Do we need a new model for change communication?

Just back from Melcrum’s Research Forum meeting. The Forum is a membership group of senior communication practitioners who meet quarterly to discuss the findings from our research into communication best practices and to set us fresh research challenges. Think of it as the communication equivalent of the Monetary Policy Committee (and yes, they can be just as tough!).

Fuelled by a delicious Turkish meze lunch, the business of the afternoon was to ask whether the current models for change communication (the Change curve etc.) are fit for purpose in a world where change is a constant rather than something that happens as discrete events.

One of our conclusions was that, as a profession, we tend to be too insular and prone to “navel gazing.” Are we being too reluctant to challenge leaders in our organisations to tell us what they want from internal communication when it comes to change?

We’ll be back in the New Year with some of the answers.

As I sign off, I can’t resist sharing an amusing anecdote from everyone’s favourite communicator Greg Dyke who spoke recently at The London Business Forum  on Leadership and Change Communication. There’s no denying that when he took over at the BBC he faced some tough challenges: petty politics, low morale and widespread incompetence. But no leader expects to discover that his predecessor would “book a lift in advance to make sure he didn’t have to speak to anybody.” Beat that for role model behaviour. Any other leadership shockers to share?

Victoria Mellor

Comments

[Sue Dewhurst]

It must be something about lifts. I worked with one organisation that has a separate lift, complete with its own key, just for the executive team. In another organisation people spoke in focus groups about senior leaders practically running from the lift to their office with their eyes fixated firmly on the floor, so they didn't have to speak to anyone on the way. We'll never be short of work in internal comms, will we?

[Fraser Likely]

Victoria:

I think its great that Melcrum is examining the whole business of change communication.

As a suggestion, you may want to explore two angles:

1. The intersection of where corporate/business unit strategy execution, stakeholder relationship mangement (all stakeholders not just employees) and change management meet.

2. communication professionals seeing change as communication process rather than a behaviour modification process

Cheers