Technique of Managing Change, Essay Example

Our company is experiencing a large amount of growth and advancement into the future to increase our ability to provide an excellent consulting service for our customers.  In order to perform these tasks, there are several criteria that must be met in order to increase work efficiency and provide the customer with the best experience possible so that they ultimately leave satisfied.  A critical part of this growth and advancement is to ensure that all employees including supervisors and managers are properly trained.

Our company here at Campbell-Wilson, Inc. has developed a new automated delivery system that is designed to utilize technology in order to decrease the time it takes for the delivery process to occur for our customers to receive services than ever before.  In order for this system to be properly integrated into our company, there are multiple individuals and teams within the organization that must be informed of the new system. Furthermore, there are a mass group of individuals outside the internal infrastructure of the company that are also in need of this information to benefit our shareholders or to inform the media of the changes so that our potential customer base will also be informed.  In order for this change to take place, there are several different steps that must take place in the communication effort for the company so that everyone that must know is well-informed about the appropriate changes.

First of all, inside the company, a written memo should be sent out to each supervisor and manager’s company email account that will briefly explain that an initial new automated delivery system will be going into effect within the next several months. At this stage in the process, the upper level management should have already been informed of this change, but it would be best to copy them on the communication email as well.  The details of the new system should be briefly explained in the memo and will also outline the benefits of the new system as opposed to the previous process by which deliveries were made from our customers to the company and vice versa. This is simply an informational memo.  It is important to mention that further details will be shared with the entire company as the time period draws closer to the target date for installation of the system.

Following this memo, it will be beneficial to draft together a communications planning committee that I would chairperson in order to determine the best process to communicate the new system’s arrival as well as to have other individuals to support me in fulfilling the communication tasks.  The goal of the planning committee is to explain the communications plan that I have designed as well as to troubleshoot any potential issues along the way.  The first meeting for this planning committee should be held as quickly as possible so that details for the plan can be discussed and the committee can begin to implement the finalized plan as fast as possible for a smooth transition.

An additional component for the planning committee is to devise a specific training program that each member on the committee will personally attend.  The purpose of this is so that the training can also be performed by the individuals on the committee to members within their department or area of the company.  Not only does this ensure proper delivery of the training, but it also creates multiple trainers so that the training sessions can be completed faster than normal without having too much time being unproductive for the company.  The training program is an important piece of the communications plan because the new delivery method must be explained and the employees must be trained on how to explain the system to our customers as well as how to utilize the system to fill the customers’ orders as quickly and efficiently as possible.

As the training and implementation aspects of the new system are finalized, the communications planning committee should create a training schedule and list of dates and deadlines for the communications steps to take place.  For instance, another memo should be sent to senior managers and supervisors to have them properly trained on the system before its initial release.  Also, the rest of the employees must be properly informed through an electronic memo to the company email accounts as well.  This memo should be more thorough than the original sent to the managerial staff.  The purpose of this memo is to inform the entire company of the specific dates for the launch of the system as well as the training dates and times for each department. Brief information on the change of processes should be discussed.  Although many individuals would recommend an entire presentation to the company, this would take valuable time away from employees that must be on hand to deliver continued service to our customers.  The goal should be to create an easy transition in which little costs impact the time and efforts we devote to our customers. Therefore, any communication or questions should best be discussed from the employees to our training staff during the training sessions. The training will complete the internal communication of the new system except where an analysis surveying of employees and managers should be conducted to analyze the effectiveness of the new program and to resolve any issues.

The external communication for the new system is very important to the success of our company. Our shareholders, although technically considered an internal part of the company as a part of the company ownership, should be informed through letters, emails and press releases. The projected costs of the program and the system’s implementation should be discussed to ease the concerns of the shareholders and I or another upper level manager for this communications plan should be present at the next available shareholder’s meeting to field any questions that may arise. This would be an excellent opportunity to discuss the employee’s survey for the analysis of the system’s effectiveness and efficiency for serving our customers.  The shareholders and investors in the company want to be assured that their money is invested wisely.

Furthermore, the press must also be informed of the new system.  Because this system is more of an internal communications issue, the press should only be issued a press release to all the major media networks in the area.  We can explain that questions should be directed to our President of Operations for comment.  The purpose of this communication is to receive free publicity of our new system to current customers as well as to reach out to potential customers that may be interested in our services after hearing of the changes.  In addition to the press release for advertisement purposes, the company should engage in a communications marketing campaign that will actively advertise the new system to current and future customers.  The ease of use for the customer as well as the increase in response delivery to the customer is critical in ensuring they are satisfied with our services. It should also be used as a marketing tool through communications advertising programs to increase sales and attempt to use the new system as a tool to improve net profit.

There are many forms of communication and many stages of the communication process that must be performed in order to ensure that change within a company occurs as efficiently and smoothly as possible.  The communication plan discussed here will establish deadlines and procedures for the communication efforts of the new system and it will also invoke a new training program that is time efficient and resource-sensitive.  The goal of this plan is always to communicate to every member of the company and anyone that can be impacted by our decisions for change that the new system is beneficial for everyone involved and we are always considering the well being of our customers and employees first above all else.

References

Daly, F., Teague, P., & Kitchen, P. (2003). Exploring the role of internal communication during organisational change. Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 8(3), 153-162.

Kitchen, P.J., & Daly, F. (2002). Internal communication during change management. Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 7(1), 46-53.