LDR 615 Topic 5 DQ 2 Why is effective and frequent communication so critical to a successful change effort?
LDR 615 Topic 5 DQ 2 Why is effective and frequent communication so critical to a successful change effort?
LDR 615 Topic 5 DQ 2 Why is effective and frequent communication so critical to a successful change effort?
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Why is effective and frequent communication so critical to a successful change effort? Describe either a good or a bad example of this from your organization or one that you have studied. Describe how the communication affected the various stakeholders affected by the change effort.
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Organizational change is usually a multifaceted and demanding process requiring the commitment and participation of all stakeholders. Communication is the informational component that enhances understanding of the change process and ensures that teams work together. This discussion explains the importance of effective and frequent communication.
Stakeholders drive the change process and should be actively involved throughout the change process. Effective communication ensures that stakeholders understand why the change occurs and how it will affect them (Jankelová & Joniaková, 2021). Frequent communication plays an influential role by reminding stakeholders about their role and importance. It is a strategy of inspiring people affected and influencing the change to continue supporting it and playing their roles as allocated. Neill (2018) found effective and timely communication critical in controlling the inertia or fears associated with change. Minimizing the fears reduces resistance, implying that the change project can be completed within the set timelines.
Example of Good Communication
A suitable example of good communication is communication to all people when driving change. It is a form of systems thinking where all the constituents of an organization are valued, and the change leader ensures that they receive the message. Al-Ghabeesh and Qattom (2019) described such an instance in a study of the impacts of bullying among nurses and preventive measures. Communication was done to bullies and victims to understand the phenomenon and ensure they worked together to mitigate the problem. In this case, effective communication inspired the various stakeholders affected by the change effort to work collaboratively.
In conclusion, communication is the informational component of a change effort. It enhances understanding of the change effort by explaining its reasons and outcomes. Effective and frequent communication is also crucial in controlling fears associated with the change. It is among the strategies that help change leaders overcome stakeholders’ resistance to change.
References
Al-Ghabeesh, S. H., & Qattom, H. (2019). Workplace bullying and its preventive measures and productivity among emergency department nurses. Israel Journal of Health Policy Research, 8(1), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-019-4268-x
Jankelová, N., & Joniaková, Z. (2021). Communication skills and transformational leadership style of first-line nurse managers in relation to job satisfaction of nurses and moderators of this relationship. In Healthcare (Vol. 9, No. 3, p. 346). Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare9030346
Neill, M. S. (2018). Change management communication: Barriers, strategies & messaging. Public Relations Journal, 12(1), 1-26. https://prjournal.instituteforpr.org/wp-content/uploads/NeillMarlene_ChangeManagement.pdf
Last saved changes Nov 6, 2021
DISCARDPOST
The importance of effective communication in any business can hardly be overstated, in my opinion. Employees will be distrustful, confused, and unaware if there is no communication, or if communication is not effective. My company recently implemented a major agency-wide shift that resulted in a slew of problems with our marketing campaigns. Because their campaigns were glitching at the time, we Account Managers received a lot of pushback. A lack of proper training and communication on the subject meant we didn’t have the right system in place to handle it. Bad communication can have a negative impact on change attempts, as this is an example of.
Organizations need to make sure that everyone on their team is on the same page and ready for a change to take place if a major shift is taking place.
