MGMT8270 Chap.9 Communicating for Change
Communicating for Change
Models and strategy
Week 9 argues that communicating a change is a set of deliberate, evidence-based choices rather than simply more messages.
It compares the transmission model, a one-way flow judged by clarity; the social construction model, where everyday interaction creates the organisation's reality; and the dialogic model, which values many voices and does not seek closure.
Choices and rumours
The chapter sets out the five strategy dimensions: dissemination or solicitation, one-sided or two-sided, gain or loss frame, blanket or targeted, and discrepancy or efficacy, plus the steps for building a strategy.
It then turns to rumours, which rise when an issue is both important and ambiguous, using an Australian hospital study in which 776 of 1,610 respondents reported a rumour and 94% of rumours were negative.
Writing the communication strategy for your team
The Team Presentation must include a communication strategy, and this chapter supplies its design choices.
A convincing strategy names its audiences, chooses a setting on each of the five dimensions for each audience, picks channels, and builds in two-way feedback and adjustment. The rumour research adds a practical test: if your plan would leave an important issue ambiguous, expect rumours to fill the gap.
What this chapter covers
- 01
Transmission, social construction and dialogic models
- 02
Top-down, bottom-up and two-way communication
- 03
Internal and external channels
- 04
Five strategy dimensions
- 05
Steps for a communication strategy
- 06
Gossip, rumour and grapevine
- 07
Why rumours rise
- 08
Handling rumours during change
Worked example · free
Choosing message settings for two audiences
- 1Use targeted rather than blanket messages, because the two groups have different concerns.
- 1For tellers, a two-sided message that admits the change and explains redeployment, plus solicitation through team meetings to hear their questions.
- 1For customers, a gain frame on what online and phone services offer, balanced with efficacy that the bank can support them through the switch.
- 1For both, pair discrepancy (why the branches cannot stay as they are) with efficacy, so urgency does not tip into panic.
Key terms
- Transmission Model
- A view of communication as information passed in one direction, with the audience treated as passive.
- Dialogic Model
- A view of communication as ongoing engagement among many voices that does not seek closure.
- Two-Sided Message
- A change message that presents both the benefits and the drawbacks or risks of the change.
- Loss Frame
- A message framing that stresses the negative consequences of not adopting a change.
- Workplace Rumour
- An unconfirmed statement or report about the organisation that is in wide circulation.
- Efficacy Message
- Communication that expresses confidence the organisation has the skills and resources to carry a change through.
- Social Construction Model
- A view of communication as the everyday interaction through which an organisation's shared reality is created.
Communicating for Change FAQ
What are the three models of change communication?
The transmission model sends information one way and judges success by clarity. The social construction model treats communication as shaping the organisation's reality through everyday interaction. The dialogic model brings many voices into ongoing engagement.
Is a two-sided message really more persuasive?
The lecture describes two-sided messages as more persuasive, especially when they refute counter-arguments, because acknowledging drawbacks and other views builds trust and credibility with people who already have doubts.
Why do rumours spread during organisational change?
Rumour activity rises when an issue is both important, touching people's jobs or safety, and ambiguous, with unclear or untrusted information. Reducing ambiguity through open, participatory communication removes much of the fuel.
What is the difference between gossip, rumour and the grapevine?
Gossip is one employee talking to another about a colleague who is absent. A rumour is an unconfirmed report in wide circulation. The grapevine is the informal network through which both travel, across every level of the organisation and every available channel.
Assessment move
Draft a short announcement for a change you know, then label its setting on each of the five dimensions and rewrite the one setting that least fits the audience. Finally, list the questions staff would most likely be asking about that change and check that your message answers each one.
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