Change Communications

What skills do leaders need to use during change? Find out how to create meaning, focus and direction by helping employees move past the psychological stages of shock, delusion, anger and depression to the stages where they let go of their old ties and explore the possibilities of the new situation. by Marie Mosely, business psychologist

1. Use storytelling to create links
Stories help to create meaning in a chaotic world. People need some sense of predictability and stability, particularly when they’re going through restructures and transitions. Stories help staff to understand links between the past, present and future. They are universal and understood in all languages 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 they would like the story to end. Scenario building helps people to understand the challenges ahead. It creates relevance and meaning and links the past with the possible futures. It cuts through the day-to-day beliefs and assumptions that can blinker an organization and its people, and it creates a positive self-belief that, whatever happens, they can cope. It also helps people focus on how they might best use their time, effort, talents and skills.
Scenario building helps people to understand the challenges ahead.

3. Use internal communication effectively
Make sure that internal communication systems are as effective as they can be. Spending a lot of time and money on external communications is a waste if employees are demotivated and don’t know what’s happening or where the organization is going. They will either clam up or communicate in rumors.

4. Create discomfort
In order to move from our current state, we need 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 be motivated by both.
People change the way they are doing things for two reasons: inspiration or desperation.

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