Delivering and receiving a message are both necessary for effective communication. Communication in a company is a four-step process. They consist of delivering a message that is clear and complete, getting the recipient to pay attention and ask questions, using the right distribution medium, and including content that aligns with the team’s values (Heathfield, 2021)
. Confusing, resentful, and unsuccessful change initiatives can result from poor communication. During the epidemic, I saw this firsthand in my workplace. We had to send in travel nurses to help care for the patients because the hospital was full and the emergency room was holding patients. Additionally, a number of our nursing staff retired or left the profession due to factors such as work-related stress, COVID, and other factors. The corporation decided to set up a travel agency within its own structure. The posting for these positions was seen by a number of our employees, and some were even sent recruiting emails. Many of them were paid three times as much as they were previously earning. When I saw we were displeasing our full-time employees, I immediately brought it up. Plentiful full-time nurses expressed an interest in moving to travel nursing roles. The top management discovered that instead of attracting new nurses, they were motivating the existing workforce to apply for open roles. This did not solve the problem of a lack of nurses. It was made clear to internal candidates that they were ineligible for these roles. Anger led to the resignation of this nursing staff. New nurses were also not interested in the positions because they might earn more money working for regular travel nursing companies. Our overworked workforce was not helped by the plan’s poor communication, and some left. Despite our best efforts, we’re still reeling from this. The “why” should have been explained by the leadership. The idea was to reduce the amount of outside travel nurses and provide relief for our employees who were working so many extra shifts while also saving money. It was a tremendous mistake for recruiters to email current employees. Then there was the insensitive manner in which the internal workers were informed that these roles were not meant for them. The employees felt undervalued.
Reference
https://www.thebalancecareers.com/communication-in-change-management-1917805
Effective and frequent communication is critical to a successful change effort because communication is at the core of any successful change initiative. Kotter suggests that the most effective method of communication is to use many different approaches to communicate and to repeat messages several times in every probable occasion. This ensures that there will be a common understanding of organizational goals and direction. It also allows open and honest communication and that management is ready to answer questions regarding these changes. It is important to employ strategic communication, one that is frequent so that it improves the chances and likelihood of successful outcomes and reduce stakeholder resistance (Lewis, 2019).
An example of an effective and frequent communication that was critical to a successful change effort in our organization was the formation of the Covid Operations Group (COG) at the height of the pandemic. The group consisted of stakeholders that helped guide the practices set forth in all the departments, provided question and answer forums, daily communications update that included state case counts, covid census, visitor policies, guidance and restrictions, Fit-testing, vaccination efforts, employee health status, etc. The frequent communication by the group did a lot to decrease our anxieties about the pandemic and provided great support, leadership and direction at a time when we needed it the most. The communication was always clear and concise and when there were questions that needed answers, they were posed in an open forum to be answered in a daily townhall by the leadership team. The communication was frequent and effective in delivering its message across the entire organization that spanned throughout the state. We always knew what was happening in the organization and as a result, the hospital was instrumental in getting the state through the surges.
Our organization is not perfect and there are instances when no communication is given regarding a change process. An example that occurred very recently was the changing of supplies needed for our endoscopy procedures. I received a call from our vendor who stated that the organization as a whole were changing the valves we use for our endoscopes and he wanted to know when I wanted to have an in-service for my team. I questioned him because as far as I knew, no one mentioned that we were changing. A dozen calls later, I received information that in fact this was the case and that all the endoscopy departments in four different hospitals were indeed going through with the change and that they had forgotten to let the rest of the organization know, The only department who was aware of the change was the inpatient endoscopy suite since they worked directly with the Central Processing Department. We scrambled to get an in-service done in the same week as next week, we would have run out of the old supplies.
Hello ,
thank you for sharing. What a tough time that was for all of you. I can understand the emotional feelings behind it all. I would agree that leadership lack the communication that gives a clear view of what the plan was supposed to be. I believe as leaders and management it is their job to make sure that everyone understands what the next steps are. When everyone is on the same page things seem to run according to the plan and the team will find themselves successful. Thank you nurses for all you do to help our community. Again, Thank you for sharing your post!
Hi Class,
As we bring our fifth week to a close, I must say that this has been a very enlightening and engaging week of discussions. As many of you pointed out in your discussion responses, effective communication is not just important in a changing office environment, but can also prove beneficial in our ever changing personal lives as well.
As we end this module armed with additional knowledge regarding employee empowerment and creating sound communication plans during times of organizational change, I would like to highlight a few key points to take away:
- From a leadership perspective, it is important to provide training for employees that align with the change and are designed in such a way that employees feel as though the new responsibilities and tasks are appropriate based upon their career interests and skill sets. Employees should never have to question the organization’s commitment to fairness and to their well-being.
- Leaders must build a common understanding of the purpose of the change in order to minimize barriers that could impede the change initiative.
