How do you make sure your Culture Change communication is consistent and coherent?

I agree: analysing all available data, lessons learned, talking to people from various teams and observing current culture climate cannot be underestimated. We can’t make an educated decision and propose any solutions without all facts, without knowing what did and didn’t work in the past!

Collect information from the stakeholder's themselves regarding the current culture. This needs to include what are the specific behaviors currently embedded in the culture. What they like and what they don't like. Be ready to reference the collection process (the fact that you did it) in your communications. It is very powerful messaging when your audience finds that you took the time to listen to them.

In my experience, a good appreciation of context, local perspective and insight is critical in crafting messages to better align with targeted audiences

Key supporters or influencers vary depending on the context of your communication strategy. 1. Recognized authorities in your field can lend credibility to your messaging and help position your brand 2. Celebrities and Public Figures: Influential personalities with a large following can amplify your message and reach a wider audience. 3. Customers and Advocates: Happy customers who share their experiences can influence others to trust and engage with your brand. 4. Industry Associations: Partnering with industry can help you tap into their established networks and gain access to their members. 5. Social Media Influencers: Individuals with a strong online presence and engaged followers can help promote your message on platforms

Becoming a participant not just an agent of the change is great tactic for gaining context. Persons inside organizations want to feel that heard and understood. Actively engaging with all levels of the staff that are undergoing change can provide insights that may not always float to the top of the leadership chain.

One of many obstacles, but a reoccurring one is the Be-Do-Gap, caused by misalignment of the practical vision and the organization‘s values. This gap, also called the integrity gap, needs constant and repetitive focus in a cultural change process. Most cases of failure of change can be resolved by tackling this gap.

In my experience a core messages should be easy to recall, evokes passion and be aligned with aspirations of targeted audiences

Also referred to as narrative leadership, stories and folklore helps in capturing and communicating hidden knowledge, insights and values. It is a powerful tool to stimulate creative thinking and appreciation multiple perspectives on on an issue or to discuss sensitive topics.

A cascading process of personal stakeholder stories is a wonderful intervention event. Sharing some personal vulnerability and learning from a leader that supports the need for culture change can be powerful. Example: Visualize a large employee conference where employee (after hearing the classic need for change message) go to break out rooms and craft personal messages / stories that reinforce the desired culture. Selected / volunteers then deliver these stories' on stage to the large conference.

The sharing of stories through lived experiences helps to build trust and commitment to the change ahead. I especially find stories of how leaders have dealt with symbols, processes and gossip that is working against the change can provide breakthroughs in addressing fears.

Appreciative Inquiry (AI) inspires change by involving people in creating the kind of organisation they want to belong to. Rather than focusing on what’s broken and trying to fix it, AI focuses us on what’s already working – on strengths. By exploring what’s working well, people immediately feel more confident and open to change. They’re able to generate ideas for improving their organisation. And because they’re involved, they own the solutions and are motivated to make them happen. It’s not about positive thinking - AI accepts there are problems. But with AI we choose to look at things from a different angle. ? It’s great team-building ? People feel heard ? People get to imagine a different future

When creating forums for feedback, whether through surveys or discussions, it is important to emphasise how you will use the data and create the right level of expectations. Are you using the input to develop your way of working, to address areas in need of development or to create internal engagement? And when you are launching polls and surveys, make sure that you quickly communicate the results and your next steps. This way, most employees feel encouraged to continue sharing their views and ideas.

Having common principles for the employee communications will help you be aligned in the dialogue. The leaders will understand their role in the internal communication, and it creates alignment in the change team, if everyone understands and commits to the agreed principles.

You have to create and constantly reinforce a strong way to create lasting change. A vital step in this process is aligning and empowering your stakeholders. If your stakeholders understand the why, they will ‘sell’ the desired change throughout the organisation. Humans follow the path of least resistance. Comfort is easier than change even when we know it’s not good for us. When your leaders are aligned to and empowered around the desired change they will communicate it in a way that convinces people the effort required for the change is more beneficial to them than the comfort found in resisting change.

Leaders are key however in my experience they abdicate their role in the change process except for communicating from their email account after the initial phase of information gathering and getting input to create all the plans, engagement strategy, communication plan etc. The change process then gets ‘handed over to the project team’ who drive the change & expect the employees to adopt it. For culture change to be successful leaders at the top must remain involved and model the change required. Changed behaviours at the top level are key success drivers. If they don’t then the guaranteed outcome is no to minimal change and a really long adoption process. In my experience Leaders at the top don’t stick it out & remain engaged long enough.

What I find useful is to design communication messages based on where the audience is on a change curve from awareness - buy-in-adoption. The focus is on moving people from just hearing the news, to believing and living it.

I think this article is very general and sounds very AI generated ..needs a unique touch of the author .. also regarding the trust building I believe it should be more profound and focus on how to build this trust to better contribute to the culture change

Making culture change messages align with your vision, values, and goals is like herding cats in a rainstorm. Define your vision, values, and goals. Plan your comms strategy meticulously. Stay consistent; no flip-flopping like a fish out of water. Ensure leaders walk the talk. Involve employees – it's a team dance. Customize messages for different audiences. Tell stories; don't just list values. Be transparent about why, how, and what's in it for all. Encourage two-way convo; don't be a monologue maestro. Measure progress; avoid blindly tap-dancing. Train and support employees on the cultural catwalk. Be flexible; culture change isn't a robot dance.

An employee involvement process in which the culture (both current and desired) is clarified in terms of specific measurable behaviors (observable actions). This provides great stakeholder involvement and also provides tangible / measurable actions that can feed your communication and also your human resources systems that must be aligned to support the culture change.

Identify roles and responsibilities for all stakeholders. Culture change doesn’t only involve those driving the change but even the employees themselves. Be very specific about what behaviours are linked to the change. Create some form of reward system that supports the change.

I believe it is also important to define the key principles that underpins your communication e.g. The principles that should guide all communication should be: Communication will be: inclusive and collaborative transparent and honest frequent and consistent The key goal for all communication should be: To obtain clarity, that is, everybody understands what we are trying to achieve