Communicating Change in an Organization

By Martin Hahn

Successful organizational change requires the use of effective change processes. Communication is the key component of such processes because organizational change relies on changing employee’s behavior. Organization development focuses on planned change and the systematic application of behavioral science to increase organizational effectiveness.

OBSTACLES OF COMMUNICATION CHANGES

The following factors are the obstacles for changes in an organization:

RESISTANCE

This happens, when employees meet any change with some level of resistance, therefore, plan for resistance. To accomplish this, identity and address the sources of resistance. Several ways to counteract and reduce employee resistance include education, communication, participation, support and negotiation.

INGRAINED HABITS

To obtain the fullest potentials benefits from change, employee’s attitudes and behaviors are a consideration. Instituting of a quality of work life process to bring employees into the decision making process and let them be active participants in change is helpful. Design a communications process that allows employees to participate in making decisions and solving potential problems.Identity and address employee stress related to the change process.

Here are 6 key things to keep in mind when planning, announcing, implementing, and communicating a change initiative.

1. Remember that there is no one perfect way to communicate change: Change is uncomfortable, and adapting to change is messy. The perfect Gantt chart does not a painless change experience make. Why? Because tasks are easy to list, but behavior and long held habits are not easy to change.It is good to gather information, solicit perspectives, and adapt the approaches for your organization and group.

2. Start by asking yourself what exactly is changing and why. Too many programs are heavy on the jargon and light on the substance of what the buzz phrases mean in the day-to-day reality of the organization people. There is a need to go the root of what you are trying to achieve from an organizational behavior perspective, and give the jargon life.

3. Know what results you want, ideally from the change initiative and the communication. There should be what is the call to action for the specific communication tactic? What systematic or operations change are under way that provide the framework for the desired results and behaviors.

4. Try as much as possible to include communication strategy: At the very beginning of the discussions about the change, on the strategic team from the start, too often communicators are involved after backlash is in full force, when the leaks and rumor mills are rampant.

5. Share information with employees: There is a real dilemma in public companies, where investor communication is a priority and employees hear about a merger or reorganization on their car radio while commuting to work. Once fear and insecurity are heightened, you waste a lot of time getting back to a place of order, understanding and productivity, and many people head for their desks to call employment recruiters.

6. Longevity: Remember that a change effort starts with the announcement or a merger or change initiative. Many leaders and managers underestimate the length of time required by a change cycle. That is why numerous reports indicate poor performance following many IPOs, Mergers, change initiatives, etc. Just has Rome been not built in a day, neither do people and organizations change in a week, or even a year. Think of it as changing some very ingrained habits.