How does this benefit you and those impacted by the change?
Identifying the impacted groups, understanding their concerns, and planning and delivering clear, timely messages about the change to everyone affected while actively involving them throughout the change process equip you to:
- Reinforce organizational trust through communication and engagement;
- Increase buy-in by making sure everyone knows why the change is happening and what it means for them;
- Get others involved, and boost ownership and commitment to the change;
- Establish ongoing feedback loops by engaging those affected.
Simple practices for communication and stakeholder engagement:
- Plan the path. Outline audiences, channels, timing, and owners so communication is ongoing and proactive, not reactive.
- Spotlight the sponsors. Have the identified sponsors show up in existing meetings to deliver the message, give quick updates, and offer encouragement.
- Equip to engage. Give managers a short messaging kit with talking points, three to five FAQs, and a “what to say if you don’t know” guide. Ask them to capture employee concerns and bring them back for follow‑up.
- Office hours, open doors. Host brief 20- to 30-minute office hours frequently at first then adjust as needed. Share objectives, next steps, and answer questions even if you don’t have all of the information immediately.
- Spread it wide. Use all existing communication channels to push the message out broadly and consistently.
Helpful OCM resources for communication and stakeholder engagement:
California Department of Technology (CDT) provides OD-related reference materials and tools that can be customized to meet your specific needs. For more in-depth guidance, including one-on-one consulting, reach out directly to CDT by filling out their Contact Form. Their services encompass a broad range of topics, including Organizational Change Management (OCM), Technology Consulting, and Project Management.
- Communication Management Plan Template – This document identifies project communication needs and expectations based on Stakeholder requirements. It describes how information will be communicated, when and where each communication will be made, and who is responsible for providing each type of communication.
- Communication Management Plan Feedback Channels Amendment Template – This serves as an addition to the CA-PMF Communication Management Plan. The amendment assists the OCM Practitioner in identifying communication feedback channels, through which employees, leaders, and Stakeholders may provide opinions, ask questions, and identify concerns related to the project.
- Communication Action Log Template – This used to record communication dissemination and feedback collection. This living document tracks all communication sent and received.
- Stakeholder Management Plan Template – This document describes the processes, procedures, tools, and techniques to effectively engage Stakeholders in project decisions based on Stakeholder needs, interests, and requirements.
- Stakeholder Communication Questionnaire Template – This is used to assess what Stakeholder groups are feeling about the change initiative, what they need and want to know, and how they prefer to receive information. The questionnaire assists the OCM Practitioner in determining communication messages, delivery channels, and preferred senders for different Stakeholder groups. It is designed to help identify key communication events, target audiences, and preferred communication methods and messages.
- Stakeholder Enrollment Action Log Template – This documentation allows the OCM Practitioner to track the actions in the Stakeholder Enrollment Knowledge Area.
- Stakeholder Register Template – This document identifies the individuals and organizations that will impact the project or will be impacted by the project in some way. The term Stakeholder is a very broad term that includes not only the actual project team members but can also include any individuals affected by the changes brought about by the project’s outcome.
- Team Effectiveness Survey Template – This is used by project teams to assess the effectiveness of how the project team works together. Assessing the effectiveness of the team is a way to identify potential issues that may negatively impact team effectiveness and ultimately the success of the project.
- Team Guidelines Survey Template – This serves as a tool, used by the project team, to assess their progress toward enacting the team’s defines behavior guidelines. The Team Guidelines Survey assists the OCM Practitioner, Project Manager, and project team in identifying guidelines to improve on throughout the project lifecycle.
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Contact CalHR’s Statewide Organizational Development Unit with any questions or feedback.
