I want to initiate change within my team. Who should I involve in my communication?
19.11.2020Change within teams and organisations is not an easy task. The natural response to change is resistance. This is because change requires employees to invest more energy in adapting to the changed context rather than continuing with the ‘normal’ way of doing things.
Different mindsets towards change
Below, you can see a well-known model when it comes to adapting to ‘change’. The model is mainly used in marketing, but it is also very useful in internal communication. In this figure, you can see that 2.5% of your team (innovators) are very positive about change. 13.5% of your team (early adopters) are positive about change. Then come two large groups: 34% (early majority) are neutral and have no opinion, while another 34% (late majority) are negative towards change.
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Do not focus on the 2.5% ‘super enthusiasts’
The biggest pitfall when communicating change within a team is focusing on this first group of innovators (2.5%). As a leader, this is very attractive, because you know they will be enthusiastic and provide extra motivation, yet it is not a good idea. Why? It is painful to say, but this group is already enthusiastic. Moreover, they represent only a very small part (2.5%!) of the group. With only 2.5%, you will not be able to implement the change.
Looking for the tipping point
As a team leader, you therefore need to look for the tipping point. And that lies between the group of ‘early adopters’ (13.5%) and the ‘early majority’ (34%). The early adopters will be cautiously positive about the change. The early majority will be more neutral. That provides enough fertile ground to get them excited.
How do you convince the ‘early adopters’ through communication?
As you could already read in our previous tips, it is always crucial to adapt your message to your target audience. Once again, this is the key to success. But how do you approach this in practice? In your communication towards the ‘early adopters’ (13.5%), you should mainly emphasise the benefit for the team or the organisation. In what way will the team or organisation become better as a result of this change?
Different communication focus for each subgroup
But for the ‘early majority’ (34%), you will need to go one step further. Here, the emphasis should be on the benefit for the individual employee. You will not convince this group with benefits for the organisation. In practice, we notice that many leaders remain focused on the benefit for the organisation, but do not dare to take that extra step. Yet this is the key to successfully introducing change within a team.
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