Change Management 101 | Make it Inclusive and Real
Aniisu K Verghese Ph.D.
I help organisations, leaders and teams to communicate with clarity, connect employees to the purpose, enhance reputations, and embrace change | Author | Speaker | Global Expert | Australia based | NDIS Worker Clerance
Change and transformation are inevitable parts of organizational life. However, making these changes real and inclusive can be a daunting task without effective communication. Effective communication plays a crucial role in ensuring that change is not only implemented but also sustained and embraced by all stakeholders. However, when communication is reduced to a checkbox element that management wants completed to go live, change and transformation fail miserably.??
This we discovered in the case study I shared last week - ‘Whose Change is it Anyway?’ . As the CEO wondered why there was a lack of participation, the team felt they had done everything to get the message out there. The CEO probably didn’t realize that she had a key role to play as a sponsor to ensure staff saw the initiative as important. Not everything can get pushed down the line for others to implement when there is limited acceptance and ownership at the top with change management. Thanks to all my readers who pitched in with their recommendations and insights on the core issues preventing change from landing well.? A callout to Kapil Tiwari, Liam FitzPatrick , Sinjini Guha Thakurta , Annabel Dunstan , Marie Irgens Jacobsen and Paul Egen-Carter.
Building trust and reputation?
Communication is a critical component of change management and is often the determining factor between success and failure. Organizations that communicated their vision and strategy effectively were more successful in implementing change compared to those that did not. Effective communication helps to build trust and credibility, which are essential for gaining support and buy-in from stakeholders.?
With nearly 90% of organizations reporting planned change programs in 2023, it’s safe to say that change communication is a basic requirement for organizations of all sizes, not to mention a must-have skill for internal communicators — yet it remains a huge weakness across the board. According to the Gallagher State of the Sector 2023 report, 58% fail to articulate a clear change narrative or design a consistent calendar of activities. ?
Understanding and Tackling Change Barriers ?
However, there are barriers to change, and communication is crucial to overcoming them.?
?Key among them is, change fatigue. In a Gartner study among HR leaders, 54% percent of the HR leaders surveyed by Gartner on their 2022 priorities reported that their employees are suffering from change fatigue. Every day, small changes – be it working with different colleagues, newer groups, process improvements, and systemic progress are also taking mindshare and leading to 2.5 more fatigue than large organizational-wide changes. The shift to remote working and newer modes of engagement has increased unstructured and unplanned communication – with Microsoft’s study on hybrid work showing a 62% increase in calls and ad hoc meetings.?
Likewise, a McKinsey report, calls out that failure to engage line managers and frontline workers led to a 3% success rate compared to 26% and 28% when they were involved fully. Similarly, a Gartner study suggests that trust plays a key role. Employees' trust in their managers, colleagues and leaders, teammates, and their leaders led to a 2.6X capacity to absorb change.???
Based on years of research done by Prosci, among the greater contributors to the success of change are visible and active sponsorship, a structured change management approach, frequent and transparent communication, employee engagement and participation, dedicated change management resources, an integrated approach, and involvement of line managers.?
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Interestingly, communication is among the top three factors, competencies and implementation techniques, and challenges faced while landing change were the other two. If communication is weak, it impacts how stakeholders perceive the change or gain trust or even accept their part in change. A Conference Board study reports that among the top three implementation techniques to carry out change initiatives are communication, employee participation, and linking implementation to individual performance objectives and compensation.?
Involve Stakeholders for Success
It is therefore clear that effective communication can foster a sense of shared purpose and a common understanding of the changes being implemented. This, in turn, creates a culture of collaboration and engagement, which is vital for the successful implementation of change. Inclusive communication practices such as asking staff to be involved, seeking ideas and suggestions, inviting them to key briefings, and including them in core work groups can help to ensure that all stakeholders feel heard and valued, regardless of their background or position. This can lead to greater engagement and commitment, as well as improved outcomes for the organization as a whole.?
In conclusion, effective communication is a critical component of making change and transformation real and inclusive. By communicating their change initiatives?effectively, organizations can build trust and credibility, foster a positive culture of change, and promote inclusivity - ensuring the success of?transformation initiatives.?
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