Governance Models for Communication in Statistical Institutions By Leon Østergaard, Statistics Denmark, [email protected] UNECE Work Session on Statistical Dissemination.

Governance Models for Communication in Statistical Institutions

By Leon Østergaard, Statistics Denmark, [email protected]

UNECE Work Sessionon Statistical Dissemination and Communication

13-15 May 2008, Geneva

Organizational issues in statistics

• Centralization• Data collection• IT governance• Human ressources• Etc.• Why not communication governance?

Why this lack of attention?

• Is communication unimportant?• Is there only one sensible way

to organize it?• Has everybody by intuition found

just that way?

My main argument:

• Communication governance may not be the result of a conscious choice

• But rather a result of the historical development of the organization

Development of communication

• from dissemination• from IT• from press office• from marketing• from human resources

Growing out of Dissemination

• Dissemination vs. communication?• An appendix to statistics…• … receiving low status• Professionals may be seen as a threat…• … resulting in conflict

General Director

Staff Staff

Statistics DepartmentStatistics Department Corporate Services

Statistics

Statistics

Statistics

Statistics

Statistics

IT

Communication

Administration

Human Resources

General Director

Corporate Services Corporate Services

Statistics DepartmentStatistics Department Communication

Statistics

Statistics

Statistics

Statistics

Statistics

Internet

Press

Publishing

Printing

General Director

Staff Staff

Statistics DepartmentStatistics Department Corporate Services

Statistics

Statistics

Statistics

Statistics

Statistics

IT

Economy

Administration

Human Resources

Dissemination

Growing out of IT

• Websites and databanks require IT skills

• Governance in the IT area allready well established

• IT professionals accepted - not necessarily communication pro’s

• Internet communication and dissemination may amalgamate later…

• … or continue as separate entities

General Director

Staff Staff

Statistics DepartmentStatistics Department Corporate Services

Statistics

Statistics

Statistics

Statistics

Statistics

IT

Dissemination

Administration

Human Resources

Internetcommunication

General Director

Staff Staff

Statistics DepartmentStatistics Department Corporate Services

Statistics

Statistics

Statistics

Statistics

Statistics

IT

Dissemination

Administration

Human Resources

Internetcommunication

Growing out of Press Office

• Oriented towards policy issues• Placed close to top management• Press Office may expand into other

fields of communication and grow big…• … or more likely: Dissemination will

develop elsewhere in the organization

General Director

Staff Press Office

Statistics DepartmentStatistics Department Corporate Services

Statistics

Statistics

Statistics

Statistics

Statistics

IT

Dissemination

Administration

Human Resources

General Director

Staff Press Office

Statistics DepartmentStatistics Department Corporate Services

Statistics

Statistics

Statistics

Statistics

Statistics

IT

Dissemination

Administration

Human Resources

Growing out of Marketing

• Only in commercial organizations• Marketing may expand into

other fields of communication…• …or the organization may develop

two (competing) divisions• Hardly encountered in NSI’s

General Director

Staff Staff

Statistics DepartmentStatistics Department Corporate Services

Statistics

Statistics

Statistics

Statistics

Statistics

IT

Marketing

Administration

Human Resources

XCommunication

General Director

Staff Communication

Statistics DepartmentStatistics Department Corporate Services

Statistics

Statistics

Statistics

Statistics

Statistics

IT

Marketing

Administration

Human Resources

Growing out of Human Resources

• Recognizes the need for internal communication

• May take responsibility for Intranet• HR professionals accepted - not

necessarily communication pro’s• Internal and external communication

may amalgamate…• …or continue as separate entities

General Director

Staff Staff

Statistics DepartmentStatistics Department Corporate Services

Statistics

Statistics

Statistics

Statistics

Statistics

IT

Externalcommunication

Administration

Human Resources Internal communication

General Director

Staff Staff

Statistics DepartmentStatistics Department Corporate Services

Statistics

Statistics

Statistics

Statistics

Statistics

IT

External communication

Administration

Human Resources

XInternalcommunication

”Centralized” communication?

• Overall responsibility placed with a single unit

• Actual communication operations may be very decentralized

Advantages of central responsibility

• Makes professionalism possible• …depending of course on

management support!• Diversified communication environment

possible• Bigger unit makes bigger projects

possible

Disadvantages of central responsibility

• Big unit with lots of operational activities…

• …hence not easy to place close to top management

• Compensation may be sought

Communication in the 21st Century

• Communication is taught in many educational programs

• Communication skills are required in many jobs

• Communication operations may be carried out at all levels of the organization…

• …leaving the Communication Division to concentrate on supervision, coaching and development