A strong brand needs strong HR behind it

A new report, published today, has highlighted how an organisationís people management practices can significantly affect how its brand is perceived.

In reviewing existing management literature from a wide range of disciplines, the report explores the relationship between branding and people management and the importance of employee perceptions of the brand proposition and reputation.

Branding and People Management: Whatís in a Name? is published by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). Its authors, Dr. Graeme Martin and Professor Phillip Beaumont, use case studies of the Abbey National Group and Agilent Technologies to illustrate innovative steps taken by companies to maintain their brand position.

The authors have also identified four distinct stages of development in the relationship between branding and HR. In each, the policies are combined to varying levels and affect the overall strategy of the organisation accordingly:

* In stage one, branding is seen as a well-defined and protected signifier or logo for particular products, services or businesses, while HR plays little or no role in supporting the brand. This is more common among smaller, newer companies that do not necessarily see brands as embodying values.

* Companies in the second stage may have a master brand or logo but also place more emphasis on the vision and values behind it. The role of HR is to support those individual brands and highlight how they relate to employeesí values.

* In the third stage, companies can capitalise on the vision and values of a strong corporate brand to bring about organisational change, for example in bringing together previously disparate business operations.

HR supports this by designing programmes for change, while the brand provides a compelling employment proposition for staff as well as an identity for customers. However, these changes can be difficult to implement universally and usually require years to become fully embedded.

* When companies succeed at the third level they may move to the fourth. The corporate brand is now the centrepiece of the overall strategy and HR has a pivotal role in allowing employees to act as ëbrand ambassadorsí.

Graeme Martin comments: ìIt shouldnít be assumed that all companies progress along these stages in a linear fashion. Because of their own strategic context or time frame, many businesses find that the strategic practices that work best for them may not be the most ëhighly developedí, such as those organisations in Brewing and Financial Services that wish to retain strong product or individual line-of-business brands.

ìHowever, this report allows organisations to identify where they sit in these stages and develop their understanding of how branding and people management are combined. What is critical is to acknowledge that they can and should work together: a companyís HR practices support its branding proposition and vice versa.î

Branding and People Management: Whatís in a Name? (ISBN number 1843980118), is priced at 50.00 for non-members, 20.00 for CIPD members, on 0870 800 3366 or via the CIPD website