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Prepared by:
Rick Lesniak, UBIT Communications Coordinator
Version 0.1 – First Draft

UB2020 IT Reorganization Initiative
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VERSION
0.1
DATE
7/7/2009
CHANGED BY
Rick Lesniak
VERSION
Strategy Planning: Communication Strategy
CHANGE
No previous document
Name
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UB2020 IT Reorganization Initiative Strategy Planning: Communication Strategy
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1.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................................................................ 4
2.
COMMUNICATION OBJECTIVES ............................................................................................................................... 5
3.
COMMUNICATION APPROACH ................................................................................................................................. 7
3.1
I DENTIFYING THE A UDIENCE .......................................................................................................................................... 8
3.2
V EHICLES FOR C OMMUNICATION ................................................................................................................................... 8
3.2.1
Presentations ......................................................................................................................................................... 8
3.2.2
Websites ................................................................................................................................................................. 8
3.2.3
Email ..................................................................................................................................................................... 8
3.2.4
University Publications ......................................................................................................................................... 9
3.2.5
Blogs ...................................................................................................................................................................... 9
3.2.6
Town Hall Meetings .............................................................................................................................................. 9
3.2.7
Information Sessions ............................................................................................................................................. 9
3.2.8
Focus Groups ........................................................................................................................................................ 9
3.2.9
Training ................................................................................................................................................................. 9
3.2.10
Other .................................................................................................................................................................... 9
3.3
T ECHNIQUES TO L EVERAGE C OMMUNICATIONS E FFORTS .............................................................................................. 9
3.4
C OMMUNICATION R ISKS AND B ARRIERS ...................................................................................................................... 10
4.
CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................................................................ 12
OVERVIEW OF UB2020 IT TRANSFORMATION PHASE II INITIATIVE ................................................................. 13
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1.
UB2020 IT Reorganization Initiative Strategy Planning: Communication Strategy
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Communications that announced the reorganization of IT at UB were released in late Fall 2008. Since then, careful assessments of the service and financial resources have been completed to establish a financial baseline. Actual organization structure discussions began in earnest during May 2009, with plan approvals through ETAG, VP and Deans meetings, and IT Leadership discussions.
The reorganization process will continue by developing unit service catalogs and Service Level
Agreements, implementing common priority setting processes and portfolio management practices.
Much of the actual reorganization plan needs still to be worked out. As such, a series of incremental steps will be taken during the next year, as we understand further how the process unfolds.
The Communication Strategy has been developed to define how the UB2020 IT Transformation Phase II
Communication Team in partnership with UB IT leadership and management will create, administer and deploy the necessary activities and communiqués to support the reorganization initiative. Given the culture and complexity of the institution, the broad scope of the reorganization initiative, the phased implementation plans, the number of stakeholders who will be impacted by services changes and new functionality, the University at Buffalo (UB) has adopted a strong focus on Change Management. The institution recognizes that timely, accurate information will facilitate faculty, staff and student buy-in and ownership of the new organization and component services.
Because the reorganization will continue to impact faculty, staff, and students throughout the University, initiative communications should serve, in part, to remind the university community that Campus
Solutions will initiate innovative changes and improvements to IT services that were endorsed by
President Simpson, and the Executive Sponsors; and to encourage the campus that continued support and involvement is crucial to the initiative’s expediency.
Communications will support the following objectives:

Define the current situation and the rationale for the change;

Communicate the vision of the institution during the reorganization and after the change takes place;

Communicate implementation plans and reorganization status;

Provide a consistent picture of the UB IT Transformation Phase II Initiative;

Integrate UB IT brand and communication strategies within reorganization communications;

Facilitate involvement, acceptance, and ultimately, ownership of the new business processes and the new system; and

