Managing director knowledge: Communication in change processes

When do we accept changes and support them?

According to a study by the management consultancy Mutaree, 3 points in particular determine whether change projects are successful. All of them have to do with communication:

• Comprehensibilitythe ability to send messages that are received and understood
• Urgencythe ability to make it clear that there is no alternative to change at this point in time, i.e. that action must be taken now
• EmpathyThe ability to listen to, take seriously and respond to the individual needs of each stakeholder

Why is that the case? Let's take a look at the aspects that contribute to creating emotional acceptance for change.

Understanding the what and why

A central prerequisite for readiness for change is understanding the what and why:

• What should change?
• Why is this important?
• Why is it important to change now?
• What does that mean for me in concrete terms?

If this understanding is not given, emotional acceptance of the (planned) change can never be achieved.

Trust

Trust in change processes is central. Where there is trust, there are no fears. Trust gives security and supports the emotional acceptance of the new. What should trust consist of?

• Into the what and why: does what we want to change make sense?
• In the people who act: Are the people communicating the change or driving the process credible?
• Into the promised result: Is the promised result realistic?
• In the process: Will we achieve the promised result the way we are going?

Emotional acceptance as a result of trust

Only when the new is accepted not only cognitively but also emotionally will it be possible to anchor it permanently in everyday life. If a change or a planned change is only understood cognitively, there will always be unconscious resistance.

Emotional acceptance arises when people feel that the new does not represent a threat, but rather avoids risks or even opens up opportunities, i.e. when there is trust in the change.

Which elements are part of effective change communication?

The questions that need to be answered in order to achieve a willingness to change already show you which aspects need to be communicated in order to create emotional acceptance.

A convincing change story needs 7 elements

Effective change communication starts with seven key elements:

If these aspects are communicated clearly, they help those affected by the change to understand the what and why. This understanding fosters confidence in the change and promotes emotional acceptance.

How can you use the structure for a convincing change story?

There are various ways of putting these seven elements in a meaningful order to create a convincing change story. I will introduce you to two variants:

How can you communicate your change story convincingly?

Clear language without softeners

Make sure that the language is clear and understandable. 

Leave out softeners such as "actually", "normally" and "possibly". This weakens the message and conveys that you as the sender are not completely convinced of what you are saying.

Tips for clear language

The clear language comes almost automatically if you are one hundred per cent behind the change and are convinced of what you want to achieve.

Clear language begins in the heart

The following questions will help you to manage the change project in the Thinking through the process in advance and sharpening your opinion and attitude towards the desired outcome:

• On a scale of 0-10, how important is it to me personally that this change succeeds?
• What does it take for it to become even more important to me personally and for me to stand behind this change not only with my head but also with my heart?
• What do we gain if this change succeeds?
• What do I gain personally if this change succeeds?
• What am I personally giving up in this process?
• What are other opportunities that arise for me / us through this change?

You should only initiate this change project if you, as the managing director, have achieved a scale value greater than 8 in the first question. Only then will you have a chance to give the project your management attention until the project is a success.

From my own leadership and management experience, I know that there are also projects that you have to initiate without being behind them yourself. In such situations, I recommend communicating this and discussing the pre-listed questions together with the staff or team.

Speak appropriately to the addressees

The ability to respond to the questions and concerns of the respective stakeholders is also reflected in communication that is appropriate for the target group. The focus of the change story is set differently depending on the counterpart. We start from two basic types: 

• the change agents: "Finally something new. It was already boring.
• the preservationists: "Let's not have too many new things. It has worked out well so far.

As you read these lines, you probably have concrete colleagues in mind whom you can easily assign to the two types of change. You have to address each of these two types differently, even if you are conveying the same information. To give you an impression of the differences in addressing the different types, I will give you two examples:

Change agent	Keeper
"We are introducing a revolutionary system." "The new process will turn everything upside down." (addresses the need for something new)	"We are introducing a proven system." "The future process will run even more safely." (addresses the need for security)

As you can see, the wording determines how the messages affect the recipients. It is important that all elements you communicate are true. You only emphasise different aspects specific to the target group.

