1. Telling the whole story of change
Change is now the new normal. As organisations cope with constant
technological shifts, a hyper-competitive marketplace, and volatile global
markets, we have to change what we do just as fast to keep up. As a
consequence, having the ability to change is no longer a rare thing, but
something organisations need to develop as an essential skill. For most of
our businesses, this means regularly facing the prospect of a large-scale
organised change programme; however, most organisations still give most of
their attention to the process and logistical aspects of change, and too
little to the people and psychological side.
Neuropsychology has given us deeper
insight into how change affects people,
showing that it challenges our strong needs
for security, certainty, and fairness.1
As
a consequence, unless a ‘story’ around
change is communicated that helps to
address these needs, change is likely to
produce not only negative feelings, but
active resistance.2
We’ve all seen the statistics: change
programmes are notorious for failing or
delivering disappointing results. Recent
research found that only 26% of business
leaders felt a change they were working on
had been successful. However, when the
right action is taken, this can rise to 79%.3
The most important action in determining
the success of a change is for senior
leaders to communicate regularly - but
recent research has revealed that it’s not
just how much you say, but saying the
right things. Telling the whole story about
change, and letting people
participate in that story,
is an essential part
of helping people
understand why
change is the
right course.
How to bring people along with your
change communication
Getting the story right
Authors
Karoline Hellmold, MSc Occupational Psychology, Birkbeck
University of London & Amy Aggleton, Research Manager, Lane4
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Research has shown clearly that communication is the single biggest factor behind
the success of a transformation. This is especially true for large, company-wide
changes, which are 12 times more successful when senior leaders communicate
continually. For most organisations, it’s also the biggest regret after a change
process; nearly half of business leaders wished they had spent more time creating
and communicating a change story.4
When change is communicated effectively, it also has far-reaching effects; as well
as having its effect on the success of a change programme, turnover rates are
lower and people are more committed to the organisation5
. But it’s not as simple
as just telling people everything. Sharing too much information can lead people to
feel more negative towards the change.6
Most of the time, people going through change are faced with uncertainty,
changes to their relationships, or a lack of understanding of what is happening.
This leads the brain to perceive the change as a threat and shifts into a defensive
mode. The key to communicating change successfully is to create a message
that helps to satisfy these needs which reduces uncertainty and creates
understanding. As McKinsey (2015) puts it, a successful change message should
“reduce the gap between what people think is happening and what they see”.

2. A key lesson we can take from
neuropsychology is that when people
understand more about a change, they
are less likely to resist it. This means that
organisations need to tell the whole story
around what they’re trying to accomplish
with a change, something many don’t
realise. A recent study from Birkbeck,
University of London has helped to
establish the key elements that make
for a successful change story. The most
important factor governing people’s
resistance to change was not just whether
they were given enough information, but
whether it was the right information. There
are six critical pieces of information in an
effective story about change:
1. The change logistics: What exactly will
change, and how
2. The need for change: what the desired
state of the organisation is, the current
state, and the gap between the two
3. Why change is right: why this change
is the most appropriate solution
4. Why it will succeed: the factors which
mean the change underway will be a
success
5. Leadership support: what leaders are
doing to support the change and help
ensure its success
6. Impact on employees: how the change
will affect people’s work, and their day-
to-day experience
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Participate,
don’t push
© Lane4 Management Group Ltd 5/2016. All Rights Reserved.
Know more, resist less
Creating the right story is just one part
of bringing people along. How you
communicate the change to people is
an important factor in winning people
over. The traditional approach to
communicating is to be “persuasive”,
focusing on a top-down, one-way
communication strategy where a
message is developed and “sold”.
However, Birkbeck’s new research has
shown that this is less effective than a
participatory approach, where people
have the opportunity to take part in the
decision-making process and give their
feedback.7
The most effective way
to communicate change is to allow
people to discover and experience
the need for change themselves
perhaps by sharing key information, or
involving them in activities where they
need to solve a key organisational or
customer challenge. This participative
approach helps people to absorb
the organisation’s message around
change, and means that they
remember it better. As people begin
to see themselves as participants in
the change rather than victims of it,
they become more willing and able to
support it. Seeking out feedback from
employees and encouraging them to
ask questions makes the process feel
two-way, and helps the organisation to
satisfy their need for understanding.
Conclusion
The way an organisation communicates a change, and the story that it tells, can make the difference
between a change that achieves its objectives and one that stumbles or fails.
1
Rock, D. (2009). Managing with the Brain in Mind. Strategy+ Business, 56, 59–67.
2
Beaudan, E. (2006). Making change last: How to get beyond change fatigue. Ivey Business Journal, 70(3), 1-7.
3
Jacquemont, D., Maor, D., & Reich, A. (2015) How to beat the transformation odds (McKinsey & Company).
4
Jacquemont, D., Maor, D., & Reich, A. (2015) How to beat the transformation odds (McKinsey & Company).
5
Gopinath, C., & Becker, T. E. (2000). Communication, procedural justice, and employee attitudes: Relationships under conditions of divestiture. Journal of Management, 26(1), 63-83.
6
Oreg, S. (2006). Personality, context, and resistance to organizational change. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 15(1), 73-101.
7
Goodman, J., & Truss, C. (2004). The medium and the message: communicating effectively during a major change initiative. Journal of Change Management, 4(3), 217-228.
Recognising that change can threaten people’s sense
of security and satisfaction means that leaders and
communicators can work with those drives, rather than against
them, by getting the message and the delivery right. By giving
people the full picture about why the change is needed and
what people in the organisation, especially leaders, are doing
to help it along, people will be more likely to understand and
support than dig in their heels.
And by giving people the chance to discover the need for
change and share their own thoughts and questions, the
organisation can create greater buy-in than with a top-down
message. By creating the right narrative and giving people the
chance to be part of it, an organisation gives itself the ability to
be agile and successful as it navigates the changes it needs
to face the future.
Of these, three ingredients emerged as the
most important in getting people’s support
and preventing resistance:
• Why this change is the best option;
• Why it will be successful;
• And what the organisation’s leadership
are doing to support it.
In other words, rather than a series of
facts or processes, what helps people
to support change is hearing it as a story,
from where the organisation has been to
where it’s going.
For leaders and communicators, this
means creating and sharing a narrative
which gives people a more complete
picture of the journey the organisation is
going on. A great change narrative means
that employees can see that everyone
in the organisation is in it together, with
leaders setting the example. Telling the full
story also allows people to feel respected
and gives them confidence that the
change will be successful, and that they
need to support and adapt to it.