Siemens AG is a global technology company headquartered in Munich and Berlin. It maintains a global
workforce of 360,000 employees. It operates in nine business segments: power and gas; wind power and
renewables; energy management; building technologies; mobility; digital factory; process industries and
drives; healthineers; and financial services. The company’s product categories include: automation,
building technologies, drive technology, healthcare, mobility, energy, financing, consumer products, and
services. Its services categories include industry services, energy services, healthcare services, rail and
road solutions services, logistics and airport solutions services, home appliances services, and building
technologies services. The mission at Siemens is simply: “We make real what matters.” The corporate
culture emphasizes ownership, with every employee taking personal responsibility for the success of the
company.
In order to achieve its mission and vision, Siemens invests significant resources to support internal
communication processes to keep its workforce “in the loop” and “on the same page.” The formal
objective of Siemens’s internal communication systems is: “To foster engagement while helping
employees understand the company’s business objectives and how they fit into them.” Siemens believes
in the importance of involving employees in the communication process by asking them to view
themselves as ambassadors for the company. Online communications are kept as new and up to date as
possible for employees. This is possible due to a dedicated online communications team that works to
refresh content on a regular basis. The company also utilizes social media options so that employees can
comment on content posted on the company’s website and provide ratings and other feedback to the
company. It also includes a polling function so that the company can assess employee attitudes regarding
various issues.
Siemens has integrated an application called Yammer that is used by employees to have ongoing
conversations about workplace issues online. It is also a useful tool for sharing information about these
issues with employees. In order to add in another dimension to the communications, Siemens posts
videos and blogging platforms so that users can be alerted when new stories are posted. Executives have
also started using the blog feature on the website to communicate with the workforce about issues and
changes and to get feedback from them.
The company publishes a monthly global magazine called Siemens World, with each region receiving its
own edition. In North America, employees receive a division-specific version of Siemens World. This
publication includes articles about various corporate programs and events.
Discussion Questions:
1. How does the Siemens communication system support upward, downward, and horizontal
communication?
2. How does the Siemens communication system reflect the implementation of the interpersonal
communication process model?
3. How does the Siemens communication system support feedback?
4. What types of barriers to effective communication does the Siemens communication system
attempt to eliminate or minimize?
5. In your opinion, is it a good or bad idea to give employees the ability to poll, rate, and discuss
company issues via social media? Does this transparency help or hurt the company’s culture and
reputation?
