Moorcroft - Communication Strategies
Communicatonn nanstrategicnmanagementnfuncton
Goodnstrategicnplanningn nprovidingncriterianandnsignpostsnthatnhelpnpeoplenandnprocessesnaccomplish
thenorganizaton’snmissionninnanmeasurablenway
3ntypesnofncommunicatonnstrategies:
- Master strategic plan:nlooksnatnoverallnorganisatonnnbuildnhighnlevelncommunicatonnstrategyn
broadn n1nton3 nyearsnnuse ntonguide n everyday n decision n making nforn internaln communicatonn
advertsingnetc.nWHATnneedsntonbendonennvisionnngoalsnnprioritesnnobjectves
- Operating plan:n HOWnitnwillnbendonennactonsnneachntargetnaudiencennissuesnnspecifcnnwho
responsiblennmedia
- Project plan:none-ofnprojectsnnmediancampaignnnansalennsimilarntonoperatngnbutnmorendetailed
Appelbaum - Revisiting Kotter’s 1996 Change Model
Onenofnthenmostninterestngnaspectsnofnthen1996nclassicnbooknisnthatntherenarenneithernfootnotesnnorn
references.nAnbibliographyncannotnbenfoundnyetnthisnworknhasnhadntremendousnacademicnasnwellnasn
practcalnsuccess.nKotter maees no concessions to tee fact teat eis moeel is sequeentially oreeree
ane teat all steps mest be followee.
Step 1: establise a sense of ergency - peoplenwillnnotnchangenifntheyncannotnseenthenneedntondonso.
Step 2: create a geieing coalition - assemblenangroupnwithnpowernenergynandninfuenceninnthen
organizatonntonleadnthenchange.n
Step 3: eevelop a vision anenstrategyn-ncreatenanvisionnofnwhatnthenchangenisnaboutnntellnpeoplenwhyn
thenchangenisnneedednandnhownitnwillnbenachieved.n
Step 4: commenicate tee ceange vision -ntellnpeoplenninneverynpossiblenwaynandnatneverynopportunityn
aboutnthenwhynnwhatnandnhownofnthenchanges.n
Step 5: empower broae-basee action - involvenpeopleninnthenchangenefortnngetnpeoplentonthinknabout
thenchangesnandnhowntonachieventhemnrathernthannthinkingnaboutnwhyntheyndonnotnlikenthenchangesn
andnhowntonstopnthem.n
Step 6: generate seort-term wins - seeingnthenchangesnhappeningnandnworkingnandnrecognizingnthen
worknbeingndonenbynpeoplentowardsnachievingnthenchangenisncritcal.n
Step 7: consolieate gains ane proeece more ceangen–ncreatenmomentumnfornchangenbynbuildingnonn
successesninnthenchangenninvigoratenpeoplenthroughnthenchangesnndevelopnpeoplenasnchangenagents.n
Step 8: anceor new approacees in tee corporate celteren–nthisnisncritcalntonlong-termnsuccessnandn
insttutonalizingnthenchanges.nFailurentondonsonmaynmeannthatnchangesnachievednthroughnhardnworkn
andnefortnslipnawaynwithnpeople’sntendencyntonrevertntonthenoldnandncomfortablenwaysnofndoingnthings
Theneight-stepnmodelnhasnsignifcantncontributonsntonorganizatonalnbehaviournandndevelopmentnbut
there n are n issues n that n impact n upon n its n universal n acceptance. n Koter’s n eight-step n model n was n fully
elaboratedntonaddressn“fundamentalnchangesninnhownthenbusinessnisnconductedninnorderntonhelpncope
withnannewnnmorenchallengingnmarketnenvironment”nThisnstatementnimplicitlynstatesnanframeworknin
whichnthenmodelnisnapplicable;nthereforenitnisnnotnexpectedntonbenapplicablentonallntypesnofnchanges.
