I have worked with people whose titles are Change Manager/Communication Specialist. Their employers believe that Change Management is all about Communication (and that communication fixes everything.) Further, I met recently with a person who told me his firm considers change communication a commodity. I get the sense some organizations feel that all they need to do to make their changes effective is to dedicate a junior-level resource to writing e-mails.
Change Management is not merely “all about communication!”
First of all, there is more to Change Management than communication. Certainly, if we expect people to make changes we need to make them aware of why we’re changing, what we are hoping to gain, and how we will get there. We need to address any misperceptions and questions by communicating.
Communication may not be enough, however, in that people may question what is in it for them. There must also be consequences associated with people’s decisions and actions, and those are put in place by their management, not a communication person. We must realize that they may not know how to do the new job, how to use the new software or process, or how to act during the transition. We should consider helping them learn some new skills again, not the core competency of the communications person, or how to be productive during the change.
What kinds of communication are needed, anyway?
There is a time and place for different modes and means of communicating. For the general information about a change, we can certainly use e-mails and web portals to keep everyone informed. We may want to precede those blasts, however, with a series of meetings. If a series of large meetings is planned to kick off the change, it is a great idea to brief each level of management so they are prepared for the inevitable questions from their reports:
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“What does this change mean to us?”
•“How does it fit with our priorities?”
•“What about me?”
These various levels of communication will be in small groups or on a one-on-one basis. In some cases, the supervisor, manager, director or even vice president may need some coaching on how to address some of these issues — another form of communication. This communication is on a one-on-one, in-person discussion. It is a dialogue, or an intervention, to help both parties understand one another and to agree on next steps. More in a future newsletter about intervention interviews…
Have you ever heard one message but you sense another?
Have you ever read something but feel it is inaccurate, based on what you have observed? Have you ever had a person tell you one thing, but their body language is a signal they don’t believe it themselves? What if your boss tells you something is important in the meeting, but his or her behavior indicates this was merely lip service? Do you think this is a form of communication, and that it can really confuse people? You bet!
I had a cup of coffee this week with a senior manager who said he never gets communication from his boss, other than, “I need this by….” My friend said, “Whenever I submit an idea either in a written format or an e-mail, I get no response. Further, I don’t really know how I am doing.” When asked about his performance appraisals, he said, “Those are a joke.” If this man’s boss wants to make a change, he will need to be coached on how he needs to change his communication behavior to be effective.
Just this week…
I recently met Joe, the head of a firm, who told me of an experience he had with the CEO of a well-known company. The CEO introduced Joe to his staff and said, “Joe is here to do X, and when he asks for something, do it, because it is just like me asking for it.” Then the CEO went on to his other (“more strategic” and “more important”) duties, never to reinforce the message. The CEO’s staff sabotaged Joe every step of the way, because they could tell the CEO was not committed to his message and would never hold them accountable. Do you think that communication was effective?
Is leading a change really that important?
Much of this article is about leadership as opposed to management, but then again, much of making changes happen is about leading change as well. We can delegate writing communication and we can delegate Change Management, but leaders cannot delegate leading change. Leaders must set the tone (define the culture and model the behavior) for the change when they communicate. They must be consistently visible and passionate about the change, because their role in the change is to communicate the importance of, their commitment to and the consequences of the change. Yes, these are all forms of communication, and if this behavior is essential, which it is, who is going to coach the leaders to help them develop their skills, change their behavior and ensure they are held accountable? Who is going to ensure that the lower levels of leadership do the same? Certainly not the junior-level Change Management/Communication resource assigned to writing e-mails.
ECM is dedicated to helping leaders lead changes and ensuring that their changes are managed to effectively implement, maximize and sustain the improvements they seek for the organization.
Please contact ECM Expert Change Management if you,
or someone you know, would like to discuss the above.
Speaking Topics:
Bob’s recent and planned speaking topics include:
• Financials, Strategic Thinking and Change Management
• Maximize the results of your Consulting by Managing the Resistance to Change!
• Managing People’s Acceptance, Adoption, and Sustainment of Change
• Developing and Implementing Strategic Ideas; From Seeds to Harvested Results
• The Critical Requirement for Leading, as well Managing, Change
Bob Dodge can be reached at 303 550-0101
bdodge@expertchangemanagement.com
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