Communicating Organizational Change

A corporate acquisition

We know thatcommunication is aproblem, but thecompany is not goingto discuss it with theemployees.

 Provide a framework for approaching significant change Share tactical ideas Learn from experience

Swissowners…

 Swiss banking parent since 1997 Purchase by global insurer “Under strategic review”

…toAussieowners

 Prepare Engage Monitor

 Best practices in change communication (Ragan, PRSA seminars) External research (Davis & Co., Watson Wyatt, Towers Perrin) Existing company data – employee surveys, market analysis, customer metrics

Employee perceptions Grapevine is most reliable

 Employees want information. Information helps employees contribute. Employees value honest, transparent communication.

 What do you want to achieve? ◦ Know? ◦ Believe? ◦ Do? How do you want to achieve?

 Educate and inform employees to minimize anxiety Build support for the change so employees would continue to contribute at a high level Help employees focus on positive to maintain brand reputation and “business as usual”

 Announce first to stakeholders Communicate openly, honestly, timely and consistently Use face-to-face communication and executive visibility Use electronic communication as a secondary channel to reach everyone quickly Proactively identify and address concerns throughout process

 Think creatively Define all activities Identify resource needs Determine who’s responsible

 Executive buy-in Management team awareness Mid-level manager expectations Employees as ambassadors

 Assess the hallway chatter Document employee feedback Debrief internally and above Talk to HR Online quick polls

 Messaging - informative, reassuring, forward-focused Strategic review” updates Executive briefing by teleconference “Day of” employee announcement ◦ broadcast voicemail ◦ E-mail ◦ intranet executive memo “Day after” meetings led by department managers for follow-up discussion

Personalinterview withQBE CEO foremployeeintranet

Story and “todo” list forbrand identitychanges

Managertraining Ongoing executive updatesRecruitertalking points

 Regional VP phone calls Bulletin announcement Agent breakfast with QBE CEO Newsletter articles Annual report with content about sale Executive road shows for agencies Talking points for field reps Information on discarding old branded materials

Released at close

Courtesy calls to stateregulators Customer letter template for agents BillCSR talking points stuffer

 Coverage content analysis Employee turnover ratio Agent quoting Customer retention Q&A response time Event attendance Field office participation Anecdotal comments Office vibe

 Start early Develop a plan format Implement approval process Encourage management visibility Make face-to-face a priority Use multiple communication channels Don’t forget your remote staff

 Build executive trust Partner with HR Give employees avenues to share concerns Have a Plan B for leaks Use informal networks to gauge reaction Keep communicating Don’t ask for permission Measure everything you can De-brief and report on results

 Visible executives, transparent communication is key Employee concerns/issues should be managed Cheerlead, but don’t spin Focus employees on actionable goals and good customer service Utilize employee ambassadors Offer self-help tools to reduce stress

Anne M. Smith, APRAccount ExecutiveC. Blohm & Assoc.anne@cblohm.com608.216.7300 Ext. 22

Communicating Organizational Change

by C. Blohm & Associates, Inc. on Nov 16, 2011

Accessibility

Categories

Tags

Upload Details

Usage Rights

1 Embed 1

Statistics

Communicating Organizational Change — Presentation Transcript