Answer 2 for LDR 615 Explain how successful communication is used throughout a change process to convey vision and strategies to stakeholders
Successful communication with stakeholders begins early in the change initiative. Communicating vision and strategies early and directly helps to answer questions, dispel rumors, and influence attitudes. Employees need to make sense of the disruption in their work. Communication should be authentic and transparent, describing the rationale behind the decision. This includes identifying and addressing potential barriers or concerns (Bansal & King, 2022). “To manage the cognitive disruption, employees invest cognitive effort to search for information in their environment and collect, bracket, and interpret this information to understand the disruption and develop plausible meaning regarding what is happening” (Faupel & Helpap, 2021, Section: Relationship). Therefore, this initial communication should be clear, concise, and create a positive perception and response in stakeholders. Keeping in view that there will be resistance to change, it is vital to have two-way communication (Banerjee & Lowalekar, 2021). Additionally, a successful change depends on employees’ commitment to change. “Committed employees work to ensure implementation of change and go above what is formally required to ensure the change’s success” (Faupel & Helpap, 2021, para 3). Evidence shows that participatory change communication strategies increase this commitment. This is a leadership approach that involves the individuals that will be experiencing the change by inviting them to share their thoughts and knowledge, cultivating inclusive decision-making and implementation. This approach drives equitable change and sustainability (Faupel & Helpap, 2021).
There are many effective forms to communicate change. Communication can include company email, meetings, posters in the break room, and one-on-one meetings. It is imperative to repeat the communication efforts regularly and seek feedback. Part of sharing the vision within this communication should include why the change is occurring, when the timeline of events will occur, who is affected, how the organization will operate once the change is complete, what employees will experience, and what the benefits are. This information should include a “story” that supports the initiative and enables employees to envision where the company needs to be. The story should inspire others to be a change agent (Harvard Business School, 2020).
If the change process begins to fail, communication has broken down or not been delivered in an appropriate or timely manner. One example is hearing about the change through the “grapevine”. This creates fear, rumors, misunderstandings, and an immediate resistance. Another example of failure is not understanding the organizational culture or missing necessary stakeholders, creating inability to move things forward. Finally, failure to engage stakeholders and convey the vision creates a stall and ambiguity about the change (Bansal & King, 2022).
References:
Banerjee, D., & Lowalekar, H. (2021). Communicating for change: A systems thinking approach. [Communicating for change] Journal of Organizational Change Management, 34(5), 1018-1035. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOCM-10-2020-0325
Bansal, A., & King, D. R. (2022). Communicating change following an acquisition. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 33(9), 1886–1915.
Faupel, S., & Helpap, S. (2021). Top management’s communication and employees’ commitment to change: The role of perceived procedural fairness and past change experience. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 57(2), 204–232. https://doi-org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.1177/0021886320979646
Harvard Business School. (2020, June 26). How to communicate organizational change: 4 steps. https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/how-to-communicate-organizational-change
