COMMUNICATION BASED CHANGE IMPLEMENTATION FRAMEWORK: A NEW PERSPECTIVE   Papatya Taşpınar & Hande Arbak

Change is to replace with or exchange for another. Change is the only constant. – Heraclitus, Greek philosopher Change is to replace with or exchange for another.

The principles why organizations choose to change (Forsyth 2012): Finding new ways of operating Revising the product or service to satisfy customers avoid competitive threads Reducing operating cost Improving employee efficiency and productivity Achieving specific objectives for instance profitability Taking advantage of potential changes

The change curve - Elisabeth Kubler- Ross Denial: people deny the need of change. Denial is a refusal to accept change situation. If the change is not dramatic or really new, people deny the situation less strongly, but if the change is dramatic and radical, then this stage can involve a performance collapse. Anger and Depression: the early discussion of change plan is made. People begin to face with new tasks, new working conditions, etc. = general changes in their world (anger, defence and so on) performance is at its lowest. Acceptance and Integration: people begin to let go the past and focus on building the new. start to see the change is necessary and accept new realities. New situations, processes are tested and acceptance and trust start.

Denial Stage 1 Anger Depression Acceptance Stage 2 Stage 3 Performance Time Integration

Lewin’s model Unfreezing Moving Freezing unfreezing: explaining the individuals why change is needed. the aim is to make the need of change clear and prepare the organization for the change. moving: the change has been placed and new systems took place of old systems. Freezing: If the individuals accept the change and adapt to the new system, the change on the behaviour will follow the new system and become permanent.

Kotter: change implementation model   Step 1 / Establish a sense of urgency: examine the market, competitive situations, potential crisis need to be identified. Step 2 / Form a powerful guiding coalition: strong leadership and positive support. Step 7 / Consolidate improvements and produce more change: be patient. To make the process improvement continuous, best and wrong actions should be shared. Step 8 / Institutionalize new approaches: Leaders must continue to support the change by motivating new leaders and employees in everyday work so change can become a part of corporate culture. Step 6 / Plan and create short-term wins: develop a plan to reach short-term wins. Publicize, celebrate and reward the successes. Step 3 / Create a vision: Change vision must clearly identified. Step 4 / Communicate the vision: Fresh messages. Communication in all levels of organization. Step 5 / Empower others to act on the vision: involve people directly to process.analyze the change management effectiveness in the process

Current Approaches Deborah Barrett (2002) - “Strategic Employee Communication model” : the effectiveness of communication channels within organizational change. A top and middle level management that is committed to fostering communications in all directions; up, down, and across the organization. The communications; messages that are tailored to the audience and consistent with each other and with the overall strategic objectives of the organization. The mode of communication; it should rely on a variety of media but should take place primarily in person. A communications team that is positioned to carry the company’s strategic objectives; so that the messages they produce reflects an understanding of the change.

Van der Waldt’s (2004) - change communication in three phases: Individuals who face the change in ways of doing things should be supported by communication that acknowledges this change and recognizes the difficulty that some individuals may have in letting go of the past. a ‘neutral zone’ - a corridor between the old and the new. communication at this phase should assuage the isolation that may ensue from this confusion. To motivate the employee, goals should be short term and measurable. While internalizing the change and moving forward, communication should be characterized by an acknowledgement of the change brought to the new system and an understanding of the role the individual plays within.

Denning (2006) describes eight different narrative techniques to be employed in different stages of organizational change: Sparking action (springboard stories) Communicating who you are Transmitting values Communicating who the firm is (branding) Fostering collaboration Taming the grapevine Sharing knowledge Leading people into the future

A communication based change implementation model: Include communication strategists and practitioners at the beginning of the discussions on change. Explain what is exactly changing and why it is required.  Set clear results you target, on the both side of change initiative and communications program.  Take extreme care of the quality and consistency of communication.

Cont. Use a variety of communication pathways and tools. Give people multiple opportunities to share their concerns, ask questions and offer ideas. Keep the people well informed and updated about the progress of change, which is a top priority. Don’t underestimate the length of time required for a change cycle. Implement change management and communication in your organizational culture.

Denial Anger Depression Acceptance Performance Time Integration

Comments and Questions? Thank you. Comments and Questions? topapatya@gmail.com handearbak@hotmail.com