Change communication: explaining the 5 phase model

Recently, Involve published an updated whitepaper on change communication. A good moment to delve deeper into the 5-phase model with one of the authors, Michiel van Delden, and to ask about his thoughts on the well-known buzzword: ‘dialogue.’ 

The whitepaper describes change communication in five phases. How did this concept come about?

“It’s important to note that this model is not a scientific one but a representation of what we  as Involve have observed over the years during organizational changes. We wanted to visualize how an organization, often over the course of several years, goes through a transformation. It essentially describes the mass psychology within an organization and the ups and downs a group of people experiences as they adopt change.” 

What phases does the model describe?

“In the first phase, leaders launch a new course or strategy, which is often received with enthusiasm. But also passively: people lean back and think, ‘Sounds good, but what are we really going to do now?’ 

That’s why, in phase two, you ensure it becomes more concrete. For example, by translating the new direction into department plans, highlighting concrete implications for different departments. This creates more clarity. But it is also often the first moment in which some people start to disengage, which is why there is a dip in the curve. 

During the third phase, it is the role of Communication to show that the chosen course is the right one. For example, by sharing early successes or pilot results. This confirms that the process won’t just ‘blow over.’ This is the point where the larger group of employees starts to lean forward. 

This active stance is necessary. In the fourth phase, the actual change really begins. Teams are actively involved in changing how they do things in their daily work. 

The final phase is about harvesting the results of the change process and making them visible. At this stage, organizations often become more externally focused again, because many changes are ultimately intended to improve things for customers, patients, or citizens. This can then also be used internally to cultivate a sense of pride.” 

If you had to name one essential factor across all five phases, what would it be?

“It’s really all about consistency; sticking to your vision throughout the entire change process. 

Launching a new course often takes several years from start to finish. What we sometimes see in practice is that the top leadership sets the course, and just when employees are starting to adopt it, they’re already working on the next change. 

If you don’t remain consistent and visible, steering toward the same goals and priorities, confusion arises about the direction and people won’t take action. 

From a communication standpoint, consistency means consistently building on the original story. It becomes more concrete over time, but the framework remains the same. It also means you need to maintain control over the communication process, so you can be consistent and reliable. Communication always creates expectations, and you must keep responding to them.” 

Involve’s change approach puts the concepts of ‘Direction’ and ‘Space’ central. Direction is about having a shared vision of the necessary change. Space involves active team engagement to achieve that change. How do these concepts relate to the five phases of change communication?

These concepts are closely related. The communication process in each of the five phases is aimed at building a shared sense of direction. In every phase, there are forms of interaction, and active involvement of people is necessary. As you progress through the steps, the direction should become more concrete. 

If, after a year, you’re still communicating at too abstract a level, something is wrong. The space for active involvement should gradually increase throughout the process. It starts with adopting the new course and discussing your thoughts on it. Here, the dialogue between leaders and their teams is central. Afterward, it might involve contributing ideas on how to translate it into department plans and projects. Ultimately, it’s about taking steps to do things differently in one’s daily work.” 

You mentioned leaders engaging in dialogue. ‘Dialogue’ is quite a buzzword these days, but it may not be clear to everyone. What do you mean by dialogue?

“In our approach, dialogue typically means getting the conversation started between leaders and their teams. That’s the only way to build a shared vision of the movement you want to make as a team or organization. But it can be challenging. 

On the one hand, as a leader, you provide direction by sharing your vision of the change. On the other hand, you must be genuinely interested in how your people view it. And you need to be willing to use good feedback to refine your vision. 

So, it’s about having an open conversation aimed at understanding each other, not convincing each other. Even though, as a leader, your role is often to get people ‘on board.’ In practice, this usually works, especially when you keep having this conversation throughout the change process. We see that a shared language emerges, objections are addressed, and you increasingly have a shared vision as a team or organization.” 

And how do you initiate such a dialogue?

“You often need to literally organize a dialogue process. At Involve, we sometimes work with management teams who say, ‘Our managers should just be able to do this, it’s their job, right?’ But we often see that managers find this really challenging. 

Organizing dialogue process means making a clear agreement: we will all engage in discussions with our teams and then report back on the results. This is facilitated by preparing together, sometimes practicing, and providing toolkits & resources. 

Want to know more?

If you’d like to learn more about change communication, also download our dutch whitepaper. And if you’d like to discuss your thoughts in an informal discussion, feel free to email Michiel van Delden.