Setting the scene for organizational communication

Katharina Auer sees internal communication as a function that should sit backstage, away from the spotlight, enabling collaboration, dialogue and the alignment of internal and external messages.

by Luke Dodd, features editor, Melcrum Ltd.

Some people begin their working lives with fixed career paths mapped out from an early age, which they rigidly stick to: not so Katharina Auer.

Internal communication is an enabler full stop. We shouldn't be on stage, no one should see us. We should be behind the curtain - having built the scenery and written the words.

A communicator for almost two decades, she has taken opportunities at a diverse range of organizations and establishments and believes this experience has readied her for the challenges she faces today as head of internal communications at Rio Tinto, a leading Fortune 500 mining company. Born in Minneapolis, USA, she was raised in Germany but relocated to the UK after leaving school. This international upbringing was further built upon when she moved to Nigeria and worked at the British and Canadian High Commissions.

Her foray in communication began when she returned to the UK and started work at an international healthcare provider. After a few years, another relocation was on the cards when she was asked to start up the group's corporate communication, brand and identity functions in Amsterdam. Following this, and further senior roles at GE European Equipment Finance, AstraZeneca and Shell, Auer joined Rio Tinto at the start of 2011, which has 77,000 employees in more than 40 countries.

Auer says each role has broadened her skills and knowledge and she maintains a real "passion" for communication. Business relies on employees collaborating, she believes, and internal communication should enable, not force, this. "I think internal communication is an enabler full stop. We shouldn't be on stage, no one should see us. We should be behind the curtain - having built the scenery and written the words. People don't want to hear from us, we're there to facilitate and enable those who wish to communicate and collaborate to do so, in the best possible way."

Structure and achievements
Based in Paddington, London, Rio Tinto's UK headquarters sit within an impressive modern building that boasts a vast periodic table fixed to the wall of the reception area - a nod to the organization's business mining metals and minerals.

Rio Tinto's organizational structure places internal communications and the brand, editorial and digital teams within the corporate communications practice, working closely with media relations, external affairs and investor relations. Auer firmly believes in internal communication partnering with other departments and keeping her ear to the ground. "Partnership is essential because I believe that most companies work in a matrix, so you have no reporting line. Therefore, the way to get things done is through collaborating with other departments, as well as listening and learning. There may be all sorts of excellent things going on that you aren't aware of, so you need to talk to people, listen, pick things up and share them with other parts of the business."

Her achievements at Rio Tinto have been numerous, despite her short tenure, and include introducing process and metrics/measurement, as well as a strategic approach to communication planning with internal stakeholders; and developing an internal communication index and scorecard using global employee survey data.

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This article was originally published in Strategic Communication Management.