Gain feedback from key stakeholders
A detailed UB2020 IT Transformation Phase II Communication Plan has been developed by the
Communication Team to align with and support this strategy document. The dynamic and interactive
Communication Plan identifies the specific stakeholder audiences, method of execution, modes of communication, expected results and schedule necessary to support the initiative throughout the lifecycle reorganization initiative.
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UB2020 IT Reorganization Initiative Strategy Planning: Communication Strategy
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All communications will support the following objectives:
Define the current situation and the rationale for the change.
It is important that faculty, staff and other affected stakeholders understand the business drivers for the change, the urgency behind making the change, how the change supports the overall mission of the institution, and how the change will position the institution to better respond to the demands of its customers in the future.
Communicate the vision of the institution during the transformation and after the change takes place.
Affected stakeholders will be better positioned to accept the change when they understand the benefits of the new organization. Benefits for the institution and for the individual must be communicated.
Communicate implementation plans and reorganization status.
Communications must impart the disciplined, deliberate, logical methodology employed to reorganize IT workers and implement services delivery changes. Frequent communications to stakeholders regarding what the reorganization team is doing, how the initiative is progressing, and upcoming initiative events will keep faculty, staff and other affected stakeholders aware of the initiative as a whole and better prepared for upcoming activities. This also helps to build confidence that the implementation process is well managed, promotes acceptance of the new organization, and reduces anxiety about the next steps and impending changes.
Provide a consistent picture of the UB2020 IT Transformation Phase II Initiative.
The information communicated to stakeholders using any method or vehicle must be consistent with any other past and present communications. The initiative will derive “good will” benefits throughout the institution by providing consistent information in an accurate and timely manner, thereby promoting confidence in the change. The credibility of the Reorganization / Communication Team with management and stakeholder groups will be based upon the information the team presents to them. If “mixed messages” are communicated, the credibility of the reorganization effort will be undermined.
Standardized templates will be utilized by the team to promote identification of the UB2020 IT
Transformation Phase II Initiative. “Work in progress” documentation need not carry the logo but all documents should be designed with a consistent structure following accepted standards to achieve the desired results and provide a cohesive picture of the initiative in all initiative communications.
The final aspect of this objective is coherency and clarity. Communications must be tailored to the target audience and should be as brief and to the point as possible using language that is easily understood by all stakeholders.
Facilitate involvement, acceptance, and ultimately, ownership of the new organization processes and services. Continuous, targeted communications which focus on priorities, dependencies, upcoming demands, and education will promote understanding, involvement, acceptance, and, ultimately ownership among stakeholders. When stakeholders are aware of and involved in the change process, they are better prepared to work through the difficulties of the change itself.
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UB2020 IT Reorganization Initiative Strategy Planning: Communication Strategy
Set and manage expectations of the magnitude, direction, and speed of change with respect to the impact on specific programs, groups, or individuals.
The Communication Plan will be developed to provide accurate, timely information about what will happen to whom and when. Communications will be tailored to what is appropriate for each target audience during each ensuing activity or phase of the initiative. Tailoring the message to an audience ensures that the intended message is delivered based on the target audience’s previous knowledge and immediate needs.
The Communication Plan defines the type, method, audience and style of the various communications to be developed and distributed throughout the lifecycle of the initiative. The plan includes timelines to ensure appropriate sequencing and frequency of communications throughout the initiative. As major reorganization events approach, communication frequency will need to be increased to make sure the information is disseminated early enough for the target audience to review, understand and provide appropriate feedback.
Gain feedback from key stakeholders. Communication processes should never be viewed as a oneway road. Interaction is critical to confirm that the audience received the message as it was intended and reached the desired understanding. Therefore all project communications should specifically define a method of gaining feedback about the clarity of the intended message.
There are four significant purposes of gaining feedback from key stakeholders:

Identify issues that were not previously identified during earlier development processes so that the issue can be properly addressed;
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Identify points that were not made clear by the communication or in the delivery of the message so that it can be corrected;

Identify missing points that are needed to clarify and complete the intended message; and

Identify the positive results and share them with others to promote acceptance.
The UB2020 IT Transformation Phase II Communication Strategy and Plan embodies best practices and lessons learned from other large change initiatives, and seeks to establish a new benchmark for the future.
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UB2020 IT Reorganization Initiative Strategy Planning: Communication Strategy
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The purpose of establishing a Communication Strategy is to define the guiding principles and identify the specific methods and tools used to communicate information about the UB2020 IT Transformation
Phase II Initiative and the subsequent changes it creates. It establishes ownership and acceptance (or buy-in) of the initiative by managing the perceptions and expectations of faculty, staff and other affected stakeholders. Goals and objectives of this approach include:

Communicate the vision, plans and timeline for the UB2020 IT Transformation Phase II
Initiative;

Provide a consistent, cohesive and coherent picture of the initiative;

Facilitate acceptance from all stakeholders;
 Promote “buy-in” and “ownership” of the new organization and services through involvement from all levels of the institution;
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Ensure that stakeholders are aware of and involved in the process of change;
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Set and manage expectations of the magnitude, direction and speed of change with respect to the new organization and services;

Provide accurate, timely information about what will happen to whom and when; and

