Communication PlanDerek J. Jackson

March 23, 2015

AET/560

Randy Howell

Introduction – Pearson Education Organizational Information

• North American affiliate based in United Kingdom

• Publishing company ownerships

• Deep involvement with test assessments

• $1.16 billion profit in 2012

• Multi-million dollar contracts with several states

Introduction – Recent Pearson Education Testing Issues

• California 1998: Test scores delayed

• Arizona 1999-2000: Grading mistakes

• Florida 2000: Test scores delayed

• Washington 2000: Rescored writing exams

• Minnesota 2000: Grading mistakes in graduation assessments

• Minnesota 2002: Incorrect failing of students due to a computer glitch

• Michigan 2005: Test scores delayed

• Virginia 2005: Grading mistakes

• Minnesota 2007: Online math assessment malfunctions

• South Carolina 2008: Scoring errors

• Arkansas 2008: Retakes on test

• Wyoming 2009-2010: Computer test program failure

• Florida 2010: Test scores delayed

• New York 2013: Errors in scoring tests

Introduction – Need for Communication Plan

• Gap between expectations at the state level and the product being delivered

• Millions of dollars changing hands with contracts and fines

• Reliable, fair, accurate, and valid assessments for our students

• Continued failure of Pearson Education to meet standards requires organizational change

• Communication is the groundwork for organizational change

Communication Plan Layout

• Launching the Communication Plan

• Necessary Technology

• Testing Effectiveness and Impact of Management Response

• Generating Feedback for Continuous Improvement

• Addressing Negative Responses

• Affecting Organizational Change

Launching the Communication Plan

• Phase One: Pre-Change Approval

• Sell the plan to upper management of Pearson Education including top executives and regional leaders

• Introduce change in smaller steps

• Consideration of timing

• Connect change processes to Pearson Education goals, vision, and their priorities

Launching the Communication Plan

• Phase Two: Developing and Creating the Need for Change

• Rationale and employee reassurance of fairness

• Clarification of change steps

• Comparative data

• Employee job status

• Training

Launching the Communication Plan

• Phase Three: Midstream Change

• Communicating progress to employees

• Full circle feedback

• Identify misconceptions and combat rumors

• Websites, surveys, blogs

• New roles and structures in place

• Enthusiasm and motivation to maintain positive environment

Launching the Communication Plan

• Phase Four: Confirming Change

• Celebrate successes

• Strengthen incomplete tasks

• Prepare for subsequent changes

Necessary Technology

• LCD projectors to display presentations

• Private e-mail

• Change websites, blogs, online surveys, and electronic bulletin boards to help employees understand change processes and maintain communication

• Fairness, respect, trust, and confidence from employees toward management

• Company-issued or personal cellular service, preferably with smart technologies

• Video conferencing

Testing Effectiveness and Impact of Management Response

• Ensure employee understanding of need for change and impact on each of them

• Ensure employees about job changes and influences on the future

• Ensure employees that they will be kept informed

Testing Effectiveness and Impact of Management Response

• Compare goals of change process with communication accomplishments

• 360° feedback to get many points of view

• Contribute data to determine effectiveness with triangulation

• Impact of training and skill development

• Communicating progress with each other and leadership

• Behavioral and cognitive training for upper management of Pearson Education

• Coordination, innovation, quicker response times

Generating Feedback for Continuous Improvement

• Encourage and support employee communication from the bottom up

• Online surveys and blogs to keep employees informed

• 360° feedback from leadership to employee levels

• Communicating aspects of new roles and responsibilities

• Performance appraisals

Addressing Negative Responses

• Focus on behavioral aspects of individuals

• Welcome the resistance as an opportunity to foster further communication

• Alignment of communication with systems and structures of Pearson Education

• “What is happening, why is it happening, and what does this tell us about what we should do now?” (Cawsey, Deszca, & Ingols, 2012b, p. 222).

Addressing Negative Responses

• Engagement

• Keep Pearson Education employees engaged and in the know

• Timeliness

• Be quick and credible

• Two-Way Communication

• Encourage communication from the top, down and from the bottom, up

Affecting Organizational Change

• Increased employee engagement and motivation

• Strengthening communication leads to fewer mistakes

• Repair the damaged name of Pearson Education

• Framework and foundation for change processes

• Learn from errors and prepare for future changes

• Inspire, motivate, and develop future leadership

Affecting Organizational Change

• An effective communication plan for Pearson Education will…

• …close the gaps between product expectations and the product that has been delivered in the past.

• …identify and strengthen the roles and responsibilities of the employees of Pearson Education.

• …be the means toward which Pearson Education achieves successful assessment-driven products in the future.

• …directly affect the students in school districts where Pearson Education is an important tool in educational success.

Conclusion

• Communication must be connected to Pearson Education goals

• Communication must be continuous and effectiveness constantly tested

• Communication must include feedback from top executives as well as the working employee

• Communication must turn resistance into a tool for change

References

• Cawsey, T.F., Deszca, G., & Ingols, C. (2012a). Action planning and implementation. In Organizational change: An action-oriented toolkit (2nd ed., pp. 299-342). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

• Cawsey, T.F., Deszca, G., & Ingols, C. (2012b). Managing recipients of change and influencing internal stakeholders. In Organizational change: An action-oriented toolkit (2nd ed., pp. 299-342). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

• Singer, A. (2013, April 24). Enough is Enough -- Pearson Education Fails the Test Again and Again. Retrieved March 21, 2015, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alan-singer/enough-is-enough-pearson- _b_3146434.html

• Spector, B. (2013). People alignment. In Implementing organizational change.(3rd ed., pp. 99-124). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Retrieved from University of Phoenix Secured PDF document Implementing_Organizational_Change_3e_Ch05.pdf