‘Forbes’ in a story on the value of internal communication puts forward five benefits of well organised systems. These are:
“1. Employee engagement—When team members feel equipped, they are more productive, happy and committed to [the] organization.
2. Healthy culture—Effective internal communications play a significant role in developing a common understanding of meaningful work, which is crucial for nurturing a healthy workplace culture.
3. Message and impact—With a proper internal communications system in place, leadership can quickly convey goals, best practices and important updates to staff.
4. Efficiency and effectiveness—Research shows that engaged team members work harder, operate more efficiently and reach organizational goals on time.
5. Reduced turnover rates—When staff members feel connected and valued, they experience higher job satisfaction and are less likely to leave.”[1]
Going deeper in each of the above would reveal the necessity for a company mindset that aligns with responsibility and accountability across all departments and operations. Moreover, the pursposeful interconnection of the latter through next-gen social intranets would profoundly cement these benefits for organisations in all five fields.
Technically, what makes these possible is the transformation of the traditional internal network into a social platform for engagement, collaboration and continuous learning.
In rapidly maturing digital markets, the so-called Enterprise Social Networks (ESNs) constitute the place where everything happens in the modern workplace. Threads replace chain mails, virtual teams save employees from fruitless and time-consuming meetings, chatrooms allow for instant collaboration.
Discussion on the benefits of ESNs is increasing. For instance, in a research article titled “Effective Use of Enterprise Social Networks for Knowledge Sharing in Organisations” a group of researchers interviewed employees from financial service organizations to find out how organizations can encourage the effective use of their ESN applications.[2]
These are some of the many functions of modern internal social networks that boost the employee experience and increase transparency and accountability. At the same time, they bridge the gap between generations cultivating an effective learning experience for all.
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[1] See “Building Strong Internal Communications”, by Rob Forrester, Forbes. Published Oct 18, 2023. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbescommunicationscouncil/2023/10/18/building-strong-internal-communications/
[2] See Rahman N. J, Subasinghage, M. & Singh, H. (2025) ‘Effective Use of Enterprise Social Networks for Knowledge Sharing in Organisations’. Knowledge and Process Management. John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Available at: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/kpm.70002
