A tale of two corporations: Managing uncertainty during organizational change
✍ Scribed by Nicholas DiFonzo; Prashant Bordia
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 1998
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 155 KB
- Volume
- 37
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0090-4848
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
Ineffective strategies of communicating about organizational change (e.g., corporate restructuring, mergers, downsizing) are earmarked by the presence of pervasive rumors that flourish in a climate of uncertainty. Using 15 structured field interviews with management and public relations personnel from multinational corporations, this article posits that successful programs of change communication hinge upon the proper management of uncertainty associated with change. Two detailed case studies are highlighted as opposing illustrations of change communication tactics that succeeded and failed. Effective change communication campaigns tend to reveal rather than conceal, reduce uncertainty through collective planning, and proactively establish and maintain trust. 1