As the 21st century is being preoccupied by the concept of change, the
role of communication in actualizing change is gradually making an impact on
organizations. Knowledge Management has become a corporate buzzword and
“Keeping employees in the know” is now key to organizational survival, let
alone growth. Peter Drucker (2002) goes so far to declare, “The knowledge
worker is the single greatest asset to an organization”. Communication is
highly sensitive and crucial in building trust, maintaining loyalty and
productivity.
Change entails moving from one state to another, specifically, from the
problem state to the solved state in a planned, orderly fashion. Kitchen (2001)
defined organizational change as the:
Realization
of new procedures or technologies intended to realign an organization with the
changing demands of its business environment, or to capitalize on business
opportunities.
Jick (1993) opined that change in its broadest sense is a planned or
unplanned response to pressures and forces, in particular technological,
economic, social, regulatory, political and competitive forces. The key to
successful change implementation therefore lies in understanding the potential
impacts of a change initiative on the stakeholders.
2.1.1. Organizational change and change Management
Organizational change is the realization of new procedures or
technologies intended to realign an organization with the changing demands of
its business environment, or to capitalize on business opportunities. (Phillip,
2001). Change involves the introduction of new procedures, peoples or ways of
working which have a direct impact on the various stakeholders within an
organization. The key to successful change implementation lies in understanding
the potential impacts of a change initiative on the stakeholders – will
employees be scared, resistant, pessimistic or enthusiastic about the proposed
change? How can each possible reaction be anticipated and managed?
Change management on the other hand, entails thoughtful planning and
sensitive implementation, and above all, consultation with, and involvement of,
the people affected by the changes. It ensures that change is realistic,
achievable, measurable, and time bound. Embarking on organizational change
requires asking: what do we want to achieve with this change, why and how would
we know that the change has been achieved?
Who will be affected
by the change, and how will they react to it? How much of this change can we achieve
ourselves, and what parts of the change do we need help with?
2.2 TYPES OF
CHANGE
In discussion the various types of change, there is the need to first
look at the models that leads to it as proposed by Armstrong, (1999) and
Rowland (2003) identified three main, contrasting models from Lewin, Beer and
Shaw.
Lewin’s model
This model considers that change involves a move from one static state
via a state of activity to another static status quo. Lewin specifically
considers a three-stage process of managing change: unfreezing, changing and
re-freezing. The first stage involves creating a level of dissatisfaction with
the status quo, which creates conditions for change to be implemented. The
second stage requires organizing and mobilizing the resources required to bring
about the change. The third stage involves embedding the new ways of working
into the organization.
Beer’s model
Beer and colleagues advocate a model that recognizes that change is
more complex and therefore requires a more complex, albeit still uniform set of
responses to ensure its effectiveness. They prescribe a six-step process to
achieve effective change.
They concentrate on
“task alignment’, whereby employees’ roles, responsibilities and relationships
are seen as key to bring about situations that enforce changed ways of
thinking, attitudes and behaving. Their stages are:
· Mobilize commitment to
change through joint diagnosis.
· Develop a shared vision
of how to organize.
· Foster consensus,
competence and commitment to share vision.
Spread the word about the change
· Institutionalize the
change through formal policies.
· Monitor and adjust as
needed.
Shaw’s model
This model looks at change in a different form. Change is seen as both
complex and also evolutionary. The starting point for their (and a number of
other more recent models) model is that the environment of an organization is
not in equilibrium. As such the change mechanisms within organizations tend to
be ‘messy’ and to a cretin extent operate in reverse to the way outlined by
Lewin. It is not appropriate to consider the status quo as an appropriate
starting point, given that organizations are not static entities. Rather the
forces for change are already inherent in the system and emerge as the system
adapts to its environment.
Such different models
will have implications on the way organizations and their leaders view change,
the way they mange change and the effectiveness of any change initiative.
Ackerman (1997)
distinguished between four types of change:
· Developmental Change - May be a planned
or emergent change. It is a change that enhances or corrects existing aspects
of an organization, often focusing on the improvement of a skill or process.
· Transitional change - seek to achieve a
known desired state that is different from the existing one. It requires a
shift in assumptions made by the organization and its members.
· Transformational Change - requires new
ways of thinking and behaving that differ significantly in terms of structure,
processes, culture and strategy. It may, therefore result in the creation of an
organization that operates in developmental mode – one that continuously
learns, adapts and improves.
· Incremental Change - is limited in
scope, and happens within normal expectations, and is often reversible. It does
not disrupt past patterns but rather an extension of the past.
Nature of problem,
however, determines the type of change to be adopted.
