Page 383 - CEO Orientation

happen through structured meetings, like town halls, program meetings and leadership forums,
as well as in the more spontaneous exchanges that take place day-to-day, particularly between
managers and their staff in the hallways.

3. Communication is the drumbeat of change: Through a tumultuous period of integration,
consistent communication should be established for a regular, predictable and reassuring touch
point for employees. It’s important for dialogue to keep up with the pace of change, speeding
up or slowing down according to the phases of transformation. Creating a role of Integration
Ambassadors would greatly aid each site’s informal practice of hearing and sharing updates,
issues and concerns. The recommendation is to recruit ambassadors from all three hospitals and
provide them with a formal process for sharing information and gathering feedback as they
network across sites.

4. Focus on creating shared meaning through engagement: Change communication must go
beyond the basics of integration information dissemination and focus on the more creative
exercise of creating shared meaning among employees. Because change is felt at an individual
level, this may require providing several different opportunities for employees from all three
sites to engage in a dialogue of shared understanding of the other organizations’ culture, what
it means to the new health care network and what it means to the individual. Use a mix of
change communication tactics including:
• Dialogue sessions
• Interactive Intranet exchanges
• Question-and answer-sessions
• Webinars
• Invest in face-to-face communications as the centerpiece of the change
communications model

5. Provide line of sight: A change communication system must be designed to provide employees
with a direct line of sight to the integration -- why it’s happening, what it means,
and how it will affect them along with a short- and long-term timeline. Since employees noted
they prefer to get information from their immediate manager, engaging leadership is vital in
this approach. In combination with the Integration Ambassadors, equip managers with clear
messaging and training to be effective change agents in their critical role of “connecting the
dots” for employees and bringing the line of sight to life.

6. Favor authenticity and transparency: Executives often fall into the trap of becoming
“cheerleaders” for change. This is dangerous! Change sponsors who appear to be “selling” the
change often have a polarizing effect on employees, with resistant staff becoming even more
entrenched in their opposition as a negative reaction to being “sold” on the change.

Successful change leadership should be based on a very authentic approach to messages.
Leaders must cultivate trust by being honest and realistic about the downsides of change and
the many challenges that will be faced during this integration.

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