COMMUNICATORS
as
AGENTS
enabling and engaging the organization
Linda Ld Jacobson, APR
ARRIVING AT Change MANAGEMENT
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EXPLORE today
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•
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The 4 + 1 of change management
Status of change management efforts
Understand learning and enable change
Communicators as change agents
Tools for change
Lessons learned about change communications
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THE 4 + 1 OF Change
MANAGEMENT
What?
A structured
approach for
transitioning
individuals and
organizations
from a current
state to a
desired state
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THE 4 + 1 OF Change
MANAGEMENT
Why?
- Mission
changes
- Operational
changes
- Technological
changes
- Attitudinal
changes
- Legislative
mandates
Image credit: Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol, www.missionimpossible.com/gallery
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THE 4 + 1 OF Change
MANAGEMENT
Who?
- Executive
leadership
- Project team
- OCM team
- Change
sponsors
- Change agents
- Change targets
Image credit: Disney trailer from Toy Story 3
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THE 4 + 1 OF Change
MANAGEMENT
When?
Determine if
the changes are
complex
enough to
require a
structured
approach to
implementation.
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THE 4 + 1 OF Change
MANAGEMENT
How?
Effective use of
change levers:
- Leadership
- Involvement
- Communication
- Training
- Measurement
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STATE OF Change
MANAGEMENT
• Change management initiatives are costly.
• According to Dr. John Kotter, 70 percent of
CM projects fail.
– Leading cause of failure is people issues
primarily hampered by a lack of communication
or absence of enablement.*
 Lack of commitment and follow through by senior
executives
 Defective project management skills among middle
managers
 Lack of training and confusion among frontline
employees.
Sept. 12, 1981
Nebraska fails to stop Iowa
* The Common Project Success Denominator Study, McKinsey
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STATE OF Change
MANAGEMENT
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STATE OF Change
MANAGEMENT
Employees unsatisfied
39 percent
Executives unsatisfied
32 percent
Operational disruption at Go-Live
40 percent
Failure to realize some benefits
22 percent
Failure to realize 50 percent + benefits
41 percent
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
The Common Project Success Denominator Study, McKinsey
Image credit: The Why, What, How of Change Management, Parask Aushik
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STATE OF Change
MANAGEMENT
Organizational benefit:
• Potentially achieve ROI of 143
percent when an excellent
OCM program is part of the
change initiative
• ROI drops to 35 percent when
there is a poor OCM program
or no program.
Success factors:
• Senior | middle managers and
frontline employees are all
involved.
• Everyone’s responsibilities
are clear and clearly
communicated.
• Reasons for the project are
understood and accepted
throughout the organization.
• Continuous and targeted
communication is executed.
• The approach was planned
and organized.
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UNDERSTAND Learning
“Never tell people how
to do things. Tell them
what to do, and they
will surprise you with
their ingenuity.”
– General George S. Patton
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“I once read that
people are normally
productive for about
5-7 hours in an
eight-hour business
day. But any time a
change of control
takes place, their
productivity falls to
less than an hour. “
- Dennis Kozlowski
CEO Tyco International
Performance
UNDERSTAND Learning
Time
The learning dip
Making sense of change management: A complete guide to the models, tools & techniques of organization change, 2nd ed.
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UNDERSTAND Learning
3. Exploration
2. Resistance
4. Commitment
External
Behavior
Internal
1. Denial
Time
Personal change model
Model by RapidBI
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ENABLING
Change
Incorporate the changes into the culture.
Consolidate and build on the gains.
Generate short term wins.
Empower people to act on the vision.
Communicate the vision for buy-in.
Develop a clear shared vision.
Create the guiding coalition.
Establish a sense of urgency.
Model by Professor John P. Kotter
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ENABLING
Change
Focus on the 50 percent
who are neutral. They
represent the tipping point.
Making Change Work: Practical Tools for Overcoming Human Resistance to Change, Brien Palmer
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ENABLING
Change
Relentlessly communicate. And then do it again. And again.
–
Always answer the question: Where and how will change create pain or
loss in the organization?
–
Identify change targets who have something to lose and anticipate how
they will respond.
–
Communicate the “why” of change. Explain the urgency of moving away
from established routines or arrangement.
–
Emphasize the benefits of change (i.e., job security, cost, higher pay).
–
Involve resisters in the change-management effort.
–
Explain the criteria for success and how it will be measured.
–
Explain how people will be rewarded for success. Strategically tie
rewards to change objectives. Then communicate wins during the
change-management initiative.
–
Ensure two-way communication.
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TRAITS OF Change AGENTS
Data collector
Strategic catalyst
Not tied to the status quo
Influential thought advisor
Change Agents
Empathetic
Dot connector
Educator
Consensus builder
Marathoner
Problem solver
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COMMUNICATORS AS Change AGENTS
Establishing
the need for
change
Contributing
to the change
team
Creating
vision and
values
Consolidating
gains
Strategic Communicators
Noticing
improvements and
energizing
Communicating
and engaging
Empowering
others
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COMMUNICATORS AS Change AGENTS
3 STEROIDS
1. The right information
needs to get to the right
people at the right time.
2. Communicate constantly,
continuously and
consistently.
3. Be innovative but strategic
in your communications.
Image credit: www.vectorvilla.com
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TOOLS FOR Change AGENTS
Tell the change-management story effectively.
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TOOLS FOR Change AGENTS
• Common channels and
vehicles:
– Company town halls
– Print | Electronic
communications
– Team briefings |
presentations
– E-mails
– Conference calls
– Employee | customer
focus groups
– Surveys
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TOOLS FOR Change AGENTS
• Uncommon channels
and vehicles:
– Additional intranet or
extranet sites
– WebEx | Skype meetings
– Report templates
– Social media
– Confidential help lines
– Notices
– Formal Q & A sessions
– Custom survey tools
– Video
– TV | digital signage
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Change AGENT IN ACTION
– Be ready to stretch – in every direction.
– Be ready with a robust but efficient
approval process for communications.
– Be prepared to educate constantly about:
 The change
 The process
 The tools and channels for communicating
– Establish and maintain key relationships
with the program lead and the OCM lead.
– Be relentless in communications, but be
strategic. Change-management
communications are iterative.
Communicate, measure, adjust if
necessary, and then communicate again.
PTC Communications Approval Process
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Change
MANAGEMENT RESOURCES
• Managing Change and Transition: 7 Practical Strategies to Help
You Lead During Turbulent Times (Boston: Harvard Business
School Press, 2003), Harvard Business Essentials
• Esther Cameron and Mike Green, Making Sense of Change
Management: A complete guide to the models, tools &
techniques of organizational change 2nd edition (Philadelphia,
Kogan Page, 2009)
• Dan S. Cohen, The Heart of Change Field Guide: Tools and tactics
for leading change in your organization (Boston: Harvard
Business School Press, 2005)
• John P. Kotter, Leading Change (Boston: Harvard Business School
Press, 1996)
• http://www.kotterinternational.com
• http://www.change-management.com/
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Change
MANAGEMENT QUESTIONS
Linda Ld Jacobson, APR
ljacobson@quepr.com
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