Communication & Change in Organizations by Zeeshan Ali Bhatti

1. Presented By Zeeshan Ali Bhatti
Organizational Communication
397/FSS/MSMC/F18 MS(II) IIUI
SUBMITTED TO SIR RAMZAN AZHAR

2. What is change in an organization?
 Organizational change is about the process
of changing an organization's strategies, processes,
procedures, technologies, and culture, as well as the
effect of such changes on the organization

3. Communication & Change
According to Lewis, Communication and
organizational change are processes that are
connected together. Communication is used every day
by employees at the work place.
Deresky, mentions in his work that managers
use communication to organize activities, to motivate
people, to inform and to discuss opportunity or plans

4. Why is communication important in an
organization?
Effective communication is important for the
development of an organization.
It is something which helps the managers to perform
the basic functions of management- Planning,
Organizing, Motivating and Controlling
Communication skills whether written or oral form the
basis of any business activity

5. Challenges of the Change Process
Ownership tension
Resistance
 Uncertainty
These can be addressed through effective
communication Employees prefer negative information
on upcoming organizational change to no information

6. Communication in Change
 Communication must be featured prominently in the
change planning process
 Different channels of communication must be used.
 Speak to the right people but avoid the ‘tunnel vision’ trap
 Research and identify effective strategies suitable for
communication
 Involve workers in the change process as much as possible
 Employees would certainly try to understand the change
process on their own by seeking information and
discussions. Feed their quest with the right information

7. Change Communication Strategies
 Spray and Pray – give the information and hope it would
be sifted by employees
 Tell and sell – give out only what management considers
relevant
 Underscore and explore – give out basic information and
give employees the freedom to fathom the puzzle
 Identify and rely – wait on the concerns of workers and
address them appropriately
 Withhold and upload – withhold information as much as
possible, upon confrontation with questions and rumors,
uphold the party line (Official position

8. Why Do Employees resist change:
Threat to Job Status/ Security:
o Employees worry that change threatens their job or security
o Surprise: Significant changes threatens employees sense of balance
in the work place/office

9.  Misunderstanding & lack of Skills: without introductory or
remedial trainings, change is perceived negatively.
 Uncertainty: Fear of unknown outcome of change
 Self interest: People resist change that threatens their own self
interest
 Fear of Job Loss: losing job or change in salary/ transfer

10. How to reduce/deal Resistance:
Several ways to counter and reduce employee resistance;
 Design a communication process that allows employees to participate in
making decisions and solving potential problems including,
 Education
 Communication
 Participation
 Support and negotiation.
 Awareness

11. Lewin's Force-Field Theory of Change
 Kurt Lewin developed a theory about organizational change
called the force-field theory.
 George and Jones describe the force-field theory as follows: a
"wide variety of forces arise from the way an organization
operates, from its structure, culture and control systems that
make it resistant to change.
 At the same time, a wide variety of forces arise from changing
task and general environments that push organizations toward
change.

12. Lewin's Force-Field Theory of Change:

13. Gatekeeper:
 Kurt Lewin was apparently the first one to use the term
"gatekeeping”
 Gatekeeping (communication) Gatekeeping is the process
through which information is filtered for dissemination,
whether for publication, broadcasting, the Internet, or some
other mode of communication.

14.  A Gatekeeper is somebody who monitors what
information to pass on.

15. How to introduce change:
 Communicate the Vision
 Remove Obstacles
 Form a Powerful Coalition
 Advertise Your Goal
 Emphasize the Benefits
 Listen

16. Stages of adoption process:
Awareness Interest Evaluation implement Adoption

17. Conditions for successful Change:
 Be Targeted on the forces driving the organization
 Having the Power to change the influence of driving forces
 Having the Infrastructure in place to support the change
 Organizational capabilities to pull itself into future
 Be governed by people who have decision rights and lead to
success.

18. Conclusion:
 Organizational change and development is an extremely
complex subject that can be difficult task for many companies.
From small to large organizations. Without positive attitudes
management will not be able to motivate employees & without
motivated employees, it is essentially impossible to move
through change. Both should give the tools of motivation and
necessary to follow a model to change the transition process.
The organizational change will seem like a breeze for everyone
involved in the change.

19. References:
 https://bizfluent.com/way-5908638-effective-communication-organizational-change.html
 https://bizfluent.com/info-8367571-types-organizational-change-models.html
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f
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 https://thethrivingsmallbusiness.com/8-steps-to-implementing-successful-organizational-change/
 http://formicio.com/index.php/archives/5697