Some people like change. Many people resist it. I tend to be in the latter category – big changes make me nervous because I get comfortable in my routine and I like knowing exactly what to expect.
Unfortunately, change is a big part of life and work. Nobody is immune to changes in the workplace. Some change initiatives are more successful than others and when this happens, the answer is often because senior leadership took the time to proactively communicate with their employees.
But all too often, big organizational changes create a series of problems.
According to a survey of HR professionals on change management (conducted by SHRM), the top three obstacles faced during major organizational changes are:
employee resistance (76%)
communication breakdown (72%)
insufficient time devoted to training (44%)
In Change management: the role of internal communication..., Tony Proctor and Ioanna Doukakis reveal why employees resist change:
fear of the unknown
lack of information
threats to status
fear of failure
lack of perceived benefits
What this means is that well-informed employees are essential to supporting any kind of change you plan on introducing at work. It’s also important to remember that employees are your best brand ambassadors and can’t do their jobs to their fullest potential unless they have all the necessary data.
Edelman Insights: Comprehending Change 3.0 emphasizes that “In order to engage employees—particularly talent—and make change a “real” thing, we must optimize new technologies and embrace greater openness to involve our people through emotional as well as intellectual appeals . . .
. . . This highly emotional response requires us to rethink how we interact, manage, and communicate with our people, and even more importantly, how we engage them throughout the journey.”
Here are five tips you can use right away to improve internal marketing in the area of change management.
Involve employees in the change process early, consult with them, and help them own the new ideas for themselves.(1) Why is this important? Today’s workforce, which comprises more millennials than Baby Boomers, demands transparency, openness, involvement, and context to accept decisions.(2)
Wherever possible, and by using technology, short-cut the distribution of information through middle managers and make it directly available to frontline workers.(3) The traditional hierarchy method of communication, in which information slowly trickles down from top leaders, often creates more problems than it solves and needs to be replaced.
Clearly communicate how changes in the organization directly benefit employees themselves (i.e. greater commission potential, easier reporting features) to get them onboard with the new strategies and procedures.(4) You want as much employee “buy in” as possible, and sometimes it’s not enough to focus just on the “big picture” advantages the entire company will experience.
Speed up employees’ adaption to change, and increase their understanding by updating internal communication materials, such as the mission statement, performance evaluation guidelines, and new-hire training programs.(5)
Measure success and final outcomes of change efforts to ensure that mistakes (if any occurred) won’t be repeated.6 This kind of analysis will also help fine-tune the new policies and procedures and improve their performance.
Strategic internal communication is crucial to the success of every organization, from giant corporations to small businesses. And why is it so crucial? Because the communication strategies you choose impact every area of your company, especially your financial bottom line.
Whether your workforce is comprised of a majority of millennials or Baby Boomers, it’s clear that harnessing new technologies eases the process of change for everyone, especially yourself!
Sources:
1 “Change management: the role of internal communication and employee development” by Proctor and Doukakis
2 Edelman Insights: Comprehending Change 3.0
3 “Change management: the role of internal communication and employee development” by Proctor and Doukakis
4 http://quickbase.intuit.com/blog/2012/12/24/10-best-practices-in-change-management/
5 http://quickbase.intuit.com/blog/2012/12/24/10-best-practices-in-change-management/
6 http://www.boozallen.com/media/file/applying-change-management-in-crisis-and-emergency.pdf
