Strategic Public Sector Governance The Critical Role of Communication for Change Management Sponsors Change management sponsors are the executives or senior leaders with authority to drive change forward in an organization. Active and visible sponsorship tops the list of key contributors to successful change initiatives. A global leader in change management, Prosci has studied these contributors in all 11 editions of its Best Practices in Change Management report, and sponsorship came out on top in every single one. Sponsorship is so important that it beat out the second contributor (a structured change management approach) by a 4:1 margin in the most recent report. We cannot overstate the role change management sponsors play in effectively managing change in organizations. They are responsible for building support, enlisting help from other leaders and motivating change participants. Purposeful and consistent communication is the tool sponsors must use to provide context for the change and bring employees on board. Employees and leaders are far more likely to engage in a change when they understand what it means to them and why its necessary. Ineffective sponsors often rush through change, failing to facilitate understanding and build support through frequent and clear communication. Communication considerations for change management sponsors The purpose of employing communication as one of the key areas of change management is to disseminate information to the intended group of people. There are many forms of communication channels available within an organization including employee portals, newsletters, emails, static and non-static media as well as face to face communications. Many organization misunderstood the change communication as a process of mediating instead of intermediating. To have effective communication, information needs to be interpreted and reinterpret them into ideas and processes that are easy to understand, thus applying the mediating technique. While using the communication channels, its best to incorporate latest technologies albeit social network and video conferencing to enhance outreach to employees. However, although it is the management's decision to establish any means of communication channels deemed effective, one must avoid a typical top-down and one way conduits approach while using these communication facilities to avoid a breakdown in communication. Communication helps change management sponsors explain the vision for the change to create necessary buy-in. Sponsors that adopt the following communication practices can better articulate the why, what and so what of the change, increasing the chances that employees will understand and activate the behaviors needed for success. 1. Communicate the why People, by nature, are resistant to change. They first need convincing that the change is important and worth the energy it will take to implement it. Beehives change model of choice, identifies 2. Awareness as th.

1. Strategic Public Sector Governance
The Critical Role of Communication for Change Management Sponsors Change management
sponsors are the executives or senior leaders with authority to drive change forward in an
organization. Active and visible sponsorship tops the list of key contributors to successful change
initiatives. A global leader in change management, Prosci has studied these contributors in all 11
editions of its Best Practices in Change Management report, and sponsorship came out on top in
every single one. Sponsorship is so important that it beat out the second contributor (a structured
change management approach) by a 4:1 margin in the most recent report. We cannot overstate
the role change management sponsors play in effectively managing change in organizations. They
are responsible for building support, enlisting help from other leaders and motivating change
participants. Purposeful and consistent communication is the tool sponsors must use to provide
context for the change and bring employees on board. Employees and leaders are far more likely
to engage in a change when they understand what it means to them and why its necessary.
Ineffective sponsors often rush through change, failing to facilitate understanding and build
support through frequent and clear communication. Communication considerations for change
management sponsors The purpose of employing communication as one of the key areas of
change management is to disseminate information to the intended group of people. There are
many forms of communication channels available within an organization including employee
portals, newsletters, emails, static and non-static media as well as face to face communications.
Many organization misunderstood the change communication as a process of mediating instead of
intermediating. To have effective communication, information needs to be interpreted and
reinterpret them into ideas and processes that are easy to understand, thus applying the mediating
technique. While using the communication channels, its best to incorporate latest technologies
albeit social network and video conferencing to enhance outreach to employees. However,
although it is the management's decision to establish any means of communication channels
deemed effective, one must avoid a typical top-down and one way conduits approach while using
these communication facilities to avoid a breakdown in communication. Communication helps
change management sponsors explain the vision for the change to create necessary buy-in.
Sponsors that adopt the following communication practices can better articulate the why, what and
so what of the change, increasing the chances that employees will understand and activate the
behaviors needed for success. 1. Communicate the why People, by nature, are resistant to
change. They first need convincing that the change is important and worth the energy it will take to
implement it. Beehives change model of choice, identifies 2. Awareness as the first phase of
change. This phase requires organizations and sponsors to communicate early and often why a
change is necessary, including what the risk is to the business and employees if they dont change.
Sponsors that first embrace the change on a personal level can better predict potential employee
resistance and use these insights to more effectively communicate why the desired change is
necessary and worth the effort. Only after employees understand the reason for a change will they
consider adopting it themselves. 3. Stay active and visible throughout the change Change
initiatives frequently fail because sponsors and leaders dont stay committed to the change
management process. Employees notice disengaged leaders and believe the change isnt that
important for them to pay attention to or adopt. They are more hesitant to get on board, sensing a

2. lack of commitment and possibility the change wont take root. Change, supported by consistent
and frequent communication, can take months or years to implement fully. The sponsors role
extends far beyond logistical planning and announcing the change. They must stay engaged and
committed, consistently communicating why the change is important and publicly modeling it
through their own behavior and expectations. 4. Give employees a voice Successful change
happens only when individual people embrace change and alter their behavior. Employees are
active, not passive, participants in change. Sponsors and leaders should identify critical feedback
opportunities for employees during change initiatives. Common feedback and listening methods
include surveys, town hall meetings, and dedicated email inboxes or online forms. Most
importantly, change management sponsors should listen and learn from employee input. Are there
signs of change resistance in the organization that require more consistent and thorough
communication to overcome? Do employees not understand how to implement a particular aspect
of the change and need better training? Listening to employees is only the first step. Taking action
on the input and insights promotes trust and creates a greater willingness among employees to
adopt the change. 5. Enlist support from other people and project leaders The change
management sponsor alone cannot lead an organization through change. Other sponsors, people
managers, project managers and change practitioners play critical supporting roles. Successful
change requires engagement from all of these internal leaders to drive momentum, credibility and
trust. The Prosci Change Triangle (PCT) illustrates the interconnected roles of these leaders. The
triangle defines roles, responsibilities and expectations for the three legs of change:
Leadership/sponsorship, Project management and Change management. How effectively people
managing these change functions collaborate with each other and communicate with employees
determines the success of the change: Prosci further defines five key roles of people managers:
Communicator, Liaison, Advocate, Resistance Manager and Coach. Prepare with a change
management communication plan Organizations can prepare for change by helping leaders
understand their role and equipping the business with a Leadership/sponsorship: Responsible for
defining and communicating the Why for the change Change management: Responsible for
communicating with and engaging employees to ensure they have the information and resources
needed to adopt the change Project management: Responsible for communicating with the other
two disciplines on the progress of the technical side of the change change management
methodology. Beehive aligns its change management communication planning with Proscis
ADKAR model. Other popular models include Kotters Change Model, Lewins Change
Management Model and the McKinsey 7-S Framework. Change management communication
plans should always begin with the following steps, regardless of which change model an
organization uses: Learn, listen and agree on the strategic communication approach
Organizations that implement an effective change management communication plan, with a
change sponsor at its helm, will experience greater success creating a healthy environment ready
to take on the next change that comes its way.
QUESTION 4 (25 Marks)
Strategies represent an institutions response to the requirements of its policy mandate within a
specific management environment context. Although the process of developing strategy is
complex and often iterative in nature, strategy projects tend to naturally move through a number of

3. identifiable phases. In view of this ,evaluate the development (planning) of a strategy.