Thank you so much for the substantive contributions that you made to this week’s discussions. Another outstanding week…only 3 more to go!!!!
Dr. E
Hello Class,
Suggest a communication strategy/plan for communicating a change initiative if the change initiative involves office cutbacks and workforce reduction. As the leader, how would you communicate this to the employees? In this case, what role does communication play in overcoming resistance to change?
Dr. Erica
One communication strategy I’ve found effective is weekly meetings, upfront email correspondence, and having a scheduled post such as in an application everyone can see in real-time allows for confusion to be negated long before it begins. I organize several off-duty police security jobs for bars, restaurants, churches, etc., and they all have a reduction in staffing at various points. It’s difficult to tell officers I have to reduce the workforce at job sites. Still, I keep it fair by utilizing a seniority system, which eliminates the accusation of preferential treatments.
An article titled “Planning for voluntary workforce reductions” discusses strategies managers should take, including demonstrating all efforts were made to avoid reductions, address communication needs of those affected and those who retained their jobs, and provide whatever support possible during the process (Daniel, 1995).
Reference
Daniel, T. A. (1995, September 22). Planning for voluntary and involuntary workforce reductions. Employment Relations Today, v22(n3).
Replies
According to SHRM (2021) face to face meetings are the most appropriate way to give out sensitive communication. In regards to cutbacks in the workforce many employees may be scare, confused and want to ask many question regarding the process. It is important for the leaders to relay all vital communication so that there is no confusion in the workforce about what will happen, how it will happen, and when it will happen. This type of proper communication may help with the resistance to change.
SHRM. (2021, July 7). Managing organizational communication. SHRM. Retrieved November 10, 2021, from https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/tools-and-samples/toolkits/pages/managingorganizationalcommunication.aspx#:~:text=Face%2Dto%2Dface%20meetings%20with,face%20communication%20is%20generally%20preferred.&text=The%20telephone%20is%20another%20way%20to%20communicate%20information%20to%20employees.
Replies
Hi Dr. E. Great question. Unfortunately this is a common issue that many companies are facing. In the hospital I work in we have been dealing with short staffing since the pandemic. Due to the financial strain of the pandemic and the need to hire travel nurses the hospital like many other hospitals went on a hiring freeze. This of course lead to alot of resistance and frustration on the staff’s end. They are dealing with higher ratios then they are used to. In order to deal with the staffing shortage administration needed to think out of the box. One of the first thing they did was cut new hire orientation by a few months. We used to give a new grad RN 4-5 month orientation to a 2-3 month orientation. We also went to a stretch staffing model which allows the preceptor and orientee to take care of more patients(The orientee would have her set of patients and the preceptor would have her own). This of course was a sudden change initiative which needless to say was met with resistance. Even as a leader I knew the change was needed but I also felt bad delivering this message to a staff that had already worked so hard during the peak of the pandemic. However part of being a leader is communicating difficult news at times.
As a change agent or leader, you need to explain and convey what the purpose of the change is, while helping the entire team understand and work towards a common goal, known as the vision (Ricks, 2020).
One of the things I did was not only communicate what the change was but more importantly shared the reason for the change. The other thing we did was involve the stakeholders in the change initiative. One of the ideas that the staff came up with was to look at NA-RN workflows. Redistributing responsibilities. By involving them in the solution led to greater buy-in even in difficult times.
Rick, T. (2020). Communication is paramount when it comes to change management. https://www.torbenrick.eu/blog/change-management/communication-is-paramount-when-it-comes-to-change-
Class,
One thing I’ve always emphasized to my staff and leadership is the importance of communication. There was no such thing as communication in my current organization. We had projects where everyone went their own way, causing confusion, anger, and costing so much more money in scheduling, transportation, and product loss that it was killing our profits.
When I took over as Manager of Materials and Trucking, the first thing I did was establish lines of accountability for communication and needs, rather than relying on word of mouth. I did this using group text, excel sheets for service and vehicle needs, a shared scheduling in Google DOC with coordination, and keeping the schedule fluid to accommodate customer needs that were not scheduled.
