Five key messages for communicating organizational change [Examples]

Preparing your communications as part of your change management approach may seem daunting. A good starting point is to organize your communications plan using five topics:

• The Need for Change: Why the change is necessary/important at this time.
• Change Solution: What the focus and scope of the change are, and why this solution was chosen.
• Change Capability: The ability of the organization to manage the change and provide support to individuals to succeed with the change.
• Change Commitment: Demonstrated commitment of leaders at all levels to make the change successful.
• Impact: The ways the change will affect individuals’ and teams’ experience at work.

A large body of research suggests these five topics are related to the key sentiments or beliefs that people need to demonstrate in order for the change to be successful.

People need to agree that there is a true need for the organization to change and that the solution that is being implemented will be effective.

Staff needs to believe that the company is capable of managing the change. They also need to believe that they personally have what it takes — or will be supported to learn what it takes — to deliver what’s asked of them as part of the change. Finally, people need to believe that will personally benefit from changing and that leaders at all levels are committed to the change.

As you plan your change communications, thinking about the information you will share and who will share it is necessary but not sufficient. In addition, consider how you will engage staff to share their perspectives and concerns and garner their input as you develop the way forward. Doing so not only bolsters employees’ understanding but is likely to increase their motivation and willingness to support the change.

Suggestions and Examples for Communicating the Five Change Messages

Below we review each of the five change messages, provide suggestions of the type of content to include, and share examples from real-world change communications from top companies.

It’s useful to develop a core set of broad messages in these five areas that is relevant for all audiences, as well as to create tailored content for specific stakeholder groups. Be sure to get informal feedback from middle managers and staff to help you sharpen your messages, and periodically measure the effectiveness of your change communications throughout the change implementation process.

THE NEED: Explain the rationale for the organizational change.

What is the specific problem you are trying to solve? What is your vision for the future (what will the organization achieve by solving the problem?) Research suggests it’s wise to use both data and motivational messaging when explaining the need for change. Senior leaders are best suited to deliver such messages.

• Example: "Rapid headcount growth has led to some duplicate roles and job functions, and more layers and complexity than are optimal. ”
• Example: "We are collectively living through the most harrowing crisis of our lifetime, and as it began to unfold, global travel came to a standstill. Airbnb’s business has been hit hard, with revenue this year forecasted to be less than half of what we earned in 2019. In response, we raised $2 billion in capital and dramatically cut costs that touched nearly every corner of Airbnb. While these actions were necessary, it became clear that we would have to go further…."

CHANGE SOLUTION: Explain why this solution (change) is the best fit for the problem and the organization.

What is “the change” you are implementing (e.g., policy, org structure, system, practice, etc.)? Why have you chosen it? How was the decision made? What’s fixed and what’s flexible about the change? What’s not changing?

• Example: "Today we made the difficult announcement that we are letting go approximately 9% of our full-time employees."
• Example: "Out of our 7,500 Airbnb employees, nearly 1,900 teammates will have to leave Airbnb, comprising around 25% of our company. Since we cannot afford to do everything that we used to, these cuts had to be mapped to a more focused business."

Decades of research suggest that people decide whether or not they will adopt a change based on several factors such as ease of use, relative advantage, and whether or not they can try it out. Sharing information related to these factors is a good idea.