Group Discussion: Epcot Change Management Assignment

Effective communication is the most essential ingredient to proper change management processes. This is partly because human capital is naturally wired to react negatively to change. Thus, the first function of communication in change situations is to diagnose areas of resistance and elicit feedback from the rest of the organization (Elving, 2005). For instance, when a firm announces its decision to embrace green supply chain, the first reaction from their suppliers would be opposition. They are likely to protest loss of profits or breach of their contracts and so forth. However, with effective communication including details like a grace period for adjustment, incentives for embracing green practices and a comprehensive analysis of how everyone would be affected, such negative reactions may subside. Communication in this case should take the form of a conversation and aim at making everyone feel part and parcel of the process.

I visualize an example of how effective communication brings change, then improvement, progress and better life in the history of the civil rights movement in America. Previously under a legally segregated environment, several activists like Martin Luther King Jr. came up with strong messages of equality and the need to end racial segregation. Doctrines like “separate but equal” were subsequently annulled by the courts and the change set in for a more equal America. With time, life improved as minorities like people of color started to have better access to education and other amenities. The realization of progress came many years later when the first black president, Barrack Obama, was elected. Today, it can be comfortably stated that US citizens of all races and backgrounds are having a better life. 

References

Elving, W. J. (2005). The role of communication in organisational change. Corporate communications: an international journal, 10(2), 129-138.