An organization should manage itself along the environmental forces to survive; it redesigns its strategy, policies, and procedure. The crafted practices are then floated throughout the organization and for the purpose; the language of communication is most frequently, inevitably used driver to excel those strategies (Palmer, Dunford, & Buchanan, 2016). Effective communication not only supports the change but it also promotes and induces the change. Communication beings with an objective where transmitter encodes the message, selects the medium up to the receiver which is then decoded for the meaningful purpose. But often due to the predisposition of the receiver which acts as a perpetual filter; meanings are altered hindering the essence of change. So, while managing the logistic of language social, physical and cultural context of the organization should also be considered as if left unmanaged, it could lead to message overload creating an ambiguity.
A solid understanding of gender diversity, their affinity to assume risk, curiosity for information, eagerness for responsibility and decentralization of power helps the change manager effectively synchronize the message to amalgamate the change. Along with their cognitive reasoning and conscience, the manager should also analyze the emotions of his employees. It is often seen that emotionally sensitive employees exacerbate soon if the changes are unfavorable. Here manager maintains his caretaker image. Manager should try his best to avoid communication breakdown or divergence; his focus should be to address resistance for change, encouraging individual adoption and support the change through effective message dissimilation.
A powerful, well-contented message crafted according to the organization context help to adopt change easily. As per (Ford & Ford, 1995) a change takes places through initiative conversation, followed by conversation to understand and performance which is later closed with acknowledgment and celebration. In-fact managing the dynamics between the change and communication is a scientific methodology. A manager should initiate a change by exchanging ideas which he later motivates his employees by appealing support; he then forms the polices to rule the behavior and is concluded with the deal through negotiation and bargains (Palmer, Dunford, & Buchanan, 2016). Further other concepts advices mastering in message communication by aligning as per the nature of change with a view to overrule the confusion. For example, Amazon.com into a grocery business is a buffering strategy and manager is supposed to maintain a transitional image throughout the shielding period, if his message to the company goes focusing on transformation image than; employees may perceive a radical change in the business which actually is not.
A message has a power enough to enhance the change process exponentially, but if there occurs the conflict of interest, it could be a nightmare and detrimental for the survival of the company. So it is always advisable to encode and decode the message with cautions and care. Negative communication could bring in conflict, reduced morale, and organization structural issues (Root, 2017). The surface level analysis of the feedback from the stakeholder would not be fruitful. A message should be clean , clear, and easily understood. A change manager should be known that over information or information overload may create confusion as all employees may not be capable enough to decode each message successfully.
The source of communication to be powerful should not be limited to top-bottom direction, where the director image of change manager if followed but should involve and initiate participate approach where feedbacks, suggestion are incorporate form the staff termed as buy-in strategy. A successful communicator should disseminate right amount of information; this optimum level helps to make the message useful and worthy. In contrast, some manager uses spray and pray strategy which focuses on the high amount of information leading to message overload and confusion. Some uses defensive approach, where the manager tries to reduce the ambiguity and uncertainty. While in cases managers holds the information to maintain control.
Higher the degree of change , the more employees are to be involved in communication (Palmer, Dunford, & Buchanan, 2016) to an example, if a company is planning for incremental change than a periodic electronic mail could make a deal but if the intensity of change is higher, rigorous meet up, seminars, face to face conversation, feedback taking should be crafted. The leader should in times maintain his commanding approaches with directive style and also even has to adopt logical approach explaining the plan and strategies.
The significance of powerful conversation is also dependent on the type of medium for transmission used. Depending upon the topology of the change, the media richness should be tailored. The power origins from the authority that the change manager is endowed with. It is in the hand of the change manager to channelize the communication for change. His ability to determine the scope of communication, selection of the media, and strategy of message dissimilation will make the conversation useful.
A conversation could be made powerful through building the trust among its stakeholders, the manager should provide opportunities for team members to share ideas, provide significant amount of time for people to ask questions, request clarification and provide input. A well intent message would support the change process through motivating the stakeholders, but if the intent of people involved is malicious than it could jeopardize the organization. So, it won't be wrong to say "the language of change is the sword with two sharp ends."
Bibliography
Ford, J. D., & Ford, L. W. (1995). The role of conversation in producing intentional change in organization. Academy of Management Review, 20(3):541-70.
Palmer, I., Dunford, R., & Buchanan, D. A. (2016). Managing Organizational Change A Multiple Perspective Approach. MC GrawHill Education.
Root, G. N. (2017). Effects of Negative Communication in the Workplace. Retrieved August 3, 2017, from smallbusiness.chron: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/effects-negative-communication-workplace-11524.html
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