Internal Communication During Change Management 

Change communication plays a key role in spreading awareness and earning their support for the change project. It allows employees, team members, and stakeholders to comprehend the change project and their role in the change project. Today, we’ll discuss internal communication during change management; benefits, stages involved in adopting changes, and key elements and components of change management internal communication.  

Whether you are changing the location, technology, leadership, or organizational restructuring; employees’ adoption rate plays a key role in the success of the change project. Employees and team members should comprehend the change program; how it would impact them and their role for the change program.

Stages Involved For Employees Adopting the Changes

• Shock and Denial – the information about the change initiative surprises them and they don’t feel comfortable about it; they need more information about the changes
• Resistance – employees would resist the changes due to fear; support them by conducting training programs; open two-way communication decreases resistance level
• Exploration – training and two-way communication have managed the negative emotions of employees; they need proper guidance, training, and direction to embrace changes
• Commitment – employees have adopted the changes in terms of how they perform work and it starts improving their productivity

Benefits of Internal Communication Change Management 

Some of the main benefits of effective internal communication during a change management program are as follows;

• Clarity – Employees and team members should be clear about their roles and responsibilities
• Removing Uncertainty & Rumors – 1st thing people would notice is whether their job is safe with the change initiative and address their concerns ASAP
• Feedback & Support Channel – avoiding behaving irrationally or making such decisions; it jeopardizes the company’s reputation
• Ambassador Training – employees would share the change initiative with the customer; they should convey the information right about why and how change takes place
• Consistency – communicating change is a continuous process and you should bring everyone onboard
• Establishing Culture – setup a strong organizational culture for assurance and comfort to adopt the changes

Key Components of Internal Communication During Change Management

Let’s discuss the key elements and components of internal communication during change management; they’re as follows;

Clarity of Roles in Change Initiative

Before launching mass changes inside the organization, the company’s leadership should be clear about the message that they would convey. Employees usually want to hear the company’s strategy for the change program from the top management. However, employees and team members want to hear why the changes are significant; their benefits, and risks of implementing them.

Prosci research study has shown that internal communication could make or break the change initiative. It is because it is a self-awareness project and it needs continuous engagement back-and-forth. However, visible and active sponsorship plays a key role in the success of the change project.

If the changes would impact their job and role directly, then employees would like to know from their immediate manager or supervisor. However, if the changes are companywide, then a clear message showing the big picture of the change project, and how it would affect their daily routines at the workplace.

Recognizing & Managing Resistance

The focus of change management is supporting, equipping, and preparing employees and team members to successfully embrace the changes while going through the transformation phase. The change project would only become successful if the employees were responding and contributing. For instance, if only 80% of the employees have adopted the changes, then the change program is not successful.

It is significant to recognize employees and team members who are resisting the changes. You should make sure that they’re feeling heard; carefully listen to them, and offer the benefit for them in adopting the change program. It is highly recommended that you should recognize and manage resistance in the early stages as soon as possible.

Communication Channels

While driving changes and spreading awareness, you should carefully pay heed to the receptiveness of employees towards a particular channel. You should employ multiple channels like written blogs, Q&A sessions, questioners, and meetings; engage with them on all the channels to make sure that the employees are responding to the changes.

However, a multifaceted approach means informing and connecting with all the employees and team members from various perspectives, departments, and roles. The emotional side of the change project is highly significant, it means focusing on how employees would connect and receive information.

Sustaining Changes After Adoption

Completing the changes is not an indicator of success, rather it is a continuous process, and so is communication. It is highly difficult to maintain and sustain the changes over time and communicate consistently. However, when the communication expert continuously remains involved with the employees and offers them key insight about the changes, then it plays a key role in success.

Conclusion: Internal Communication During Change Management |Internal Communication Change Management 

After an in-depth study of the internal communication during change management; we have realized that communicating change management is highly important for success. If you are learning about change management internal communication; then you should keep in mind the abovementioned elements, components, and benefits.