What are some strategies for communicating policy changes to your team?

Leadership is, at its core, about trust. Do not betray the trust of your team by attempting to mislead or “sugar-coat” the message. Tell the why, explain the expected outcome and solicit their support in making sure you achieve it. Today’s workforce is very well-educated and they can smell a lie or half-truth a mile away.

One thing I have found useful is to start by socializing the problem that you are trying to fix and then painting a picture of the future state. This helps gain support of the initiative at all levels.

First understand the policy so you have a handle on it yourself. Get all the details associated with it, anticipate all questions and concerns that may arise from your team. Map those questions to answers as guideline. Explain the rationale and goal, communicate it without sugar coating it or covering parts of it. Pause ask team for feedback, answer them honestly and if there are answers you do not have seek them and provide them back to the team. Follow up a couple of times on your team calls and ensure they are enforced correctly.

Probably good to consider the personalities in the team for communicating these changes. Some prefer the technical rationale behind the changes. And other team members prefer to hear the personal considerations that made these changes necessary. There is no one golden way to communicate with your team. It’s extra important to consider this when you have an international team.

Don't underestimate the work required to connect the dots for people... The bank had grown rapidly, hiring several hundred new analysts straight from university. The MD arranged a Christmas “Town Hall” meeting. But HQ had sent deadly boring PPT slides. The MD wanted to drop them, but knew that spies would report back. He tried to enthuse the crowd about the bank’s Core Tier 1 Capital Ratio, but 500 people flatlined before my eyes. Afterwards I asked them, “Hey! What did you think of the Core Tier 1 Capital Ratio?” Blank looks. You might object, “But people should be interested!” It wouldn’t help you much. Things that fascinate you can easily go over the heads of the uninitiated. It’s your job as leader to connect the dots.

The issues and solutions must be known and explained. The leadership team must lead by example. Policies are easy to change in writing, but very hard to change in culture. Every consideration must be made to ensure that the issues are truly experienced from the bottom up. The solutions must be meaningful to those who are experiencing the issues and the policy changes are accurately defining the solutions at every level. Most critical to policy changes is that every level of leadership must create and maintain new measures of process integrity. Adherence to the changes and integrity to the policing of them will result in healthy corporate cultural change. The goal is to create and maintain value for every level of human resource.

Selecting the appropriate communication channel is crucial when announcing policy alterations. Minor, clear-cut changes may only necessitate an email or memo, whereas significant, intricate modifications could require a detailed meeting or webinar to clarify the changes and address queries. It’s vital to choose a medium that aligns with the urgency, clarity, and interaction required by the change, ensuring it is both accessible and convenient for all team members, facilitating comprehension and smooth adaptation to the new policies.

There isn't a 'right channel' It will depend on the company culture, set-up (remote/office(s)/hybrid) and what tech they have. For anything other than the most minor change you need multiple channels and to repeat the message... constantly.

Involving the team in policy changes is essential. Soliciting feedback, addressing concerns, and allocating roles in the implementation process not only value team members' inputs but also build trust and facilitate smoother adaptation to new guidelines. This inclusive approach ensures that any potential issues are identified and resolved promptly, with adequate support and resources provided, reinforcing a collaborative and responsive organizational culture, and ensuring alignment and compliance with new organizational directives.

Involving your team in policy changes is vital for many reasons. It fosters a sense of ownership and commitment among team members, making them more likely to support and adhere to the new policies. In addition to that, their on-the-ground insights can identify potential pitfalls or areas of improvement that might otherwise be overlooked. Finally, it promotes a culture of collaboration and transparency, boosting morale and trust within the team. Ultimately, involving your team in policy changes leads to more effective, well-rounded decisions that benefit the organization as a whole.

Move from 'Push' to 'Pull'... Clients at one law firm wanted a new relationship with the lawyers. Instead of experts to ‘tell them the answer’, they wanted advisers who would work with them to solve problems. For many experienced partners this required a big shift in mindset and skills. Rather than ‘pushing’ the policy onto its partners, the firm created a situation where the partners could ‘pull’ the resources & support needed to make it work. A small central team curated materials and supported the partners to facilitate their own development meetings. As partners from different areas shared strategies, they found they learned from colleagues who faced similar challenges. The process created comprehension & ownership of the policy.

Consistent transparency is crucial to the process. This will not only increase credibility but also build trust. This item builds on the concept of explaining the rationale and sharing the why. Why the policy is changing helps the team realize the underlying factors, then as the leader displays transparency, the organization will trust the leaders direction and buy in will be achieved.

Maintaining consistency and transparency is fundamental when communicating policy changes. Immediate, clear, and contradiction-free communication is vital to avoid ambiguity and uncertainty. Honesty about the reasons, expectations, and implications of changes is crucial, precluding any concealment of motives. This approach fortifies trust and credibility, engendering an organizational culture of openness, accountability, and mutual respect, thereby aiding in the seamless integration of new organizational norms and standards.

MAKE SURE ROLE MODELS ARE FOLLOWING THE POLICY OR YOUR WORDS WILL BE WASTED... How do people decide what they think will happen to them? They watch for examples. That’s why it’s no use droning on about values if prominent managers are getting away with violating them. My bank's website tells me that one of their values is Integrity, which it describes in part as the willingness to “Challenge things I believe to be wrong and be open to challenge from others.” Yet the CEO tried to uncover the identity of a confidential whistle-blower. Although he clearly violated the company’s values, he got away with a fine. What message do employees believe? What you say, or what they SEE?

Post-communication of policy alterations, regular follow-up and reinforcement are pivotal. Monitoring progress and imparting timely feedback, acknowledgment, or corrections ensures the change is integrated efficiently. Reminders of the modifications and their advantages, coupled with reinforcement through training and coaching, are crucial. This continual reinforcement guarantees understanding and adherence to the new policies, ingraining them into the team’s routine and organizational culture, and ensuring sustained alignment with organizational objectives and values.

identify a universally shared pain point and find ways to highlight how these can be resolved within the scope of the policy changes. be human centric to receive the trust back that you extend to your valuable asset.

Clarity and careful timing are essential when communicating policy changes. Clear communication ensures team understanding, while timely announcements allow preparation. Unclear policies breed confusion and resistance, while abrupt changes disrupt workflow. Balancing clarity and timing fosters smoother policy transitions and team buy-in.

TRANSLATE MESSAGE FOR RANGE OF MOTIVATIONS... A global manufacturer introduced a “One Brand” ethos to support consistent processes. A single message wasn’t getting through. What would fire people up? ? In Mexico, it was COMMUNITY ? In China: MARKET NEED (packaging that was childproof but easy for seniors) ? In US: TECH (for engineers) & KNOW HOW (factory floor). How to reach everyone? ? In Mexico: “How do we make the plant a better place to work together?” ? China “How do we maintain the precision of the packaging so that children can’t open medicines but old people can?” ? US “You guys are the experts. How do we make the plant work better?” Same policy goals (conform to process, quality, on-time delivery) needed different messages.