2.3 CHANGE
PROCESS
The pace of change is ever increasing – particularly with the advent of
the Internet and the rapid deployment of new technologies, new ways of doing
business and new ways of conducting one’s life. Communicating change intent
therefore, once by memo is never enough.
It includes allowing time and resources for the transition itself –
that in-between stage when people who are in the process are letting go of the
old and embracing the new. Workshops focused on understanding the impact of
change can help with this. This is a significant component of the preparation
strategy. The change processes include strategies for identification of change
agents from within the organization as leaders for the change, identification
of those people who may be unwilling to accept or support the changes and how
to work with these processes and other strategies.
During times of change, uncertainty and fears of the unknown is a
common factor for resistance – employees do not always understand why change is
occurring and tend to be wary of moving away from the old. This is where
communication proves invaluable because people seem to move along the change
adaptability curve faster if they know what is happening to them. As Charles
Darwin said: “It’s not the strongest species that survive, nor the most
intelligent, but the most responsive to change”.
The ability to effectively
and consistently keep an organization top – of mind and visible to all
stakeholders – internal and external publics – is a critical component of
success. Change process according to Carnal (1999) involves the following:
· Preparing for Change - This is the stage of inspiring people to
move, making objectives real and relevant, and identifying need for change. The
stage often requires a Change Management Team, either from within the
organization or an external consultancy. The initial task of the Change
Management Team will be to conduct an audit of the existing business practices
that require change with a view to establishing the gap between the
organization’s current status and where it aims to be.
· Change Management Plan - the change management plan is a concise
document that states the reason and scope for change, implementation and
success measurement. The plan outlines the individual activities that will
enable the change; states who is responsible for each activity and the deadline
by which each activity will be completed. For organizational change that
entails new actions, objectives and processes for a group or team of people,
planning includes achieving understanding, involvement, setting measurable
aims, actions and commitment.
· Communication - Communication as noted by carnall really starts the
change process and is one of the critical areas of successful change
management. It ensures the cooperation and support required to successfully
implement the change. Internal communication tools available to the change
Management Team include, staff briefings, workshops, e-mails and the
organization’s intranet.
· Evaluation - Measuring the impact of change activities determines
whether additional change is required or highlights how well the implemented
change management strategy, recorded both successes and failures. This
knowledge helps to ensure that future change management activities are built on
the successes recorded. Some useful measures of change includes: Increased efficiency; Increased effectiveness;
Increased profitability; Greater market share; Level of take up of new
processes; Improved compliance with new regulations.
2.4 STRATEGIC
COMMUNICATION
Successful change requires time to plan every fact of the communication
of the change project especially the people strategy. Communication addresses
two main needs in change management – providing important information to those
who need in change management – providing important information to those who
need to know it, and conveying change messages to affect the attitude and
behavior of various populations concerned.
Organizational Change Management seeks to understand the sentiments of
the target population and work with them to promote efficient delivery of the
change and enthusiastic support for its results. Therefore, in planning change,
implementing it as well as preparing the people for the changes that is about
to happen, communication is the number one issue. This seems like a statement
of the blinding obvious yet communication is still reported ‘as the major
problem in implementing change’ (KPMG 1998).
Successful change implementation takes the time to plan every facet of
the change project especially the people strategy and starts with the following
threshold questions without which a change cannot be successfully implemented:
· Why are we doing this?
· Why now? What if we do
not do this now?
· What is our destination?
Precisely.
· How will we get there?
· What is
in it for our people? How will the gains outweigh the losses?
· How will we bring our
people along with us?
How will we consolidate the changes?
In the words of Dr Adenekan, the corporate relations Manager of First
Bank Of Nigeria Plc.
Strategic communication provides a
conceptual umbrella that enables organizations to integrate disparate messaging
efforts. It allows creation and distribution of communications that, while
different in style and purpose, have an inner coherence. This consistency can,
in some instances, foster an echo chamber that reinforces the organizational
message and brand. At minimum, it prevents contradictory, confusing messaging
to different groups across all media platforms. Strategic communications also
means using corporate or institutional communications to create, strengthen or
preserve, among key audiences, opinion favourable to the attainment of
institutional/corporate goals.
Going further, strategic communication is the foundation of a solid
communications plan which enables an organization to be proactive and be
prepared for any communications challenge or opportunities, which may arise
from change introduction. A strategic
approach to all communication activities, both for internal and external
audiences, is essential and positively impact on the “bottom line” – the
success of the change. Being ‘strategic’ in communication according to Clampitt
and Berk(1991) is based on four levels of planning:
· Contextual Analysis – There is need to understand the contextual
field in which a change is to be assimilated. The background knowledge about
the organization serves as a base for understanding how the change might be
perceived. The contextual analysis is an attempt to anticipate possible
resistance. The following questions are used to guide the discussion of the
contextual issues:
* Is the
change matching with the culture? (Changes seen as an extension of the culture
are more likely to be embraced).
