Change management plans – 10 Top Tips & Insights for internal communicators

When we were putting together ‘Change management plans – Top Tips & Insights for internal communicators’ we were cognisant of two major challenges facing organizations today: the global shortage of skilled talent and the linked imperative of hiring people who are adaptable to change. Last year, an international survey by the Manpower Group reported the biggest global shortage of skilled talent in over a decade. Of over 42,000 employers surveyed, 40% reported difficulties in filling roles.

Exacerbating this difficulty for companies everywhere is the absolute necessity to recruit people compatible with an environment of constant change. As change management expert Priya Bates pointed out in her Poppulo webinar, Time for Change: A communicator’s role in change programs’ the rate of change facing organizations is far greater than it’s ever been in history. “How we’re going to recruit and find people who are adaptable to change is one of the big things organizations are talking about,” she said.

As if having two major issues relating to change was bad enough, there is the further problem that the failure rate in change programs is astronomical: almost three out of four fails. There is a silver lining to this ominous cloud, however, and that’s the fact that one of the main reasons why change projects fail is bad communication. And the silver lining is that poor communication can be prevented or fixed.

But only if leaders are aware of the crucial role communications play in change management and they support and resource appropriate action. This means bringing their communications team into the decision-making process early so that the messaging and notification of change plans can be positively proactive, rather than playing potentially damaging catch-up reactive.

To help leaders and internal communicators gain learnings from Priya Bates’ vast experience of working with organizations through change programs, many of them in large organizations with complex challenges, we’ve created Change Management Communication Plans – Top Tips & Insights for internal communicators.

They take you through:

• Six reasons why change projects fail
• The Change Path
• The Role of Communication
• Why a smooth transition is important
• What’s important in change communication