| The single biggest barrier to effective communication in | | | | (1) Lack of clarity of message - don't tell them what |
| a change management situation is quite simply the | | | | lies behind the change and don't sell the problem |
| disconnection between the change leader and those | | | | before you try to sell the solution. Use jargon, plenty of |
| who are or will be impacted by the change. | | | | it and take a long time telling them. Oh and to really |
| Failure reasons in change management are many and | | | | make this one stick, don't tell them how it's going to be |
| varied and well documented. Staggeringly any | | | | different after the change - just keep telling them how |
| organisational initiative that creates change - or has a | | | | its all about the values, mission and vision. |
| significant change element to it - has a 70% chance of | | | | (2) Absence of emotional resonance in your message |
| not achieving what was originally envisaged. | | | | - the emotional tone and delivery of your message |
| Any major business initiative or venture where the | | | | should clearly indicate that you as senior management |
| business leaders fail to identify and quantify the impact | | | | haven't given a second thought to the real impact this |
| on those people most affected by the change carries | | | | is going to have on them. Don't tell what they're going |
| a high risk of failure. | | | | to lose or have to let go of. And to reinforce that point |
| The underlying root cause of this catastrophic statistic | | | | make very clear by your tone that you don't care and |
| is the failure by change leaders to take full account of | | | | that that dimension never crossed your mind. |
| the impact of the change on those people who are | | | | (3) In-accurate targeting - make sure you don't reach |
| going to be most impacted by it. And yet.... the price of | | | | the right people with the right message at the right |
| failure comes so high! | | | | time. Most importantly, never address the "what's in it |
| So, to any business leaders reading this, I ask you: | | | | for me" question, and totally disregard the |
| "The numbers may make sense, the business case is | | | | psychological and emotional transitions they will have |
| sound, the 'synergies' may look sweet, but have you | | | | to go through in adjusting to your change. |
| assessed the human, political and cultural factors? | | | | (4) Timing schedule - why waste valuable senior |
| Have you taken into account the human impact? Have | | | | management time keeping your people fully in the |
| you made the connection between the human impact | | | | picture? Keep them in the dark and keep them |
| and your bottom line?" | | | | guessing. |
| There are several reasons why this is often not | | | | (5) Feedback process - two-way communication is |
| addressed: first and foremost because the focus is on | | | | something you can pay lip service to. Sure go through |
| the business logic; secondly because corporate | | | | the motions, but rest easy in the comfortable |
| cultures are hard to see, and finally because this | | | | complacency of your senior management certainty |
| aspect of change is seen as "soft", intangible and | | | | that knows best ["that's what we're paid for isn't it?"] |
| unquantifiable and by implication not really worthy of | | | | If you follow these steps you will be in good company |
| detailed scrutiny. | | | | as you almost certainly join the illustrious 70% club. |
| Just as an illustration of this point in the context of | | | | Excuse the lateral thinking for a moment - but can you |
| M&A, a study of 40 British companies [Cartright and | | | | imagine civil engineers or construction companies or |
| Cooper 1995] reported that all 40 conducted a detailed | | | | the people who build nuclear power stations - working |
| financial and legal audit of the company they intended | | | | on the same basis - where a 70% failure rate was |
| to acquire, but that not even one of these same | | | | accepted? Can you? |
| companies made any attempt to carry out an audit of | | | | So why on earth should the world of business be any |
| the company's human resources and culture to assess | | | | different? Why does this bother me? Quite simply, it |
| the challenges concerning integration of the | | | | bothers me because of the very considerable, |
| organization they were acquiring. | | | | unnecessary, and totally avoidable human cost. |
| Yet, I find all of this strange given the colossal financial | | | | For more on this: " Barriers to effective communication |
| cost and shareholder value destruction that is the | | | | " |
| direct result of this failure. | | | | Equip yourself to avoid the 70% failure rate of all |
| 5 proven barriers to effective workplace | | | | change initiatives with the "Practitioners' Masterclass - |
| communication in change management | | | | Leading your people through change, putting it all |
| So, if you really want to get it wrong - here's what to | | | | together and managing the whole messy business. |
| do in 5 simple steps: | | | | |