The critical aspect of any change management program is face-to-face communication. The role of leaders during change is very different from that of normal businesses. It requires a greater physical presence among employees to assure them that their concerns are heard at the top of the organization and, conversely, that the CEO has the opportunity to find out what is really going on.
This is why communication leadership competency is so important, because from the top down, people model behaviors, including leaders of executive teams and even leaders of teams. If the CEO doesn’t communicate, others are likely to follow suit. There are two types of change in organizations, the first is downsizing change, the other is about organizational transformation, and sometimes one follows the other.
Here are two scenarios of how leaders can communicate change and demonstrate their change management skills.
Scenario one: In a downsizing situation, staff just want to listen to the leader. If there is nothing to say about the details, it does not matter. In all cases, I find that employees only want access to the person at the top who they attribute to in order to make the final decision, whether it is accurate or not.
So what is face-to-face communication? This is the easy part, the transparency. Employees just want to know why there is a downsizing and when they will know if they will still have a job. At this stage, very few will hear any comment on the strategy; First of all, they want to know about your financial security. Once this aspect of the change process is complete, you need to move to strategy quickly so that employees are clear about the path ahead and the opportunities to build on a solid foundation.
Scenario two: Organizational transformation, this includes a new strategic plan, merger or acquisition, entry into new markets or new product lines or systems. The conversation here is about vision, how the company connects to achieve that vision, and the importance of each area within the organization to support it.
If employees can contribute to change based on what they do and it has some impact on business decisions, real-time measurements, such as sales or customer service feedback, are an excellent tool for measuring how well they are performing. their strategies for change. Sharing business information always creates a motivated and focused workforce rather than one where people come to work, do their jobs, and have no idea how they contribute to the bigger picture.
So as an easy checklist, all you need to do first is consider your audience and what they want to know, what information, and engagement strategies will make it easier for them to understand why. why change is happening no that it’s happening. Whether you are implementing a new IT system, entering new markets, or merging with an organization, when you focus on articulating why, transparency and openness will always be the result.