* Is the
change seen as non-complex and manageable? (More complex changes are often
resisted, however)
* Is the
change seen as advantageous over past practices? (Employees may feel that any
change is an indictment of their past work practices).
· Audience Analysis – The fundamental principle of audience analysis
is based on individual perception – what is persuasive to one person may not be
persuasive to another. The objective at this point is to isolate key groups of
employees that may be directly and indirectly impacted by the change. For
example failure to plan the communication to the ‘survivors’ of a downsizing
may create deep fears about their future, that in turn, decrease their
effectiveness.
With audience analysis a communication strategy is firstly designed for
all employees and, a unique communication strategy for special groups secondly.
After identifying the key groups, four critical questions on which premise
communications would be based need to be answered:
· How will each group be
impacted by the change?
· What are the groups’
most likely points of resistance?
· What
are the communication preferences of each group? (Electronic mail may be a proper delivery system for younger employees but older employees may not
feel as comfortable with that channel)
· Who are the ‘lions’ (Often, viability
of change rest on the reactions of key opinion leaders? Therefore, it may be
important to look at the individual persuasive preferences of the those key
individual that will, in turn, influence other)
· Strategic Design – The contextual and
audience analysis leads to the development of a strategy. Three key principles
underline the strategic plan:
· Persuading employees – This is a
process and means that one message will not be enough but rather it takes many
communicative acts to get employees to ‘buy in’ to change. Suffice it to say
that different employees and groups may be experiencing various emotions at
various times during the change process.
· Communication resources – in order for
change to be sustained, the following three questions must be affirmatively
answered:
* Is there a need for the change?
* Is the change the remedy for the
concern?
Has significant disadvantage
to the plan been resolved?
Choices therefore need to be made what issues to emphasize. For
instance, moving into a new office building – if most employees are already
convinced that a new office building is needed, it makes little sense to provide
detailed analysis of the rationale for the construction. Instead, the focus of
the strategy should be on how the remedy meets the corporate needs.
Allocating resources according to the audience analysis – Specific
communicative objectives that apply to all the employees as well as unique ones
for specific groups must be developed.
Tactics - The
tactics are the ‘how to’. There are five areas to consider in developing
tactics.
· Channels – This is the means be which the change is communicated to
employees. It is better to use multiple channels because it increases the
probability that the employees will hear about the change. Announcing changes
via electronic mail where only about half of the organization workforce have PC
s in their offices would not be effective. Face-to-face meetings allow for
rapid feedback and quick adaptation to employee concerns.
· Message – Messages should be lined to
the audience’s pre-existing thinking routines while the upside and downside of
the change should also be discussed. Downside discussion allows for employee
input.
· Safety Valves – No matter how
persuasively change has been advocated, employees will usually have some
doubts. It is therefore, important to include safety valves for employees to
express their concerns.
· Timing – the stages of employee
reactions can provide a rough guide to timing. A frequent timing mistake is to
make announcement to employees without building in time actively to proactively
solicit workers concerns about the change in a supportive environment.
· Who – Who communicates something may be
as important as what they say. Therefore, there is need to carefully select who
will announce changes.
· Monitor – During time of change, a lot
can be learnt about an organization. As change is monitored, other ideas to
continuously improve the communication strategy for future use can be gathered.
Julia Coffman (2004) on another hand, opined strategic communication
implies:
· Analyzing Situation – this is an
appraisal of the facts about the change being addressed. The why, what, who,
where and how of the change are adequately treated here. Questions such as why
the change?
· Why is
the change an important issue? What are the messages for the affected
audiences? What effect would the messages have on the organization? Who are
those who would be affected by the change? And, how do we communicate with the
affected audiences?
· Setting Organizational goal and key
Objectives – A good communications plan identifies the organization’s
ultimate goal? What the organization set to achieve by embarking on the change.
Will the organization be a better place once the goal is achieved?
Developing Communications Objectives – In developing communications objective, questions
such as why the organization is mounting a communication campaign? What the
organization wants the targets audience to do exactly, are analyzed.
· Defining and understanding the target
audience – Identifying the target audience makes communication better.
Knowing audience’s needs hopes, fears, habits, and attitudes, gives room for a
better prepared, more effective, relevant and meaningful communications. Formal
and informal surveys, focus groups, and comment boxes are few examples of
information-gathering methods for learning about the target audience.
· Developing and Refining Clear and Compelling Key Messages – Key
messages meant for the identified target audience should be identified and
delivered as frequently as possible. Key words or phrases which best describe
the need for the change should be established.
