At my quarterly workplace huddle earlier this year, a question was submitted in advance about the difference between internal communication vs organisational communication:
“I’m wondering how internal comms and organisational comms differ? I’d love to know your thoughts on this.”
I’ll be honest, I had to go and find out the difference because I’m not sure I’ve ever thought about the two distinct concepts and what they mean.
The question is more academic than practical, but the answer has a huge impact on what internal communication professionals are doing in their roles today, how the profession is shifting and why things feel a bit uncomfortable at the moment.
What is the difference between internal communication and organisational communication?
The difference is scope, intent and influence:
Internal communication is about the flow of information to and between employees within an organisation. The focus is on helping people understand strategy, change, and their role in the organisation’s success etc. Its focus is on informing, engaging and aligning employees.
Organisational communication is the entire system of communication within and around an organisation. It’s a more academic concept, and it includes internal communication, but it also includes informal networks, leadership behaviour, team dynamics, power structures and the way communication and culture are intertwined.
Internal communication focuses on channels and messages; organisational communication looks at how communication shapes, and is shaped by, the way organisations actually work.
And here in lies the challenge we face for the internal communication profession – we’ve started to take over organisational communication but, and it’s a big but, no one asked for this, and no one is upskilling in these areas to be able to do it.
What does the data tell us?
The internal comms industry is packed with reports and insights, and they are all starting to say the same thing – there is a gap. The gap is in what internal comms functions are doing, think they should be doing and what leaders need them to do – it’s messy.
The data and insight we have seen in the first half of 2026, shows this tension playing out in practice. We have reports telling internal communicators they should be involved in broad business challenges like how AI is being used to solve business problems. There is also research showing that 73% of internal communicators want to be strategic but only 18% actually are. Alongside this we see reports that 94% of internal comms teams feel respected alongside data that says only 30% can demonstrate business impact.
Something isn’t working. And it isn’t working because there is a messy merging of internal communication and organisational communication activities leaving stakeholders and organisational leaders confused about what an internal communication function is actually there to do.
What does internal communication mean today?
I started this article with an overview of internal communication and how it keeps employees informed and connected – helping them understand where the organisation is heading, what’s changing, and where they fit in.
For years, the definition of internal communication has had many variations, including my own which makes a distinction between internal communication as a function and internal communication inside the organisation – which now feels like a definition for the internal comms function, and organisational communication:
“Internal communication includes everything that gets said and shared inside an organisation. As a function, its role is to curate, enable and advise on best practice for organisations to communicate effectively, efficiently and in an engaging way.”
This is what internal communication teams need to be clear on – what is the purpose of your function?
And if you are operating at a senior level, you’re probably not doing internal communication anymore. That’s because you’re not managing intranets, creating content or campaigns or producing town halls. All of these things still happen, and they are internal communication, but they might not be what you’re doing if you’re working at a senior level.
What does this mean for the senior internal communication professionals?
I know from my own work with clients, people I coach and mentor and those who are part of my Senior IC Roundtable, that the skills we need at a senior level are more aligned to organisational communication than internal communication.
This is important because it means that internal communication, by definition, evolves into organisational communication at a senior level.
It’s much easier to stay in the comfort zone of channels, content and internal comms than it is to push the door open into organisational comms – but if we want to close that strategic gap (73% to 18%), then we need to do something differently.
If internal communicators are being told they have a responsibility to ensure AI tools are being used effectively in their organisation to ensure confidence in the future of the organisation – this is organisational comms, not internal comms. And I’m not sure that’s what an internal communications manager or executive should be looking at.
If people are struggling to be more strategic and demonstrate value, it’s because the value today at a senior level is in the broader sociological aspect of communication inside organisations, not just the channels and content.
What it really means is that to survive, internal communication at a senior level needs to become organisational communication – and accept that it’s different to the internal communication of channels, content and messaging.
This means stepping out of the comfort zone and learning more about systems thinking, behaviour change, organisational culture, power structures and more. Nearly all of this learning is in academic journals and books around sensemaking, etc., but it’s not about campaigns, storytelling and toolkits. All of those have a place, in internal communication, but if you’re operating at a senior level, it’s time to shift gears.
