Achieved Strategies

After a recent trip to Disney World, I identified eight business actions Disney does extremely well that can help a manager cause change within the business. This is Part 2 of a multi-blog series that explores audacious ideas to defy the “here we go again” employee responses associated with change.

In Part 1 I proclaimed that to cause change you’ve got to create an emotional connection with your people.  And not just through a training and communication plan.  Today’s managers lead change by audacious acts that cut through the current downer-mood dominating so many companies right now.  I dared you to create an event that positions employees to consider the possibility of change – in one day!

What happens, though, when your employees leave the event and go back to their workspaces and the feel-good emotions dissipate? Let’s look at something I saw Disney do that we could apply to causing change – multi-channel communications that keep guests hooked on their magical environment.

So remember we’re talking audacious acts for causing change.  Your multi-channel communication plan needs audaciousness, too!  Here I present ideas gleaned from Disney.

1.     Create smart phone-like apps for employees At Disney, I used a WDW Maps app to learn wait times for rides, location of restaurants and restrooms, and user ratings of food at restaurants.  To keep change momentum humming, create an app that employees can launch from the intranet that shows the timeline for changes related to a project.  Use the app to gather input from employees on mission-critical decisions or ideas.  Let employees rate possible ideas.  Let project team members change timelines and milestone dates.

2.     Use Twitter-like apps like Yammer This isn’t something I picked up from Disney, but I want to share it.  What bogs down so many change efforts is the bureaucracy of getting communications approved.  A perfectionist editor or an unsure executive/leader can delay sending communications rendering them useless.  Yammer, or other within the firewall apps, allows users to share information instantly.  It creates the possibility of timeliness by way of gathering ideas, seeking knowledge, or spreading information. Embracing internal use of social media is no longer an option for change efforts.  But there is much work to be done educating executives on the value and overcoming their anxieties over apps like Yammer.

3.     Market what you’re up to When Disney rolls out a new ride or program guests see it everywhere: signs on buses, video messages, signs at the parks, marketing collateral, and informed cast members. With the exception of signs on buses, just transfer the aforementioned ideas and plop them in your communication plan for change.

Use applications like ScreenFlow (screencasting software – very affordable) or arm some employees with HD camcorders to create important video messages to be shared with employees.  Make sure the messages are relevant to the change timeline.  And if the video messages come from leadership AND employees, you can really connect with people.

What Disney does phenomenally well is prepare their employees, or cast members, with the latest information.  Do the same for your employees who questions from other employees and from customers.  During times of change decisions shift quickly.  It’s vital that employees who provide information to others are kept abreast of these changes.  It’s difficult.  But audacious leaders make it a point to get timely and accurate information out.  There is no room to cut corners here!

The last idea for marketing what you’re up to is to create a YouTube channel that shares updates with customers.  The( YouTube hyperlink takes you to a KPMG YouTube video. It’s a good example of how to use YouTube to communicate with external audiences.  Remember, keep your videos short. Less than 2 minutes is great)  YouTube can also be used to update employees.  These updates are a little more time consuming to create, but worth it.  Be sure your customer service staff sees them before they are uploaded to YouTube.

Closing Thought

Remember to plan a steady stream of communications to start flowing after the event ends.  For example, after the event ends, send a Yammer message to all employees with a link to a ScreenFlow video message that highlights the key points from the event.  Upload to the intranet video testimonies from employees about what excites them about the change.  Ask for people to share what they liked and what they didn’t like.  You’ve got to find the rhythm in sharing information so to not overwhelm people. Expect mistakes, but don’t punish people for them.