Communication Plan

Getting Baderman Island Resort through the Organizational Change

Process

IntroductionO The ScenarioO The Challenge of ChangeO Launching the Communication Plan

O The Pre-change ApprovalO Creating the Need for ChangeO Midstream Change & CommunicationO Confirming the Change

O The Impact of Management’s Response

O Addressing the NegativeO The Importance of a Communication

Plan

The Scenario

The Organization - Baderman Island Resort

The Change – Better quality control policies

The Challenge of Change

“When implementing a change program, change leaders often find that misinformation and rumors are

rampant in their organization…….....the challenge is to

persuade employees to move in a common direction” (Spector, 2013 pg.

319).

Launching the Communication Plan

The Four Stages – O The Pre-change ApprovalO Creating the Need for ChangeO Midstream Change & CommunicationO Confirming the Change

Laying out the Plan

Planning for Each StageO The PurposeO Necessary

TechnologyO Testing

EffectivenessO Generating

Feedback

The Pre-Change Approval

The Purpose - O To convince top management of the

need for changeNecessary Technology - O Email and presentationsTesting Effectiveness - O Gauge the responses and questionsGenerating Feedback - O Encourage open communication

Creating the Need for Change

The Purpose - O Create dissatisfaction with current

policiesNecessary Technology - O PresentationsTesting Effectiveness - O Review the results of the pre-change

approval meetingGenerating Feedback - O Ask for questions, thoughts, suggestions,

and concerns

Midstream Change & Communication

The Purpose - O To positively create the changeNecessary Technology - O Email updates, event timelines,

company’s computer system, and progress reports

Testing Effectiveness - O Have weekly meetings to assess

how the change is proceedingGenerating Feedback - O Weekly meetings to assess reactions

Confirming the Change

The Purpose - O To confirm and celebrate the changeNecessary Technology - O Email, company’s computer system,

and social mediaTesting Effectiveness - O Organization-wide celebration Generating Feedback - O End of change survey

The Impact of Management’s Response

On average only 27% of employees feel that management is in touch with

their concerns (Spector, 2013).

Addressing the Negative

O Treat people with respectO Provide specific informationO Have no surprisesO Provide participationO Respond positivelyO Weave the change into existing

policiesO Have honest and open

communication

The Importance of a Communication Plan

“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.”

George Bernard Shaw

ReferencesO Fojt, M. (1995). Quality planning and the communication

plan. The Journal of Services Marketing, 9(3), 27. Retrieved April 30, 2014 from: http://search.proquest.com/docview/212663560?accountid=458

O Shaw, George Bernard (n.d.). Retrieved May 5, 2013 from BrainyQuotes.com: www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_communication.html#C6m0H3xWv7pchSrD.99

O Spector, B. (2013). Implementing organizational change: Theory into practice (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

O Tupper, C., Deszca, G., & Cynthia, I. (2012). Organizational change: An action-oriented toolkit (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.