Chapter 10

Strategies for
Communicating
Change

McGraw-Hill/Irwin Copyright © 2009 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
 Images of Managing Change
Images of
Images Purpose of Communication
Managing Change
Director Ensure people understand what is going to happen and what is required of them.
Communication Communication strategies need to ensure that there is no message overload or message
Process distortion
Navigator Similar to director but pay attention to identifying alternative interests that may disrupt
Language, Power, the proposed change. “Tell and sell” communication techniques are used to try to win
Gender & people over to the change.
Communication Caretaker Focus is on letting people know about the “why” of change, that is, the inevitability of
the changes and how best to cope or survive them. “Identify and reply” (reactive)
Emotion & communication strategy is used.
Communication
Coach Focus is on ensuring people share similar values and are aware of what actions are
appropriate to these values. The focus of the coach is “getting buy-in” to the change
Communication through shared values and the use of “positive emotions.” “Underscore and explore”
Strategies interactions are used to engage in dialogue about the change.
- Contingency Interpreter Interpreters provide staff with a sense of “what is going on” through story telling,
approaches metaphors, and so on. They recognize that not all will buy in to the story of change, but
the aim is to provide the most dominant account. “Rich” communication media are most
Communication favored.
Media: Nurturer The nurturer image leads change managers to reinforce the view that processes cannot
-Richness always be predicted and that often outcomes will occur that are innovative and creative
-Responsibility for an organization even though few people could have anticipated what these might be
prior to their occurrence.

10-2
 Communication Process
Images of
Managing Change
• The way change is communicated is
Communication
Process important to the success of the change
Language, Power,
program
Gender &
Communication
• The communication process, or mix,
includes elements such as content, voice,
Emotion &
Communication tone, message, audience, medium,
frequency and consistency.
Communication
Strategies • There are many problems can disturb the
- Contingency
approaches process of communication:
Communication – message overload
Media:
-Richness
– message distortion and
-Responsibility – message ambiguity

10-3
 Language, Power, Gender & Communication

Images of
Managing Change
• Language, power, gender and emotion can also
Communication impact the communication of change.
Process
• Language reflects and reinforces underlying
Language, Power,
Gender &
social and power relationships.
Communication • Gender differences, for example, also affect this
Emotion & process. Three examples of the difference are:
Communication – Getting credit
Communication – Confidence and boasting
Strategies – Asking questions
- Contingency
approaches • Other gender differences relate to how feedback
is given and received, how compliments are
Communication
Media: exchanged, and whether the communication is
-Richness direct or indirect.
-Responsibility

10-4
 Emotion & Communication

Images of
Managing Change
• Emotion is linked to change, and can
Communication
Process
also contribute to the breakdown of the
communication process.
Language, Power,
Gender & • Individuals can perceive that
Communication organizational change can harm them
Emotion & personally, thus their emotional state and
Communication sense of identity are threatened by
Communication change situations.
Strategies
- Contingency • Managers can use three techniques to
approaches avoid these situations:
Communication – Perspective taking
Media:
-Richness
– Threat-reducing behavior
-Responsibility – Reflection

10-5
 Communication Strategies
Images of
Managing Change • Can you communicate too much:
Communication – depending on the change and the image of the
Process change manager the level and extent of
communication can vary.
Language, Power,
Gender & • Getting word out or buy in:
Communication – this differentiates between focusing the
Emotion &
communication process on the provision of
Communication information or gaining participation in the process.
• Beyond Spray and Pray:
Communication
Strategies – This communication continuum includes five
- Contingency approaches
approaches • Spray and pray
Communication • Tell and sell
Media: • Underscore and explore
-Richness
-Responsibility • Identify and reply
• Withhold and uphold
10-6
 Communication Strategies
Images of
Managing Change
• Contingency approaches to
communicating strategy vary depending:
Communication
Process – on the type of change e.g.
• Developmental or incremental
Language, Power,
Gender & • Task-focused
Communication
• Charismatic
Emotion & • Turnaround (Stace & Dunphy, 2001)
Communication
– on the stage of change e.g.
Communication • Planning
Strategies
- Contingency • Enabling
approaches
• Launching
Communication • Catalyzing
Media:
-Richness • Maintaining (Reardon & Reardon, 1999)
-Responsibility

10-7
 Communication Media: Richness
Images of
Managing Change
• Varies in “richness” depending on how
Communication
Process personal is its ability to communicate
Language, Power,
change
Gender &
Communication
• There is a hierarchy of media richness
than can be more applicable for
Emotion &
Communication particular situations.
Communication – For example, an email or memo is less
Strategies personal (and less “rich”) than a face to face
- Contingency
approaches meeting
Communication  Different types of media may also be
Media:
-Richness
more appropriate for different audiences
-Responsibility with differing needs.

10-8
 Communication Media: Responsibility

Images of
Managing Change
 CEO: Many believe that the CEO should
Communication
Process be the principle communicator of change
Language, Power,
while others find lower level managers
Gender & more trusted by staff and therefore in a
Communication
better position to communicate change.
Emotion &
Communication  Tag Teams: Many organizations now
Communication use tag teams – a transition
Strategies
- Contingency
management team. The role of this team
approaches is specifically to stimulate open
Communication conversations through organizational
Media:
-Richness units and dispersing information.
-Responsibility

10-9