• Appreciate the importance of communication during times of change
• Outline the elements of the communication process
• Develop relevant communication strategies
• Identify the key elements of a communication plan

• Communication is integral to sustaining change.
• Communication enables leaders and managers of change to create a shared sense of direction, purpose and values, establish strategies, plans and priorities, reduce uncertainty, build trust, and empower and engage people in doing what needs to be done.
• Communication is an ongoing activity and should be adapted to the nature and stage of the change. The methods, messages, audiences and feedback are all vital parts of the communication process during change.
• Management by storytelling is a technique for inspiring and motivating staff by telling them fascinating stories. Storytelling helps to bring out the need for change. Stories engage people’s interest and can help to communicate the vision, purpose, and values behind change and transformation in a meaningful way that others can relate to.

• This is always a topic of interest to students as they will probably all received some form of communication about a change which affected them. It is worthwhile getting their views on examples of good and bad communication they have experienced about change which has affected them.
• To explore different ways of communicating show the YouTube clip from Southwest airlines of the crew member doing a rap of the safety instructions – usually gets a laugh!

• Discuss how the need for change is communicated in organizations, with which they are familiar. Is it communicated to everyone affected by the change? If not, who is left out? Identify how communication about change can be improved.

Local councils across England are remodelling their services to make cost savings. It is important that employees get a clear idea of what the implications are for their roles. Communications about change at Norfolk County Council (NCC) are specific, relevant and easily accessible. What NCC does to achieve this is not rocket science but does require planning and concerted effort. Email and intranet communications are tailored to different groups, so staff can find all the facts they need without having to wade through reams of information.

A monthly ‘core brief’ is also cascaded through all levels of management, which individual managers localize to their specific context, clarifying the implications for their teams. This is generally done face-to-face, although each assistant director decides what is most appropriate for their service. So for employees who work remotely, there is a phone number they can dial to listen to a pre-recorded brief from a senior manager in their service. This had proven to be very popular, as it involves employees who may otherwise miss out on key communications.

But employees need more than just information. People also identify with organizations on an emotional level and a key component in this is trust. It is therefore important that leaders remain visible, enabling employees to develop a personal connection with them. At NCC, the chief executive does this through a weekly blog, read by thousands of employees, where he covers both high-level strategic issues and more personal things, such as partners he has worked with, people he has met and things he has read. He also attends management forums and employee road-shows.

Face-to-face dialogue with leaders is an excellent way of maintaining their visibility and fostering trust. It allows employees to air their concerns, feel that they've been heard and have their questions answered in (hopefully) a personable way that really makes sense. For this reason, NCC specifically designs road shows to allow space for such reflection, discussion and feedback. The size of such forums and road shows varies depending on the subject. For example, a recent road show on the vision for a different type of council was run with large groups of a few hundred employees. By contrast, dialogue on redesigning specific aspects of services would typically be led by assistant directors for far smaller groups.

In addition to these techniques, the Council has set up reference groups that act as sounding boards. Here, employees from a range of functions are selected by managers, typically on the basis of who they think will provide good insight, to meet with senior leaders to discuss specific aspects of strategy, change programmes or communication. With clear messages on organizational priorities, open dialogue that gives employees a voice and explicit value placed on the work people do, employee engagement can be harnessed as a vital ingredient in successful change.

The case of Shanghai Michelin Warrior Tyre company demonstrates how effective communication helps to build trust and ensure the successful implementation of a management daily production (MDP) system.

In 2008 Shanghai Michelin Warrior Tyre Company was among the worst performing Michelin factories worldwide. The seven-year-old organization was a joint venture between Shanghai Tyre and Rubber Company, a Chinese state-owned enterprise, and the French tyremaker – Michelin. Its products were inferior and its safety record was very low by international standards. Reject rates for its tyres and turnover of production line staff were both high. There was a persistent cultural and organizational gulf between the two partners. Reversing the situation had been beyond successive plant managers.

Bertrand Ballarin moved from France in 2008 to take the role of plant manager. Michelin’s head office was pressing him to implement its own management system of daily production (MDP) to try to improve the factory’s performance. But Ballarin felt that employees were not ready for the MDP. He judged that the Chinese employees, especially the production line workers, had poor morale and discipline because of a lack of trust in the company’s management team. Even more difficult was that Ballarin lacked a coherent foreign-and-Chinese management team with sufficient leadership capabilities to help him. He had to make changes at the factory before the MDP could be implemented, but at a pace that would be palatable to both his reluctant employees and his anxious bosses at Michelin headquarters. Ballarin developed what became a six-part strategy. He began by identifying early supporters, and then consolidating their support by sharing his vision with them. The third step was to rebuild trust to help lessen resistance to management changes. Fourth, he trained a management team – including Chinese staff – to lead the changes, including helping to develop their leadership skills. The fifth element was a well-designed, step-by-step change process. The final piece of the puzzle was gaining autonomy from Michelin headquarters. The step-by-step process took three and a half years. Ballarin spent the first three months observing and assessing the attitudes, morale and capabilities of the management team and staff. In October 2008 he began making and celebrating small changes, such as improving the work environment and raising some employees’ salaries. In 2009 and 2010 he implemented initiatives aimed at equipping employees with new skills and motivating them. The latter included making some bonus-related targets more achievable and, for the first time, inviting all employees to a dinner to celebrate the Chinese New Year. Ballarin regularly communicated his intentions, the challenges the plant faced and its successes to the staff, including production line workers. One of the most important moves was convincing headquarters to spend Rmb45m on upgrading machines in 2009-10; this demonstrated that Michelin was willing to invest. Although it was difficult to persuade head office to delay implementation of the MDP, Mr Ballarin found the answer was to keep it up to speed on plans and progress. In this way, he won more time to prepare employees at the plant for change.

Once the MDP was implemented, the factory improved its industrial performance indicators substantially. By the end of 2010, the ‘first-pass rate’ rose 64 per cent, and the reject rate fell 32 per cent; productivity rose 20 per cent; satisfaction of white-collar employees rose 46 per cent; and turnover of production line workers dropped 44 per cent. Regular communication with employees at the plant and with head office helped smooth changes. It was possible to overcome cultural differences by listening and showing respect to employees. 

• Critically evaluate the importance of communication during a change initiative. Use a case study of an organization with which you are familiar to illustrate your answer.

See the clip on YouTube of the innovative approach taken by Southwest airlines to communication:

(Full) David Holmes – Southwest Airlines – Rapping Flight Attendant http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3eNFdwn07g

Dr Kotter provides important tips about how to communicate a new vision.

On YouTube: John Kotter – Communicating a Vision for Change http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGVe3wRKmH0