For Change Management Success It Pays To Be Seen
Leadership at organizations undergoing significant change spends a lot of time
talking about the process and explaining it to employees. Communications to
employees can take many forms -- from town hall meetings to company
newsletters.
These activities -- what I call \"active communication\" -- are very important.
Employees are often confused and concerned by change. Leadership should take
every opportunity to explain how the change will impact the company and
employees day-to-day jobs. However, \"passive communication\" is just as
important -- and, in certain cases, can be more valuable.
By passive communication, I mean ensuring that the organizations leadership
(everyone from the CEO to front-line supervisors) demonstrates to employees that
they are committed to the change process. One way to achieve this is to ensure that
employees see them engaged in change-related activities. This can include:
* Being Seen Learning About the Change: Visible, active participation in
change-related seminars, sessions and other activities is vitally important.
Employees need to understand that leadership throughout the organization is
embracing the process.
* Be Seen Implementing the Change: Employees need to understand that leadership
is going to be accountable and rewarded for the success of change-related projects.
* Be Seen \"Talking Up\" the Change: Widespread communication about
change-related processes and procedures is important. However, employees may
discount these announcements or view them as company propaganda. The
conversations employees have with their front-line supervisors about the change
often have the most influence on whether employees view it as credible. After
communicating with their supervisors, employees should understand how the
change will improve their work processes, eliminate bureaucracy and improve their
efficiency.
Change management can be a lengthy and difficult process. However, if employees
see leadership taking an active role in the change process, the task can be easier.
(c) 2005 Fard Johnmar
Fard Johnmar is founder of Envision Solutions, L.L.C., a full-service healthcare
marketing communications consulting firm. Envision Solutions provides innovative
products and services to not-for-profit and for-profit organizations. Envision
Solutions goal is to make our clients more efficient and successful. For more
information about Envision Solutions please visit our
Focusing on the Goal of Change Management
The dictionary defines a system as an "...orderly process or set of related things". As applied to business management, an ef...
Change Management Reversals; Are They Possible
Many change management specialists and many of those professors in academia explain exactly what should happen after change m...
Change Management and Why You Need to Understand It
In the fast-paced corporate environment change management is something that occurs even faster than it ever has before and th...
Why Change Management Training is Essential for Your Company
Lets face it: Your company or organization is likely to go through a major transformation at some point. Whether it is in a d...
Adapting to Change is Equally Important as Adopting Change
Making changes to improve the overall success of your business should be applauded. It takes a lot of time, dedication, mone...
Change Management and the Psychology of Change Considered
Change Management problems at the executive level are fascinating but should never be unexpected. Why you ask? Well humans do...
Change Management Issues in the Car Wash Business
We hear a lot about the new buzzword; change management all throughout the trade journals in almost every industry and every ...
Change Management: Finding the Order in Chaos
The term change management tends to leave people in the dark, often seeming vague and somewhat mystical. Does it have someth...
Change Management and the Affects on Productivity
One of the biggest concerns and the reason why so many consultants and MBA business schools study change management is becaus...
Change Management And Participation
Related to the topic of problem-or-solution-oriented change is the topic of participation. But this issue of participation is...
A Change Dilemma Do I learn Too much?
Change and learning are highly correlated. Think about it:We learn at school and we change. This is a gradual change. The pro...
Change Management and Smooth Transitions
For many corporations change management is a time of controversy and chaos and yet it need not be. Is all change management ...
Change Management and Ego Issues
Why is the issue of change management so serious and why is the buzzword raceing through MBA business schools and business un...
Change Management Issues in Small Service Clubs
Change management issues can be just as serious in the private nonprofit sector as they can be in corporate America. Change ...
Resistance to Change - Credibility at Stake
People often resist to change. Some resistance is productive because after dealing with this resistance the outcome of the pl...
Change Management in Government Purchasing
Change Management in Government Purchasing sure causes chaos indeed. In fact we have a whole company under investigation who ...
Eliminate Change Management Problems
According to the Business Change Forum, change management is one of the top 10 management problems in the 20th century enterp...
Understanding & Managing Change
Understanding Change:Understanding and managing change are the dominant themes of management today. adapting to a ever changi...
Change is Natural - Why All the Fear Over Change Management?
The only thing that is constant in the Universe is change and so with that said why all the fear these days over change manag...
Change Management; A Buzz Word is All It is
When we talk about change management we hear management experts go on and on about how the dynamics of leadership works in th...