5 Tips to Communicate Organizational Change

In his recent article, 5 Tips to Communicate Organizational Change, Bernard Coleman writes, “Change is an opportunity, and the outlook is the mindset.”

He notes change is hard, but it doesn’t have to be if expectations and attitude are better managed. Bernard goes on to say that change is an inevitable constant and part of developing a mindset for accepting change comes down to how you prepare for and communicate those changes.

Here is a brief summary of his five tips for communicating organizational change:

  1. Provide the vision – Before launching a change management effort, establish a vision and implementation plan of where your organization is, where it’s going, and what it will mean for those impacted by the change.
  2. Who to tell first – The success of an organizational change is often predicated on who you start messaging with. Get buy-in as well as input from key stakeholders on the plan and vision. Start with the right audiences to attain strategic alignment and cascade it up and down the organization. Also, achieve alignment and glean critical input to help frame the messaging. These actions can help reduce unforced errors and other unintended consequences such as decreased employee morale or a loss of leadership credibility.
  3. Manage expectations – This is bedrock: Too often, plans are rolled out and timetables are committed to, but those impacted aren’t given a clear understanding of what will happen next. Being straight up with them is a form of respect and professional consideration, so let them know what is or isn’t going to happen. Recognize that different audiences may need different information. Too much may overwhelm, while too little may cause unneeded tension. Figure out your audiences – who needs to know what and when.
  4. The right messenger – It’s important to have a person who is trusted, an authority who can help lead the change as an effective messenger, because ineffective ones can undermine organizational change efforts. Multiple messengers may be needed for multiple audiences. As a leader, think about the people on the team who have the necessary credibility and leverage their leadership to cascade the message.
  5. Rinse, repeat, and reinforce – Some messages bear repeating, so complex organizational changes usually require multiple channels through which to communicate and reiterate the message. All audiences won’t hear or see the message the first, second, or even third time. Consider all channels that can be used to convey the message to effectively meet staff where they like to receive information. The primary goal of a successful organizational change effort is making sure the plurality of those impacted understand the message and how it impacts them. Second, it’s getting them to take action if any is required.

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