and where gaps exist, as well as to gauge preferences.
 
2. Tailoring your communications. Put yourself in the shoes of each internal group that’s receiving your message, building out audience personas and crafting a strategy to reach them consistently with information they’ll consume. Remember that one communications channel isn’t going to be right for everyone, depending on what their daily realities and preferences look like. Then, establish hierarchies to prioritize your messaging, break through the clutter and better engage with each of these teams.
 
3. Working with experienced professionals. Encouraging alignment within an organization isn’t a matter of taking educated guesses at what will work. In an environment of constant change, you can’t necessarily afford to waste time. Work with experts who have been there before, helping building products manufacturers and other businesses sort through challenges and tweak their communications programs for maximum effectiveness. 
 
Your organization will never go far if you don’t have everyone moving in the same direction. Internal communications are a problem for many organizations, but it’s especially problematic for those facing the sort of challenges we’re seeing among building and construction firms. The sooner you start creating a strategy to reach internal stakeholders more effectively, the sooner your organization will start seeing tangible results—both inside and outside the business.
 
Don’t ignore the problem. But don’t try to tackle it alone either. Find a partner who’s been through these initiatives before to ensure you’re making the most of your investment in better communications.
 
Let us help you in the same way we’ve helped numerous other organizations revamp their internal communications. A lack of alignment won’t fix itself. Only proven strategy can do that. Contact me to start the discussion.