Change Management & the Role of Communications

Change Management & The Role of
Communications
IABC Southern Region Conference, Sep 30, 2008
...
Avneet Jolly, Insightory Inc.
www.insightory.com

Agenda (well, sort of . . .)

About me What I do (not) know

How (much) I know
about change

Change theory

What I have learned

What we agree on

What should
communicators do?

Everything I know about change, I
learned from:
1. Business ventures

learned from:
2. Clients

A BIG BANK
(Yes – it is still standing)
(Yes – I checked this morning!)

learned from:
3.Family

learned from:
4. Community leaders

is the new

How much I know about change

My age 

Fortunately, I’m in good company

One cannot manage change. There is only one corner of
One can only be ahead of it. the universe you can be
certain of [changing], and
- - Peter Drucker that's your own self.

- - Aldous Huxley

Why is it so difficult?

Change =  (vision, goals, leadership, skills, personalities,
structure, resources, systems, processes, industry,
legislation, . . .)

Translation:
No one really knows that the %^&$ this is all about!!

A few things everyone agrees on

1. There is a beginning and an end
2. Place in the middle is very hard
3. It is always much harder & much slower than you think
4. Cannot be done without a burning platform
5. Two-way communication is critical
6. Leadership support is critical
7. A (good) part of change management is: just getting used to
it!
8. (Individual) transition is different from change
9. The initiative will probably fail anyway

Individual transition (aka Peak-Valley diagram)

Enthusiasm

Normal

Acceptance
Denial,
Fear

Anger

Ending New Beginning
Neutral inflexion

Most people are CONFUSED about what
they’re really supposed to do

IME*1. Each type of change requires a different
approach

Process or
System
M&A
RIF

Outsourcing
Program

* In my experience (IME), which is difference from “in my opinion” (IMO), because O may or may not follow E; and is
very different from IMHO (mostly because there is nothing H about my O)

IME 2. The more benign the change, the more
work it seems to require!

Program
More work

Process or system

M&A

Outsourcing

Less work RIF

Benign Malignant

IME 3. Sometimes we don’t go further than the
valley

Normal

Denial,
Fear

Anger END

IME 4. The most under-used technique

REPEAT

IME 5. To make people change, you have to use
all available methods ...

Most organizations use the rational approach
5 most 1 2 3 4 5
recent
clients 
 

 

   



    

There is >50% chance your change will fail

Pass

Fail X

Why does change fail – the classic reasons

1. Lack of vision
2. Changing priorities
3. Weak leadership
4. Failure to acknowledge wins
5. Not recognizing organizational culture
6. Resisting all “resistors”
7. Not supporting individual change/ transition

Why does change fail: IME 1. Bad Idea

Why does change fail: IME 2. B team

Why does change fail: IME 3. Gave up too soon

What do leaders expect from Communications?
Everytime

Sometimes

Occasionally

Writing, Project Leadership,
Production Management, Make it
Media happen
Selection

Questions you must ask: How compelling is it?

How often is it?
repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat
















In closing . . .

If you want to be really good . . . Become a better writer

If you want to make a difference & grow your career . . . Be a
project manager

If you really want to kick &%$# . . . think like a leader and
communicate!

Change Management & the Role of Communications

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