Why are so many change programmes unsuccessful?
Frequent change is now common in organisations throughout the corporate world. But, most organisations fail to make the easiest change initiatives successful. Around 70% of all change programmes fail to meet goals set up by respective corporations. So, what is it that makes coping with change so difficult? Organisations can make their change initiative go as smoothly as possible by developing good planning and very good internal communication between the employees themselves, the employee base and the executive panel making decisions regarding change.
What is the role of strong internal communication?
There are a handful of reasons that will help us recognise the importance of strong internal communication in an organisation during change. Strong communication is effective communication that carries through what is expected from a company. The best way to communicate upcoming change is to inform the concerned employees about it at an optimum time before actually bringing that change into implementation. The optimum time of announcing change varies from company to company. The determining factors are that the announcement should not be made too early that the employees are not mentally prepared or get too anxious. There should be complete transparency about the upcoming change so the employees can prepare themselves well. This will provide clarity and a smooth change process.
Another reason is that strong internal communication fosters a culture and environment that is comfortable with change. Communications help employees better understand the change including the reason, benefits, impact on them and their role. If employees know why a specific change is being introduced in their organisation they will be better prepared and will accept the change with open arms. When employees know what good a change will bring for them in the long run and what benefits their organisation will derive from it, they will be more welcoming of a change.
As important as it is to know the reason and benefits, it is equally important for employees to know what effects change will have on them specifically and what changes they will personally experience in their work routine. Also, employees themselves can help other employees to deal with change by cooperating, exchanging gigs and swapping duties with each other. If each employee plays the role that is required of them during change, an organisation can very successfully make a transition.
How is strong communication implemented?
Strong internal communication means having reliable communication. A system of delivering messages to and fro between the employees and the change management is very important and this system should be reliable and easy to handle. This may include emails or a messaging group in which all concerned employees get timely and proper information about the plans of the organisation. A reliable and transparent communication system is what is required to make strong internal communication in an organisation. It can also include a somewhat democratic system in a company where the employees of get some say in the decision making. This can be done via an online survey or voting about all specific changes that are on the cards. This will increase the chances of a change initiative being successful.