In recent months, C.Fox Communications has guided several of our clients through critical transitions. Many of these transitions were signs of positive growth: the appointment of a new CEO, or the acquisition of a complementary organization. Others were far less positive, and required employee furloughs and layoffs.
We can often get a good read on an industry at large by the very similar experiences of our clients. These past several months have been no exception. Whether an organization is focused on education, environment, health or homelessness, it tends to require the very same communications tools to navigate organizational challenges from sector to sector. Among those tools:
- The development of crisp, clear messaging about WHY changes are taking place and WHAT IT MEANS to each person involved.
- The personal and consistent communication to key stakeholders.
- The coordination of a public announcement, if appropriate, that happens only after all internal staff, board, donors and investors have had time to digest and understand the planned changes.
There are also some important rules of thumb that can apply in almost any organizational transition, a few of which I’ve outlined here:
Change Takes Time. Whether you’re the CEO or Director of Communications, as a member of your organization’s transition team, you will have knowledge of an organizational change before most others, and as such, you will be given additional time to digest and understand the changes that will soon take effect. When the time comes to share the news, do it carefully and tactfully, and leave time for questions and conversation. It will take time for the rest of your team to catch up to where you now are.
Hear Them Out. When corporate messaging requires shifting, it is often useful to test out the new messaging on a subset of stakeholders. The forms of listening vary greatly by organization, and can include focus groups led by a third party moderator, employee surveys or a series of roundtable lunches or one on ones with the CEO. Find the vehicle that fits best within your organizational culture, and use it.
Cater to the Team. In the case of layoffs, it is rightly appropriate to be concerned about the people that you’re letting go, but in many ways, you need to be more concerned about the people staying behind. These employees need some comfort that their jobs are secure and that the ship has been righted. There is a good chance that they’ll be asked to take on more work, at the same pay grade, perhaps without an immediate feeling of what their future inside the organization looks like.
Double Down on Internal Communications. There is no more important time to communicate effectively with your staff than during an organizational transition. Positive or negative, staff like to feel informed and part of the process. Ensure that the transition is properly messaged in employee newsletters, video blogs, letters from the CEO and in departmental meetings. Most importantly, ensure that the entire senior team speaks about the transition in a similar way. It’s typical for staff to want to interpret what they’re seeing and hearing especially during times of transition, so cut down on confusion and chatter among groups by being consistent in your messaging.
Keep Clarity in Communication. Larry Page’s “Rip The Band Aid Off Approach” as described in this recent Fast Company story, may not be for everyone (“Do it quickly and all at once- sure, it’s painful. And you might scream a bit. But it’s over quickly, and then you can get on with things”) but the concept of clarity in communication should be universal. Be as clear as possible about the transition – good or bad – and you’ll see far greater buy in from your team.
