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Understand the stakeholders

• How do stakeholders understand the change?
• What problems will the change resolve?
• How does the change compromise stakeholders' own plans?
• How well do processes support, or hinder, the change?
• What’s the strength of feeling for and against the change?
• Does anyone outside the organization support the change?
• What other changes are going on that could help, or hinder?

Communication

• Use a variety of communication media, and styles, to inform different groups and individuals (‘the audience of one’)
• Internal and external communication must match
• Link changes to customer benefits
• Ensure key influencers ‘walk the talk’

Feedback mechanisms

Feedback can be one-off, repeated regularly or ad hoc

• Questionnaires sound easy – but need careful design
• Group sessions are lively and interactive – but need focused facilitation
• Web is good for covering wide geographies – but not everyone is comfortable with the technology

Group methods

Face2Face

• Good for… understanding feelings. Use focus groups for specific feedback
• Limitations Time may limit the number involved. Large groups can be unwieldy
• Considerations Needs focused facilitation to avoid ‘moan-in’

Web

• Good for… real time discussions across dispersed groups
• Limitations Not everyone is comfortable with the technology
• Considerations Needs focused facilitation

Questionnaires

• Good for… quantitative feedback
• Limitations Not everyone responds
• Considerations Needs careful design and piloting

Teleconference

• Good for... geographically dispersed group
• Limitations Group size, > six is unwieldy
• Considerations Needs careful facilitation

Representative workshops

• Good for... running to a specific agenda
• Limitations Can be hijacked by individual views
• Considerations Selection of representatives needs care
  

1-2-1 methods

Phone hotline

• Good for… immediate feedback – suggests what’s important
• Limitations Relies on people calling in
• Considerations Needs someone to receive calls

Interviews

• Good for… detailed probing – check what’s going on
• Limitations Time-consuming
• Considerations Availability of interviewees, travel. Improve reach by telephone interviewing