· Choosing Effective communications Tactics – Depending on
organizational objectives, the target audience, the overall strategy and the
budget, examples of communication tactics are media relations, speaking
engagements, events and promotions. Ideally, a multi-faceted, layered approach
utilizing a range of tactics over a specified period of time is most effective.
· Building Multi-Sector relationship and Strategic Alliances – This
involves developing relationships, which enhance extend and leverage the internal
and external communications capacity. It includes seeking partners who have
complementary client databases or who can help open up new markets, develop
relationships that offer ways to establish new or non-traditional
communications channels to the existing target audience. The key is
establishing relationships, which enable the organization to achieve more than
it could on its own.
· Timing – Timing refers to setting
specific date and time lag for actualization of the objectives as well as being
proactive to issues before, during and after change.
· Spokesperson – This is determining the
most credible voice to the key audiences.
2.5 COMMUNICATING
CHANGE STRATEGICALLY
One potential problem of implementing change involves perceptions about
the magnitude of the change – will employees be scared, resistant, pessimistic
or enthusiastic about the proposed change? How can each possible reaction be
anticipated and managed? Embarking on organizational change requires asking:
what do we want to achieve with this change, why and how would the change be
measured? Who will be affected by the change, and how will they react to it?
How much of this change can be achieved, and what parts of the change need help
with?
To communicate strategically, full understanding of what the other
person’s pains are, is of paramount importance in order to intelligently and
strategically communicate how to eliminate the pains. Strategic communicators
focus solely on what matters to the other person. He or she is concerned about
only one thing: how the other can be more successful because of the solutions
the strategic communicator is providing. The first step to strategic
communication therefore, is to learn as much as possible about the other
person’s burning issues.
Reluctance and resistance are direct and predictable responses to the
feeling of loss of control, uncertainty, inconvenience, threat to status;
competence fears etc, are the main reason why people react negatively to
change. It is important to try to diagnose the cause of employee resistance as
this will help determine the focus of effort in trying to reduce/remove the
issue.
CPID (2007) opined that resistance to change can be considered along
various dimension:
·
Individual versus
collective
·
Passive versus
active
·
Direct versus
indirect
·
Behavioural
versus verbal or attitudinal Minor versus major.
It went further to
identify two broad types of resistance:
Resistance to the content of change – for example to a specific change in technology or
to the introduction of a particular reward system.
Resistance to the process of change – This concerns the way a change is introduced rather
than the object of change per se, for example, management re-structuring jobs,
without prior consultation of affected employees.
Management need to be aware of these different criteria to ensure they
respond appropriately. Frequency of an organization’s communication efforts –
how often and from whom – is a significant factor in determining change’s
effectiveness. Organizations have both formal and informal communication
structures.
Recognizing the information avenues of information dissemination
reduces the risk of inaccurate information passing through the organization.
Similarly, there are pitfalls such as one-sided (usually downward)
communication, suppression of information, and intentional distortion. Careful
thought must therefore go into what is to be said, who is to say it and how it
is to be said? Communication should be managed proactively throughout the
change period (Coffman 2004.)
Mullaly (2004:89-91)
gave the following as strategic methods of communicating change:
Face to Face
· Words of mouth – Ordinary conversation can be a very effective way
of conveying a message – particularly if it is not seen as a “company message”.
Good rumours spread quickly in an organization. With more specific
communication, talking directly with the people concerned will be the best way
to get the message across and determine the reaction, for example, walking
round or getting people on the phone.
Workshops –
A workshop format implies free exchange of ideas and a very good way of working
in a collaborative style.
Training Courses – For the detailed presentation of information to audiences with
specific needs, training course is the most effective. Good training has an
interactive nature, which will allow measurement of the degree of success.
Events – To
reach a mass audience, special events are for where messages can be presented
by management staff and /or identified change agent.
Electronic
E-Mail -
Setting up circulation lists for the various populations that need to receive
targeted messages is one way of communicating change messages. Everyone will
want read a message from the Chief Executive.
Web Site -
Using the organization’s internal website or creating a micro-site for the
project is a good way to provide detailed information for those who would be
affected by the change. Some form of inducement for people to visit the site,
includes placing it with vital company information. As well as straightforward information,
to encourage participation by providing interactive features like discussion
fora and feedback screens.
Videos - Videos
can be very dramatic. When the Chief Executive addresses the entire
organization from a well-made video it will create a strong impact. The main
problems, with videos are the time and costs to produce a good quality show,
and the difficulty in getting everyone to watch them.
Streamed Video - Streamed video (a video available through the organization’s intranet
which can be viewed from a PC), has similar characteristics to a normal video
except for the practicalities of getting people to view.
