How has internal communication developed in Kazakhstan in recent years?

 

The arrival of modern internal communication techniques and approaches was slightly delayed in Kazakhstan compared to Europe or North America, starting only in the mid-1990s when many multinational companies entered the country. Even nowadays, one can notice a difference between foreign and local companies in that respect.

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Historically, the IC function in Kazakhstan sits within HR which led many people to believe that IC is an HR aspect of ‘keeping staff informed’ rather than a function of its own. However, over the past few years, the trend has been growing and people are grasping the idea of IC as an essential function. 

 

 

What do you currently see as the greatest challenges for internal communication in your world?

 

I have mainly been working in large industrial companies, often with a few thousand people. Taking that into account, the main challenge, in my view, lies in getting the message across to each one of them. In Soviet times, for example, the most widely used tool was cascading from top to down. In shops, workers often don’t have personal emails so a targeted email message from CEO or survey wouldn’t work. Therefore you have to decide how to balance modern (i.e. enterprise social network) and old (printed newsletter) approaches to engage your colleagues. In addition, I believe it is important to shift it to ‘down to top’ to establish and sustain a relevant communication channel from employees to the management.

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I have mainly been working in large industrial companies, often with a

few thousand people. Taking that into account, the main challenge,

in my view, lies in getting the message across to each one of them.

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What do you see as the biggest opportunities for internal communication to make a difference in the next year or two?

 

To me the main opportunity lies in grasping the latest communication platforms, such as enterprise social networks.