Dispelling change
management myths - Myth 2
Email
this page to a friend |
| The first of the "Dispelling change management myths"
tutorials released by Prosci and the Change Management Learning
Center presented the four major objections to change management often heard from project team
members and senior leaders. This tutorial looks specifically at myth #2:
"I have a communication plan, isn’t that
enough?"
Root causes of this myth:
There are a variety of reasons that you might hear the
objection: "I have a communication plan, isn’t that enough?" Below are some
common reasons for this objection to participation in change management
followed by actions you can take to address the specific objection.
1. Best practices show that communication is
the number three contributor to success. There are other factors that play a
greater role in your change being implemented well and meeting its objectives.
| Action
Steps |
The 2005 best practices study identified
the role of the executive sponsor as the
number one contributor to overall project success. Number two was the use of a structured
change management process and tools. While communication is important, there are other
factors that need to be considered. Use benchmarking data and examples from your
organization to show the success factors other than
communication. The 2005 Best Practices in
Change Management report includes the top contributors to success and insights into
each of the different change management tools. |
2. There is not an understanding of what change management really means. This
is a case of - "you can't change what you don't know" - a lack of knowledge of
what change management really is.
| Action
Steps |
Your job is to show the
organization that change management is more than just communication.
It is a holistic process for implementing change successfully in an organization. It is
the set of tools that allows management to accelerate the speed of adoption and overall
participation in change. Change management is a process of understanding the situation of
the change and developing complete plans to support the change. A complete change
management process includes preparing for
change, managing change and reinforcing change. From an organizational
perspective, change management includes tools like sponsor roadmaps, coaching plans,
training plans and resistance management plans - in addition to communication plans. From
an individual perspective, change management is about helping employees build Awareness,
Desire, Knowledge, Ability and Reinforcement (ADKAR). There are a number of ways to build
this understanding. The hardcopy Change
Management Toolkit and the online Change Management
Pilot provide step-by-step instructions for applying a holistic change management
process. The Positioning to Succeed in 2006 webinar and checklist present a
one-page tool you can use to build a fuller understanding of all the pieces that make
change management work. |
3. Communication plans are not based on an understanding of how individuals go
through change.
| Action
Steps |
Although project teams may have
communication plans, they may not be sending the right messages. Teach those who are
developing communication plans the ADKAR model
of individual change management (more information on the ADKAR model). Since ADKAR describes the
building blocks of successful change, it
also prescribes what information must be communicated to help individuals go through
change. With an understanding of ADKAR, those who are developing communication plans have
a better focus on the results they are trying to achieve. Rather than focusing on
'communicating', projects begin focusing on 'building Awareness' or 'building Desire' -
this focus on the outcomes you are trying to achieve increases the impact of
organizational communication. Additionally, you must pick the right
tool for building the ADKAR elements. You cannot train Awareness, and you
cannot communicate Ability. Ensure that communication plans focus on the ADKAR building
blocks that they can truly affect. |
4. Communication plans do not incorporate best practice
findings on preferred senders of messages.
| Action
Steps |
Best practices research shows two preferred senders of messages related to change.
For the messages about the business reasons for change (including why the change is taking
place, the risks of not changing, competitive and customer issues), employees want to hear
from the senior leaders who are authorizing
and funding the change. For the messages about the personal impact of the change (WIIFM -
What's In It For Me), employees want to hear from their immediate
supervisors. A communication plan that does not incorporate these findings
will not be as effective. You need to prepare senior leaders to deliver business messages.
You also need to prepare supervisors to deliver messages about how the change impacts
employees specifically. And, you need to ensure that those who are creating communication
plans understand the benchmarking findings related to preferred senders. The communication
plan template presented in the hardcopy Change
Management Toolkit and the online Change Management
Pilot provides guidelines for developing a communication plan based on change
management best practices. Effective communication plans send the right messages to
the right audiences at the right time and by the right sender. |
5. Although there are communication plans, they are focused on
telling employees about the future state. Project teams can fall into the trap,
understandably so, of becoming centrally focused on the future state and ignoring
communication about the current state.
| Action
Steps |
First, it makes sense that project teams
focus on their solution. This is what you want - your project teams consumed by capturing
opportunities and solving problems. However, because the future state is the context that project teams live in, it influences
what is included in a communication plan. Ensure that communication plans answer the questions that employees want answered. In the
empowered workforces of today, the first questions are related to the reasons behind the
change, not just the future state. A communication plan that focuses on the future state
misses the point. In fact, research shows that the top reason for employee resistance is
not understanding why a change is taking
place - and a general communication plan not based on change management principles and
best practices may not address this root cause of resistance (the 2005 Best Practices in
Change Management report has an entire section on communication). Communication in the
organization must be targeted to the audience and answer their specific questions and
concerns to be effective - which often means talking about the current
state and not just the future state. |
| Reader comments: "This
tutorial couldn't have come at a better time. I am currently leading a Change Management
team in an organization undergoing comprehensive changes in its processes, structure and
IT platforms.
