Change Bites: Stories from the Field

This chapter focuses on the importance of the way change is communicated. Communication is one of those key points where the distinction between common knowledge and common practice applies. The way people, both leaders and followers, respond to the notion of change and the way people think and act causes the greatest challenge during change implementation. The mindset one create leads to our perception of the situation and our decisions and actions follow accordingly. The economic case that justified the decision to outsource this function was undermined by the mindset of its employees and the behaviours that resulted. An awareness of the mindset of the affected employees means a communication strategy can be delivered to mitigate the perceived negative effects of the change. The chapter draws attention to employee performance during and after change is determined by the communication they receive and how this can be the difference between the success and failure of change implementation.