Change is a human issue. Research shows that one of the strongest drivers of change is emotion. Employees are impacted by any change and organizations must take an empathic approach to how they communicate the change vision and process.
When employees are more involved in the change strategy, they are more likely to believe in it. Once employees believe in the change, it creates an environment of “buy-in” where they will adapt to the new change behaviors and therefore enable the overall project success.
One-way communication, although necessary, is simply not enough. For employees to feel involved in the change, organizations must do more. This includes the three sides of the Change Communication Triangle: Communication, Networking, and Integration. When all three work together in the change strategy, employees are more likely to feel engaged, involved, and invested in the initiative.
Change Communication
This is formal, one-way, top-down communication. Typically, these are messages from senior leaders regarding the change and upcoming processes. The information is written in a clear and concise manner that gives all stakeholders an understanding of the change and what is coming next.
Examples: Emails, Intranets, Signage, Desktop Notifications
Change Networking
This is informal, two-way, peer-to-peer interaction. It enables a social platform for employees to discuss the change among informal interpersonal groups. It is important to not only create an environment of free discussion and exchange of ideas, but also for employees to receive valuable feedback.
Examples: Social Media, Change Agent Meetings , Lunch and Learn Sessions, Change Influencers
Change Integration
This is two-way, top-down and bottom-up collaboration. Integration is about getting stakeholders to be a part of the change process to communicate the alignment of the change initiative to the overall business strategy. This separates the initiative from other ongoing transformations and results in a positive view of the change, which leads to faster user adoption.
Examples: Milestone Celebrations, Steering Committee, Metrics
There must be more than one-way communication to engage a workforce. Implementing the Change Communication Triangle will enable employees to feel more engaged and involved in the change. The result is an organization that experiences greater rates of success.
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