Communicating change initiatives.

CPA firms continually are adapting their organizations to meet clients' needs as well as the demands of many forces in their environment. Currently, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 probably tops the list of outside forces prompting firms to initiate changes. The success of such initiatives hinges

CPA firms are, of course, concerned about the impact of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and other new state and federal laws and regulations on their ability to provide various services to clients. For some firms, the implementation of these laws imposes additional duties, perhaps even restricting their ability to provide certain services. On the other hand, these laws have also created opportunities for firms to provide new services to clients.

Have the plans you made in response to these changes--or any other change initiatives--generated the results you hoped for? If not, maybe it's time to renew your communication efforts. Communicating strategic plans and related organizational change initiatives is one of the most important pieces of the change process. Good communication creates a solid probability of bringing the changes to fruition. Lackluster communication, in contrast, will almost certainly bring failure. Based on my experience over the years, I believe that many change initiatives collapse because of inadequate communication.

The rule of seven

Studies have shown that leaders must repeat the message of the change at least seven times before most people will even begin to understand it. This is a challenge for leaders. How many ways can you communicate the message? The answer is, the more the better. These message repetitions could take a while--months perhaps--but this part of the process is absolutely essential. Repetition is not only OK, it is a must.

A state trade association, for example, continually publishes its core philosophy and vision in its newsletter and other publications. It is on its way to realizing the vision. Another organization did some excellent work in mapping out its future, yet their member newsletter failed to mention it, even once. Which organization do you think is getting the results that leadership intended? What to communicate

Typically, leadership needs to communicate what the new vision is, and how it was determined in the first place. The latter is important to show others that it was not something you just dreamed up on a cocktail napkin after a couple of martinis, but that it resulted from a robust, disciplined process. Be sure to cite the input from members of the organization to help them feel included and understand that the plan belongs to them and that they own it. This is true for both for-profit and not-for-profit organizations.

In addition to the basic message, such as your new core purpose and core values and the actual vision, consider preparing answers to the following questions, adapted from Darryl Conner's Managing at the Speed of Change:

* What's wrong with the way we've been doing things?

* Why were we doing them wrong before?

* What will happen to me?

* When?

* What can I do about it?

* What is expected of me?

* What does it mean in my day-to-day job?

* What will management or leadership do about it?

* If I encounter problems, what do I do, to whom do I turn?

How to communicate

There are a variety of ways to communicate the initiative. Consider some of the following methods that my clients have used successfully. With some creativity, leaders can adapt and expand this list.

* Distribute an initial handout (memo, flyer, brochure) explaining the initiative and the process involved.

* Hand out laminated cards with the initiative, core philosophy, or vision on them.

* Display laminated or framed statements strategically around the organization.

* Run a series of articles in the organization's newsletter.

* Create paycheck stuffers that explain the overall vision or initiative and each separate element of it (one topic per stuffer).

* Hang banners with the initiative on them near the podium at every meeting.

* Conduct employee or member meetings to explain the initiative.

* Top leadership should mention the initiative at every gathering--even picnics and parties.

* Put the initiative on the agenda at every meeting and mention something about it.

* Arrange to have presenters cascade the initiative down through various levels of the organization (this requires some presentation aids and talking points for the presenters to ensure a consistent message).

* Make a big deal out of accomplishments--both large and small wins--that show the organization is making progress.

* Establish an open-door policy at the highest level of the organization to get feedback--questions, comments, instances of misalignment, etc.

* Walk the talk--people believe what they see more than what they hear and read.

The effort to use these methods of communicating the initiative creates what one of my clients referred to as the "bump into" factor. Put out the word so that people cannot help but bump into the message no matter what they do or where they are.

Make it tangible

The job of leaders is to manage change through a process of over-communication. This requires leaders to take a vision, for example, down from the lofty ideals it represents and convert it to actual examples of the behaviors and decisions that support it. For each element of your vision, develop examples that others can embrace and apply in their positions. Consider giving examples of events that support the initiative, as well as examples that do not, so that people can understand the difference.

Consider, for example, that the values or vision to be communicated calls for exemplary, world-class customer service. What does that look like to the people responsible for implementing it? If that is the case, you could take a tip or two from the department store Nordstrom's. Examples--as well as some myths--abound that tell how sales people demonstrate the legendary "Nordstrom way" of superior customer service.

Tout your successes

People all have their own daily challenges and responsibilities to address. It is up to leadership to remind everyone of the successes achieved under the new initiative. This can create momentum for further changes and successes. It helps keep the initiative out in front of everyone. It helps win over those parties sitting on the fence, waiting to see if the new order is really going to make it.

Use "teachable moments"

Catch people doing the right thing under the new initiative and point it out, making a positive example of it. On the other hand, watch for noncompliance, and take the offender aside to explain how the behavior or decision is not aligned with the new way of doing things and how it affects overall performance. Praise in public but criticize in private.

The objective

Leadership's objective in all of this should be to have all members of the organization personalize the initiative. They should be able to explain in their own words what the initiative means to them in how they conduct themselves on the job. It's that simple. Consider the maintenance man at Cape Canaveral, who, when asked what his job was, replied, "To put a man on the moon." But it goes further than that. What does this person need to do and how should he or she do it in order to put the man on the moon? Unless your people can specifically explain what they will be doing in their day-to-day work activities to support the initiative, you haven't communicated it adequately.

The bottom line

Change is never easy. Some would say that communicating change is not easy, either. But without relentless communication--to the point that the communicator is almost bored with having to repeat it, change may never occur. That's what leadership is about. Create a clear and compelling message that you communicate with clarity in ways that are understandable to the people in your organization.

Dominic A. Cingoranelli, CPA, CMC is a management consultant specializing in business strategy, growth and performance issues. He can be contacted at dom4@mindspring.com or 1-877-544-1047.