How to communicate what most people do not want - change?

Communicating change is not something you do through monologue. At least not if you want to get your employees on board. The vast majority are not as positive to change as they might claim. In fact, many people experience reorganizations as stressful and often feel suspicious of management's intentions. A well-thought-out communication strategy in connection with a change is crucial for it to succeed.

You know how it usually sounds during the job interview or the salary review: "I am a person who really loves change! It is so important not to stagnate!". But when it comes down to it, most people are not very prone to change. At least not when it comes to themselves.

A study by the American Psychological Association shows that employees who undergo major changes in the workplace to a greater degree than others suffer from prolonged work-related stress. People tend to feel anxious when faced with something unknown and are highly dependent on routines to feel safe.

At the same time, changes in organizations are necessary to keep up with developments and be competitive with their operations. Thus, it is all the more important that the change lands well with the employees who will take the business to a new level.

Every change depends on individuals. How successful the change will be depends on:

• How well individuals understand the change

• How involved and included the individuals feel

• How much confidence individuals feel in change management

• How safe the individuals feel with the management

• How great the will to change is

When employees feel that there is a need for change, they are also motivated to implement it.

To get there requires a story about the change that answers the questions when, what, how and why. The communication must take place in dialogue form to create engagement and the managers need to act as message carriers to create understanding around how the change affects their own operations.

Do you need help describing your business' journey of change? Get in touch!