cameron and green making-sense-of-change-management

The applicationsout for those who might be inclined to stick their heads in the sand.Managers need to be prepared as regards formal communications:• Develop your answers to tricky questions before you meet up withthe team.• Expect some negative reactions and decide how to handle these.• Be prepared to be open about the extent of your own knowledge.Carey (2000) says it is necessary to have constant communication to counteractrumours. He advises, ‘When a company is acquired, people becomeextremely sensitive to every announcement. Managers need to constantlycommunicate to avoid the seizure that may come from over-reaction tobadly delivered news.’In company communications, it is very important to be clear ontimescales, particularly when it comes to defining the new structure.People want to know how this merger or acquisition will affect them, andwhen. Carey says, ‘Everyone will be focused on the question “whathappens to me?” They will not hear presentations about vision orstrategic plans. They need the basic question regarding their own fate tobe answered. If this cannot be done, then the management team shouldat least publish a plan for when it will be done.’PRODUCTIVITY LEVELS DURING TIMES OF CHANGEA very interesting statistic I once read says that people are normally productivefor about 5–7 hours in an eight-hour business day. But any time a change ofcontrol takes place, their productivity falls to less than an hour.Dennis Kozlowski, CEO Tyco International, quoted in Carey (2000)In the public sector this challenge is even greater because of extendedtimescales. The National Audit Office recommends that regular communicationsneed to be clear about what has been decided and what has yetto be decided.232