The only thing that is constant is change. We all have heard this adage time and again and this year we will hear it more frequently and ruthlessly. It is never easy to accept change as it brings a lot of uncertainties. Change demands giving up of old habits, managing instability as old and new collide and consolidate to form fresh habits and behaviours.

In order to remain competitive and nimble, organisations will need to adapt to change. They have to pay minute attention while implementing new processes as it involves people, who may have several questions or doubts regarding the change.

I am listing my 10 commandments that hopefully would ensure better acceptability to change

1. If the organisation does not have anything to say, it is best not to speak. Premature communication can be more damaging than actual communication. And if there is any doubt that  the communication is being leaked, have a convincing holding statement
2. Develop ONE message portfolio (for both internal and external use) to support the change and ensure all spokespeople are trained on speaking points and scripts so that there is no message dysfunction
3. Use clear, simple words (Edit ruthlessly). Try and paint stories with examples. Eliminate process and corporate speak as it can obscure the vision of the organisation
4. There is a strong possibility that during the process there will be period of ‘uncertainties.’ It’s best therefore to frequently communicate progress against change, so there is always a sense of forward movement.
5. It is often seen that leaders’ are unable to explain what change means to their employees. Thus, train leaders in basic competencies and if necessary, get experts to coach them. Provide leaders with clear, simple materials and helpful instructions
6. In an organisation there are always sceptics who doubt / don’t believe the communication. It would be helpful to first identify these sceptics and treat them as separate target audience. Assuage their doubts first, provide them the right tools and look for opportunities on how they can help influence the process. If needed make them the change heroes
7. If there is any gap that is visible between the vision and implementation, fill that gap with stories that support the vision. Do keep in mind that if this is not course corrected, then any amount of communication cannot amend the sense of disbelief that would creep
8. Don’t make promises if you can’t keep them and hit every deadline not met
9. Bring in the talent function as early as possible. Provide them a direct link to the leaders so that they (leaders) get a complete view of what’s happening on the shop floor (read: office). Also empower the talent function to make certain tweaks to the implementation process as long as it is aligned to the vision set out
10. Lastly, if there is any dissension, keep them behind closed doors. However, at the same time do communicate the consequences if there is any deviation from implementation of the vision

However, none of the above 10 commandments can be successful if organisations don’t elucidate WIIFM to employees. Thus, to bring alive the WIIFM, organisations can follow the simple hierarchy need as below

If the above questions get answered, any change communication process 

In the past couple of weeks, we all have been reading about how the global economy has been passing through testing times. The global economy, including US & Europe, grew at 3.8% in 2010, which incidentally was a significant improvement from the deceleration of (-) 2.2% in 2009. While the growth looks impressive, there have been markets like Africa and Middle-East which have been strived with internal protests.

Europe is trying to find a solution to its debt crisis and the US is still feeling the heat of S&P downgrade. There have also been reports of a rise in inflation in India and China, which will slow down growth in these two economies. This coupled with reports of slower growth in salary hikes in the current year, doesn’t present an overall impressive picture to an Indian professional class like me.

While many would forecast a grim future, I would like to see the foreseeable future with cautious optimism. Why? Because I see opportunities for us PR professionals despite the grim economic situation and my reasons are cited below

If Europe or USA are going to be hit by economic crisis, the only way their economies will survive if the production gets consumed in emerging economies like India. Thus it would be difficult for a car manufacturer to sell its luxury car in a European market, but quite easy to find buyers in India or China, considering the luxury consumer, rarely gets impacted by slowdown, given the propensity to spend.  Which is why we are seeing the huge influx of luxury products in both these countries?

While many will argue that demand is plateau-ing  in major metros in India, but what we are not taking into account is the ‘Bharat’ within India, which is witnessing new monies and thus demand for luxury / premium products. The only shift for manufacturers is that they need to move from a metro consumer to a rural consumer.

Similarly, a couple of sectors like education / healthcare (primary & tertiary) will continue to grow given the huge demand for these services in India.

While India’s trade focus has always been tilted towards Europe / USA, we haven’t realized the potential of investments from a G-8 country like Japan. Let’s appreciate that Japan’s financial institutions still have funds to invest, which currently they would like to park in emerging economies like India, rather than in their own country, given the natural calamity that had struck the country.

