As the mornings get darker, it can be so easy to stay in bed just a little bit longer. Luckily, this Wednesday, we had the perfect reason to jump out of bed as we hosted our latest IC Leaders Breakfast!  

We were lucky enough to have Shalini Gupta, Head of Internal Communications at Arup, as our speaker, who also hosted us at the Arup offices. Armed with pastries, we were ready for the great of internal comms to dive deep into one of the most pressing organisational challenges of today.  

So what did we learn? 

Make it memorable 

In 2024, Shalini convinced her leadership to make the strategy document a lot more memorable.  She called it the Big 5, focused around 5 themes or pillars.  Over the course of the year, the impact of the Big 5 was incredible – and became a much-used and much-loved term within the organisation. 

Focus on ‘what’s in it for me?’ 

When 106 was working with Shalini and the Arup leadership earlier this year on the development of the five-year strategy, a big focus was to pivot the strategy from a series of commitments, to show what it means for all colleagues whether client facing or not.  This way everyone can understand what it means for them, and how they can get involved.   

Showcase relevant projects  

An organisation’s strategy is never about a whole new set of objectives and tactics; it builds on what the business does well and where it needs to improve and outperform the competition.  For the Arup strategy, Shalini emphasised the importance of showcasing relevant and representative case studies from across the region.  This way, companies can celebrate what the organisation is doing well, and how people are already making an impact in the right way. 

Launch with impact 

When it came to the rollout, 100 leaders were given the brief. They understood the narrative for the global strategy, were given the toolkit, key messaging, and tips for delivering, as well as storytelling prompts. However, this framework was not overly prescriptive to give leaders the opportunity to understand the direction and phrase it in their own words for increased authenticity.  

For the next layer of the organisation, namely line managers, there were at least 300 people to educate and inform so a different approach was needed. Overarching ideas and talking points were given, allowing them to fold it into their monthly packs that they already received.  

Embed and embody  

A big aspect of creating a lasting narrative was in the visibility and impact through human stories. For Arup, this has meant platforming colleagues from all teams and geographies, from early to mid-career and senior level, to share how they bring the strategy to life in their day to day at townhalls and in other comms. It shows how the strategy is embodied in the work of individuals and teams, and goes further to embed it in the organisation.   

Think global and local 

When navigating a global project, localisation still had to be prized. Representation and visibility were incredibly important in spotlighting different ways of working.  

Shared accountability 

Leaders and colleagues outside of comms can hide behind straplines because they’re easy but not meaningful. Oftentimes, comms was left to land the global strategy and had no support from upper management.   

Strategic redirections, even if the right call, can have an unspoken negativity about them. The linchpin was in creating a shared accountability for the strategy because development of narrative can only really reach people if done in collaboration with other departments.  

Think long term 

Continuous activation – celebrating your wins and placing your strategy in real time keeps the momentum and pushes engagement and motivation.  

Success metrics and landmarks are vital in demonstrating ongoing progress.  Arup collect stories from people on the ground to showcase the diversity and impact across the business. One way to do so was through ‘Winning Wednesdays’ an initiative that highlighted successes all together on a Wednesday, both big and small.   

Thanks again to Shalini Gupta for leading the discussion and hosting the session – and do get in touch if you’d like to come along to one of our future sessions.