Change communication

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Change communication (also: change communication) is a sub-discipline of corporate communication . The aim of change communication is to provide adequate support for change management with the aim of influencing soft factors (moods, fears, resistance ...) that can inhibit or promote success.

content

The Change Communication approach is interdisciplinary: The communication instruments and communication channels of internal corporate communication are supplemented by specific tools and instruments that have proven themselves in change situations. These tools and instruments have their origins in approaches from management theory and business administration such as change management , learning organization , organizational development , personnel development .

But psychology and systems theory also exert a considerable influence with their view of people, social relationships and dynamics in organizations. In addition to the mere conveyance of information, change communication is also interested in the emotions of people who show themselves in change situations in the form of resistance or in hidden and open conflicts. Change communication is therefore active on at least three communicative levels: the informational level (what is happening anyway?), The educational level (what does that mean for the relevant target groups?) And the emotional level (what do those affected feel?).

Strictly speaking, this interdisciplinarity together with the different perspectives of the theoretical contributions to change communication as well as the different approaches in practice show that one should not speak of "change communication" (singular), but of " change communications ".

origin

The literature on change management has changed over time. Earlier approaches tended to be characterized by specific fields of action: Lean management, just-in-time management, total quality management and reengineering were criticized with regard to their isolated focal points. Currently, change management usually means holistic and profound changes. "Holistic" means "the organization as a whole or broadly comprehensive", is understood as an attempt to correct hard factors (costs, lead times ...) in the long term, which in turn can trigger the soft factors mentioned above. Change communications can be characterized as a neglected success factor in change management.

Causes of the emergence

The emergence of change communication is a result of the increasing dynamics that companies have been exposed to for years: effects and a. of globalization , process management and technical progress with its consequences for companies such as increased competition and pressure to rationalize.

Numerous studies have pointed to the high friction losses in change projects. A lack of acceptance and inadequate involvement of large parts of management and employees were repeatedly cited as the cause. Processing these deficiencies is now the core task of Change Communication.

Focus of work

The priorities that Change Communication is working on can be summarized in the following points:

  1. Target group-specific information policy through the use of internal company media (newsletters, employee newspapers, brochures, notices, information market, intranet, etc.)
  2. Involvement of the managers and employees concerned by initiating relevant dialogues (various approaches, including large group conferences , focus groups , action learning , company-internal wikis or blogs )
  3. Development or promotion of a corporate culture that makes it possible to recognize and use the opportunities in changes and not to see the threats one-sidedly
  4. Consulting and coaching of executives in change processes

Fields of application

Typical fields of application of change communication are

literature

  • Wolfgang Gattermeyer / Ayad Al-Ani : From individual change to organizational transformation, in: the same (ed.): Change management and corporate success , basics, methods, practical examples, Wiesbaden, Gabler, ISBN 978-3409115018 .
  • Michael Berger, Jutta Chalupsky, Frank Hartmann: Change Management - (Sur) life in organizations . 7th edition. Publishing house Dr. Götz Schmidt, Gießen 2013, ISBN 978-3-921313-88-6 .
  • Egbert Deekeling, Dirk Barghop (editor): Communication in Corporate Change: Standards for a new management practice. Gabler, 2008.
  • Christoph Harringer, Hannes Maier (editor): Change Communications Yearbook 2011. Springer Verlag, ISBN 978-3642203763 .
  • Ulrich Hinsen: Management communication . Dialogues. Communication in transition - change in communication . Berlin 2009, ISBN 978-3-940543-05-9 .
  • Jan Lies, Change Management and Change Communications , in Wist, Wirtschaftswwissenschaftliches Studium, No. 12/2010, pp. 608–611.
  • Jan Lies, Change Communications , in the same (ed.): Handbuch Public Relations , UTB, 2008, Konstanz, pp. 33–40, ISBN 978-3825284084 .
  • Jan Lies (ed.): Success factor change communications: Avoiding classic mistakes in change management . Gabler Verlag, Wiesbaden 2012, ISBN 978-3834925220 .
  • Jörg Pfannenberg, Change Communication: How you can effectively support the change process. Topics, processes, implementation. Frankfurter Allgemeine Buch in the FAZ Institute, 2009.
  • Dietmar Vahs / Wolf Leiser (2003): Change Management in Difficult Times: Success Factors and Recommendations for the Design of Change Processes. , Wiesbaden, ISBN 978-3824407118 .
  • Eike Wagner et al .: How successful change communication really works?! ProBusiness publishing house, 2010, ISBN 978-3-86805-556-6 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ cf. Lies (2010), p. 608
  2. ↑ cf. Lies (2008), p. 37ff.
  3. ↑ cf. Al-Ani / Gattermeyer (2001), p. 13
  4. ↑ cf. Vahs / Leiser (2003), p. 1 ff.
  5. ↑ cf. Lies (2012), pp. 2f.

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