Transparency Builds Trust
13 March 2006
Read by 2194 persons
Because it involves a sort of appropriation of the future of others and a transformation of their destiny, change within an organization must not be undertaken without a significant communication effort.
Participants in a meeting on change management, organized by ESCA as part of its "Essential Management" conference series, were unanimous on the need to place communication at the heart of any change process within an organization.
Without such effort, the project risks being blocked and rejected, according to Suzel Eschenbrenner, CEO of Sciences Com in Nantes. To prevent this rejection, "communication and information are the strategic levers that overcome blockages and support action," she explains, adding that change is initially experienced as a loss before a gradual shift makes change possible.
Communication helps to soothe and manage the period of uncertainty that follows. To achieve this, she concludes, it is necessary to encourage open dialogue, build trust, and give meaning to the planned action. For Bouchra Ghiati, Communications Director at Lydec, change happened through action.
After a period of observation, she explains, it was decided to take action by collectively reflecting on future projections. This reflection, she specifies, was implemented at all hierarchical levels. Communication about the change was initially internal before spreading externally, including through opinion polls.
The sustainability of change, she concludes, is a continuous process of internal communication, through appropriation by Lydec stakeholders, and external communication, through the development of customer relationships. Karim Bouzida, Deputy CEO of KLEM RSCG, believes that there are two types of change: desired and imposed.
"When there is a vision, communication is the oil that lubricates the connections, but when there is no vision, communication is merely demagoguery," he explained, adding that, at the heart of action, communication becomes multifaceted and allows adaptation to changes in the ecosystem.
Conclusion: "There is no change management without the essential element of integrated communication. To manage change, transparency must be integrated, and to integrate transparency, a large dose of communication is necessary," according to Thami Ghorfi, President of ESCA.
Le Matin
March 8, 2006
Participants in a meeting on change management, organized by ESCA as part of its "Essential Management" conference series, were unanimous on the need to place communication at the heart of any change process within an organization.
Without such effort, the project risks being blocked and rejected, according to Suzel Eschenbrenner, CEO of Sciences Com in Nantes. To prevent this rejection, "communication and information are the strategic levers that overcome blockages and support action," she explains, adding that change is initially experienced as a loss before a gradual shift makes change possible.
Communication helps to soothe and manage the period of uncertainty that follows. To achieve this, she concludes, it is necessary to encourage open dialogue, build trust, and give meaning to the planned action. For Bouchra Ghiati, Communications Director at Lydec, change happened through action.
After a period of observation, she explains, it was decided to take action by collectively reflecting on future projections. This reflection, she specifies, was implemented at all hierarchical levels. Communication about the change was initially internal before spreading externally, including through opinion polls.
The sustainability of change, she concludes, is a continuous process of internal communication, through appropriation by Lydec stakeholders, and external communication, through the development of customer relationships. Karim Bouzida, Deputy CEO of KLEM RSCG, believes that there are two types of change: desired and imposed.
"When there is a vision, communication is the oil that lubricates the connections, but when there is no vision, communication is merely demagoguery," he explained, adding that, at the heart of action, communication becomes multifaceted and allows adaptation to changes in the ecosystem.
Conclusion: "There is no change management without the essential element of integrated communication. To manage change, transparency must be integrated, and to integrate transparency, a large dose of communication is necessary," according to Thami Ghorfi, President of ESCA.
Le Matin
March 8, 2006
