IC AROUND THE WORLD
Views on internal communication from
Republic of Indonesia
Interview with
Linda Nihara Hayati Dalimonthe
Public Communication Analyst in Ministry of Communication and Information Technology
IC Around The World is a series of interviews with communication professionals from around the globe working in the field of internal communication.
They share their views on the practice of internal communication in their countries, and tell us who and what they are paying attention to in the world of IC.
How has internal communication developed in your country in recent years?
In the main, internal communications in organizations is driven by the leader. Indonesia is a country that is made up of many races and tribes, which makes internal communication here unique. It has its own tricks. Lately, many communication barriers have emerged between persona in the organization. This is in reaction to the increased ease of information flows locally and globally.
But having more communication barriers will lead to creativity in bridging them. Communication barriers include: employees who lack knowledge about project data and the overall programme, leader egos, insufficient skills using technology and tools, and pervasive bureaucracy.
Officially, in my organization, there’s no communication professionals working in internal communication. But as civil servants, we perform that role as needed as part of our duty. For example, this year we need to collaborate among provinces (within the department of Communication and Information Technology) across Indonesia, and I do that in my role as a public communication analyst, I have to design communication strategy to facilitate each province’s programme and address the needs of stakeholders.
Overall, internal communication is becoming more active, varied, and effective in its scope of work.
The greatest challenges for internal communication in my world are the lack of media and social media literacy, especially for beginners which can lead to lead to inappropriate speech and expression.
The ability of a person to properly understand the designation of information contained in mass media will greatly affect their mindset and point of view. If this is not achieved, then there will be mistakes in understanding the concept of a given communication and the associated transactional information.
In the internal activities of organizations that require consensus in making decisions, conflicts due to differences in the understanding and perception of program objectives will certainly disrupt the stability of internal communication, and ultimately, the project as well.
What do you currently see as the greatest challenges for internal communication in your world?
The greatest challenges for internal communication in my world are the lack of media and social media literacy, especially for beginners which can lead to lead to inappropriate speech and expression. The ability of a person to properly understand the designation of information contained in mass media will greatly affect their mindset and point of view. If this is not achieved, then there will be mistakes in understanding the concept of a given communication and the associated transactional information. In the internal activities of organizations that require consensus in making decisions, conflicts due to differences in the understanding and perception of program objectives will certainly disrupt the stability of internal communications, and ultimately, the project as well.
What do you see as the biggest opportunities for internal communication to make a difference in the next year or two?
The biggest opportunities for internal communication to make a difference in the next year or two will involve combining perspectives from different individual backgrounds so that a vision with the organization where we take shelter can emerge.
Doing so will stimulate creativity to develop interactive applications and drive the appropriate provision of information capture to markedly improve performance in organizations.
Indonesia is a country that is made up of many races and tribes, which makes internal communication here unique.
Conflicts due to differences in the understanding and perception of objectives will disrupt the stability of IC, and ultimately, the project too.
In the Republic of Indonesia, communication barriers include: employees who lack knowledge about project data and the overall programme, leader egos, insufficient skills using technology and tools, and pervasive bureaucracy.
ABOUT Linda Nihara Hayati Dalimonthe
I’m a public communication analyst in Ministry of Communication and Information Technology of the Republic Indonesia. My job description involves mapping out and drafting ministerial regulations on information and public communications. My current job responsibilities are to inventory, analyze, accommodate, and align the needs of the organization in the field of public information and communication in its derivatives to the region in accordance with the strategic plan of the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology of the Republic Indonesia. The results of my work activities are embodied in the form of Communication and Information Technology of the Republic Indonesia.
In advance I was a visiting communication lecturer at Universitas Bandar Lampung in one of Indonesia’s provinces.
What internal communication resources (website, conferences, associations) do you make the most use of?
I read the reference material from the journal “Science Communication” and other accredited journals. In addition I also read the rules and policies of other government-related communications.
Who are the internal comms experts and personalities you pay attention to the most?
Adrian Cropley, Kate Bradstreet, Lise Michaud, Paul Barton, Priya Bates
Have you came across a piece of data - a study/report/research/case study/article - that proves your bosses/clients the value of IC investment generally, or to support a particular tactic or initiative?
Not yet done these things, sorry. I just done self analysis about the scope of my work so far, doing personal analysis based on data from the office and the campus as reference materials to answer the question of the internal organization/field of work.