What Are Change Management Communications?
Change is an inevitable aspect of an evolving company. Change leads to growth, which is often uncomfortable, and hence, any new initiative is likely to face obstacles during its implementation, no matter how good it might be for the overall company.
So, how can you get your employees to share the same enthusiasm?
Communication is the key. While implementing change, companies usually focus too much on logistics, instead of focussing on building a solid communications strategy.
Any change management initiative needs to be clearly understood and supported in order for it to be successful, and without a solid strategy, will be destined to fail.
Change leads to growth, which is often uncomfortable, and hence, any new initiative is likely to face obstacles during its implementation, no matter how good it might be for the overall company.
So, how can you get your company employees to share the same enthusiasm?
Why Are Change Management Communications Important?
The adoption of change depends on the cooperation of the ones affected by it. You can only get people on board with the growth plan when they understand the purpose of the change, in its entirety. As mentioned above, change is challenging. Resistance and emotional reactions to change are frustrating to deal with, but you cannot simply order your employees to be enthusiastic about it. They need to be provided with the resources and complete picture about the changes ahead.
Change management communication is –
- An indispensable component of building awareness and supporting organizational change.
- Helps stakeholders comprehend what is changing, the reason behind it, and how it will specifically affect them.
- Delivers information and materials in time to support key milestones, ensuring that the stakeholders receive information about what’s important to them, and provides a mechanism to share their valuable feedback and ask questions.
Emotional reactions to change are frustrating to deal with, so, the organization needs to show the brighter side of the picture.
Best Practices For Effective Change Management Communications
Here are a few tips to establish effective change management communications within your workforce during change initiatives:
Communicate Clearly, Early, And Often – Sudden change is jarring, so be very specific right from the beginning. Your employees shouldn’t feel the need to dig for details; offer them voluntarily, early, and often –
- What is the change?
- When will the change take effect?
- Why is the change needed?
- Who will the change affect?
- Who will be responsible for carrying it out?
- Where will the change happen? – could be a physical location, such as office branches, or a specific process such as switching online meetings from one platform to another.
Communicate Through The Right People – Employees prefer hearing about change directly through their supervisors or the changemakers. Thorough change management communication requires preparing the people of the organization to be advocates for change, including supervisors, and managers communicating with their respective teams.
The desire and enthusiasm for change must trickle down so that each department and each level of management has someone communicating directly with those affected.
If the purpose of the change hasn’t clearly and fully been explained to managers and supervisors, the conversation regarding change would take place without confidence, and the employees wouldn’t trust someone who is shaky and not convinced.
Leverage Multiple Channels For Communication – Don’t rely on a single medium to communicate with your employees about the new change/s. Everyone has different communication styles, and preferences, which makes it important to leverage different channels that their employees respond to best. Each channel has its strengths and weaknesses.
- Email & Newsletters — Email is a great for providing highlights, however, while trying to clear their inbox, people tend to skim over details, making them unlikely to fully comprehend, and hence support the change.
- Videos and blogs — Communication through explainer videos, in-depth blogs, and collaborative tools could be creative, and hence interesting. It ensures that employees have numerous chances to ask questions and learn about the change.
- Collaborative tools such as Slack and Town Halls — Set up a Slack channel or an internal Town Hall dedicated solely to the change. Regularly post content that guides the employees to engage with, and learn the particulars of the change.
Leveraging multiple channels increases exposure to the information, and better coverage leads to better comprehension. All changes will be met with a variety of questions, so be prepared with appropriate responses.
Prepare For Resistance – As your employees work their way through their emotional reactions, you must be ready to walk them through the entire process, with sensitivity and respect. By simply announcing the changes, the employees could be in denial regarding the execution of the plan, and hence, put no effort into even considering the change. Communicating with compassion and respect will help you navigate through the resistance.
Consider Their Concerns – Communication and decision-making is a two-way street. You may believe you’ve designed an effective change implementation process, however, if you aren’t considering the needs and perspectives of those that would be affected the most by the changes, you’ve already failed, miserably.
The negative effect of poor change management communication won’t just change the process; but also spread to the other areas of the business. It’s possible to remain firm in your decision to bring the required changes, while still allowing those affected by the change to weigh in on the implementation process. Use any, and as many channels as possible to gather employee feedback –
- Meetings – Especially in case of smaller groups so that you can answer the “What’s In It For Me” and “What Does It Mean To Me” by the employees.
- Online chats or Town Halls – encourage group discussions to address concerns.
- Surveys during the transition – check on how employees respond to the change, throughout the process.
- Build a Cadre of Change Advocates – Your change-ready employees could be influencers and help others manage through the transition. Find a group of internal change-agents and have them help others. Allowing your employees to influence the implementation of the change, is a great way to increase their enthusiasm and commitment to it.
Remember, the same destination can often be reached via multiple routes.
Check out the tips to establish effective change management communication with your workforce during change projects.
Now it’s time to prepare your communication strategy
Communication with those affected by a new change is crucial in order to encourage comprehension and acceptance. It is also important to have a robust change management communication strategy before rolling out any initiative. Decide on how you want to announce and support the change, and be ready to execute it with tools, and channels for discussions. You should be prepared to give clear and confident explanations regarding the advantages for those affected by it, and of course, be open to feedback throughout the process.
Need help implementing change? Brandemix – the best employer branding and advertising agency in New York enables business managers to make change programs a success by providing users with interactive, contextual, and real-time digital guidance on the transition.
Need help implementing change? Be prepared to give clear and confident explanations regarding the advantages for those affected by it, and of course, be open to feedback throughout the process.
FAQs
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What are Change Management Communications?
Change leads to growth, which is often uncomfortable, and hence, likely to face obstacles during its implementation. Change management communications is a systematic framework initiated to help your employees share the same enthusiasm for what’s to come.
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Why is Change Management Communication important?
Change is challenging. Resistance and emotional reactions to change are frustrating to deal with, but you cannot simply order your employees to be enthusiastic about it. They need to be provided with the resources and complete picture about the changes ahead.
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What are the effective ways to ensure Change Management Communication?
- Communicate clearly, early, and often
- Through the right people
- Via multiple channels
- Prepare for resistance
- Consider their concerns
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How can Brandemix help?
Brandemix – the best employer branding and advertising agency in New York enables business managers to make change management communications and programs a success by providing users with interactive, contextual, and real-time digital guidance on the transition.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jody Ordioni is the author of “The Talent Brand.” In her role as Founder and Chief Brand Officer of Brandemix, she leads the firm in creating brand-aligned talent communications that connect employees to cultures, companies, and business goals. She engages with HR professionals and corporate teams on how to build and promote talent brands, and implement best-practice talent acquisition and engagement strategies across all media and platforms. She has been named a "recruitment thought leader to follow" and her mission is to integrate marketing, human resources, internal communications, and social media to foster a seamless brand experience through the employee lifecycle.