Hard Copy
Company newspaper/newsletter – General messages can be placed in the
organization’s regular news media. Typically this is used for general awareness
and promoting a good image. A company’s publication can also be useful for
recognition, either for the team or for specific individuals as an incentive
reward or a well-deserved thank-you.
Project’s newsletter – It may be useful to create a change project
newsletter that can be circulated to all interested parties. It would provide
general background, who is who, achievements, information about what is
happening now, future plans, and specific information that people need. It
could also be provided in an electronic format through E-mail or a web site.
Letters –
Writing to each individual (particularly if
it can be channeled to their home addresses) is the way most likely to
gain their attention – partly because hard copy, written business messages are
so rare these days. The effect is strongest if
a senior management staff signs the letter. Note that internal memos
have significantly less impact than letters on headed stationery.
2.6 CHANGE
MANAGEMENT STRATEGY
Fred Nickols (2006) citing Benne and Chin (1997) identified four change
management strategies:
Strategy Description
· Empirical-Rational People are rational and will follow their
self-interest-once it is revealed to them. This strategy is based on
persuasion, and assumes that individuals are rational and as such they will
follow their own self-interest once this is made clear to them. The benefits of
a change therefore need to be highlighted and sold to the individuals as being
of personal benefit to them. Change is based on the communication of
information and the proffering of incentives.
Normative - Re-educative
People are social beings and will adhere to cultural norms and values. This
approach believes that changing the norms, attitudes and values of individuals
will lead to change in their behaviours. (As such this strategy is the reverse
of the model Beer et al propose above.) It is based upon core beliefs, values
and attitudes. So change will occur as individuals change their attitudes and
this leads them to want to behave differently.
Power-Coercive People are basically compliant and will
generally do what they are told or an be made to do. This strategy is based on
the application of power, with the belief that most people are compliant to
those who have greater power. A potential issue with this process is that once
the power is removed, individuals may revert to previous behaviours.
Environmental
– Adaptive People oppose loss
and disruption but they adapt readily to new circumstances. “Change is based on
building a new organization and gradually transferring people from the old one
to the new one”.
Choice of strategy however, is determined by a number of factors, and
according to Fred Nickols (2006), some of the factors to be considered in
selecting a change strategy are as highlighted below:
“Degree of Resistance – strong resistance argues for a coupling of
power-Coercive and Environmental-Adaptive strategies. Weak resistance or
concurrence argues for a combination of Empirical-Rational and
Normative-Re-educative strategies.
Target Population – Large populations argue for a mix of all four strategies, something
for everyone so to speak.
The Stakes -
High stakes argue for a mix of all four strategies. When the stakes are high,
nothing can be left to change.
The Time Frame
– short time frames argue for a Power-Coercive strategy. Longer time frames
argue for a mix of Empirical-Rational, Normative-Re-educative, and
Environmental-Adaptive strategies.
Expertise –
Having available adequate expertise at making change argues for some mix of the
strategies outlined above. Not having it available argues for reliance on the
power-coercive strategy.
Dependency –
This is a classic double-edged sword. If the organization is dependent on its
people, management’s ability to command or demand is limited. Conversely, if
people are dependent upon the organization, their ability to oppose or resist
is limited. (Mutual dependency almost always signals a requirement for some
level of negotiation.)”
2.7 PUBLIC
RELATIONS
An organization’s reputation, profitability, and even its continued
existence can depend on the degree to which its targeted “publics” support its
goals and policies. Public relations specialists-also referred to as
communications specialists and media specialists, among other titles –serve as
advocates for business, nonprofit associations, universities, hospitals, and
other organizations, and build and maintain positive relationships with the
public.
In government, public relations specialists – who may be called press
secretaries, information officers, public affairs specialists, or communication
specialists – keep the public informed about the activities of agencies and
officials. As organizations recognize the importance of good public relations
to the success of the organizations, there is increasingly reliance on public
relations specialists for advice on the strategy and policy of such programs.
Public relations specialists handle organizational functions such as
media, community, consumer, industry, and governmental relations; political
campaigns; interest-group representation; conflict mediation, and employee and
investor relations. They do more than “tell the organization’s story”. They
must understand the attitudes and concerns of community, consumer, employee,
and public interest groups and establish and maintain cooperative relationships
with them and with representatives from print and broadcast journalism. Bowman
and Ellis (1969) defined public relations as ‘an applied social and behavioural
science which among other things plays these major roles:
Measures, evaluates and interprets the attitudes of various relevant
publics of an organization. Assists management in definition of objectives for
increasing public understanding and acceptance of the organization’s products,
plans, policies, etc. Develops, executes and evaluates a programme to earn
public understanding, acceptance and confidence.
