How can communicators and HR forge a more fruitful, less fraught partnership?
The two factions can ignore each other’s efforts and fume over ownership disputes—or become a complementary tandem. Here’s how to reduce aggravation and increase collaboration.
Did you know that “West Side Story” was originally about the heated rivalry between street gangs of communicators and human resources professionals?
That’s not true, but this much is true: Communicators and HR folks have an ongoing beef. It is a salty, simmering beef—a grudge forged in the fires of corporate ambiguity and inflamed by poorly drawn business boundaries and territorial disputes.
The warring worlds are so similar yet quite different. The old foes’ endeavors often overlap, resulting in mixed messaging, duplicated efforts and confusion regarding role responsibilities. And the beef goes on.
Do any of these scenarios sound familiar?
The fact that many communicators report to HR or sit in “their” department makes matters murkier. However, there are ways to mitigate these internal conflicts and stop corporate turf wars before they start. Perhaps more important, it’s possible to harness and harmonize the two departments’ strengths to create a complementary communication force.
Let’s review guidance on getting more collaboration and less aggravation.
How comms and HR can harmonize
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