All these factors of change require communication that involves all channels and all touchpoints. When a company embarks on a change management plan, different actors (managers, associates, directors) must all know and understand the expected outcomes, including redefined roles and new practices, regulations, and skills. Indeed, such changes aren't not only intellectual and theoretical, but also cultural and behavioral. Thoughtful change management is essential to ensure team buy-in and project success. The success of a company change rests most specifically on appropriate communication.
The company must communicate on several levels:
To succeed in each of these stages, it’s crucial to provide frequent, sustained, and varied communication. It’s a question of mobilizing all channels and touchpoints—before, during, and after the change. A word of advice: leverage multiple communication channels. Each of your associates will be more sensitive or reactive to a particular channel, so be careful not to limit communication to just one. Instead, diversify and use each channel to its advantage.
Depending on the change enacted, internal company culture, and tools already in place, a company can:
Giving meaning to changes promotes team approval and involvement, so don't forget to collect feedback. In fact, people not only expect to be informed but also like to be able to communicate—to discuss, share their own experiences, and ask questions. Meetings are valuable for both managers and employees, who can easily voice their impressions, or even challenges, with regard to the change.
This means that those leading a change will have to schedule regular meetings to take stock of progress. The ideal is to plan occasions for formal exchange (meetings, workshops, training) and other more informal “water cooler” conversation. It's up to each company to adapt their own project management and communication plans based on the opinions collected.
But how do you get teams on board and communicate well when many associates are alternating between working in the office and working from home? By using one powerful channel: email signatures. A solution like Letsignit assigns a different email signature for messages sent internally and for those sent externally.
The result? A new lever for all corporate subjects—including, of course, change management. You can very easily create a banner to promote updates, news, or workshops relating to your transformation... and give them unparalleled visibility!
Sources: https://www.lumapps.com/fr/blog/gestion-du-changement/pourquoi-la-communication-est-importante-dans-la-gestion-du-changement/
https://www.journaldunet.com/management/efficacite-personnelle/1149438-comment-faire-adherer-a-un-changement/
https://www.appvizer.fr/magazine/ressources-humaines/engagement-collaborateurs/resistance-changement/
https://www.appvizer.fr/magazine/ressources-humaines/conduite-changement-definition
http://www.industrie-mag.com/article10475.html
https://www.blogdumoderateur.com/letsignit-solution-creer-gerer-signatures-mail-salaries/