Implementation, Communicating

8/7/2019 Implementation, Communicating

1/12


2/12

The real power of vision is unleashed only

when most of those involved in an enterprise

or activity have a common understanding ofits goals and direction. That shared sense of a

desirable future can help motivate and

coordinate the kind of actions that createtransformations


3/12

Getting hundred or thousand of people tounderstand accept the vision is an enormouschallenge

Managers trained for communicating with bossand employees; not the many affected by it

Common mistakes: Overwhelmed with information: lot of

communication, explained in the meetings, articles incompany newspaper, maybe a video for theemployees but a fraction concerning the new vision

Poor communication


4/12

Failure to communicate vision are attributed to eitherlimited intellectual capabilities among lower levelemployees or a general human resistance to change

Firstly accepting a vision of the future can be a

challenging intellectualand emotionaltask for theguiding coalition , intellectual because lot of questionshave to be answered by them and emotional becauseit asks for letting go of status quo, other futureoptions, sacrifices, trust others, etc.

Secondly, They assume that everyone in theorganization should become clear and comfortablewith the resulting vision in a fraction of that time.Illustrated with an example:


5/12

Assumption

Total amount of communication going to an

employee in three months = 2300000 words Typical communication of a change vision

over the same period = 13,400 words

13,400/2,300,000 = .0058. The change visioncapture only .58 % of the communicationmarket share


6/12

Simplicity: Focused, jargon-free information can bedisseminated to large groups of people at a fraction of thecost of clumsy, complicated communication. The problemof simplicity is that it requires clarity of thought and a littlecourage.Example 1:Our goal is to reduce our mean time to repairparameters so that they are perceptually lower than allmajor competitors. In a similar vein, we have targeted new

product development cycle times, order process times andother customer relevant processes for change.Version2: We are going to become faster than anyone inour industry at satisfying customer needs.


7/12


8/12

Multiple Forums: Vision is communicated mosteffectively when many different vehicles are used:large group meetings, memos, newspapers, posters,informal one-to-one talks, public address, briefing

session, telephone, grapevine etc. When the samemessage comes at people from different directions, itstands a better chance of being heard andremembered.

Repeat: The most carefully crafted messages rarely

sink deeply into the recipients consciousness afteronly one pronouncement.Our minds are too clutteredand any communication has to fight hundreds ofother ideas for attention. Therefore, effectiveinformation transferral almost always relies on

repetition.


9/12

Leadership by Example: The most powerful wayto communicate a new direction is through behaviour.When employees see top management acting out thevision, a whole set of troublesome questions aboutcredibility and game playing tends to evaporate. E.g.AGeneral communicating to a gigantic organizationthat defense budgets are shrinking and everyonemust be frugal. So when he travels, instead of

climbing into his helicopter outside the pentagon tohis waiting jet, he descends to the basement, boardsthe subway to the airport, takes a shuttle to theterminal and rides a commercial airline. The word ofhis travels spread fast!


10/12

Address Seeming Inconsistencies: The case of abank undergoing transformation (p.97)

Listen and Be Listened To: Since communication ofvision is often such a difficult activity, it can easily turninto a screeching, one-way broadcast in which usefulfeedback is ignored and employees are inadvertently

made to feel unimportant. In successful changeefforts, communication is always a two wayendeavour. It is an essential method of helping peopleanswer all the questions that occur to them in atransformation effort.


11/12

Communication Networks

Hierarchy: refers to the official roles and titles held bymembers within the company. Using this network

means following company procedure to communicateinformation. This is the most formal method

Expert: refers to the interest and skill groups around thecompanys specialisms. This is a less formal network.


12/12

Influential: this network refers to those who haveprestige and power within the company whether

through politics, seniority, skills and talents,family and personal relationships or charisma.

Friendship: refers to personal friends, family andsupporters within the company. Using this

network means providing and seekinginformation as needed to help each other. It is themost informal of networks.

Documents

Implementation, Communicating