Gain feedback from key stakeholders.
University stakeholders prefer to receive messages from two sources: the institution’s most senior executive and the direct supervisor. Faculty, staff and students respond to messages regarding overall institutional opportunities, external forces, or strategic business improvements from the most senior executive. Messages regarding the strategic importance of an initiative and a broad understanding of the impact of the change should come from the executive level. Messages related to how the change will impact an individual’s job should come from the direct manager or supervisor. These messages include information on anticipated changes for the individual or group, timing of the changes, and expected behavior while the change is taking place.
The Communication Team will develop high-impact messages, targeted to the specific audience and designed for an appropriate delivery method. To facilitate the distribution of communications, Change
Coordinators / Agents comprised of individuals who are recognized as leaders at various levels of the institution will be identified. Working collaboratively with the Communication Team, these individuals will:

Understand the business reasons for the initiatives;
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Help to validate the message content for the target audiences; and
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Promote the change effort through active participation and communication with peers and subordinates.
Additionally, executive leadership, sponsors, managers, supervisors, IT workers and trainers will be positioned to deliver key messages to targeted audiences.
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UB2020 IT Reorganization Initiative Strategy Planning: Communication Strategy
Identifying individuals who “need to know” – most employees at the University at Buffalo deal with some aspect of IT services and will be directly affected by the UB2020 IT Transformation Phase II
Initiative, so the “need to know” population is quite large, including campus administrators, student services staff who are end-users, departmental staff, faculty who serve as student advisers, and students, both current and prospective. As the project progresses, it is anticipated that additional stakeholder groups will be identified and incorporated into the Communication Plan.
The various audience groups have differing requirements for detailed information, but all groups require an understanding of the basics of the planned implementation and the reasons for planned changes. The
President, Provost, academic and financial officers need high-level information about the IT organization and services changes, and the resulting impact on the university. Faculty, department heads, and University staffs need to know how the changes affect their requesting and receiving IT services. A comprehensive listing of Stakeholder Audience Groups will be maintained in the master
Communication Plan which will be posted to the UB2020 IT Transformation Phase II Initiative website.
Due to the unique nature of the UB institution, multiple channels for communicating messages will be utilized to disseminate information about the initiative. The Communication Team anticipates using various methods and tools including print, face-to-face and electronic. A comprehensive listing of communication vehicles will be maintained in the master Communication Plan which will be posted to the UB2020 IT Transformation Phase II Initiative website.
3.2.1 Presentations
Members of the UB2020 IT Transformation Phase II team, including Sponsors and members of the
Steering Committee, or campus liaisons, may present materials to meetings or groups when information is ready for dissemination, or when a user group requests a presentation. Such meetings and/or groups might include: Deans/Vice –Provosts Meetings, Faculty-Senate, established university groups (i.e.,
Librarians, University Support Services providers, and Professional Staff Senate), union meetings, or other functional user group meetings.
3.2.2 Websites
The website http://www.buffalo.edu/ub2020/IT Reorganization/ is the repository for the reorganization initiative information including purpose and history of the initiative; guiding principles; reorganization design; timeline; status information and a calendar the implementation schedule; frequently asked questions; and service catalogs.
MyUB, http://myub.buffalo.edu
, is UB’s portal providing online access to faculty, staff and students.
The “Need to Know” pagelet contains important and useful information for all employees and students.
3.2.3 Email
As users who are affected by the initiative are identified, appropriate email lists are established for ongoing communication and discussion.
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UB2020 IT Reorganization Initiative Strategy Planning: Communication Strategy
3.2.4 University Publications
UB Reporter is published regularly. A link to the electronic versions of the newsletter is sent to UB employees who are on a distribution list and hardcopies are provided to appropriate campus distribution centers. From time-to-time, communications related to the reorganization will appear in the publication.
3.2.5 Blogs
[May be utilized by the team. Additional due diligence and approval will be required prior to the
Communication Team recommendation on this vehicle]
3.2.6 Town Hall Meetings
Reorganization initiative leadership or representatives may attend formal or regular meetings of various campus groups (VPUE, IT), as requested, to provide updates to campus communities and/or specific functional users’ groups.
3.2.7 Information Sessions
Reorganization Initiative leadership or representatives may organize informal information sessions or discussions, as needed, to provide updates to campus communities or specific users’groups.
3.2.8 Focus Groups
End-user groups may be convened by the communications team to obtain feedback regarding changes in services, the impact on end-users’ work, and effective strategies that might be used in future training and communication efforts. Such groups may be re-convened or called upon after implementation for follow-up debriefing.
3.2.9 Training
Should the reorganization initiative result in any business process modifications or introduce new tools for effected end-users and stakeholders, a Training Strategy and Plan will be developed to define the tasks, activities and curriculum required to meet the needs of the UB2020 IT Transformation Phase II
Initiative.
3.2.10 Other
Targeted communications to specific groups may be developed in appropriate formats as issues, needs, and opportunities arise. Throughout the course of the reorganization, assessments will be made to ensure that the communicated message is effectively reaching its targeted audiences. These can be formal or informal to be effective. As the Communication Team becomes aware of an additional unique need or needs of a specific area, these needs will be documented and incorporated into future communication efforts. In addition, the team will focus on optimizing resources and utilizing the most cost-effective solution to meet the communication needs of the UB2020 IT Transformation Phase II
Initiative.
The following points are techniques to help leverage communication efforts and sustain desired behavior:

Develop a Communication Plan that is dynamic and interactive;
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UB2020 IT Reorganization Initiative Strategy Planning: Communication Strategy
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Integrate communication activities with key reorganization events;
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Deliver messages in a style that underscores the new direction, behaviors and results;
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Utilize that power of leadership by leading from the top; and
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Include consistently worded messages in all communication efforts.
Open, free-flowing communication processes that make sure everyone is focused on achieving the same objectives characterize highly effective organizations. Organizations with the most effective communication processes are those where each individual understands that he/she has an integral role in sharing information relevant to the success of the organization. The accountability for communication does not rest solely with the UB2020 IT Transformation Phase II Communication Team. The burden of an effective communication network needs to be shared by every person involved in the change initiative. Consequently, there is a concrete need for teamwork if project objectives are to be accomplished.
In a participative, team-oriented environment, sound communication processes are a requirement, not a luxury. With the University at Buffalo poised to reach its strategic vision for improving services and streamlining operations through reorganization of IT leadership and services, the demand for all types of communication will continue to escalate.
An active exchange of information to and the proactive request for feedback from stakeholders is required to ensure understanding and to verify that stakeholders are receiving the information that they need to best perform their jobs. Open channels of communication between managers and staff must be established, and employees should be encouraged to provide input and feedback.
The following table identifies potential risks and / or barriers to successful communication, potential impacts, probability of occurrence and suggested mitigation strategies.
Identified Risk
Decentralized /
Distributed
Organization
Impact
Faculty, staff and students in the various Schools / Departments are distributed across multiple campuses and consequently may not receive relevant information in a timely, accurate manner
Probability of
Occurrence
75%
Mitigation Strategy
Develop multiple communication channels that will ensure frequent, timely delivery of accurate information to all faculty, staff and students
Assess stakeholder groups to determine if and how the message is perceived
Provide a feedback mechanism so that all employees can communicate with the project team in an ongoing manner
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UB2020 IT Reorganization Initiative
Identified Risk Impact
Current Economic
Uncertainty
Strategy Planning: Communication Strategy
Employees and other stakeholders may question why funds are dedicated to the
UB2020 IT Transformation Phase
II Initiative; perceived negative connotations associated with the
UB2020 IT Transformation Phase
II Initiative
Probability of
Occurrence
75%
Mitigation Strategy
Continue to communicate
President Simpson’s message; the UB2020 IT Transformation
Phase II Initiative is aligned with
UB2020 and positions the university for the future
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The UB2020 IT Transformation Phase II Initiative is a major undertaking of the University at Buffalo.
These efforts involve many individuals with a variety of IT job responsibilities. This Communication
Strategy and the corresponding Communication Plan define the audiences, types of messages, and methods of communicating that will be most effective in providing the information necessary to ensure a smooth transition.
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The UB2020 IT Transformation Phase II Initiative is part of the overall UB2020 Plan, the University’s comprehensive vision for achieving enduring, academic excellence. IT Leadership all across campus including academic, business and support services units will be participating in the initiative and directly involved in determining overall success.
Additional information on the Initiative can be found online at the links below:

UB2020 IT Transformation Phase II Initiative Overview and updates: http://www.buffalo.edu/ub2020/IT Reorganizaion/index.html
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UB2020 IT Transformation Phase II Initiative Guiding Principles: http://www.buffalo.edu/ub2020/IT Reorganizaion/ITReorg_guiding_principles.html
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UB2020 IT Transformation Phase II Initiative Leadership and Members: http://www.buffalo.edu/ub2020/IT Reorganization/membership.html
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