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9593F Communication for Change Management

Module Purpose

The aim of the module is to enable participants to acquire and successfully develop knowledge, skills and attitudes associated with the effective implementation of change.

How to use these Resources

This page will assist you in finding appropriate online material to help broaden your understanding of the concepts involved and to complete assessment events for the module. It is meant to complement the work done in a classroom with a teacher.

For each learning outcome there are activities to lead you to some key sites, some background reading and some additional sites to explore if you choose.

 Assessment Event

Compile an investigative report/case study on the management of communication for a change process in an organisation with recommendations for improving the change process. The report should be 1500 words long.

The activities on this website will help give you ideas and case studies you can use in preparing your report.

 Learning Outcomes

On completion of the module you should be able to:

1. Outcome - Analyse change processes and the communication strategies used
                    by managers to effectively implement change in an organisation.
2. Outcome - Recommend and evaluate communication strategies for
                    implementing change in an organisation.

 Outcome 1

• Outcome - Analyse change processes and the communication strategies used
                  by managers to effectively implement change in an organisation.

Activity 1

Take a look at Overview of Organisational Change. Make a list of ten key words and phrases you could use when doing Internet searches on this topic.

Activity 2

Reflect on whether you have voluntarily changed any of these things in the last three years:
                   • style of clothes        • hairstyle          • job
                   • bank                       • office               • car
                   • phone                     • furniture           • house
                   • best friend/partner

Also think about the extent to which you have adopted Internet technology for: email? entertainment? shopping? banking?

Activity 3

Check out the merchandising associated with the book 'Who moved my cheese?' at www.whomovedmycheese.com and read stories of how a positive attitude to change inspired by the book helped people and how it affected them or their organization.

Write a paragraph about why you would or would not recommend your organization to make copies of this book available to all employees.

Activity 4

Think about how you and the people in your workplace would answer William Bridges’ survey about readiness for organisational change.

Activity 5

Look at this article from Women Today about Coping with Change. Note what it says about communicating during a change.

Activity 6

Read 'Balancing Work and Family', the September 1996 cover story from Businessweek Magazine. It contains examples of US companies which have increased productivity, retention and reduced retraining costs by introducing more flexible work practices.

Go to Google or your favourite search engine and do a search on “flexible work practices in Australia” to see if you can find evidence that inflexibility in work practices can be costly and an obstacle to change.

Activity 7

Conduct a search for books at Amazon.com Books on 'Managing change'. What does the popularity of this topic suggest?

 Recommended reading

Debunking the Myth that People Hate Change - this Online Newsletter for May 1997 from the US Institute of Management Excellence argues that change is inevitable and that what determines people’s ability to cope with change is their overall attitude.
 

'Who moved my cheese?' book reviews at Barnes and Noble - a fascinating publishing phenomenon is the success of this simple story about adapting to change. Read the reviews of the book - note the negative reviews as well as the positive ones.

 Other useful websites

Depression Screening Tool - a quick screen for depression from NYU school of Medicine. Useful for starting a discussion regarding depression as a reaction to change. Is depression an issue that is affecting people in your workplace? How could employees move to help each other and themselves?

 Outcome 2

• Outcome - Recommend and evaluate communication strategies for
                   implementing change in an organisation.

Activity 8

Check out 'Change, Change, Change: More Lessons From the Field' from About.com, three easy-to-follow articles which suggest practical strategies for managers to follow when communicating change.

   • Part 1: Communication is the Key
   • Part 2: Involved Employees Ensure Success
   • Part 3: Build Widespread Support for the Change

Make a check-list for your organization of points to follow when implementing change.

Activity 9

Go to Tips on Managing Change from the US Institute for Management Excellence. After you have read the article go to Google or your favourite search engine and do a search on 'Tips for managing change'. List three ideas you would like to talk about at your next staff meeting.

Activity 10

Create your own personal mission statement in about five minutes using the FranklinCovey Missionbuilder.

Activity 11

Have a look at this poster encouraging a positive attitude to change. Think about how you could involve a group of people in your workplace in the task of designing their own posters about positive attitudes to change.

 Recommended reading

Case Studies - Managing Change - these case studies in the US Institute of Management Excellence’s Online Newsletter for August 1996 give examples of three organizations which handled change well and four which handled it badly.

Human and Organisational Aspects of Business Process Reengineering - the findings of a fascinating UK study on managing change and resistance to change. Emphasises the need for increased communication and team work at all levels - “Autocratic leadership is no longer appropriate for the new ways of working.”

Change and the Academic Library: understanding, managing and coping - a March 2000 article detailing the experience of the British Library and Information Service in coping with change.

 Other useful websites

Business Communications: Envision your Business, Realize your Goals - this article from CanadaOne magazine has some very useful suggestions on how an organisation can go about the process of creating a unifying vision and mission statement which can guide it through periods of change.

Open Space Technology - Open Space Technology is one way of running meetings and events for up to 1000 people. It works particularly well in urgent situations where there is a lot of disagreement.

Balancing Life and Work - an online quiz that shows whether you are maintaining a healthy balance in your life.

Last updated: 23 August, 2006

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