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Communicating During
Times of Change
by Naomi Karten
Managers who are responsible for implementing change often expect those affected by the change to instantaneously accept and support it. In fact, the attitude some managers convey is: “You learned about it yesterday — get used to it already!”
Yet adjustment to change takes time — and always will. Coping with the turmoil and uncertainty that change engenders and journeying to a new sense of stability are not overnight processes.
People generally go through an adjustment period with all types of change, whether it’s an announcement of a layoff, an unanticipated promotion, an upgrade people have craved (or dreaded), an abrupt shift in priorities, or yet another reorganization (to name just a few).
Whether people experience the change as positive or negative, their initial reaction may include confusion, forgetfulness, withdrawal, and a variety of emotions, such as anger, frustration or excitement.
As they adjust to the New Way, they may experience a dip in performance and an increase in errors. This unsettled and perhaps unsettling transition period is familiar to people who have excelled at a sport or hobby, and who then endure a temporary period of awkwardness and incompetence as they strive to attain the next level.
The duration of this adjustment period varies from one person to another and one situation to another; however, if you are in charge of implementing the change, the way you communicate can shorten that adjustment period — or prolong it.
To expedite the adjustment process, consider explicitly explaining to those affected that you know they need time to adjust. Point out that adapting to something that’s new and unexpected can be difficult. Show respect for the reality of what they are experiencing.
The lesson: If you accept the fact that implementing change takes time, you will save time in implementing change.
Shut up and adjust, already!
An example of how not to communicate during times of change occurred in the context of a service level agreement (SLA) implementation. After extensive negotiation, service provider and customer personnel completed an SLA that both parties were satisfied with.
But the service provider manager then made a huge mistake: He told his staff — the people who would have to deliver service that met the terms of the agreement — “It’s done, so live with it!”
Most of his staff were unfamiliar with SLAs and knew nothing about how the agreement would affect their service strategies. Fearing the worst, they were thrown into chaos by this sudden announcement. Morale plunged, taking productivity with it.
The manager didn’t appreciate that everyone who would be accountable for the success of the agreement needed time to grasp what was in it and to understand how it would affect their workload, their responsibilities, and their relationships.
They needed help in understanding what they would now have to do differently. They needed to know how they’d benefit by the agreement. They needed information, education, and the feeling that someone understood what they were going through.
The organizations that are most effective at easing people through the chaos associated with SLA-triggered change recognize the importance of two important communication practices.
First, they communicate the terms of the agreement to affected personnel, explaining how these terms came to be, and inviting employees to voice their concerns and questions. Second, before making the agreement operational, they seek feedback from those who will be responsible for its success.
This process of two-way communication — presenting information to affected personnel and soliciting information from them — helps people adjust to change. It’s an especially valuable approach when the change involves a new technology, methodology, tool or process.
This article is adapted from the section on communicating during times of change from my book, Communication Gaps and How to Close Them. See here for the table of contents and an excerpt on change.
© 2007 Naomi Karten, www.nkarten.com
Naomi Karten - speaker, consultant and author - works with organizations that want to improve customer satisfaction and with groups that want to work together more amicably. She has have given seminars and presentations to more than 100,000 people around the world. She has published several important books on topics relating to communication skills, management and customer relations.
Note from Azriel: Naomi's online newsletter Perceptions and Realities is really outstanding. See for yourself!
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