Topic: Building Trust in a turmoil Crisis through Change Management communications
Synopsis: For/not for profit organizations can enhance their organizational effectiveness by building a strong reputation based on Trust, Integrated communications and Change management communications. Trust is critical to Organizations and to Communication to establish and maintain relationships with stakeholders on whom the success of the organization depends, based on the credibility or the confidence that receivers have in the accuracy and truthfulness of the message. Organizations are advised not only to be more transparent because their entire value is based on trust, but also be trustworthy, measured by whether one is perceived as having competence, integrity, goodwill, reliability and is open.
How can this be achieveable? Change management is the process that aligns People – Leadership – Organizational culture, tools and techniques to manage the change processes in order to reach desired goals. Learning-oriented organizations can enhance individuals to manage a positive change by answering to sustainability and organizational development:
What procedures and habilities we need and what is needed to change?
How to manage change in harmony with our values?
Managing, through time, the satisfaction and involvement of staff members with changes of attitudes by Management team implies an integrated strategy both internally and externally, involving four levels of change communication – Awareness, Understanding, Commitment and Behavioural change – based upon a proactive and positive flow of Information, Dialogue, Involvement and Recognition.
In a new era of participation and horizontal social architecture, the collision between the real and virtual worlds brings new challenges to communication and specifically to change management communications which effectiveness relies on a offline and online integrated strategy. Develop a strategy that prepares the organization for the future and answer habits and market changes, involving key stakeholders that enhance that change can no longer be done without social and new media (Facebook, Twitter, You Tube, Flickr, Fóruns, Podcasts, Salas de Chat, etc.), the fast growing channels of interaction according to the European Communication Monitor 2009.
Rui Martins is the Corporate Communication and Public Affairs Director at Dianova Portugal since 2003. He is working on corporate reputation, corporate relations, social marketing communications, alliances & sponsorship programs, corporate & online communications, media relations, new media and social relations, health communications and social health marketing. He is a prelector at many Universities on postgraduation/masters seminars on Corporate Reputation, Social Marketing, Social media marketing and Health Communications. Rui is also the Regional Coordinator for Portugal at the European Association of Communications Directors. Rui speaks 5 languages.
