CORPORATE COMMUNICATION
PLAN FOR STRATEGIC CHANGE
A
By: Angela C Grondin
“Imagine how creative, how productive,
how ecologically benign we could be if we
could run our own companies like the
rainforest? ”
Tachi Kiuchi, Chairman of Mitsubishi
In today’s complex organization,
Change is an inevitable part of the
business process
….Even subtle indications of change,
Can ignite feelings containing enough
strength to crush any initiative….
Common Barriers to Change:
Fear
Anxiety
Resistance
…………………………..However,
communicative change
strategies that invite the ideas of
every member of the organization
into the creative process can
overcome any obstacle………
..................So when you come upon
the need for change within your
organization, the following are some
effective communication strategies:
Sustainable
Innovation
Conscious
Oversight
Communicative
Change
Strategies
Asking
BIG
Questions
Challenging
Strategy
And
Purpose
Discuss Strategy and Purpose
Connect purpose to organizational strategy
Incorporate ‘scenario thinking’ (in depth
thinking about external forces that may effect
the future) and shared vision (thinking about
collective aspiration of people in the
organization)
Cultivate collective responsibility for the
future as well as the global environment
Consider multiple components of society
Ask Big Questions?
Inquiry oriented, place deliberate focus on
‘Big’ questions in the strategy
Promote questions as a primary way for
members to engage in “…collaborative
conversation, exploration, inquiry, and
learning.”
Develop the capability of strategic thinking
in every member
Foster sustainable business and social
value
Think Sustainable Innovation
Tailor strategies and practices around
environmental issues and concerns
Live by the philosophy of “An eco efficient
company is making efficient use of its resources”
and a strong signal of good management
Reinforce environmental innovation and
organization learning. Three elements of
essential to the success of sustainable
development are:
1) Shared vision and personal mastery: connect
vision with personal values
2) Team learning and mental models: effective
reflection and dialogue for effective use of
advocacy
Sustainable Innovation (Con’t)
3) Promote systems Thinking: “mutually
sustaining interdependent causal relationships
among economic, environmental and social
spheres.”
 Foster fundamental innovation, compelling
breakthroughs in new products and processes
as well as energy efficiency and reduced waste
Generate an awareness of the larger systemic
impact
Nurture a willingness to keep learning in the
pursuit of sustainability
Foster Conscious Oversight
Develop an environment of care and
nurturing of people and systems
Discuss the impact of the organization on
future generations as well as the community
Reflect on the system and situation from a
variety of perspectives and ways of thinking
Promote agility and flexibility of teams and
departments, so leaders can act autonomously
and quickly adapt with the marketplace
Conscious Oversight (Cont’d)
Cultivate a broader sense of community
 Incorporate the Six Intelligences:
1) Fiscal: financial flows, processes and
procedures
2) Social: leaders decide on appropriate
social form for teams and departments
3) Noetic: encourages a collective IQ
4) Emotional: fosters organizational
intuition
5) Environmental: Focuses attention to the
physical environment
6) Spiritual: Incorporates the soul and ethics
in the work place
COMPARISON:
Strategy and Purpose




Encourages scenario
thinking and exploration
of purpose
Sees stewardship as an
organizational ethic and
practice
Exposes and tests
assumption behind current
strategies
Focuses on strategic and
ethical thinking
capabilities
The Big Question



Questioning vs. fixed
immediate solutions
Encourages informal
conversation and networks
of relationships
Views questioning as a
primary way to engage
natural, self-organizing
capacities for conversation,
exploration, inquiry and
learning
COMPARISON
Sustainable Innovation





Shared vision and personal
mastery
Team learning and mental
models
Systems Thinking
Measurement and
Feedback
Fosters learning and
change
Conscious Oversight




Focuses on a system larger
than itself
Enhances the total health
and sustainability of the
community
Leaders work to develop
agility and flexibility to
remain autonomous
Incorporates six
intelligences: fiscal, social,
noetic, emotional,
environmental
Remember…………………………………..
the key to success is a willingness of all
members of an organization to continue
learning in the pursuit of a goal.
Innovation is best achieved in a culture
that embraces and fosters learning and
effective communication during change
Conclusion
………Communicative change
strategies differentiate the grass
from the trees in a rainforest, and
the winners from the losers in
modern business………….
Reference
Senge, P., Kleiner, A., Roberts, C., Ross, R., Roth, G., & Smith, B. (1999)
The Dance of Change: The challenges of sustaining momentum in learning
organizations. New York, NY: Random House, Inc.