There are Fortune 500 companies, who are sitting on billions in cash, which sooner or later will be invested in economies or utilized for acquisition of cheaper assets somewhere in the globe. Prime example of that are promoters of Piramal group / ex-Ranbaxy who are still flushed with cash reserves after sell-outs and they will invest, which could very well be smaller cities in India or starting new ventures.

Lastly, because developed economies are going to face cost pressures, they will continue to see destinations which provide economies of scale and thus outsourcing / contract manufacturing will become a norm.

To stay competitive, we will have to keep costs in check, however more importantly we will have to work smartly and effectively. If three people were doing a task, we got to find innovative ways for either two people to do the same task, or three people perform four tasks. It’s about the 1 kg cake which can be either shared by 10 people for smaller pieces or by five persons with bigger slices.

What does all the above present – opportunities for us PR professionals to find newer customers or take existing customers to newer markets?

I don’t deny there will be pressure of topline growth, but what it will definitely do is keep us in business and help us grow at decent rates for the next couple of years, without fear of being wiped out.

Thus choice is ours, whether we would like to see our glass half empty or half full

Please Note: I am not an economist and don’t claim to understand economic theories as well. The above is a view of how I hope to survive and remain competitive in the business.

Zindagi Na Milegi Doobara (ZNMD) – A fantastic movie celebrating friendship and overcoming fears. Every character was true to its role and with cheeky punch lines the movie made audiences feel that it was a ‘paisa vasool.’ Movies to me are stress busters and while I am a complete bollywood freak, I also like to analyse movies, especially to find out what’s the MESSAGE.
Thus post watching ZNMD, I sliced the movie frame by frame and came up with some lessons that a client servicing personnel can learn from the movie and are captured below
1. Learn to Say NO – In the movie the Abhay Deol did not say NO at the right time and decided to go with flow, realizing rather late that he did not want to marry Kalki or maybe he was not ready for a commitment. If we put ourselves in a client meeting situation, we also many times believe that there are deliverables / timelines we can’t meet, but we hardly say NO. By the time we realize that we should have pushed back the client, it is quite late and we fear losing credibility with our clients. Thus do remember that it’s OK to say NO, but we should do it in a manner and form which is a win-win for both the client and the agency, just the way it was in the movie for both Kalki and Abhay

2. Overcome FEARS – Hrithik in the movie did not want to try diving because he feared water and depth. However, once he was trained by Katrina and taken showed the wonderful world that lived in deep sea, he was completely enamored and for once did not even think of his fears. Similarly in our profession we are afraid to try new things and take risks, because we FEAR FAILURE. Till we don’t explore newer aspects we wouldn’t know whether we will like it or not. Thus it’s important to have varied experiences as it only makes you more informed

3. Face the SITUATION – Farhan desperately is trying to find his father and when he knows that he has found his father’s house, he decides to drive the car the other way. The reason could be because he would feel awkward facing his biological father and therefore wanted to avoid it as far as possible. There are times in our professional life as well, when we want to avoid facing our clients and therefore think of excuses to avoid an ugly situation. However, sooner or later that situation will come up again and we would have to face that situation, which is what happened with Farhan as well, when all three (Farhan, Hrithik and Abhay) land in jail

4. Learn from MISTAKES – In the movie Farhan had hit on Hrithik’s girlfriend, because of which Hrithik was annoyed with his friend. But it is Farhan who realizes his mistake and he could have probably repeated the same mistake by hitting on Katrina, which he didn’t, as he realized it would hurt his childhood friend. We too commit mistakes while client servicing, but if we are aware of them and make an attempt not to repeat, it is what I believe is the best LEARNING
The last lesson is one of my favourites.
5. WORK-LIFE BALANCE – Hrithik in the movie has ambitions which he wishes to fulfill, but in his quest to be the best, he losses out on love, life and friends. It takes efforts of his friends and Katrina to make him realize what he missed out all these years. Thus it is advisable for each one working, to take time off for vacations and do what you enjoy most, without worrying about work. The secret to enjoying your work is to ensure that you unwind as well

CAUTION: Go watch a movie to ENJOY IT and not ANALYZE IT.
HAPPY READING