Beyond Spin

Through the story of Silicon Graphics, this text demonstrates how corporate journalism can help companies weather sudden PR shocks and remain open, flexible, and innovative. It also describes the corporate communications system, strategy, and philosophy that helped the company face a major crisis. Engaging a knowledge workforce. Operating globally in Internet time. Protecting confidentiality and intellectual property in a boundaryless, networked world. How do can communications best serve the new business environment? Beyond Spin suggests that today's organizations can learn from the powerful role journalism has played in transforming societies from controlled political structures to democracies. Strategic corporate journalism is open, accurate, timely, and strategically weighted news. Organizational communicators are beginning to understand how damaging "spun" information can be to a knowledge workforce. Some have begun to blend journalism with corporate communication strategies and have seen organizational effectiveness improve as a result of the increased trust and credibility that combination can engender. In a fast-paced, engaging style, authors Markos Kounalakis, Drew Banks, and Kim Daus draw on personal experience with SGI to showcase strategic corporate journalism as the cornerstone of an internal communications model that company has used to keep employees informed throughout a traumatic business and cultural transition. The authors also highlight other companies--such as Microsoft, Arco, J.P. Morgan, and Qualcomm-to demonstrate how they have successfully integrated elements of corporate journalism into their communication practices. Beyond Spin is an indispensable guide that demonstrates how corporate journalism works strategically and tactically to help companies build an impassioned workforce, weather sudden shocks, manage constant change, and thrive in the long term. By retooling the content, distribution, and style of their communications, companies can create a continuous, credible flow of information and knowledge that keeps them aligned, nimble, innovative, and competitive.