Communicating Change to Your Team
In this chapter, we will consider two communication scenarios involving the communication of change to the team you lead. Change can be intimidating and is often met with resistance. Carefully crafted communication, however, can be useful in overcoming push back and gaining support from those we supervise. These leader-team examples will illustrate the application of our formula:
Situation--
Desired Action or Response-- Audience’s Needs-- Message
Framing Change
While the examples in this chapter are particular to the academic environment, they are applicable in communicating change in any organization. While it is “easy” to just issue directives for implementation, the way such directives and initiatives are presented to your team can affect their acceptance of the new policies or changes, willingness to implement them with sincerity and using reasonable effort to work with them. This would be my extension of what Hamm1 refers to as “Organizational Hierarchy” among his “five messages leaders must manage.” This type of message involves communicating change while framing it in a positive way.
As in the previous chapter, I will detail a case, illustrating the application. Then, I will challenge you to apply the formula for practice.
Situation
As I described previously, I have coordinated a business writing course that is required of all business majors at my institution. This coordination has involved course development, including any modifications to the course, training and mentoring any who teach the course, and acting as a liaison between the Department of English (ENG) and the Business College (BC). Refer to Chapter 6 for details on the course and how it has been administered.
As I indicated, the people in the BC with whom I communicate generally respect my background, but they prefer a different kind of approach to teaching courses than is identified as “best practice” in rhetoric scholarship. As coordinator for the course, I have been tasked with finding a balance between these approaches. Several exchanges with BC’s representatives over several years have involved negotiating between the two approaches. Once we come to an agreement of sorts, I communicate it to those who teach the writing course. Changes to the courses have occurred over several semesters, and changes usually develop out of students’ concerns over some confusion or perceptions.
I provide an excerpt of a message that I e-mailed to my “team” in which I report on some changes to the approach for teaching the course. The nature of the message is not unique, necessarily, to any one situation. To reflect that, I have removed some details (shown by ellipses and place holder labels) about the specific situation that brought about the message. However, the message reflects the kind of phrasing needed with such changes, given the standardized approach to the course.
Desired Action
I want my team to understand why the changes and updates are needed, and I want them not to fear possible issues with some of the changes. I know they will have a concern and push back against at least one update, but I can help them make that change.
Audience’s Needs
Rewards:
What will motivate this person to respond a certain way (what reward can I offer?)?
The class will run smoothly, and there is more support.
How can I phrase the message so that reward is explicitly stated?
Include these points in my message.
Mirroring:
What does the audience think of me?
They respect my background and position.
What of my attributes or qualities does the audience value or admire?
They know of my work and scholarship. They also know of my experience with BC.
How can I appeal to that perception?
By linking my education and leadership experience to what I know they know of me, reinforcing it.
What attributes or qualities of my audience do I value or admire?
Desire to learn some elements of course administration and working with a college of business.
Background in business setting.
How can I integrate those into my message?
Acknowledge them explicitly.
What terms can I use that my audience values and will get their attention?
Terms commonly used in scholarship and BC’s accreditation.
Fears:
What about this situation may invoke fear in my audience?
Loss of autonomy—means they may not be able to address specific issues with their own section or students.
Do I want to raise fear?
How can I defuse or minimize that fear for my audience?
While acknowledging the fear in them, I can also point out that the changes represent a small change; much of the course is already standardized.
To what from their experiences might my audience compare this situation, and how can I help them overcome that fear or the fear they experienced before?
I can make explicit comparisons to the course as they have already experienced it.
I can suggest some forms of autonomy within the new approach.
Delivery: While I communicate the message via e-mail, my goal is to have an in-person meeting.
Message
When can we meet as a group to discuss changes to the course for [x] semester?
Susan and I have discussed a few changes to both courses (mostly the BC course, but two that impact the ENG course). The xxx assignment will change, and it sounds like the yyy assignment will be modified either to be shortened or no longer be a team assignment. … However, I hesitate to get rid of the collaborative writing assignment, because.... We may be able to reformat that assignment to include …. I don’t know if we should integrate another, new assignment; because students are complaining that there’s too much “work” between the two courses. I’d like your input.
Also, Susan and I have discussed using two different “templates” for the xxx assignment—one for BC and another for ENG. This will give students practice with two different templates, also reinforcing that preferred format or templates differ across companies. The file attached is the one BUS will use since it explicitly sets up a presentation (one of the ENG instructors has used it in her class), and we’ll continue to use the one provided with the assignment that encourages students to outline their plans….
