By Mary Hills, ABC, Six Sigma
If you asked an IABC member what the Global Standard was four years ago, they might have said, “Isn’t that about being accredited, an ABC?” And, that would have been somewhat right. However, even four years ago, the Global Standard referred to the use of the strategic communication management process when practicing organizational communication. Those practitioners that exemplified this competency in their practice went through the accreditation process to earn the ABC designation. But just as all things and disciplines evolve, the Global Standard grew in 2012 to include a shared career purpose with six guiding principles for communication professionals around the world known as the Global Standard for the Communication Professional. (Global Standard)
Based on independent, third-party global research, the Global Standard presents a shared career purpose among practitioners – our purpose is to represent the voice and conscience of the organization to its many and diverse stakeholders. The six guiding principles – ethics, context, analysis, strategy, consistency and engagement – provide the foundation for the way competent work is done in diverse cultures and in organizations of all types and sizes around the world. This Global Standard refresh aligns with the current state of the industry and truly is THE Global Standard for the Communication Professional.
Career delineation has also been mapped with career paths defined as Foundation, Generalist/Specialist, Strategic Advisor and Business Leader. Development of a refreshed IABC certification, currently underway, rests in the Strategic Advisor level when practitioners have built and developed competencies to serve as an advisor/counselor to an organization’s leadership.
The Global Standard has grown into an amazing foundation for professionals to use knowing it is a benchmark for a global organizational communication practice. Is it the base for your practice?
Next up: Body of Knowledge, Terms and the Global Standard