A new study carried out at Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (RSM) states four key steps internal communicators need to take during organisational change processes.

The study, carried out by Professor Cees van Riel and Assistant Professor Guido Berens, used the merger between two large banking operations as a case study and was conducted through a series of interviews with top management and a survey of 751 bank employees. Researchers found that employees who identify with the company during organisational change, are less likely to resign and more likely to work hard and support the transition.

The four steps identified are:

1) Reassure Employee Nerves

Proactively communicate the organisation’s values and beliefs. Employees will feel reassured by the impression of a stable organisational identity. 

2) Speak less of the Change and More of the Outcome.

Throughout the process of change, emphasise what the end organisation’s identity will be.

3) Make a Gradual Adjustment

By making a gradual change employees will have the time to adapt to the new identity of their organisation.

4) Encourage Employee Pride

Regardless of how long the transition is, encourage employees to relate with the new organisational image. If they feel confident in the vision of the organisation’s identity post-transition they’re more likely to feel involved in the process. Professor Van Riel says: “As we had predicted, employees in the study felt a greater sense of belonging and positivity towards organisational change when the corporate identity was clearly expressed. Employers need to consider fear in addition to pride when encouraging employees to associate with their organisation. We believe employees may start to feel closer to their employer if the employer helps to reduce their uncertainty about the future, their heart may be with the old brand, but because their salary depends on the new company, their loyalty will follow.”

“Finally, as with any relationship, research suggests that multiple motives probably play a role in the kind of attachment an employee feels for his or her company. In this case, when it comes to deciding whether to identify more with the new organisational identity, employees tend to prefer the brand that offers more certainty.”