Communicating Change to an Organization

Communicating Change to an Organization
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Abstract
A communication plan is vital for any company that intends to implement change. The Kotter’s stage model of communication is useful in creating a communication plan to be used when the merger of Microsoft and LinkedIn occurs. The communication plan will help the companies to implement the change step-by-step and ensure that everything is clear and successful. The Kotter’s eight stages will all be followed. The communication plan will be easy to follow for the public since every item that is critical in this change has been defined clearly.
Further, it is well organized in a manner and contains all the relevant information in the process of change. The communication plan is like a schedule that will guide everyone on what will go on at which time thereby eliminating confusion. The public will have the opportunity to check whether everything outlined in the plan is followed to judge whether the change process was successful or not.
Keywords: Kotter’s 8 step change model, communication plan, stakeholders, organizational change
Communicating Change to an Organization
The communication plan is based on Kotter’s 8 step model of change. These stages guide the process of change such that it is smooth and successful in the end. The advantage of this model is that it is easy to follow and understand and the process of change becomes quick (Kotter, 2012). The communication plan is designed to ensure that the merger between Microsoft and LinkedIn is communicated effectively to every stakeholder so that they can contribute and support the project.

The actual communication plan is composed of eight steps that expound on the topic, timeline, stakeholders, purpose, message, communicator, the author as well as the delivery method of the message.
The communication plan is easy to follow and to understand. The public, as well as other stakeholders, will be able to understand what the change involves, how Microsoft and LinkedIn will engage during the meetings, what will be discussed, people who will be affected and others issues. The merger will require both companies to be involved so that employees from both companies can understand the need for change.
The communication plan is organized, and the public can follow closely when presented with this plan what will be going on when the merger takes place. The topic of communication during meetings is outlined as well as the date and the frequency of the communication. The people involved in the writing the message are specified as well as people who will get the message the public will know how the message will be delivered. The communication plan also states that various methods will be used to assess whether the message was successfully conveyed or not.
The communication plan is transparent such that everything that will be done is well explained. The public will be satisfied with this communication plan as it will help them analyze everything that will happen during the merger. The employees and other stakeholders will understand their roles and follow closely on the activities that will take place during the change process (Lewis, 2011).
References
Kotter, J. P. (2012). Leading change. Boston, Mass: Harvard Business Review Press.
Lewis, L. K. (2011). Organizational change: Creating change through strategic communication. Chichester, West Sussex, U.K: Wiley-Blackwell.