From insight to impact: Developing strategic communication with human-centred design in a public organisation

Abstract

In a rapidly changing operational environment, the role of corporate communication is evolving from a support service to a key strategic partner in achieving organisational goals and engaging stakeholders. To leverage this shift, communication departments must transform their practices and strengthen their internal positioning.

This research-oriented development process assists an international public sector organisation in enhancing its strategic communication. It examines the current state of impact-driven, evidence-based communication, identifies key challenges, and proposes collaborative solutions to reinforce the strategic role of external corporate communication.

Grounded in design thinking, the study employed service design methodology to implement a cohesive, human-centred design process based on the Double Diamond model. Qualitative methods, including preparatory research, contextual and in-depth interviews, work-along observation, and co-design workshops, were utilised. Affinity diagram and emotion coding were applied to generate insights from data.

In the study, strategic communication is defined as a co-creative process aligned with organisational goals and stakeholder expectations, encompassing four key stages: research, planning, implementation, and evaluation.

Key findings indicate that while the organisation has made progress in developing a strategic communication approach, further improvements are needed, particularly in audience research and evaluation. Establishing structured processes that incorporate qualitative methods, solid baselines, and meaningful reporting would enhance prioritisation and planning.

Collaboration, innovation, and co-creation are essential in modern strategic communication. The organisation can refine its ideation and information-sharing processes to proactively address challenges in an unpredictable environment. Additionally, applying design thinking and service design methods can enhance practices beyond this project, supporting stakeholder engagement and demonstrating the value of communication departments.

The findings are visualised in a gap analysis and a playbook for developing strategic communication in the public sector, ensuring that learnings are accessible and actionable for further discussion and rapid piloting.

This research contributes to a field with limited studies on corporate communication, particularly where design thinking is applied. It aims to help communication professionals enhance the impact and meaningfulness of their work.