The Challenge

GlobalSantaFe, one of the country’s largest offshore drilling companies, was swimming in a sea of change. Regulatory requirements, financial markets and customer expectations all were changing and, coupled with the merger three years earlier between Global Marine and Santa Fe International, a series of executive management changes and cost reduction efforts and other issues were driving communication concerns.

The absence of employee communications through this period of significant changes created a void that was filled by rumor and speculation, resulting in a climate of mistrust. GlobalSantaFe’s leaders recognized the need for an internal communications program to help them establish the company’s new identity, voice and culture with employees. They hired a new senior-level communications pro to create an internal communications program. With just a three-person staff and a lot of communications ground to recover, GlobalSantaFe needed an experienced brand-marketing firm to help develop a change management communications program. What’s more, with employees located in remote regions of the world and working shifts, redundant communications and paths were critical.

The BrandExtract Solution

GlobalSantaFe knew its internal communications program should drive customer focus and cost-effectiveness and optimize performance. After an initial communications assessment, BrandExtract — in collaboration with GlobalSantaFe — identified 100 topics as employee concerns, and 30 of those linked directly to key initiatives. Management was briefed on the top perceptions and trends running through the company rumor mill.

The new program needed to reduce the communications demands on managers, address misperceptions, strengthen positive perceptions, and encourage knowledge transfer. Communications gaps were identified, such as that 80 percent of the workforce did not have e-mail access and the intranet was outdated.

BrandExtract framed its findings into nine types of required communications with 12 messages targeted to eight geographies and recommended a framework for these communications.

Throughout the project, BrandExtract collaborated with GlobalSantaFe, serving as a flexible and strategic extension of the company’s internal team. BrandExtract worked closely to help move the new communications plan and its deliverables through 12 layers of management, located in regional offices around the world, and out to employees on rotating shifts on offshore rigs.

The Results

One year after the launch of its new internal communications program, GlobalSantaFe employees were surveyed and nearly 70 percent said communications had improved. Nearly 80 percent said the new communications program helped them better understand the company and its business goals and 72 percent wanted even more communication.

Less than two years after the launch, when GlobalSantaFe merged with Transocean, BrandExtract’s highly successful program was updated and expanded to communicate with the merged company’s 20,000 employees worldwide.

Deliverables

BrandExtract helped GlobalSantaFe identify nine types of required communications with 12 messages targeted to eight geographies and recommended a framework for these communications that included:

• Internal brand campaign
• Communications consulting
• Assessment training
• Copywriting
• Graphic design
• Intranet site
• E-newsletters
• Brochures

“Simply ‘handing off’ program development to an outside agency was not practical — I needed senior-level pros with experience who both complemented and extended my own, were willing to join me as a collaborative team through a limited but intense period of strategic evaluation and program development — and BrandExtract delivered.”

—Jeff Awalt
Senior Manager of Corporate Communications
GlobalSantaFe