My team and I were berated at one Project Steering
commitee meeting for taking too long before publishing bulletins announcing the change.
Apparently management was unaware that freuent bulletin publication does not equal
communication.
Employees actually admitted at various interactive
sessions that management's past attempts at "communications" usually involves
throwing abstract messages in bulletins which did little to address concerns or issues
employees have.
Management simply assumed that since a communications
plan was available, all it had to do was to frequently send in bulletins.
Unfortunately, most employees admitted to never
reading these bulletins or simply ignoring them, as they prefer to be engaged differently.
The process for developing communications plans
should address issues such as the key messages and the preffered sender, and doesn't
necessarily have to be in print."
"In change-management, the key words are : Why
is-it important/essential to change if possible based on numbers easy (?) to check? Is the
change management bringing us nearer from the best practices that our compétiters /
customers are using."
"Most of the communication is very economical
with the truth, describes the benefits to the organisation and hence the senior and higher
management, does not point out the real benefits to people involved/recipients.
One always sees the reference to the 'customer', but
in reality the recipients can see that there are no benefits to the customers.
Communication has to be honest, states benefits to
the people involved or recipients and the organisation and should include examples of real
benefits to people.
Change communications must motivational and not just
edicts as the case is in many organisations and should not assume the recipients as morons
or simpleton.
People can and will notice the lies, always remember
'you can fool some of the people some of the times, but you can't fool all the people all
the times'."
"There are five 'levers' you can pull to encourage
effective change - sponsorship, communication, coaching, training and resistance
management. These are the tools of organizational change management. Effective change
management uses all of these tools in the right mix to achieve the desired outcome. -- in
which ever culture you apply. Especially the timing seems very sensitive, even though
others in the organization who support employees during change indicate the everlasting
unpredictability,such as death of a visionary leader."
|
Recapping Myth 2: "I have a communication plan, isn't that
enough?"
| "I have a communication plan, isn’t that
enough?" |
- "While communication is important, change management does not equal
effective communications. Change management also includes
sponsorship, coaching, proactive resistance management, training and reinforcement." 2
- "A 2005 study with 411 participants cited communication as the number three contributor to success, behind the role of the sponsor and
the use of a structured change management process." 3
- "It is great that you have a communication plan - but make sure you customize messages for specific audiences and think through the
right timing, mechanism, content and sender.4 Also remember that benchmarking
data shows that employees prefer to get change messages from two senders
- senior leaders and immediate supervisors." 3
- "You may be telling employees what you are doing, but these are not the only
messages they want to hear. The top reason for resistance among employees is a lack of awareness of the need for change - why is the change taking place.
Are you answering this question in your communication?" 3
|
| Share
your thoughts - Prosci will post reader comments on all of the myths - tell us
what you think "How often have we thought or
heard a phrase such as 'I explained why but they just don't get it!' - 'Why' motivates
only when it is very personal and important to the listener."
"I wrote the following Haiku to help me with
this myth:
You want to do what?
And where when why to who how?
How can I comply?"
|
Share your thoughts
For the change management myths tutorial series, Prosci wants to hear
what you think. Click the link below to
provide comments on one of the particular myths, a strategy you used to deal with one of
the myths or a general comment. The Change Management Learning Center will update this
page, and add your comments on upcoming tutorials. Be sure to bookmark this page so you
can return to see what other Learning Center members have to say.
Share
your thoughts
* * * * * *
|
|
Summary
Download a handout for
the dispelling change management myths tutorial
Remember, when you ask a project leader or project team to apply change
management, you are asking them to make a change to how they
do their jobs (the same is true when asking senior leaders to be sponsors of change, or
supervisors to be coaches of change). The ADKAR model can be applied to understand the key
building blocks for individuals to make the change (i.e.
"applying change management") successful.
Awareness of the need to apply change
management process and principles
Desire to participate and support the
application of change management
Knowledge on how to fulfill my role in
change management
Ability to implement the skills and
behaviors of my role in change management
Reinforcement to sustain the use of
change management
Project teams are a key source of information related to the details of
the change, and they will be crucial partners in efforts to integrate
change management and project management activities. Understanding the most common change
management myths and objections will help you facilitate the individual change of "applying
change management" with your project leaders and team members.
Email
this page to a friend
Resources for developing your change management plans
Utilize research-based, holistic, easy-to-use materials from Prosci and the Change
Management Learning Center:
Email a Prosci analyst or
call 970-203-9332 with questions about the methodology, its application, or finding the
right resources to support your change management activities.
|
