Communicating change is essential to get your workers to adopt a new organizational model or strategy. Hereâs how to do it right.
A telltale sign of whether an organization will survive and thrive into the future is its adaptability.
Thatâs because sooner or later, every organization will go through a big change that impacts its employees.
It may be a merger, a growth slump, an acquisition, a leadership replacement, or a company-wide policy update. To make it work â to adapt and thrive â employees need to be aligned with a companyâs change efforts. This is especially true for frontline organisations.
Sadly, when it comes to communicating change, many organizational change initiatives fail miserably. A recent study by Gartner shows that only 34% of all change efforts are successful.
Granted, communicating organizational change isnât easy. But it can be a lot smoother with proper communication throughout the company.
Informing and involving your workers throughout the process is the key to successful change that has a positive impact on employee experience.
So letâs see what it means to communicate change in the workplace, and what the best practices are for a seamless transition.
Change is inevitable in any workplace As companies grow and evolve, processes, policies, technologies, and even company missions tend to change over time. While change can be a good thing, it can also create uncertainty and anxiety if not handled properly. As a leader, communicating change effectively is crucial to ensure your team understands, accepts and successfully adapts to changes as they come
In my experience, there are some key strategies that can help make communicating change a smooth and positive process rather than a bumpy, disruptive one. Here are my top tips for effectively communicating change in the workplace
1. Explain the Reasons Behind the Change
When changes are announced without context, people are naturally going to have questions and be suspicious of the motives behind the change. The dread of the unknown can allow rumors and speculation to spread like wildfire. As the messenger, you need to anticipate people’s need to understand the rationale and provide the backstory upfront.
Be clear about:
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What is driving the change – Is it due to new technologies, market demands, competitive pressures or some other force? Providing the context helps people understand the change is necessary and not arbitrary.
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How the change benefits the company – Connect the dots for employees on how the change will positively impact productivity, efficiency, costs, quality, competitiveness, etc.
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What will happen if the change is not made – Constructively explain consequences the company will face if it doesn’t adapt in the face of internal or external forces.
The more context you can provide, the better people will be able to accept the reason for change and see the necessity of getting on board.
2. Be Transparent About the Details
While it’s important to communicate the “why” behind organizational changes, you also need to clarify the “what.” Being vague or sugarcoating details about how day-to-day operations, roles, and responsibilities will be impacted leaves way too much room for speculation. Be as transparent as possible by sharing nitty-gritty details about:
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What is changing – Explain the specific policies, tools, processes or reporting structures that will be different.
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When the changes will happen – Provide clear timelines for when different aspects will be phased in and milestones to be completed.
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How work will change – How will day-to-day workflows, priorities and responsibilities shift based on the change.
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Who will be affected – Which teams, roles, levels will need to adapt to new ways of working.
The more you can anticipate people’s questions and provide specifics, the less uncertainty people will feel. Being transparent builds trust in leadership and the change.
3. Involve Teams in the Change Process
Dictating change from the top-down is guaranteed to ruffle feathers. Whenever possible, make change a collaborative process by involving teams and allowing employees to get their fingerprints on aspects of the change.
There are a few ways to engage teams:
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Solicit input and feedback – Before finalizing new processes, allow teams to review proposals and offer constructive feedback on potential issues or optimizations. People want their voices to be heard before the hammer comes down.
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Empower pilots – Allow certain teams to pilot the change first before rolling it out company-wide. They can provide valuable lessons learned from being the test case.
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Recruit change advocates – Identify influential team members who buy into the change early and leverage them as advocates to get peers on board.
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Form transition teams – Pull together cross-functional teams to work out the nuances of the transition plan and address any complexities.
Making people part of the process rather than just passive recipients increases commitment to change and gives a sense of control.
4. Customize Communication Across Audiences
Not everyone digests information the same way. When communicating change, it’s important to tailor your message and channels to resonate across multiple audiences.
For example, when rolling out a new system:
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Senior leaders may need a formal presentation with stats on ROI and competitive benefits.
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Middle managers may need talking points for their team meetings and Q&A’s to address.
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IT teams may need technical specifications and new protocols.
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Customer support may need a revised knowledge base article with scripting on how to communicate the change to customers.
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Sales teams may need a short video overview and selling points to convey to prospects.
The more you can customize information for the needs of specific audiences, the more effective your communication will be.
5. Communicate Continuously Throughout the Change
Communicating change shouldn’t be a one-time event but an ongoing dialogue. People need to hear messages multiple times for them to sink in. And they need opportunities to ask questions and get answers as issues come up during the transition.
Here are some tips for keeping change conversations continuous:
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Talk about the change in regular team meetings & company all-hands.
