Change is a requirement for continued success in all sorts of organizations, and competent change leadership is paramount in successful change implementation.
Most experts would agree that effective communication is a key skill to lead change, yet ‘communication problems’ appears as one of the most common challenges for virtual teams. More and more companies have been jumping on the remote bandwagon in the last few years, but the outbreak of COVID-19 has been a catalyst for this working environment, and it is increasingly common to see companies that have decided to move their whole business operations to a fully virtual workplace.
So, if effectively communicating change to those responsible for making it happen is crucial for success, why is it so hard to communicate change in a way that gets everyone on board?
One of the problems stems from the fact that the people responsible for communicating the next steps have usually worked on that initiative for a long time – they’ve outlined it, mapped it out, figured out a timeline and a budget, they’ve assessed the risks, and so on. And by the time the change initiative is ready to be rolled out, they’re generally well over it.
They know the plan of action inside-out, backward, and upside-down.
And, however in love they are with the change, even if they will never admit it, they’re probably a tiny bit bored with it and ready to move on to the next thing.
And that’s precisely where the problem lies – they’re so familiar with the initiative, and it all makes so much sense to them, that they tend to assume that people know more about it than they actually do. They skimp on communication.
Why is this an issue? Lack of information leads to employees’ uncertainty, fear, and confusion. Employees are wary of the change (What will happen to me? Will this affect my job? Do they really know what they’re doing? Have they taken all the risks into account?). This oftentimes results in a lack of engagement, high change resistance, and low readiness for change.
Change Readiness
Change readiness was defined by Armenakis et al. (1993) as an individual’s ‘beliefs, attitudes, and intentions regarding the extent to which changes are needed and the organization’s capacity to successfully undertake those changes’, and it is arguably one of the most important factors involved in employees’ initial support for change initiatives. So what are some effective ways in which leaders can communicate change in a way that will increase this change readiness?
Overcommunicate
The first step is simply not assuming. Overcommunicate. If you think everyone is fully aware of everything going on, they are probably not. Do not take for granted that anyone knows anything about your new plans. Set out clear expectations, desired results, plans of action, etc.
Now, while overcommunicating is not a piece of advice we can apply to all aspects of leadership, having access to a lot of information is seldom a problem in organizational change. So if you’re leading a change initiative, remember that most projects don’t fail because people have too much information, but quite the opposite.
In a survey by the American Management Association, more than a third of senior managers, executives, and employees said they “hardly ever” know what’s going on in their organizations. Transparency can go a long way in breaking down communication barriers. By speaking openly about their goals, opportunities, and challenges, leaders can build trust amongst their team and foster an environment where employees feel empowered to share their ideas and collaborate and build up their readiness for change. Additionally, every individual should understand the role they play in the success of the change initiative. The more openly leaders communicate, the easier it will be for employees to make that connection.