Followingnarenanfewnexamplesnwherenthenmodelnmightnnotnbenapplicablenwithoutnmodifcatons.
, Somentransformatonsndonnotnrequirennornarenablentongonthroughncertainnsteps.nAnsimplenexamplenisn
thenreplacementnofnmajornsofwarenusedntonprocessnoperatonnnornthenchangenofnequipmentnonnan
manufacturingnline.nInnthesencasesnthenchangesnarenofennirreversiblennandnsonStepsn7nandn8nmightnnotn
benhasnrelevant.nOthernexamplesncouldnincludenchangesnwithnneednfornangreatndealnofnsecrecynnweren
Stepsn1nandn4nwillnbensignifcantlynundermined.
Companiesnimplementngnchangesnfacenmanyndifcultes.nslanningnchangesnaccordingntonKoter’sn
frameworknshouldnlimitnthosenobstaclesnnbutnthenmodelnisnnotndetailednenoughntonprovidenhelpninnalln
scenarios.nFornexamplennresistancentonchangenandncommitmentntonchangenarenmajornaspectsnofn
changenmanagement.
Koterndeterminesnthatnthencorenproblemsnpeoplenfacenwhilenimplementngnhisneightnstepsnarennever
duenton“strategynnstructurennculturenornsystems”nbutnrathernarenaboutn“changingnthenbehaviournof
people”nThisncontnuesntonbeninnevidencen15nyearsnaferntheninitalnmodelnwasnpresented.
Barett - Change Communication: using strategic employee communication
to facilitate major change
Whatnsomencompaniesnstllndonnotnrealizenisnthatnwithoutnefectvenemployeencommunicatonnnchange
isnimpossiblenandnchangenmanagementnfails.nThusnntheyndonnotnapplynthensamenanalytcalnrigornto
employeencommunicatonsnthatntheyngiventonthenfnancialnandnoperatonalncomponentsnofnanynchange
program.nTransformatonnisnimpossiblenunlessnhundredsnornthousandsnofnpeoplenarenwillingntonhelpn
ofenntonthenpointnofnmakingnshort-termnsacrifces.n
The n strategic n employee n communicaton n model n purposes: n illustrate n efectve n employee
communicatons n in n the n context n of n the n high-performing n organizatonn n provide n analytcal n tool n to
diagnosenancompany’sncommunicatonnstrengthsnandnweaknessesnnandntonframenthenchangenprogram
andnthenresultngnrecommendatonsntonimprovenemployeencommunicatons
Meaningfulncommunicatonsnisncommunicatonnthatninformsnandneducatesnemployeesnatnallnlevelsnin
the ncompany’snstrategynandnmotvatesnandn positonsn employeesntonsupportn then strategyn andn the
performancengoals.
Actonnplanncontainsnfournessentalnactonsnfornannefectvenchangencommunicatonnprogram:
1. Formingnanstrategicncommunicatonnteam
2. Assessingncurrentncommunicatonnpractces
3. Conductngncascadingnvisionnstrategynnjobnredefnitonnworkshop
4. Monitoringnthenresults
Critcal n success n factor: n n senior n management n commitment n to n the n importance n of n the n change
communicatonnandnanwillingnessntondevotennecessaryntmenandnresourcesntonensurenitsnsuccess.
Weick - Information Systems Approach to organizations
Uncertaintyndenotesnanlacknofninformaton.nseoplenwhonarenuncertainnlooknfornmorenfactsnandnanwaynto
interpret n them. nEqueivocalityn refers n to n situatons n where n people n face n the n choice n of n two n or n more
alternatveninterpretatonsnneachnofnwhichncouldnreasonablenaccountnfornwhat’sngoingnon.n
sroblem:nconfusionnnotnignorance.nseoplenneednancontextnornframeworkntonhelpnthemnsortnoutnthe
datantheynalreadynhave.
Whennconfrontednwithnannequivocalnnpeoplenusenlanguagentonsharenperceptonsnandncreatenmeaning
throughndiscussion.
Communicatonn nanstrategicnmanagementnfuncton
Goodnstrategicnplanningn nprovidingncriterianandnsignpostsnthatnhelpnpeoplenandnprocessesnaccomplish
thenorganizaton’snmissionninnanmeasurablenway
3ntypesnofncommunicatonnstrategies:
- Master strategic plan:nlooksnatnoverallnorganisatonnnbuildnhighnlevelncommunicatonnstrategyn
broadn n1nton3 nyearsnnuse ntonguide n everyday n decision n making nforn internaln communicatonn
advertsingnetc.nWHATnneedsntonbendonennvisionnngoalsnnprioritesnnobjectves
- Operating plan:n HOWnitnwillnbendonennactonsnneachntargetnaudiencennissuesnnspecifcnnwho
responsiblennmedia
- Project plan:none-ofnprojectsnnmediancampaignnnansalennsimilarntonoperatngnbutnmorendetailed
Appelbaum - Revisiting Kotter’s 1996 Change Model
Onenofnthenmostninterestngnaspectsnofnthen1996nclassicnbooknisnthatntherenarenneithernfootnotesnnorn
references.nAnbibliographyncannotnbenfoundnyetnthisnworknhasnhadntremendousnacademicnasnwellnasn
practcalnsuccess.nKotter maees no concessions to tee fact teat eis moeel is sequeentially oreeree
ane teat all steps mest be followee.
Step 1: establise a sense of ergency - peoplenwillnnotnchangenifntheyncannotnseenthenneedntondonso.
Step 2: create a geieing coalition - assemblenangroupnwithnpowernenergynandninfuenceninnthen
organizatonntonleadnthenchange.n
Step 3: eevelop a vision anenstrategyn-ncreatenanvisionnofnwhatnthenchangenisnaboutnntellnpeoplenwhyn
thenchangenisnneedednandnhownitnwillnbenachieved.n
Step 4: commenicate tee ceange vision -ntellnpeoplenninneverynpossiblenwaynandnatneverynopportunityn
aboutnthenwhynnwhatnandnhownofnthenchanges.n
Step 5: empower broae-basee action - involvenpeopleninnthenchangenefortnngetnpeoplentonthinknabout
thenchangesnandnhowntonachieventhemnrathernthannthinkingnaboutnwhyntheyndonnotnlikenthenchangesn
andnhowntonstopnthem.n
Step 6: generate seort-term wins - seeingnthenchangesnhappeningnandnworkingnandnrecognizingnthen
worknbeingndonenbynpeoplentowardsnachievingnthenchangenisncritcal.n
Step 7: consolieate gains ane proeece more ceangen–ncreatenmomentumnfornchangenbynbuildingnonn
successesninnthenchangenninvigoratenpeoplenthroughnthenchangesnndevelopnpeoplenasnchangenagents.n
Step 8: anceor new approacees in tee corporate celteren–nthisnisncritcalntonlong-termnsuccessnandn
insttutonalizingnthenchanges.nFailurentondonsonmaynmeannthatnchangesnachievednthroughnhardnworkn
andnefortnslipnawaynwithnpeople’sntendencyntonrevertntonthenoldnandncomfortablenwaysnofndoingnthings
Theneight-stepnmodelnhasnsignifcantncontributonsntonorganizatonalnbehaviournandndevelopmentnbut
there n are n issues n that n impact n upon n its n universal n acceptance. n Koter’s n eight-step n model n was n fully
elaboratedntonaddressn“fundamentalnchangesninnhownthenbusinessnisnconductedninnorderntonhelpncope
withnannewnnmorenchallengingnmarketnenvironment”nThisnstatementnimplicitlynstatesnanframeworknin
whichnthenmodelnisnapplicable;nthereforenitnisnnotnexpectedntonbenapplicablentonallntypesnofnchanges.
Followingnarenanfewnexamplesnwherenthenmodelnmightnnotnbenapplicablenwithoutnmodifcatons.
, Somentransformatonsndonnotnrequirennornarenablentongonthroughncertainnsteps.nAnsimplenexamplenisn
thenreplacementnofnmajornsofwarenusedntonprocessnoperatonnnornthenchangenofnequipmentnonnan
manufacturingnline.nInnthesencasesnthenchangesnarenofennirreversiblennandnsonStepsn7nandn8nmightnnotn
benhasnrelevant.nOthernexamplesncouldnincludenchangesnwithnneednfornangreatndealnofnsecrecynnweren
Stepsn1nandn4nwillnbensignifcantlynundermined.
Companiesnimplementngnchangesnfacenmanyndifcultes.nslanningnchangesnaccordingntonKoter’sn
frameworknshouldnlimitnthosenobstaclesnnbutnthenmodelnisnnotndetailednenoughntonprovidenhelpninnalln
scenarios.nFornexamplennresistancentonchangenandncommitmentntonchangenarenmajornaspectsnofn
changenmanagement.
Koterndeterminesnthatnthencorenproblemsnpeoplenfacenwhilenimplementngnhisneightnstepsnarennever
duenton“strategynnstructurennculturenornsystems”nbutnrathernarenaboutn“changingnthenbehaviournof
people”nThisncontnuesntonbeninnevidencen15nyearsnaferntheninitalnmodelnwasnpresented.
Barett - Change Communication: using strategic employee communication
to facilitate major change
Whatnsomencompaniesnstllndonnotnrealizenisnthatnwithoutnefectvenemployeencommunicatonnnchange
isnimpossiblenandnchangenmanagementnfails.nThusnntheyndonnotnapplynthensamenanalytcalnrigornto
employeencommunicatonsnthatntheyngiventonthenfnancialnandnoperatonalncomponentsnofnanynchange
program.nTransformatonnisnimpossiblenunlessnhundredsnornthousandsnofnpeoplenarenwillingntonhelpn
ofenntonthenpointnofnmakingnshort-termnsacrifces.n
The n strategic n employee n communicaton n model n purposes: n illustrate n efectve n employee
communicatons n in n the n context n of n the n high-performing n organizatonn n provide n analytcal n tool n to
diagnosenancompany’sncommunicatonnstrengthsnandnweaknessesnnandntonframenthenchangenprogram
andnthenresultngnrecommendatonsntonimprovenemployeencommunicatons
Meaningfulncommunicatonsnisncommunicatonnthatninformsnandneducatesnemployeesnatnallnlevelsnin
the ncompany’snstrategynandnmotvatesnandn positonsn employeesntonsupportn then strategyn andn the
performancengoals.
Actonnplanncontainsnfournessentalnactonsnfornannefectvenchangencommunicatonnprogram:
1. Formingnanstrategicncommunicatonnteam
2. Assessingncurrentncommunicatonnpractces
3. Conductngncascadingnvisionnstrategynnjobnredefnitonnworkshop
4. Monitoringnthenresults
Critcal n success n factor: n n senior n management n commitment n to n the n importance n of n the n change
communicatonnandnanwillingnessntondevotennecessaryntmenandnresourcesntonensurenitsnsuccess.
Weick - Information Systems Approach to organizations
Uncertaintyndenotesnanlacknofninformaton.nseoplenwhonarenuncertainnlooknfornmorenfactsnandnanwaynto
interpret n them. nEqueivocalityn refers n to n situatons n where n people n face n the n choice n of n two n or n more
alternatveninterpretatonsnneachnofnwhichncouldnreasonablenaccountnfornwhat’sngoingnon.n
sroblem:nconfusionnnotnignorance.nseoplenneednancontextnornframeworkntonhelpnthemnsortnoutnthe
datantheynalreadynhave.
Whennconfrontednwithnannequivocalnnpeoplenusenlanguagentonsharenperceptonsnandncreatenmeaning
throughndiscussion.