Overall, it was a huge success. Some issues include current leadership’s unwillingness to accept accountability and refusal to communicate out of spite. But that is a problem for owners.
Hello,
I can see where you’re coming from, but I’m not sure I agree with you. It’s true that effective communication is dependent on the manner in which it is conveyed and spoken between the parties involved. The way things are spoken can help, hinder, or injure others when they are communicated. To ensure that everyone in a business is on the same page, executives and employees must communicate properly with one other. Having worked in early childhood education for some time, I can tell you that good communication is essential to the effective operation of our business. Thank you for making a positive impact.
Replies
Effective and frequent communication is essential throughout organizational change. You’ll need a change agent with excellent communication abilities if you want to carry out the aforementioned functions. The change agent must be given the chance to create trust with stakeholders and the staff must be given the opportunity to ask questions. Communication, transparency, and honesty are all critical skills for a successful change agent. They must also engage with their employees and be there at all times.
When a change agent does not listen well and continuously interrupts stakeholders, they are communicating badly and ineffectively. Leaders who want to effect change must be able to focus solely on one activity at a time and not be distracted by other activities. Change agents must not compare their own experiences with those of others. Empathy should be exhibited to everyone’s unique experiences. Rather of rambling, a change agent should express their message in a succinct manner. Ineffective communication erodes confidence among key stakeholders. Stakeholders who perceive a lack of transparency may be less inclined to place their faith in the company. As a result of a lack of communication, employees can become irritated, worried, and anxious.
Hello
Organizational transformation necessitates frequent and efficient communication, and I wholeheartedly concur.
When leaders assume that their communication has been received and understood as they intended, they are committing one of the most common blunders.
A leader must constantly check in with their employees or coworkers to make sure that their communication strategy is being followed. ”
Leaders need to spend more time and effort communicating their vision so that others can provide comments, clarify issues, and have a better grasp of it.
Non-listening is one of the most basic signs of poor communication, as is the inability to apply emotional intelligence in order to move from merely exchanging words to cultivating mindfulness and more effective communication methods (Connors, 2020).
As exhilarating as change might be, it can also be draining and challenging. An successful method of deliberate communication can be developed by a leader who is conscious of their own and others’ reactions.
Communication about the change and the vision is required for staff to understand why the change is happening (Kotter & Cohen, 2012). Communication to the staff about the change needs to include allowing them to voice their concerns and answer questions. Without this piece, it will likely be difficult to get their buy-in and can lead to resistance and potential failure before the change has even happened (Kotter & Cohen, 2012). They need to understand why the change is happening and be part of making the change. As leaders, it is also important when we present the change that we actively listen to their concerns and address them. One bad example within our organization is working to improve physician and nurse communication. As leaders and stakeholders, we met to discuss how we can change communication and decided to focus on patients that were newly admitted. Our proposed change was to have the nurse and physician huddle at the patient’s bedside within 2 hours of admission. The nurses were excited about this idea and made every effort to participate and help remind physicians of the timeframe. However, physicians have come to view it as more work on their part and so an option was provided to allow for a phone call to the nurse to update. This eliminated the discussion about the plan of care with the patient and made it so the nurses felt as though it was not closing the loop of communication. While some communication has improved via phone call, it still does not address the questions or concerns the patients and families have about the plan when newly admitted. It has also led to some frustration with the nursing staff feeling as though the physicians are not responding to the needs of the nurses or the patients. Since stakeholders include leadership from nursing and physicians, we have found a lack of communication in why we are making this change (Kotter’s 8-step change model n.d.). Stakeholders need to discuss the rationale behind the change by addressing our patient and family experience scores and looking for ways to improve the care they receive. Nursing feels they bear the responsibility for the experience patients have with us while they are in the hospital and are held accountable for seeking out changes to improve these experiences.
References:
Kotter, J. P., & Cohen, D. S. (2012). The heart of change real-life stories of how people change their organizations. Harvard Business Review Press.
Kotter’s 8-step change model. MindTools. (n.d.-a). https://www.mindtools.com/a8nu5v5/kotters-8-step-change-model