How do you organise change communication throughout the change process?

Initial communication at the beginning of a change process is not enough. It is much more important to continuously create transparency in the course of the change process.

Repeat key messages continuously

This includes convincingly communicating intermediate statuses and intermediate successes. It helps if initial aspects are also taken up again in this communication.

• Already known:
  • Goal: "As you all know, it is our goal ..."
  • Urgency: "For us to achieve this, it was important to start this journey at the current time."
• First successes:
  • What have we already done / what has already changed?
  • With what positive effect?
• Next steps:
  • What still needs to be done?
  • What next steps do we take and when?

Creating space for dialogue

Even if the change is emotionally accepted by the employees, concerns and fears will arise along the way. In order for these to be articulated and addressed, an honest dialogue is required. It is therefore advisable for you as a manager to answer a few questions for yourself:

• What do we lose when we initiate this process of change?
• What is changing in our everyday lives?
• What are other risks for me / for us that this process involves?
• What do the others need to know about me and the goal of the change so that they support the change with head and heart?
• What worries, fears and questions might arise? Which of them are justified?
• Which of these concerns, fears and questions do I share?

Many managers believe that they have to have an immediate answer to all their employees' questions and a solution to all their worries and fears. This is not the case.

The first step is to listen - openly and without judgement. Admit if you do not yet have answers to questions, share your doubts and invite your employees to find answers and solutions together with you. This builds trust.

Which channels have proven successful for change communication?

In order to accompany a change process well in terms of communication, various channels have proven their worth. These include: 

• Townhall
• Intranet
• Team meetings
• 1:1

Each channel has different strengths, so it should be used in a way that brings out those strengths.

Townhall

In the Townhall Meeting you reach very many members of an organisation at the same time. In the Townhall meeting you have both the opportunity to convey information and to answer questions in direct contact. This helps to avoid misunderstandings, clarify uncertainties and send key messages again and again, so that you stick with those involved and affected.

Intranet

All employees are also reached via the intranet. It offers space to provide information in different formats, such as text, video or presentation format. However, it is not possible to answer questions in direct contact. However, the intranet can be used to open a channel through which questions can be asked and answered, for example, on a FAQ page. The advantage of the intranet is that information can be accessed by employees over a longer period of time and independent of time and space.

Team meetings

Similar to the Townhall, the Team Meeting offers a direct exchange and space to explain messages in a small circle. This usually allows for communication that can be even better targeted to the small group of addressees. Space to answer questions is also given.

The 1:1

Since the 1:1 is a bilateral conversation, it can be very specific to the individual's concrete needs and questions. The disadvantage is that many 1:1s would have to be conducted in order to reach the group of participants that can be reached via a townhall. Therefore, the 1:1 is only a complementary communication channel in change processes.

Some of you will miss e-mail as a central communication channel. Of course, it is also a way to send information to many recipients at the same time. However, the room for misunderstanding is large, as e-mails offer no room for direct queries. If communication is only done via e-mail, it can happen that central information gets lost in the abundance of daily e-mails. We recommend using e-mails very selectively in the context of change communication.

How often should you communicate during change processes?

In order to anchor the central messages of your change story in your organisation, it is elementary that you communicate these messages again and again through the different channels. 

It is important that the different elements of communication interact with each other. This is the only way to ensure that the recipients understand the what and why of the change and internalise that the change is not a threat but avoids risks or brings concrete benefits.

Conclusion: Change communication is a key success factor for change processes

Willingness to change arises when the following conditions are met:

1. The what and why of change is cognitively understood.
2. The change is also accepted emotionally because it does not pose a threat or even avoids risks or brings concrete benefits.
3. There is trust in the what and why, the people acting, the promised result and the process.

To fulfil these three conditions, communication is a central key.

If communication is poor or inadequate, the willingness to change is damaged, resistance to the new approach grows or cannot be overcome and the risk of the change project failing increases.

Allow time and space for communication and ensure that all stakeholders have sufficient opportunity to ask questions and express concerns. Address them in an understandable and empathetic manner so that not only are questions clarified and concerns allayed, but trust in you, the change and the change process can also grow.