This definition of the
concept of public relations subsumes goodwill, understanding, acceptance and
public confidence as the fundamental basis for the survival and progress of any
organization. Denny (1979) opined that public relations is:
The management function, which evaluates public attitudes, identifies
the policies and procedures of an organization with the public interest and
executes a programme of action (and communication) to earn public understanding
and acceptance.
Moore and Canfield (1997)
Public relations is a social philosophy of management that is expressed
in policies and practices, which, through sensitive interpretation of events
based on two-way communication with its publics strives to ensure mutual
understanding, relationship and goodwill.
Sam Black (1989)
perceived public relations as the establishment of a two-way communication to
resolve conflicts of interest by seeking common ground or area of mutual
interest and the establishment of understanding based on truth, knowledge and
full information. To Grunig and Hunt (1984), Public relations is the management
of communication between an organization and its publics.
A definition that has however gained both universal recognition and
acceptance for its clarity and simplicity over others is the one put forth by
the British Institute of Public relations which defined Public Relations as
“the deliberate, planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain mutual
understanding between and organization and its various public”.
From this definition, it could be inferred that public relations
activities are neither accidental nor haphazard. It is a calculated and
coordinated process, planned carefully overtime and executed systematically.
Today :public Relations is a set of management, supervisory, and technical
functions that foster an organization’s ability to strategically listen to
appreciate, and respond to those persons whose mutually beneficial
relationships with the organization are necessary if it is to achieve its
missions and values:
(www.cipd.co.uk).
Public Relations
therefore, is a management function that focuses on two-way communication and
fostering of mutually beneficial relationships between an organization and its
publics. An effective communication, or public relations plan for an
organization is developed to communicate to an audience (whether internal or
external publics) in such a way that the message coincides with organizational
goals and seeks to benefit mutual interests whenever possible.
2.7.1 PROACTIVE AND REACTIVE PUBLIC RELATIONS
Ajala (1193) defines
proactive public relations as that:
“Which
analyses the problem before it get out of and apply public relations tools to
avert the crisis whereas the reactive public relations concerns itself with the
solution to the crisis at hand”.
Change management is
one of the special areas of public relations which call for management skills
before, during and after the change project. The professionalism of a public relations
practitioner at each of these stages is unquantifiable.
2.8 POLE OF PUBLIC RELATIONS IN CHANGE MANAGEMENT
When an organization embarks on any new project, or simply attempts to
change established processes or procedures, inevitably it will encounter
resistance from individual as well as formal groups. This opposition appears
almost immediately, drawing on the individual or group’s fear of doing
something different.
Resistance ignores the responsibility by the individual or group to
take the time to understand the reasoning or need for the change but when the
reasoning for the project is not made available to individuals and groups, then
a “knee jerk” reaction to protect agendas and self-interests takes place.
Interestingly enough
resistance is a normal, and not an abnormal reaction by human beings.
Defensiveness is however the counter productive idea. Edward Pfahl, (2006),
opined that in creating new initiatives and effecting change, one important
piece of the puzzle for the public relations officer is in putting together a
communication effort that will do the following five things.
1. Present the right message
2. Present it to the right people
3. Present it at the right time
3. Present it using the right media
(method of delivery)
4. Present it with the right person (who
delivers the message)
· Presenting the Right
Message
Right from the start, a project has to be clearly defined and
understood by the public relations officer him/herself. If a public relations
practitioner is not sure of all aspects of the change, it is unlikely that
employees will join in acceptance? Once a clear vision of the change has been
established, then identification of the different items of detail must be
documented and communicated. The messages that will need to be delivered
throughout the implementation of the project must be mapped to a project’s
timeline. The message can be categorized as follows:
a. Vision
and Benefits – Message that explain the reasoning for the initiative and
exactly what are the identified benefits for all of this effort by both
management and employee. Clearly communicated vision, mission, and objectives
of the change management effort are critical at this stage.
b. Education
– identify key members who must be educated in the capabilities to support
implementation. People should be helped to understand how the changes would
affect them personally. (If not, people will make up their own stories, usually
more negative than the truth.), true communication is a “conversation”. A
two-way and real discussion must result. It cannot be just a presentation.
c. Changes
to Process – addressing identified changes to existing organizational
processes and procedures. This may require policy and procedure revisions.
d. Milestones Achieved – Continuous
announcements of project successes corresponding to implementation objectives.
e. Training – identification and
scheduling of process task change details, new technical requirement and
company expectations.
f. Impacts
to End-users – Management’s identification and actions of correction to
current processes and procedures. This includes key “impacts” to the
organization, as they become known. Not only must these impacts be identified,
but clear action plans to mitigate the impacts must be identified, implemented
and checked for compliance.
