Change Communications

Communication: bringing people together.

In French, I would say “communication, c’est mettre en relation.”

This could be extended to read “bringing people’s understanding and ideas together.”

For me, it is only once people in an organisation can inteact and exchange about their ideas and requirements (ie. communicate) that the organisation can start meeting its strategic objectives.

TOP FIVE TIPS: Helping employees adapt to change

The role of leaders during change is to create meaning, focus anddirection by explaining the company’s actions. The challenge for themis to help employees move past the psychological stages of shock,delusion, anger and depression to the stages where they let go oftheir old ties and explore the possibilities of the new situation.Business psychologist Marie Mosely outlines five possible tactics tofacilitate this:

1. Use storytelling to create links: Stories help to create meaning ina chaotic world. People need some sense of predictability andstability, particularly when they’re going through restructures andtransitions. Stories help staff to understand links between the past,present and future. They are universal and understood in alllanguages and by all cultures. They engage people and, if told well,create a positive anticipation for the future.

2. Build scenarios for the future: Get people thinking about how theywould like the story to end. Scenario building helps people tounderstand the challenges ahead. It creates relevance and meaning andlinks the past with the possible futures. It cuts through theday-to-day beliefs and assumptions that can blinker an organizationand its people, and it creates a positive self-belief that, whateverhappens, they can cope. It also helps people focus on how they mightbest use their time, effort, talents and skills.

3. Use internal communication effectively: Make sure that internalcommunication systems are as effective as they can be. Spending a lotof time and money on external communications is a waste if employeesare demotivated and don’t know what’s happening or where theorganization is going. They will either clam up or communicate inrumors.

4. Create discomfort: In order to move from our current state, weneed to create discomfort. Comfort creates acceptance and inaction.People change the way they are doing things for two reasons:inspiration or desperation. Leaders need to encourage staff to bemotivated by both.

5. Challenge successful models: Successful models are hard tochallenge but people often maintain the status quo with processes andprocedures that work now, when they should be thinking about what’s onthe horizon and how it will affect the business in the future.

This is an abstract from an article that first appeared in StrategicCommunication Management, Vol 7, Issue 4 (June/July 2003). To purchase a copy, visit: http://www.melcrum.com/cgi-bin/melcrum/eu_content.pl?docurl=pub%20scm%20home

Why communications are just as important as equipment in technology change

The Challenge

If your agency or business is involved in a major Information Communication Technology (ICT)upgrade, the last thing you want is staff circling the wagons and resisting the changes.

Yet getting the new hardware, software and cables in place may be the easy part of your job.The technical challenges may be daunting but the toughest part could be the people issues.

After two decades of constant change in the corporate world and many unfulfilled IT promises, staff are often wary or even cynical when management announces new ICT arrangements.

ICT upgrades are as much about communications as they are about engineering. It seems that changing mindsets, negotiating turf wars and telling staff what is happening are just as important as sourcing, buying and installing new systems.

Professional communicators warn of programs that will be stuck in second gear unless managers and project teams address the so-called ’soft’ people issues involved in a technology transition.

The Roller Coaster of Change

When employees face new technology they climb aboard a workplace roller coaster. At the top of the ride there is excitement at the prospect of a new system solving all their problems. Then comes the descent with the realisation that change is a complex process and cannot happen overnight. At the bottom of the ride there may be despair or cynicism until the climb upward begins and the new systems are installed and accepted.

For a major roll-out to succeed, a good communications plan needs to sit right in the same roller coaster trolley as a good network plan. It needs to be robust and thorough so it flattens out the highs and lows in people’s expectations and wins support for the new program.

Use the Power of Research

Successful staff communications begins with identifying all the groups in the organization with interests in the new arrangements. Upfront research is an invaluable investment because it will uncover competing objectives, unrealistic expectations, what information people need and how and when they should receive it.

On-line surveys are useful for identifying the opinions of overseas or remotely based staff while one on one interviews and focus groups are good at tapping into the mindset of high priority groups. But however you manage this research, collect information in a low key way to ally concerns and ensure expectations are not raised.

Key Elements for Successful Communication

A successful ICT communications plan has four key elements:

• The commitment of the person at the top.
• Persuasive messages that show how the new setup will lead to an improved organization and better outcomes for staff. These are just as important as the “what is happening” messages.
• A system for people to feed in their concerns so they do not feel threatened and a way to
  provide information closely linked to their concerns.
• Someone who is responsible for the plan. Even if you engage outside help, some-one in
  the organization needs to own the communications process.

Choosing Who to Tell

A logical place to kick off communications is to inform senior executives across the organization. These are the people who write the cheques, control the business processes and set the service standards.

And don’t forget to include the HR managers especially if the new arrangements lead to job changes.

The most important people however are not on the top floor but on the shop floor. They are the front line managers who oversee the business processes on a day to day basis, supervise employees and deal with clients. They are the hands-on people and they can make or break a change because they a re also the most credible and authoritative figures for everyone they deal with.

Their support is critical to a successful roll-out.

Tactics Tools and Tips

Communicating change will differ from organization to organization but proven techniques include:

• Recruiting and supporting influential people who can act as “change champions”. These will be the people who others turn to for comment or advice during the technology transition.
• Continually supporting front line managers, getting and using their input and arming them with information.
• Cascading project briefings throughout the organization at the start and offering regular
  updates.
• Providing simple materials that let people absorb the whole project at a glance.
• Posting information to the Intranet and, during the implementation phase, also including self help functions .
• Getting staff involved through demonstrations and case studies that illustrate how things
  will improve in future.
• Regular updates through e-mails, electronic and printed newsletters and staff magazines.
• Deploying an onsite help team to help people during the early stages of mplementation.

Succeeding in the End

You climb a mountain when you introduce new technology into your workplace. Everyone wants to arrive at the top fast, and enjoy the view of a better organization and smother work processes. To get there with your team and technology intact, effective communications must be part of the process from the base camp to the summit.

Copyright: Maine Street Marketing www.mainestreet.com.au