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Change Communication Strategies

6 important questions on Change Communication Strategies

Identify key elements in the change communication process.

Communication is not a soft topic but one that has a direct impact on organisational effectiveness and financial performance.

A well-known model for exchanging meaning as well as transmitting information:
1 transmitter codes a message
2 message is transmitted trough a chosen channel
3 receiver decodes message
4 depending on the channel, the receiver provides feedback.

A number of factors can interfere with this proces:
Perceptual filters
Noise
Wider context of organisation
Past history of the organisation on response to change communication.

Understand how language, gender, power and emotions can affect the change communication process.

Men and woman communicate in different ways:
women emphasize doubts and uncertainties and men display confidence and minimize concerns;
women ask more questions, which men can interpret as a comparative lack of knowledge.

Power differences:
The powerful may not whish to disclose information that could weaken their power;
The less powerful may not whish to disclose information that could be damaging to them.

Change managers must be alert to the significance of emotional responses to change proposals, using strategies for strengthening emotional commitment to change.

Understand the power of language in influencing responses to change proposals.

Because even informal conversations are powerful tools for exchanging meaning and influencing perceptions of change proposals, as well as ways of assessing responses, choice of language is critical.

There is clearly a need for coherence and for shared understanding in order to avoid confusion.

It is also appropriate to align choice of language and imagery with the type of change that is proposed.

Explain and asses appropriate strategies for communicating change.

There is no limit on the amount of communication when:
Information overload is avoided;
Communication proces is two-way (capturing and exploring concerns and ideas as well as transmitting information).

Buy-in is important because a lack increases the chance of failure.

Most effective strategie: underscore and explore
Less effective: spray and pray and withhold and uphold (because they are one-way)

Opinion leaders have a dominant role in communicating change.

Understand how successful communication processes vary with the type and stage of organisational change.

Communication should be tailored to the type of change:

Developmental change = widespread communication
Task driven & crisis = top down communication
Charismatic = top down with a personal tone
Significant change = wider range of communication
Simple change = narrower range of communication

The range of communication should be tailored to the stage of change:
Planning stage = logical and inspirational
Enabling = logical, inspirational and supportive
Launch = logical and commanding
Catalysing = inspirational and supportive
Maintenance = inspirational and supportive

Asses the utility of a range of different change communication channels, including applications of social media.

Information may vary in terms of information richness:
Handling many items of information simultaneously;
Rapid feedback;
Personal focus.

Information rich = complex non routine issues
Lean media = simple routine matters

Social media based on mobile technologies = information rich because it allows for two-way communication.

The question on the page originate from the summary of the following study material:

Managing Organizational Change A Multiple Perspectives Approach | 9781259255113 | Ian Palmer, et al

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