•

Karl-Heinz Pogner

(Copenhagen Business School):

Λήψης αποφάσεων και τη συνεχή αλλαγή στο ABC

International Conference on Communication and Management (ICCM2015)

March 30th to April 1st 2015

Athens– Greece

•

Karl-Heinz Pogner

(Copenhagen Business School):

Sense-making and ongoing change at ABC

International Conference on Communication and Management (ICCM2015)

March 30th to April 1st 2015

Athens– Greece

The author wants to thank Line Møller Hansen (former Senior

Communications Advisor at ABC’s Department “Organisation &

Change”) for her co-operation and co-authoring a previous

conference paper (NFF 2012) on Change Communication of

ABC’s Executive Management and ABC’s Communications

Department. 3

Context

• Large Danish IT company

• Danish municipalities

• 2008 sold to EQT / ATP

• Monopoly –like -> private company

on competitive market

• “Help local and central government,

regional and private customers to

administer their IT operating

environments”

4

Strategy 2015:

The new ABC

• Customer orientation

• Change from specialist culture to

commercial culture

• Culture transformation

• Performance optimization

• ”The journey of change”

5

6

Strategy 2015:

The new ABC

REGIONAL PRIMARILY PUBLIC SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS SUPPLIER WITH SUBSTANTIAL INTERNATIONAL FOOTPRINT

ADMINISTRATIVE SW SOLUTIONS FOR PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS

LAW BASED SW SOLUTIONS FOR PUBLIC

SECTOR

PROJECTS MARKETS & SERVICES

OPERATIONS

PERFORMANCE CULTURE AND COST COMPETITIVENESS

CUSTOMER AND MARKET ORIENTATION

DKK 5 BILLION REVENUE IN 2015

(From CEO’s presentation

at town hall meeting)

The journey of change

• ”When we reach our destination, ABC is a

successful company, because we have

produced results through

• Increased focus on market and customers […]

• Increased performance, flexibility and focus in

problem solving […]

• Motivated employees who understand their

contribution, act responsibly, efficiently and with

respect, and who think it is fun to be at the

center of action.”

(HR & Communications 2011 leaflet)

7

Communication strategy

8

Cascading the new company strategy – towards The new ABC

• Town hall meetings

• News letters, film clips, articles on intranet

• Presentations and speakers notes for line managers

• Dialogue meetings in departments facilitated by managers

Implementation of performance management

• Articles, folders, illustrations & posters

• Online Annual Cycle

• Dialogue meetings by line managers

• “Labs” with HR-staff

• Training line managers

Strengthen motivation and optimism to ensure change in mindset and flexibility

• Anchoring mission, vision, values and customer maxims

• Create bottom-up activities and new energy through targeted themes over the year

Simple, consequent and coherent communication for managers and employees: What, why, what’s in it for us, ABC and the customers

The New ABC

Transparency, clear targets and balanced compensation, result in:

• Increased focus and skills in execution

• Motivated employees who are aware of their corporate contribution

• Value creating development for both ABC and employees

COM.STRATEGY, VISION & VALUES

PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT

GRADING

CAREER DEVELOPMENT

LEADERSHIP

Performance Management

“Engineering” the process

Change & Stability:

The employees’ discourse

• How do the employees make sense of

change and change communication?

• Topics of the focus groups

• Stories about actual situation and the “The

New ABC”

• Understanding of challenges and strategy

• Reception and assessment of changes

• Experience with communication and change

processes

10

Employees’ communication

about change • Consensus

• Competitive situation

• Consumer orientation

• Performance culture

• A parallel story • concrete execution of the tools

• Hidden agendas and motives of new owners?

• Participation and involvement?

• Turbulence, insecurity and uncertainty

• Stability / continuity?

11

The employees’ change

discourse

• How is it possible that the participants

agree with the official discourse about

goals and strategy, but nevertheless

are uncertain and insecure about the

future?

12

The employees’ change

discourse

• Inconsistencies • Official messages vs. implementation of systems

• e.g. Annual Circle,

• Lack of translation • Meaning on the local level?

• e.g. participation in implementation

• Interdiscursivity • Reception and understanding of change

communication do not happen isolated

• Participation in change communication

• Ownership

13

Inconsistencies

• New procedure of fixing individual

salaries

core messages vs. implementation

• Clear targets, transparency, fair

compensation (salary)

• Electronic Management System

“ABCialog”; “Annual Circle”

• Tool to enhance a new performance

culture?

• Tool to manage and control the

company?

14

Lack of translation

• Lack of dialog and involvement and

cooperation

• Translation of abstract corporate goals

to everyday working practice

• Invitation to and appreciation of input

/contribution

• Less cooperation and more silo-thinking

15

Interdiscursivity

• Organizational restructuring,

dismissal and Annual Cycle (all

intertwined)

• Other internal / external stories

• Off shoring, centralization / privatization

of public sector , equity funds etc.

• Corporate values /Customer maxims

• Responsibility, respect, listening before

talking, positive surprise, independent

decisions, CSR discourse ; 16

Discussion

• Co-creation of “The New ABC”

• Strategic change communication and active

reception

• Who owns the meaning/s?

• Reception as an active process

• Ambiguity, Equivocality, Change & Stability /

Continuity, Uncertainty

• Sense-making and creation of meaning in

organizations

• Resources from different discourses

• Influence of implementation

• The role of communication in change

processes 17

Change, understanding,

communication

• Communication as a tool • Managing / planing change

• Communication: transmission

• Communication as a process • Managing/ framing understanding

• Communication: interpretation

• Communication as social

transformation • Managing change through communication

• Communication: constitutive; negotiation of competing

discourses, framing

Johansson & Heide 2008 18

Conclusion

• Official corporate change

communication (planned change)

• Tool

• Employee discourses (emerging

change)

• Social construction

• Sense-making and negotiation of meaning

19

Conclusion

• Change discourses enable and constrain

change strategy

• Change discourses are enabled and

constrained by the change strategy

• Neglecting the sense-making and meaning

creating processes lead to lack of translation

as well to uncertainty and insecurity.

20