Before offering a complete internal communications department of the future for your consideration, first, though, are three underlying assumptions:
(1) No longer can we afford to (only) cascade messages down from the top. Our organizations have become too complex and too slow to rely upon such an antiquated method. We need to be more nimble, transparent, and inclusive.
(2) As much as I might prefer face-to-face or print communication, those methods are too inefficient, costly, and slow for any organization above a certain size and geographic scope. Instead, Web and mobile technology allow for timely, multimedia, interactive communication without regard for rank, function, location, or tenure. Fortunately, our employees -- who have embraced consumer technology and social media in their personal lives -- expect similar approaches at work. I look forward to the day when every employee has a smartphone with access to the company network, enabling the employee to be both a consumer and a contributor -- anytime, anywhere.
(3) Even though I advocate a future where everyone is a communicator, communications professionals still have a pivotal role to play: helping others, throughout the organization, to become better communicators, and highlighting the best of employee contributions, while also reinforcing key messages around strategy and values. Such reinforcement aids in prioritization, so that scarce resources are more productive on the right things.