I recently read Communicating Change by T.J. Larkin and Sandar Larkin. The book was published in 1994, but it offers an interesting approach to rolling out communications.

The book can be summed up in the following statement:

"Communication programs fail because they violate the three facts of employee communications: They do not target supervisors as privileged receivers of information, they are not face to face, and they do not focus on performance in the local work area."

Chain of Command

To expand on this statement:

"They do not target supervisors as privileged receivers of information..."

The authors state that changing employees requires a strong supervisor. It is critical to respect and support the relationship of the supervisor to the frontline employees. If change is introduced and a supervisor is unaware of it beforehand, the supervisor´s authority is compromised. Change may not happen to the intended degree, if at all.

Middle managers are considered to have agendas that prevent them from communicating messages from the CEO through to the frontline. One solution? Making public the results of a supervisor valuation of middle management´s communication effectiveness. Making the results public creates pressure, which changes behavior.

Face Time

"They are not face to face..."

In keeping with the above, the authors continue by showing how ineffective most modern communication vehicles are. Reports, brochures, meetings and the like are inadequate. Care needs to be given to preparing supervisors for face-to-face encounters. Supervisors must be able to answer questions about impending changes to their frontline employees.

While sharing the inadequacy of meetings, suggestion boxes, surveys and printed matter, the authors do offer some very interesting ideas. One is the idea of Supervisor Briefing Cards. The Supervisor Briefing Card is about the size of a small index card. Printed on both sides are key statements that a supervisor can refer to when walking the floor and addressing change issues with their staff. It respects the supervisor as the privileged receiver of information, and as the contact that can generate support.

It''s All About Me

"They do not focus on performance in the local work area."

The most effective change communication addresses the local work area. Not theories, not values, not vague statements. It directly addresses the desired local work area.

Job security is a concern of many people for good reason. The most effective communication will address questions along the lines of:

• Is my job going away?

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• How is my work changing?

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• Is this plant being closed?

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• Do I really have time to learn the new system, or is "productivity dip" just a phrase?

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I found a few good ideas reading this book. It gave me a new perspective on potential communication ideas as I develop courses. Really, that´s all I can ask of a business book.

More importantly, what do you think? Send your comments to dhansen@braxton.com.

Communicating Change is available at Amazan.com.