A study by Baylor University finds that efforts to help employees understand and embrace a company's values, strategy and goals — ‘internal branding’ — are very important for competitiveness. Prominent companies that ‘walk the walk’ they advocate may help reduce turnover, improve performance.

Baylor Assistant Professor Marlene Neill says, “While many companies focus on making employees more customer service-minded, promoting core values is a way to engage employees and increase their commitment and loyalty to the organization and at the same time encourage ethical decision making.” She cites Ombuds (a confidential, informal, and neutral resource for workplace issues) as a way to promote worker buy-in along with codes of conduct, employee training, ethics audits, and other programs. The study is published in the August issue of the Research Journal of the Institute for Public Relations. (Baylor News;RJ-IPR Article.)