What Comms Fragmentation Can Do to Trust

Structure sends signals. In an AI-driven attention economy, how a company organizes its communications function can sharpen its corporate narrative or splinter it - and this has big implications for trust both inside and outside an organization's walls.

Anne Green sits down with seasoned communications leader Chrissy Jones to unpack centralized and decentralized models, the real risk of fragmentation in a volatile reputation environment, and how a focus on communications structure and governance can help protect reputation in complex and regulated spaces. Chrissy shares thoughts on practical hybrid approaches that maintain a clear enterprise voice while building “local” agility. The discussion also gets beyond the surface on the “Comms need a seat at the table” discussion to focus on the bridges that prove strategic value.

In this episode:

• The pendulum swing between centralized and decentralized comms functions, and trends Anne and Chrissy are seeing today in sectors like pharmaceuticals
• Assessing and balancing potential pros and cons – including how decentralization can build subject matter expertise and speed gains yet can erode coherence, create duplication of efforts, and lead to a patchwork brand voice
• How a central system with embedded business units can scale trust, clarity, and accountability across the enterprise
• Simple moves you can make now, from cross-silo alignment and narrative hygiene to GEO implementation, to help key stakeholders and LLMs alike understand your story and build coherence in your narrative