communication

Several years ago I was working with an organization that was taking on a major transformation effort. They were restructuring the business, changing how people worked, and shifting the culture to one of “open communications.” Information had been power in this business so at face value, these goals made good sense.

I was meeting with the senior human resources executives in the company, exploring what these changes would mean for them and those they served in the organization. How were they going to “open communications” across the organization to support the transformation effort?

In the middle of a brainstorm to identify ways to do this, one of the executives (let’s call her Sandy) blurted out, “To tell you the truth, I am not that interested in more "open communications."

The single greatest complaint I hear from people is that communication in their organization is lousy. I recently did a podcast on what to communicate to employees during the economic downturn. This article is about three good ways how to do that. People in them feel like they’re kept in the dark. Tough issues get glassed over. Even well intentioned efforts fall short of the mark.

Dan and Chip Heath, the brother team behind Made to Stick wrote a recent column in Fast Company on viral marketing. Their focus was on getting the good word out to customers about your products and services. The same advice works for communicating organizational change, too.

• What is the most important change work that needs to be done in this economic downturn?
  
• How can it be done most effectively?
  
• What roles need to be filled by leaders, first line supervisors, communications staffs, and consultants.