Communicating Change
Telling the Story of Change
by Monika Meirer, Jenny Schlager
Gain Energy for the Change Through Communication
During a change process, many questions and emotions can arise. The role of change communication is to provide guidance and transparency from the beginning. A consistent and powerful storyline is the basis for all steps of communication.
Successful change shows its effect in day-to-day activities: The early active involvement of those affected by the change creates the energy for change. In interactive formats, a dialogue takes place about the path and drive of change.
"How many times?": Assumptions that can get in the way of success
"Have you heard – everything is changing again. Why is that necessary”? In the uncertainty of change, these and similar questions are often accompanied by resistance and emotions such as anger or fear. If no real answers to these questions can be given, and if emotions are not addressed, it will become increasingly difficult to get people on board as the change process progresses. A key role of change communication is to provide guidance and transparency from the very beginning.
Not all of the assumptions on which change communication is based lead to success:
"We can't share this information yet” Information is shared late or not at all because it is "not ready" or decisions are pending. People talk about it in the hallways anyway, because a lack of information fuels uncertainty and rumors. Even if no final decisions have been made, information about the process can be provided: What is happening, and what are we working on? The answers to these questions provide guidance.
"How many more times…by now everyone should know" Mistake #1: You may have communicated clearly, but you still don't know if the message has been received and emotionally processed and accepted. Due to their information advantage, managers are sometimes emotionally ahead of the team in terms of processing the change. In most cases, more information is needed, and foremost more dialogue.
"First we do all the planning in top management, and then project management and leaders will roll it out.“ Change projects that are developed in a small circle and announced from the top-down miss several opportunities due to late involvement: learning from the input of those affected, discussing emotions associated with change early on, transforming these emotions into change energy, and building a broad base of co-creators. If middle managers are not informed and involved early enough, they face a dilemma when they have to communicate to their team what they themselves do not know well enough, do not comprehend, or do not support.
Generating energy for change: What makes change communication successful?
Change succeeds when people embrace it, implement it, and act upon it their daily lives. Success means promoting a change in behavior in day-to-day activities: Managers and employees go through a change process regarding their emotions, thoughts, and assumptions. In the beginning, they behave in a certain way and, in the end and in the best case, they demonstrate a different way of doing things in their daily work. Change communication aims to build a broad base for effecting change within the organization in order to initiate behavioral change. With the following core elements, change communication can be successful.
"Why do we need to change?"
Change requires giving honest answers to questions about its purpose and its benefit, a clear and powerful message, and meaningful statements. Leaders should develop a common understanding of the status quo and the need for change. If no shared understanding exists, the messages will be unsatisfactory, one-dimensional, incomprehensible, or not very credible.
Early and broad involvement for buy-in
The early involvement of managers and employees creates energy for change and gives them the chance to take responsibility in implementing the new situation. Those who are able to express their views and are involved are more likely to give it a chance and support it. Involvement can take place on three levels, namely 1) informing by providing sufficient and transparent information; 2) involving, for example, by conducting a survey or participating in a focus group; and 3) co-creating, for example, in workshops or pilot initiatives.
Storytelling
Effecting change and entering into the unknown can be made more tangible by providing a storyline that helps leaders to put the unknown future into words. A coherent, powerful story of change does not just consist of facts; it connects with and gives voice to fears and reservations. It points the way toward the new situation by creating attractive, emotional images and, at its best, inspiring people to accept what is new. It is worth investing time to develop this narrative.
Show me, don´t tell me
The opportunity to experience the change and what will be different in the future as early as possible and form your own opinion is more powerful than just hearing about it. With a little creativity, pilot initiatives can be created in which interested "early adopters" can test, try, give feedback, and develop suggestions for solutions. This approach has several advantages: Participation strengthens the new situation, it creates a vision of where the change journey might lead, and those who have tried things for themselves can tell others lively stories about them.
Testimonials
Those who participate in pilot projects can become internal storytellers, share authentic experiences, report on their doubts, trials and successes, and create visions of what the new situation could look like. In the sense of "viral change", a snowball effect can be created, which gives a much more powerful signal than if only the management carries the message.
The essence of the change as a story: the change story
With storytelling, a coherent and emotionally appealing narrative forms the basis for any communication in the change process. The essence of the storyline is written as a "change story". When it is well-crafted, this story is a powerful tool that serves leaders throughout all communication steps.
The change story answers the key questions that most people who are affected by a change will ask:
1
Why do we need to change? What is the current problem, and what is its impact? What do we need to leave behind in order to continue to be successful ("away from")?
Where do we want to develop toward, and what is our vision of the future? What exactly should be different or be better ("towards to")?
2
3
What does this mean for those affected by the change and specifically for our stakeholders? What will change, and what will stay the same? What are the possible consequences and impacts, advantages, and disadvantages?
How do we design the path of change towards our vision of the future? Which phases, steps, and milestones will we establish?
4
5
Who is involved in the change, and where and how? How will we inform, involve, or co-create?
With: Which principles and attitudes will guide us through the change?
6
The story unfolds around these key points. Each question is answered in a few sentences. The best way to do this is realistically, without embellishment, and attractively by pointing out the advantages based on the current state of knowledge of the situation. People who are in a process of change like to receive information that opens up new perspectives, but they are quick to recognize half-truths and empty phrases. As a leader, you can use your change story, either for a quick conversation over the coffee machine or for a speech at the town hall.
"How do we reach everyone?”: Variety and involvement
Change communication requires many ambassadors and channels. Different voices are heard differently, and different people find different things helpful. Especially when attempting to convey emotional, contradictory content, it is helpful to have more opportunities to understand and process the content, to ask questions, and to engage in dialogue. Some helpful ideas are provided below.
- One-way communication can provide orientation, but the right mix is essential: Providing well-prepared top management input at an event, short emotional videos as status updates, and written material enables one to dive deeper in various, easily accessible places. We also recommend: If in doubt, consider communicating more frequently. Continuity provides orientation and establishes contact, for example, by providing a short update about what is currently being worked on and what initial experiences have been made.
- Hearing the voices of those affected creates energy: These voices can be heard, for example, in a platform environment, where employees can share pictures of the newly designed working environment, or in an ideation competition for the design of the new office. Take an honest look at which communication channels are actually being used, rather than relying on communication forums that are not used. Short videos with employee testimonials are a powerful way to create visibility.
- The focus should be placed on interactive formats that allow an exchange of ideas about change and how to manage it. We recommend using dialogue formats that allow people to give feedback, ask questions, or co-create the new situation. This could include, for example, a workshop that invites participants to develop guiding principles for the new organization.
Overall, we encourage you to try new approaches and be courageous when trying out interactive formats. Studies, e. g. by BearingPoint 2021 and Porsche Consulting 2020, prove that effective change communication is one of the most important success factors for a transformation process.