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Send out weekly email updates on change progress and upcoming milestones.
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Record short video updates that can be posted on the intranet or shared in emails.
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Have office hours where people can drop in to ask leadership questions live.
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Post FAQs where people can find answers to common queries.
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Create space for water cooler talk and bilateral conversations with managers.
The more you communicate on an ongoing basis, the less likely rumors will fill the void and derail the transition.
6. Acknowledge the Human Impact of Change
Change involves just as much emotion as it does logistics. People get anxious when their environments shift and the future seems uncertain. Many resist or push back out of fear rather than an unwillingness to change.
It’s important to acknowledge the human impact of change by:
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Validating people’s feelings – It’s okay that people feel unsure, concerned, or nostalgic about the past. Don’t ignore or downplay emotional responses.
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Providing assurances whenever possible – Communicate how priorities like work-life balance, development opportunities, job security, etc. will be maintain continuity through the change.
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Outlining support systems – Remind people of assistance and resources available like leadership advisors, training programs, counselors, etc.
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Sharing success stories – Collect and share positive feedback and stories as wins start mounting. These boost morale and belief that the change will work out.
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Celebrating milestones – Find ways to celebrate and reward teams for major milestones met in the change process.
The more you empathize with people’s emotions and provide nurturing support, the easier it will be for employees to embrace change.
7. Evaluate and Improve Your Change Communication
Communication is a two-way street. You need to listen and gather feedback on how your change messaging is landing with employees.
Some ways to do this include:
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Solicit input in team meetings about the effectiveness of change communication so far.
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Send out pulse surveys to gauge sentiment and get suggestions.
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Track question volume and categories at office hours.
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Observe employee body language and cues when change is discussed.
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Measure work productivity or participation levels as a proxy for buy-in.
Be prepared to regularly improve your communication strategy based on this input. Demonstrating responsive leadership builds goodwill and understanding.
The more proactive, frequent, transparent, and compassionate you can be when communicating change, the less disruptive it will feel to your teams. While it takes time upfront, effective communication pays off tremendously in terms of maintaining engagement, productivity, and loyalty through turbulent times of change. Invest in it heavily!
Create a change communication strategy
Your employees will feel reassured and get on board much faster if they have a clear view of exactly whatâs happening when, and if they feel that they have a voice.
The best way to embark on a change process is to start with a change communication strategy that helps workers see what lies ahead. Not knowing generates anxiety; being in the loop alleviates it.
A proper change communication strategy will help you distribute timely, consistent, and relevant information, along with mechanisms for workers to share feedback and raise questions.
Donât forget face-to-face channels
Itâs no secret that people are increasingly working remotely and relying on digital communication platforms to meet and keep in touch. In many ways, thatâs a good thing.
But change, no matter how small, is a sensitive topic. When communicating change, itâs not just about what youâre saying, but also about how youâre saying it â the non-verbal signals you, and your employees, send out contain important information.
Take the example of a global manufacturer who held a meeting of about 200 workers right after a reorganization. There was an unease in the crowd, and when the VP got up to deliver his speech, he spotted this and took it into account: instead of embarking on his presentation, he started by addressing the elephant in the room.
He told the workers that he understood how they were feeling. Uncertain. Sad. Scared. He expressed honest, heartfelt sorrow over the senior managementâs distress about letting good people go. He validated what the employees were feeling.
Had this been a virtual meeting, the VP probably wouldnât have caught the non-verbal signals of workersâ mental and emotional condition.
Communicating change in the workplace: 6 best practices 2
So whenever possible, include in-person communication in your change management communication process. Tune in to what preoccupies your employees so you can respond genuinely. This is especially important if they are frontline workers; make sure they feel seen, heard and taken into account.
Successful Change Management through Effective Change Communication | Amita Goyal | Zinnov
How do you communicate change in the workplace?
Communicate a vision One of the first steps for communicating change in the workplace is to communicate a vision for everyone in the department to understand. This vision could be a department that operates more efficiently or a department that uses safer methods of item transport.
How do you communicate organizational change?
Both of these pieces are incredibly important. One without the other can jeopardize attempts at organizational change. When communicating change, you should focus on increasing motivation and the company’s ability to adapt. Related: 5 Tips for Managing Change in the Workplace
How do you communicate change?
One of the best things you can do when communicating change is share a vision of how the organization can benefit from the transition. Individuals need to know the change is both good for them and the company overall. A way to craft that vision is by answering these questions: How will the organization operate once the change is made?
Why is change communication important?
By ensuring a consistent flow of information, engaging stakeholders, and continually managing feedback, change communication helps people feel more comfortable as they move to the future state and adopt new ways of working. The communications planning process involves the following steps similar to the change management process described above:
