A.

Goals of organisational communication

According to Francis (1989) organisational communication commonly has two goals(De

Ridder, 2003). The first goal of organisational communication should be to inform the
employees about their tasks and about the policy and other issues of the organisation. The
second goal is communication with a mean to create a community within the organisation.
Roughly, a distinction can be made between organizational communication as a mean to
provide information (communicatio) and organizational communication as a mean to
create a community spirit (communicare; Francis, 1989; De Ridder, 2003).

One of the main purposes of change communication should be to inform the organisational
members about the change, and how their work is altered because of the change. This
informative function of communication will have an effect on readiness for change.

The second goal of organisational communication is to create a community (Francis, 1989;

De Ridder, 2003). Organisational communication can be considered as an important
antecedent of the self-categorisation process, which helps to define the identity of a group
and to create a community spirit, which fits into organizational requirements (De Ridder,
2003; Postmes et al., 2001; Meyer and Allen, 1997).

Postmes reveals that :

... employees were strongly committed if they obtained adequate information to perform
their task, and this information was presented to them via formal bureaucratic channels
rather than informal channels. Interpersonal communication with peers, and direct superiors
predicted commitment less than communication with more senior management did, and
communication with a socio-emotional content was less predictive of commitment than
formal communication was (Postmes et al., 2001, p. 231).

As Postmes et al., stated:

...peoples sense of belonging to the organisation does not primarily depend on the quality of
their informal and social-emotional interactions with peers and proximate colleagues, but it
is related more strongly to their appreciation of the managements communication .

Communication to create a community within organizations shows in for instance high

commitment to the organization of the employees, in trust of employee with management,
in organization identification . . . will have an effect on readiness for change.
Uncertainty & job insecurity
Uncertainty during change processes it typically about the aim, process and expected
outcomes of the change and implications for the individual employees. High levels of
uncertainty will negatively affect readiness for change. A special notion within uncertainty is
job insecurity. When organization change results in downsizing, and loss of jobs, job
insecurity will have a large effect on readiness for change. So besides of direct effects of the
informative function of communication, and communication as a mean to create a
community within the organization, there is also an indirect effect on uncertainty and job
insecurity.

Fig. Conceptual model of communication during organizational change

Communication to
inform

Uncertainty and Readiness for

Effective change
job insecurity change

Communication aimed at
creating a community
inform

B. Communication in Change Management

Change management model

In John P Kotters book Leading Change outlines 8 critical steps when transforming an
organization.
1. Increase Urgency
2. Build a guiding team
3. Get the vision right
4. Communicate for buy-in**
5. Empower action
6. Create short-term wins
7. Dont let up
8. Make change stick
** Communicate for Buy-in
Once a vision and strategy have been developed, they must be communicated to the
organization in order to gain understanding and buy-in. sending clear, credible, and heartfelt
messages about the direction of change establishes genuine gut-leve buy-in, which sets the
stage for the following step: getting people to act.

Over 60% of change initiatives fail, due in part to the absence of

organizational acceptance. Communication is a critical factor in all
change management activities parker avery/Rober Kaufman
A structure of regular and effective communications minimizes associates' levels of
uncertainty and reduces the impact to the current business. Without organizational
adoption, a new strategy or system will fail, regardless of how much money or planning is
invested.

Communication is one of the toughest issues in anorganization, so it

is important to develop a carefully constructed communication
strategy.
The purpose of this strategy is to define the overall approach that will beused in conducting
the communication activities for the initiative. The communication strategy, prepared as the
first step in the communication process, lays the groundwork for the Communication
Program prior to the development of specific message content.

An effective communication strategy should have five components:

Communication Objectives
Communication Principles
Audience Definition
Communication Roadmap
Communication Media Definition

1. Communication Objectives
Communication objectives are brief statements of what the communication strategy
aims to achieve.

Examples of communication objectives include:

To build awareness of the scope, benefits and impact of the project
To deliver timely progress updates to project oversight and impacted associates
through the program duration
To ensure that consistent messages are delivered to stakeholders at all levels
and that decisions, events and activities are communicated in a timely manner
2. Communication Principles
Communication principles are a series of guiding statements upon which the
communication strategy is built. These statements are developed at the beginning of
the communication strategy and are used as guidance for the development and
delivery of the communication activities. The communication principles ensure that all
formal communications from the project team are consistent in tone and message,
timely and function well in the context of the organizations structure.

Examples of communication principles include:

Utilize appropriate and effective communication vehicles for each unique
audience group
When the message is particularly important or complex, multiple
communication methods may be used
When possible, the project will leverage on-going scheduled meetings for
incremental updates

3. Audience Definition
This defines the primary audience for the communications. The audience should be
classified baseduponproject phase and the degree of impact to their organization,
directly vs. indirectly impacted employees.

Directly impacted employees are defined as associates whose job tasks will change as a
result of the initiative. Indirectly impacted employees will need to adjust to updated
processes and understand the directlyimpacted roles. The indirectly impacted
employees may supervise directly impacted employees or may simply collaborate with
positions whose tools and tasks have changed. Groups that are highly impacted should
be targeted for more frequent and varied communications.

Audience Impact by Phase (Illustrative)

Audience Level of
Department Impacted Phase
(Stake holder Group) Involvement
Item Control Merchandising 1,2 H
Sr. Buyer/Assoc. Cat.
Merchandising 1,2,4 H
Mgr/Analyst
Merch VPs Merchandising 1,2,4 M

Customer Servece Field Ops 1,2 L

Planning & Analysis Finance 1,2,5 L

Sales & Cash Finance 1,2 H

Accts Payable Finance 1,3,5 M, L

Help Desk Field Ops 1,2,3,4,5 M, H

Ad Management Merchandising 2 H
 Pricing / F E Merchandising 2 H

Space Planning Merchandising 2 M

Pricing/Prod X Prod X Ops 2 M

EDI Manager Logistics 2 L

4. Communication Roadmap

The communication roadmap is comprised of messages about the initiative that should
be conveyed according to four campaigns:

1. Awareness and Understanding Campaign

2. Understanding and Positive Perception Campaign
3. Training Delivery and Implementation Campaign
4. Follow-up Campaign

Messages in the four campaigns are linked to project milestones. Initially, the purpose
of the message is to make impacted management and employees aware of the change
and to understand why the change is necessary. Depending on the existing culture, the
new initiative may represent an unwelcome change in familiar routines (e.g. Weve
been doing things the same way for years, why do we haveto switch now?). These
messages are critical because buy-in across all levels of the organization is necessary for
a successful project. Later, as the project progresses, these messages serve to inform
impacted management and employees about updates that pertain to their department
and positions.

5. Communication Media Definition

The communication media definition identifies possible types of media that will aid the
organization in delivering the messages in the communication program. It is best to use
a combination of push and pull communication vehicles.

Examples include:

PUSH PULL

Definition : Giving specific Definition : Inviting employees to

Information to employees gather information

One-on-one meetings Discussion board (FAQ)

Supported department Webinar (push/pull)
Meetings
Targeted small group briefings Project blog
 Corporate Newsletter Corporate Intranet
Dedicated email 800 Hotline
Hosted events (e.g lunch and Peer recognition
learns)
Town hall meetings
Regional field meetings
Group voicemail
Video (advertising)

Advantages and Disadvantages of Communication Channels

Ryerson University
Type Channel Advantages Disadvantages

Mass E mail Cost effective Impersonal

Communication Efficiently Employees may not
Intranet communicates routine read mass
change communication
Does not easily
facilitate
Memos Allows organization to an environment in
Reach a large audience which
Newsletters Quickly and consistently recipients can ask
questions or supply
feedback

Face-to-face Meetings Enable leaders to Time consuming

Communication reinforce importance of
Information the change initiative
Sessions Allows emplyees to
ask immediate
Round table questions and provide
discussions feedback
Enables employees to
receive information from
leaders, whom they are
more likely to trust
Ineffective for reaching
employees in dispersed
workforces
Executives presence
may discourage
employees
from openly voicing
concerns
Inappropriately timed
and too detailed
information can cause
confusion
C. 10 Tips for Communicating Change - Sarah Fenson

While organizational change requires more than 10 tips, here are 10 key things to keep in
mind when planning, announcing, implementing, and communicating a change initiative:

1. Remember that there's no one perfect way to communicate change. Change is

uncomfortable, and adapting to change is messy. The perfect Gantt chart does not a
painless change experience make. Why? Because tasks are easy to list, but behavior
and long-held habits are not easy to change. Gather outside information, solicit
perspectives, and adapt the approaches for your organization and group.

2. Start by asking yourself what exactly is changing and why. Too many programs are
heavy on the jargon and light on the substance of what the buzz phrases mean in the
day-to-day reality of the organization' s people. You have to make that link. For
example, what does it mean when you say the organization needs to be more
responsive? What behaviors characterize a so-called flat organization? Go to the root
of what you're trying to achieve from an organizational behavior perspective, and
give the jargon life.

3. Know what results you want, ideally, from both the change initiative and the
communication program or tactic. What's the call to action for the communication
program? What's the call to action for the specific communication tactic? What
systemic or operations changes are under way that provide the framework for the
desired results and behaviors?

4. Include communication strategists at the very beginning of the discussions about

the change, on the strategic team from the start. Too often, qualified
communicators are involved after backlash is in full force, when the leaks and rumor
mills are rampant. The corporate lawyer or the MBA with one or two classes in
PowerPoint is not qualified to understand how the people of the organization will
respond to change and what information they'll need. Their particular expertise is
most likely legal requirement and cost cutting, not communication.

5. Share information with employees as soon as possible. There's a real dilemma in

public companies, where investor communication is a priority and employees hear
about a merger or reorganization on their car radio while commuting to work. Once
fear and insecurity are heightened, you waste a lot of time getting back to a place of
order, understanding, and productivity, and many people head for their desks to
update rsums and to call employment recruiters.

6. Keep in mind that quantity is fine, but quality and consistency are crucial. Most
CEOs and managers are quoted as saying, "You can't communicate too much," but
you can communicate too much insigificant or insensitive information. You can't
communicate too much significant, substantial information.

7. Longevity. Remember that a change effort starts with the announcement or a

merger or change initiative. Many leaders and managers underestimate the length of
time required by a change cycle. That's why numerous reports indicate poor
 performance following many IPOs, mergers, change initiatives, etc. Just as Rome
wasn't built in a day, neither do people and organizations change in a week, or even
a year. Think of it as changing some very ingrained habits; that's what you're doing.

8. Remember to use a variety of communication pathways and vehicles. Some

organizations make an enormous mistake in using only one vehicle, such as e-mail or
the company intranet site. Redundancy and repetition are helpful in creating an
effective communication program.

9. Don't confuse process -- visioning, chartering change teams, planning, endless

PowerPoint presentations -- with communication. While those meetings and
processes can be communication vehicles if designed mindfully and handled in the
context of a broader program, they aren't adequate to meet change communication
needs.

10. Give people multiple opportunities to share concerns, ask questions, and offer
ideas, and make following up with answers and updates a top priority. The more
people are involved in the process, the fewer you'll have walking out the door or
worse, staying and acting as internal saboteurs.

Final Word
A good communication strategy should be at the heart of any successful change management
process. It is important that an effective communication strategy is defined around the reasons,
benefits, plans,and proposed effects of the change. This strategy should be updated as necessary
and maintained throughout the duration of the change management program. Lastly, remember
that it is almost
impossible to over-communicate when leading change.