Strategies For Handling Change There is a great Communication Strategy right at the core of any successful change management process. The more change there is going to be then the greater the demand - and especially concerning the reasons, the benefits, the plans and proposed effects of this change. It is important that the effective communication strategy actioned when possible and is defined and then properly preserved for the period. There are two aspects to some change management communication strategy the balance between information content and mental resonance; and secondly the initiative's phase, in other words before and during. The structural and content aspect of your communications You are going to benefit considerably from the discipline of a programme-based approach to handling and directing your change initiative, as your communication strategy will be based across the following: - Stakeholder map and evaluation [everyone who will be impacted by the change as well as your evaluations of those impacts as well as their reactions ] - Blueprint [ statement and the clear definition of the altered organization] - Vision statement and pre-programme preparation process [ the high level vision as well as analyse the impacts and the follow-up pre-planning process to unpack the vision ] - Programme strategy [the measures which are taken to produce the changes and get the benefits - a schedule of projects and projects and initiatives ] The key FACTUAL questions your communication strategy have to address and to what degree of detail? - What will be the crucial used to disseminate advice? - Who are you attempting be encouraged? What advice a result of feedback? - what exactly are the goals? - How much advice will be provided, messages? - What mechanisms will be utilized The essential EMOTIONAL questions that your communication strategy have to address Kotter illustrates this the anecdote of Martin Luther King who did not stand up before the Lincoln Memorial and say: "I have a great strategy" and illustrate it with 10 good reasons why it was an
excellent strategy. William Bridges focuses on the psychological and emotional impact and part of the change - and poses these 3 simple questions: (1) What is changing? Bridges offers the following guidance - the change leader's communicating statement must:- Clearly express aim and the change leader's understanding - Link the change to the drivers that make it Internal communications best practice essential - "Sell the issue before you try and offer the alternative." - Not use jargon (2) what'll really be different as a result of the change? (3) who is likely to lose what? Bridges maintains the situational changes are as easy for firms to make as individuals impacted by the change's psychological transitions. Transition direction is focused on seeing the specific situation through the opinion of another man. It's an outlook depending on empathy. It's direction and communicating process that affirms and recognises people's realities and works with them to bring them. Failure to accomplish this, around the part of change leaders, plus a denial of the losses and "lettings go" that people are faced with, sows the seeds of mistrust. 5 guiding principles of a great change management communication strategy So, in outline the 5 guiding principles of an excellent change management communication strategy are as follows: - Clarity of message - to ensure genuine two way communication - Resonance of message - to ensure relevance and acknowledgement - Accurate targeting - the mental tone and delivery - Time program - to reach the right individuals with all the right message - Feedback process - to reach timely targeting of messages Failure reasons in change management are many and varied. But one thing is painfully clear.
The cause of all this failure is too little communicating as well as dearth of clarity. This is what a Programme Direction based approach to change is about and why it so significant.