…To assure further “syncing” [between the two courses] the course will involve a bit less instructor autonomy relative to activities or assignments…; but I want to discuss some autonomous activities that we can integrate during the two to three work shopping weeks near the end of the semester. Also, I’m hoping to give instructors a voice in which scenarios we use for some exercises and assignments and creating such scenarios.
I want to be able to discuss all of this with you soon as a group. It represents a shift in our approach, but it is not a dramatic shift.
We have three new instructors coming on board; so, this won’t be difficult for them, but we veterans are having to adjust a bit.
Please let me know if we can meet for this purpose either just prior to the [next] mentoring meeting or just afterward.
Analyzing Change Communication
Most of the application of neuroscience concepts involves application of reward neurons, mirror neurons and alleviating fear. A large fear for the faculty is that they will lose autonomy. As with any change, there is a fear of the unknown. However, there is also fear that students’ learning experience will be compromised without instructor autonomy.
In the message, I make several references to the group and getting their input. This is very important in managerial communication generally—inviting input from others so they feel invested in the project or effort. However, it also stimulates reward neurons and mirror neurons. Having a voice in decisions facilitates mirroring of leadership or management. While not making the “final” decision, they are involved in the decision-making function and can influence that “final” decision. Also, they may feel a sense of reward or motivation for participating in that, not participating could mean the “final” decision involves something they don’t want. They are then motivated to participate by that fear of something unappealing happening.
Also among the fears is losing a group assignment. Scholarship in managerial or business writing pedagogy encourages team activities, since so much occurs in team settings in the workplace. The group assignment in the BC course involves a very different kind of collaborative task; so, the fear is that students would lose the experience featured in the ENG course. In my message, I integrate mirroring elements, using terms my team members will understand and value. I also, acknowledge my desire to maintain the group assignment, which my team will value; I am mirroring their values. Please note, this is all very much genuine; I am not being artificial with these values and statements.
Reward and mirror neurons are also stimulated for the individual who has used the other template. My statement recognizes that she has been using something the BC coordinator values and wants to use with her students, and it recognizes her initiative in using a template that is different from that used by most of the ENG instructors. Thus, she is mirroring some “risk” assumed by management.
Now it is your turn to apply the principles we have discussed concerning change communication. The following case involves introducing a set of updates or changes to a workplace policy.
Case 7.1 Articulating Change Based on Negative Feedback
Background
Recall the situation from Chapter 5 involving the office improvement project. While you were in the position of the customer in Chapter 5, place yourself now in the position of the store manager for this chapter’s activity. You have learned that a customer had a bad experience with your store involving several communication-related issues at different points in their experience.
Situation
Refer back to Chapter 5 for the details of the situation that resulted in the customer sending your company the claim letter.
As the store manager, after reviewing various procedures that affected the experience and getting input from the store’s three assistant managers, you have developed new protocol for the store. These include the following changes that affect sales associates:
1. Associates will be trained to input orders related to departments near their own; this facilitates ease of movement across departments when staffing in one department is low and associates in a nearby department are not as busy. This will enable associates to help customers more effectively rather than making the customer wait or having associates feel rushed.
2. Associates are to use this new approach for customer benefit, not to compete for sales.
3. Information Technology staff will create a new system that store management can use to input customer concerns about their experiences so that anyone in the store’s upper management—manager and assistant managers—can access that information. This will expedite communication with customers and with other managers. Management can, then, communicate any discipline or training—related actions to associates.
Task
1. Decide how to communicate these changes to the sales staff. Better customer service experience is your main concern; however, the desired result with this message is that the sales staff readily accepts the new procedures and policies. Use the following considerations to guide development of the message.
Desired Result:
Audience’s Needs:
Rewards:
What will motivate this person to respond a certain way (What reward can I offer?)?
How can I phrase the message so that reward is explicitly stated?
Mirroring:
What does the audience think of me?
What of my attributes or qualities does the audience value or admire?
How can I appeal to that perception?
What attributes or qualities of my audience do I value or admire?
How can I integrate those into my message?
What terms can I use that my audience values and will get their attention?
Fears:
What about this situation may invoke fear in my audience?
[Consider potential competition for sales and related commissions; how will these be addressed? This change could create a competitive environment that leads to even more customer service experience problems with associates fighting for a customer.]
Do I want to raise fear?
How can I defuse or minimize that fear for my audience?
To what from their experiences might my audience com pare this situation, and how can I help them overcome that fear or the fear they experienced before?
Delivery:
E-mail? In Person?
2. Develop a one-page rational as to how to best present this change information to employees. Include information about the message design and the mode of delivery.