Formats can be leadership conversations, cross-departmental dialogues or regular updates, depending on the phase and the extent to which people are affected. What matters is the link to the change architecture: new information must be able to influence the next steps. Communication thus becomes a recurring leadership task rather than a one-off announcement.
Ergebnisse und nächste Schritte sichtbar machen: Die Architektur berücksichtigt die Auswertung der Umsetzung und die gemeinsame Würdigung erreichter Schritte. Neue Fragen können den weiteren Verlauf verändern. Der Prozess wird deshalb anhand der beobachtbaren Reaktionen der Organisation weiterentwickelt.
Kommunikation als Führungs- und Beteiligungsprozess gestalten: Ein Kommunikationsprozess im Wandel kann mit Hypothesen starten, die verschiedenen Changephasen zugeordnet werden. Für Stakeholder werden passende Fragen, Kommunikationsziele und Beteiligungsformen entwickelt; Führungs-Commitment, Motivation und nachvollziehbare Information unterstützen dabei die Umsetzung.
Arbeitsergebnisse: Klare Fragen und Beteiligungsräume je Zielgruppe; Kommunikationsarchitektur im Zusammenhang mit dem Veränderungsprozess; Verbindung zwischen Rückmeldungen und verantwortlichen Entscheidungen; Gemeinsame Auswertung und nächste Arbeitsschritte.
The brief defines which internal and external groups are involved. Communication and participation are aligned with the content and organisational side of the change.
Five basic principles apply to communication during change; comprehensive and honest information is particularly important. Half-truths or vague statements do not remove resistance. Likewise, even a small delay can fuel rumours, because people have to interpret the resulting uncertainty themselves. We therefore plan when which decision will be announced, who will explain it and how questions get back to those responsible.
The extent to which people are affected is not measured solely by the direct change to a position. Teams whose inputs or collaboration change indirectly also need orientation. Trust is a personal and systemic factor. Communication alone does not create it; its credibility depends on whether announcements, actual decisions and observable actions are consistent.
In dialogue formats, participants can point out contradictions and contribute their experience. Managers must then also be able to say which suggestion is being taken up and why another is not. A good communication plan therefore includes a return path: questions are collected, answered by those responsible and fed into the next stage of the change.
Participation must also match the state of the decision. Where a decision on direction has already been made, people need clarity about the reasons and consequences. Where a solution is still open, their experience can improve the decision. We distinguish between these situations at every stage of communication. This prevents apparent participation in a question that has already been closed and at the same time creates genuine involvement where it is possible. Managers thus gain an honest framework for conversations about uncertainty and resistance.
Communication is part of the work of change, not a subsequent explanation of decisions already made. Those responsible must make clear what has been decided, which questions remain open and where participants can genuinely exert influence. People in the units affected contribute experience of processes, risks and consequences for customers that may be important for further decisions.
We design suitable dialogue formats and feedback channels for this. Feedback is not just collected, but dealt with in project and leadership work. Uncomfortable observations are part of this too. The result is a traceable connection between decision, participation and further implementation. A communication measure cannot simply eliminate uncertainty; it can, however, provide orientation and enable the organisation to deal responsibly with open questions.
When supporting larger transformation programmes, we align communication with clear objectives. Employees learn early on about changes that affect them personally. The change is so plausible to them that they can explain it to others. Managers are perceived as ambassadors of the change. Internal and external stakeholders know the objectives of the project and can orient their daily work towards them. Internal communication is experienced as relevant, continuous and authentic. In terms of content, it serves three levels: information and instruction, understanding and acceptance, and mobilisation and identity.
We organise the formats into a communication architecture. Possible building blocks include a workshop to develop the vision and change story, a communication group with a regular jour fixe, a leadership forum, dialogue formats such as a World Café or a breakfast with the management board, and training for managers on dealing with scepticism, emotions and complexity. A project website or platform can bring together news, background information, a media library and learning offerings. Its structure should follow the progress of the programme so that new contributions can be assigned easily. Monitoring evaluates the experience and, where necessary, leads to adjusted measures.
