March 6, 2006

Does Technology Prevent Managers From Communicating Change?

When it comes to change communication, it's universally agreed that:

• Leaders and managers have an important role to play and
  
• Electronic vehicles are a fast, easy way to send change messages to leaders and managers.

But do your electronic vehicles let managers off the communication hook?

Unfortunately, it's easier for leaders and managers to passively forward an e-mail than to take time to analyze what's happening and communicate the ramifications to their group. But as we know, dialogue is the most effective way to help employees understand what change means to them and get them engaged in the process. So what can we do?

Stop the cycle of “forward and forget”

We know the answer is not to stop using technology. Rather, communicators should:

• Create vehicles that are not easy for managers to forward onto to employees without dialogue.
  
• Find ways for managers to leverage technology without fully relying on it.

Educate leaders and managers about the limitations of electronic vehicles—Surveys indicate employees delete half of their e-mail without reading it and they skim the other half. Most managers probably don't know that so many e-mail messages go unread (even though they do it themselves). Educate them about e-mail's pitfalls and give them alternatives that involve talking with employees.

Stop relying on Microsoft® Office PowerPoint®—Managers often forward the PowerPoint presentations we create to employees without ever saying a word. Replace PowerPoints with detailed Q&A documents in Adobe® PDF format that are clearly labeled “discussion tools for managers.” These Q&As fill in the blanks for leaders and managers but can't be forwarded without dialogue.

Use visuals to communicate change—Create visual “change maps,” or other graphic tools that can't stand alone and require explanation to be understood.

Leverage other electronic tools—Many companies are successfully using blogs (a frequently updated, public journal that represents the personality of the author) and wikis (a website that allows users to add and edit content collectively). The personal and contributory nature of these tools can help build greater understanding and engagement among readers.