· Presenting it to the Right People
Presenting
the initiative to the right people, challenges management to identify the
specific groups who will be directly or indirectly affected by the change.
Defining these groups aids in the timing of when information will be
communicated to each group in order that a logical sequence of implementation
events can take-place.
Key categories of
“right” groups of people are: Board members, Senior level management,
Directors, Middle managers, Supervisors, Union Representatives, End-users
(union and non union members), General public. In presenting the message to the
people, enough time should be provided for people to ask questions, request clarification,
and provide input and answers to questions only if the answer is known. Leaders
destroy their credibility when incorrect information are provided or appear to
stumble or back-peddle, when providing an answer. It is much better to say ‘I
don’t know, but will find out’ than giving incorrect answer.
· Presenting Information at the Right
Time
Critical to success is the identification of when identified messages
should go out in conjunction with the scheduled deployment of the change or
initiative. It does no one any good to speak of specific training times and
dates in January when the initiative is not scheduled to be finalizes until
November. However, a specific topic can be presented at a high level and
supported with terms like “more precious detail on training dates and times
will be communicated in September” to provide a timeline to the initiative.
The public relations officer at this stage acts as a change catalyst by
maintaining open lines of communication and engaging relevant individuals, business
units and external parties throughout the process. It is necessary to mange
people and perceptions, and understand how change affects people, so that
strategies can be tailored to suit your organization’s particular situation.
· Presenting Information Using the Right
Media
Equally important is choosing the right way to communicate the messages
to the employees. The public relations officer must communicate consistently
and frequency through multiple channels, including speaking, writing, video,
training, focus groups, bulletin boards, Intranets, and more about the change,
all that is known about the changes, as quickly as the information is
available.
Again, the public relations officer must understand if the organization
communicates better by –emails, large group meetings, small group meetings,
one-on-ones, newsletters, or rallies etc.
In most cases it will
take a combination of some or all of these to effectively communicate messages.
In most organizations, these types of media can be ranked or prioritized fairly
easily by management bases on previous exposure to past successes and failures.
· Present Message using the Right person
Credibility is the key. The source of the message or information plays
a critical role in whether employees accept quickly the change initiative or
procrastinate based on who is communicating the information. Normally, major
initiatives with sweeping/or broad changes demand s that senior management
layout the reasons for and the benefits of the initiative. This needs to be followed
by support from middle management. Initiatives of a smaller scale that directly
impacted on small segments of employees demand that the leader/manager closest
to the end-user communicates the information directly to the affected
end-users.
Doing the talking alone is bad, the public relations officers must
learn to listen and avoid defensiveness, excuse making, and answers that are
given too quickly. Act with thoughtfulness.
Make leaders and change agents available daily when possible, to mingle
with others in the workplace. Hold interactive workshops and forums in which
all employees can explore the changes together, while learning more. Use
training as a form of interactive communication and as an opportunity for
people to safely explore new behaviours and ideas about change and change
management. All levels of the organization must participate in the same
sessions.
Communication should be proactive: If the rumor mill is already in action, the
organization has waited too long to communicate and provide opportunities for
people to network with each other, both formally and informally, to share ideas
about change and management.
Publicly review the measurements that are in place to chart progress in
the change management and change efforts. Publicize rewards and recognition for
positive approaches and accomplishments in the changes and management.
Celebrate each small win publicly.
2.9 PUBLIC RELATIONS APPROACHES TO COMMUNICATING
CHANGE
Basic to all public relations, is communicating. Well-planned, effectively
handled communications is essential to the success and even existence of
organizations in today’s changing world. Every organization, government,
business, labour, professional, trade, health, cultural, financial,
recreational, educational and public service depends on people – their
attitudes, attention, understanding, and motivation can be critical to the
success or failure of an organization or idea. Public relations approach
includes use of all forms of media and communication to build, maintain and
mange the reputation of organizations before, during and after change.
Reputation arises from what is done, what is said, and what others say
about the organization. In this age of fierce competition in all sectors, it
can be an organization’s greatest asset. Public relations aim to mange
reputation in order to gain understanding and support, and influence opinion
and behavior. Sam Black (1989) advanced the following public relations approach
to solving public relations problems, vis-Ã -vis change management:
·
Analysis,
research and defining problems
·
Drawing up a
programme of action and budget
·
Communicating and
implementing the progrmme
Research –
here the practitioner seeks to define the change. What would be achieved with
this change? Why? How would the change be evaluated to determine if desired
result has been achieved? Who will be affected by the change, and how will they
react to it? How much of this change can the organization achieve? What parts
of the change would require help (external consultant)? To Ajala (1993),
research is a means to determining the strengths, weakness, opportunities and
threats of the programme to the organization. Opinion research, suggestion box
are some of the research techniques that can be used to elicit information from
employees and the management.
