Businesses can approach change management in many different ways to avoid conflict and ensure a smooth transition. When organizational politics hinder the process, communication tools can help leaders improve employee acceptance and customer approval.
If you are working toward your online Master's in Communication Management degree, this is an important area to master. Using communication tools, you can help companies navigate organizational politics effectively.
Explore the types of communications tools that can be used to help organizations through the process of change:
Create a Communication Roadmap to Define Goals and Action Steps
Image via Flickr by medcredis
Detailed roadmaps can become valuable when navigating organizational politics. Six Forbes Communications Council executives offered insights for creating an effective roadmap, such as the following:
- Consumer knowledge: Sundog Communications Director Heidi Haaven emphasized that organizations must know what their target audiences want before they can build a communication roadmap.
- Expertise: According to American Eagle Chief Marketing Officer Joe Palko, organizations need a communications professional, such as an online master's in communication graduate professional, to help build an executable roadmap.
- Press strategy: SnackNation Director of Communications Jeff Murphy cautioned against assuming that "all press is good press." He recommends hiring a public relations firm or professional to guide press attention in a positive direction.
If you know how to build an effective communication roadmap, your skills could aid executives as they evolve their businesses.
Writing for Forbes, marketing and public relations expert Joseph Grano named several tools that companies can use to create communication roadmaps and manage organizational politics. He identified social media and public events as integral elements of successful change and organizational strategy.
Specifically, Grano advised businesses to analyze their social media footprints. Evaluating past social media activity and discarding ineffective tactics could help make social media platforms more effective for an organization.
He also recommended approaching trade shows and other public events strategically. For example, organizations can create strategies that control brand messaging, prepare for attendees' questions and comments, and meet specific goals.
Communication roadmaps are effective for more than internal communication only. According to Jen Boynton of TriplePundit, a global media platform, organizations can also benefit from corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication roadmaps. When businesses communicate their outreach efforts to the public, they may enjoy fewer political issues that could tarnish the brand image or reputation.
An organization's CSR strategy may include initiatives on volunteer and nonprofit alliances, environmental programs, and community outreach strategies. Strong communication with both employees and the public could help manage a brand's image and fine-tune its goals.
Embrace Two-Way Communication With Employees
While communication roadmaps can help create solid strategies for change management and organizational politics, communications firm Prosci recommends creating channels for two-way communication among executives, managers, and employees.
Two-way communication tools could include instant messaging, employee engagement apps, and video conferencing software. Prosci also recommends using assessment tools to decide whether a communications strategy or tool remains effective. The organization suggests several tools that could enhance communication with organizational politics, including the following:
- Screen-saver messages
- Lunch and learns
- Brainstorming workshops
- Intranet question-and-answer forums
Additionally, Prosci emphasizes that communication tools do not have to exist solely online. One-on-one meetings and other in-person dialogues may enhance employee investment and help overcome political challenges.
Collect Quantitative and Qualitative Data on Communication Tools
As Prosci has noted, assessment tools can help identify ineffective communication tools so that an organization does not waste time or energy on methods that fail to create results. According to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), measuring cost-benefit ratio and other metrics can become challenging for organizations because of the many variables involved.
For example, a merger could run smoothly because employees already support the change or because staff members received enough benefits from the merger to embrace it. However, good communication tools and strategies could also help ease the transition.
The SHRM recommends collecting both quantitative and qualitative data to measure a communication strategy's effectiveness.
- 1. Qualitative data: This type of data comes from lived experiences. For example, you may conduct focus groups to encourage employees and managers to share their experiences during an organizational shift. Managers can also collect anecdotes via one-on-one communication.
- 2. Quantitative data: The SHRM also recommends collecting quantitative data, which is typically expressed in percentages or ratios. For example, employee turnover rates and employee engagement benchmarks can offer insight into a communication tool's effectiveness. Software programs, such as Emplify and hubEngage, represent another form of communication tool. They measure employee satisfaction and engagement so that organizations can alter their communication roadmaps.
Select the Right Communication Tool for the Situation
While many communication tools exist for managing organizational politics, the SHRM warns that some communication tools work better than others, depending on the circumstances. The organization identifies three core considerations when choosing a communication tool:
- 1. Timing: Faster communication tools work best in emergency or urgent situations.
- 2. Location: Remote workers may benefit from different communication tools than in-house employees.
- 3. Message: Consider the information's sensitivity as well as its length and content before deciding how best to present it.
Organizations may also consider the audience's age before choosing a communication tool. A 2014 Gallup survey concluded that communication statistics can become skewed because of age-related factors. For example, older Americans are often more likely to use landline phones and email to communicate with others, while people in the 18 to 29 age demographic use social media to communicate more often than other age groups.
Businesses can apply this knowledge in organizational politics by tailoring the communication tool to the audience. The differences in preferred communication tools among age groups could suggest that organizations may struggle to communicate effectively if they use the same tools for everyone involved.
As an example, Entrepreneur contributor and TextRecruit co-founder and CEO Erik Kostelnik noted that texting has become more acceptable as a form of professional communication, particularly among people under age 45. For every phone call the average American makes, another person sends 5.3 texts, according to Kostelnik.
Adding new solutions to an organization's communication toolbox could improve organizational politics and ease change management. If you're interested in advancing your education and becoming a leader in communications, consider pursuing an online master's in Communication at USC to further your career. You can learn new communications strategies that can help you become a valuable professional asset to any organization.
Sources
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescommunicationscouncil/2016/06/02/six-steps-executives-should-take-before-building-a-communications-roadmap/#275e1024275e
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2017/02/22/10-insights-to-consider-as-you-plan-your-marketing-communications-roadmap/#274f003b274f
https://www.prosci.com/change-management/thought-leadership-library/change-management-communication-checklist
http://www.triplepundit.com/2012/08/csr-communications-roadmap/
https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/tools-and-samples/toolkits/pages/managingorganizationalcommunication.aspx
http://www.gallup.com/poll/179288/new-era-communication-americans.aspx
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/280301