Communication, so essential and still underestimated by many leaders. I can remember attending a general staff and a departmental meeting when the CEO made an announcement; the company must change its business model to remain relevant. The CEO explanation for the change was very, very vague; there was no reasoning for the change, and after the meeting, I was quite puzzled and baffled. I can also remember some of my fellow employees confuse as well and asking the following questions:
Why the need for the change
Where do I fit in
Will I lose my job
How long will this change take
Change is sometimes tough but this one was a classic, management was plagued with many issues, and at one point, I felt like this change was never-ending. After carefully analyzing this particular change, I soon realized that management never took communication seriously. OK, you may be wondering; so what about communication, is it that important?
It is very, very very important and as such here are some communication errors, you should avoid when leading change.
Not employing multiple channels of communication during the change
Any transformational change requires multiple channels of communication in an attempt to drive the change home and get buy-in from employees. The use of emails, memos, newsletters, intranet, one to one meeting, social media, etc. can be employed to keep staff informed before, during and after the change. But remember, although communicating the change via some communication channels is essential, the messages should be endlessly repeated.
Never believe that your staff has heard the message too many times. One cannot assume that communicating the change once or twice via many communication channels is sufficient. Even if staff understood the change or have a deep-seated understanding of the change process, continuous repetition of the change is imperative to get buy-in from staff as well as keeping staff regularly informed.
Not tailoring the communication for the different segment of audience
Effective communications depend partly on knowing who the stakeholders are, and how they should be included in communications initiatives according to Dr. Carol A. Beatty. You should decide who are the primary stakeholders in this change, who will be most and least impacted by it. When you identify your stakeholders, management needs to tailor their communication for that audience and establish that one to one meeting between manager and employees in an attempt to create that effective communication within the company.
Not using communication to drive the vision of the change.
The late great Dr. Myles Munroe said that “vision is the capacity to see further than your eyes can look.” Management must recognize that vision is that vital tool that inspires people to believe. Management must first envision the change and communicate that vision to their staff. John P. Kotter’s 8 step change model, also indicated that a strong vision would help determine the success of a change.
According to Kotter, it is vital to communicate the vision frequently and powerfully, so it can act as a deterrent to resistance and use to win the hearts and minds of staff, and generate that positive excitement about the change.
Using grapevine communication as a formal channel of communication
Informal communication will penetrate your company like a virus, and derail the whole process; this must be eliminated especially in a changing environment. Information about the change must be formal; there is no sense emphasizing the consistency of the information when staff has to learn about any new development via the grapevine or talking with someone in the corridor.
Not using communication to limit resistance
In the initial stages of any change, resistance is inevitable. One must remember that people may be in shock or denial in the early stage of the change and, as a result, to allay the fears of employees; top management communication at this stage is critical. Again consistent communication during the change is vital.
To Conclude
Employees will never remember everything in a general staff or departmental meeting, and as a result, other mediums can provide useful backup for different group of employees. A leadership culture, which is ill-defined, can create unclear cues for what is important and how employees should act as it relates to the organizational culture. Many changes efforts are poorly led merely because the leadership is unclear about or have no clue about the importance of communication in a changing environment.
Communication should never be a dark horse in the race; it should always be the front-runner. Regular communication with staff makes people inspired, motivated and involved in the process. When employees feel part of the solution, knows all the facts and are much more involved, they will work towards a successful completion of the change.