The challenges of the HS2 project have been well documented in recent years. However a recent report by the Institution of Civil Engineers says that among other things one of its major problems was the lack of a clear narrative, citing:
“The lack of a well-embedded strategic story for HS2 meant that a significant cohort of the public was indifferent to the project. It did not take much for them to become detractors.”
Communicators have long known that a lack of narrative is a common gap on change programmes, and now change managers are recognising that it’s an essential tool to deliver successful business change.
Over the last decade Marlowe has worked with a range of public and private sector companies on significant transformation programmes. We are now seeing our clients consistently embrace the importance of building a compelling change narrative. They understand that it’s important not to just ‘tell’ stakeholders about the change, but to ‘engage’ and importantly give the opportunity – at the right time – to become ‘involved’.
From employees and contractors to external stakeholders such as customers, suppliers and intermediaries all these groups could be impacted in different ways.
So, while the core of the change story might remain the same, we need to tailor our story to gain maximum understanding and resonance with each stakeholder group.
A simple story
While change teams will often be focused on managing the complexity of the change programme, for the communications team one of the primary considerations is helping to simplify the programme’s purpose and vision into a digestible story. Their focus is on creating an inspiring, engaging and informative narrative with supporting key messages which explain why the change needs to happen, what the end result will be and what the impact will be for various stakeholders both within the organisation, and externally.
And let’s not forget it’s not just about the written word. A different strand of telling your change story is the ability to tell the story visually – building an emotional connection to the change. This visual storytelling is a key skill in itself. In some of our recent client work we’ve used a range of visual tools and techniques including animations, videos, infographics, rich pictures and loads more besides. In our experience it really helps people connect the dots on what the change means for them.
We know people take in information in different ways. And given a multi-generational workforce and continued hybrid working we need to continue to access creative ways to explain change. It certainly needs to go far beyond pushing out an intranet article, weekly email or a ‘broadcast’ town hall.
We’re also seeing many instances of change programmes creating their own visual identity. Not only can it help cut through corporate noise it can also help position the purpose of the programme and generate interest, excitement and engagement.
We recently developed a programme identity for a global organisation who are implementing new technology right across their business. But the programme is far more than a tech upgrade. As it rolls out across the organisation it will enable more efficient ways of working and will create a cohesive culture - helping to improve outcomes for colleagues, customers and wider society. Our storytelling work has helped stakeholders right across the organisation better understand the programme and how it will contribute to the future ambitions of that business.
Ultimately, most businesses invest heavily in transformation and building a compelling change narrative should be seen as a vital part of setting up for success. This means allocating experienced resource and budget to develop that narrative as part of a strategic approach to change communications.
Change and communications need to work hand-in-glove. That’s certainly been one of the big learnings we’ve taken from our first 10 years at Marlowe, and it will continue to be an integral part of the way we approach any complex change programme for the next 10 years!
About Marlowe
At Marlowe we partner with organisations to deliver large scale, complex transformation and change. We deliver business change solutions, change capability, assurance, training, leadership effectiveness and cultural change.
Our focus is on your people to ensure your change is delivered practically, successfully and sustainably. Please contact us if you would like to know more about delivering exceptional business change.