Action –
once a problem has been identified, and a plan for solution worked out, the
next step is action. At this stage relevant publics are identified, message is
developed; appropriate media selected; budget set and programme written.
Communication
– Writing and editing press release, in-house newsletters, speeches, articles
and annual reports; Maintaining and updating information on an organization’s
website; Preparing and supervising the production of publicity brochures, handouts, direct mail
leaflets, photographs, films and multimedia programmes. Right words are used in
the right place.
Evaluation –
Here, the public relations officer measures the success or otherwise of the
change project so as to make corrective adjustments required to guide the
organization and to justify the amount of resources put into the project.
Criteria for measurement of success or otherwise are also determined at this
stage – change in behavior, increased productivity, increased employee morale
etc.
2.10 Theoretical
Framework
The shaw theoretical approach of
1948 will be used as the theoretical framework as it looks at change management
in different form. According to shaw, change management in different form.
According to shaw, change is seen as both complex and evolutionary. The
starting point of the model is that environment of a banking organization is
not in equilibrium. As such, the change mechanisms within banking organization
tend to be messy and to a certain extent operate in reverse. It is not appropriate certain extent
operate in reverse. It is not appropriate to consider the status quo as an
appropriate starting point given that banking organizations are not static
entities. In deed, the forces for change are already internet in the system and
emerge as the system adapts to its environment.
In applying the theory to the
corporate communication and change management in the banking industry, it is
essential to note that the survival of banking industry in both developed and
developing countries must include commitment to change through joint diagnosis
in order to develop a shared vision of how to organize, forester consensus,
competence and commitment to share vision which institutionalize the change
through formal policies, monitor and adjust as needed.
2.11 Empirical
Studies
There is now a large body of
empirical literature on the corporate communication as a tool for change
management in the commercial bank industry. However, majority of the literature
focus on the public relations as an organ in the change management within an
organization. Other studies have addressed the impact of strategic
communication on the organizational change management.
Trabelsi (2010) studied the link
between financial development and long-run economic growth using cross-country
and panel data regressions for 69 developing countries for the 1990-2005
periods. The study finds that corporate communication within the banking staff
is a significant determinant of economic, only with the cross-sectional estimates
and that the effect of corporate communication on the management of an
organization is channeled mainly through an increase in investment efficiency.
Sinha and Macri (2009) looked at the
relationship between corporate communication and charge management of banks
using time-series data for eight Asian countries and the regression result
showed a positive and significant relationship between the growth rate of
income and the growth rates of the financial development variables. Again,
isolating the contribution of corporate communication has proved difficult in
the cross- country, time series panel and country specific studies of the
national rates of industrial output growth commonly employed for that purpose. Corporate communication effects
remained economically large and even the effects of corporate communication on
the banks overall rate of economic growth were negligible, it surely would be
expected to have a marked effect on the industry structure of growth.
Abdullahi (2011) examined the direct
effect of banking system reforms in Singapore with the relationship between
corporate communication and change management. Using quarterly data between
1996 and 2008 with a 4 x 4. VAR system, the study found strong evidence that
there is a uni-directional casualty pattern for economic growth to banking
development and from stock market development financial growth, suggested that whiles
finance follows the real sector, the stock market depth fosters growth. The
overall banking system reforms in Singapore maybe a mixture of positive effects
of corporate communication and negative effects of change management.
Cull and Effron (2010) examined the
effect of bank corporate communication on financial growth, using a
cross-country analysis on 68 countries during the periods 1990-2005, and the
result suggested that corporate communication in the banking industry is
positively associated with financial development in the lower middle-income and
low-income countries. However, no such association is reported for upper-middle
income countries.
In carrying out a vector
auto-regression (VAR) framework on the casual link between corporate
communication and change management growth in 13 sub-Saharan African countries,
Ghirmay (2005) showed the existence of a long-run relationship between the
corporate communication and change management growth in almost all (12 out of
13) of the countries, which imply that corporate communication plays a casual
role in change management and that African Countries can accelerate their
economic growth through corporate communication.
In Nigeria, few empirical studies
have been carried out on the subject matter. Osinubi and Akinyele (2008)
carried out an in depth study of commercial banks corporate communication and
change management and its impact on the real sector of the Nigerian economy
using secondary sourced time-series data form 1980 to 2006. They suggested that
improvement in corporate communication in banking industry resulted to improved
real sector of the Nigerian economy.
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