Will your organisation’s ‘shadow’ defeat your change?
What are the ‘shadow stories’ in your organisation?
The true, unvarnished employee sentiment about your change is often well-hidden. You’re leading a change, thinking you know your audience’s objections and concerns. But do you really know? You may be one step away from a preventable public relations disaster for your change. Patricia Lebreton (nee McMillan) is an experienced IT executive, change professional and author. Patricia’s book, Make IT Matter: The Surprising Secret of Digital Transformation ¹ speaks of ‘shadow stories’.
“Shadow stories are the stories people tell themselves and other people that run counter to your messages of transformation. They’re a bit like cockroaches in that most of them are hidden. For every one in the open you can bet there are a hundred others living in the walls, breeding like crazy. Australia and New Zealand have relatively polite business cultures, and only the most straightforward people will tell you directly what they are thinking it it’s unpleasant for you to hear.” ¹
Patricia Lebreton (nee McMillan), Make IT Matter, pg. 27
You might think your polished communication ‘sell’ the benefits (and features) of your change. But the ‘true’ sentiment from many of your stakeholders?
‘Their new tagline is Exceeding your Expectations. What a joke’ ¹
You started on a major system implementation program. A long contract and talented colleagues. Great! A chance to make a ‘real difference’ to your organisation! But the ‘real’ view from many employees?
‘The IT group don’t have any understanding of what we really do. They spend a lot of money running big projects that don’t bring us any benefit.’ ¹
Your new system has mobile applications for employees to use in your change. These applications are simple. The user interface is intuitive. Employees can engage with the application anywhere, anytime — with an internet connection. At least that’s what your communications convey. But when you factor in employee’s fears and concerns?
‘So management want to keep track of us, and know our locations? I’m not using their mobile application.’
This one-minute video provides an overview of shadow stories. Enjoy!
Spotting emerging PR disasters
Where do shadow stories exist? How can you spot those ‘cockroaches in the walls’? Dr Jen Frahm speaks about ‘background talk’. These are settings where employees vocalise how they are making sense of any change ².
Informal email lists. Some organisations may have email distribution lists which have grown over the years. These lists are for particular employee cohorts, and make for spectacular reading.
These lists are where nasty comments about your change air.
This informal ‘community’ shares their frustrations and worries through these email lists. They may act as a pressure valve or help normalise everyone’s frustrations. They may even be ‘cool’ — an edgy undercurrent away from the ‘mainstream’.
If you’re fortunate, you may become privy to these email lists. Want an excellent source of unvarnished opinion about your change? These unofficial lists serve as vital intelligence. Just take the comments with a big grain of salt, filtering legitimate concerns from emotional content. Observe and never engage in these informal channels!
Watercooler chat. The conversations after Town Hall style meetings are valuable information sources. Leaders may have presented a slick, positive message about future changes. If you are again fortunate and trusted enough by anyone affected by the change, they may confide in you. Their ‘shadow story’ may contain themes of distrust, alienation, change fatigue or frustration. Listen non-judgmentally, and see what topics they raise. Some aspects of people’s shadow stories may sound paranoid or even far-fetched. It doesn’t matter about what you think here — it’s all about your ‘customer’.
People’s perceptions of the change are going to be markedly different from those of a change professional from ‘Head Office’. Can you can learn the terminology people use, and their perceptions of the change? If so, your messaging has greater likelihood of hitting the mark.
Veterans and cohort leaders. You will come across people who are the ‘veterans’ in your organisation. They may have long-standing connections throughout the organisation. When they speak in large meetings, everyone shuts up. Gravitas is hard to earn, but these people have it in spades. Cohort leaders may represent particular employee groups in a formal capacity. The head of an association, or even a union. Event organisers and even those with deep subject matter expertise. Human Resources and Finance Business Partners and IT Relationship Managers often fall into the latter category.
If you gain the veterans and cohort leader’s trust and time — take notes, and respect their views. You may score an introduction to these revered people through your network. Over time, you may gain incredible insights. Apply these insights to your change work. Are you trusted? If so, veterans and cohort leaders may open doors for you — and to effective change.
People’s actual behaviours — not what they say. “Let’s have coffee sometime!” Without doubt, something I hate to hear when these words lack sincerity. It is incredible — in three seconds, the person who said it eroded their credibility with me. I know they will never actually go for coffee. Why did they exhibit insincerity? Incongruent words and intention make me cringe. How does this relate to shadow stories? What is your project team doing or saying to make your stakeholders cringe?
To impart a way of thinking:
Divide one’s behaviour from what they say.
Are people’s behaviours and sentiment aligned? With shadow stories, people may say one thing, but their actions are different. If everyone says they are keen to adopt your new way of working, offer a prototype or minimum viable product. Observe how many people show up and use it. Behaviours don’t lie as much as what people say to you.
On the flip side, has your project team been doing what they say they would? The go-live was July last year. It’s now January the following year, and we are still gathering requirements? Will your stakeholders believe your message about tangible benefits?
Acknowledge how valid and real people’s negative perceptions are of your change. How can you turn these objections into constructive outcomes?
Avoid, neutralise, seed or discuss ¹
What do you see when you look in the proverbial mirror? A candid audit of how your affected stakeholder see your service is confronting. Your service includes:
- Perceptions of your project team
- Your change’s features
- The benefits — of “What’s in it for me” of your change
In effect, your service in this context is your brand ³.
“Shadow stories stop people from making positive changes. They can bring any transformation, project or good idea to a screeching halt. Being aware of the things that attract shadow stories can help you to avoid them, neutralise them, send more positive stories to replace them, or even just bring them into the light so you can talk about them openly.” ¹
Patricia Lebreton (nee McMillan), Make IT Matter, pg. 28
Avoid. What potential public relations disasters can you avoid? Do you ‘walk your talk’ — Do your behaviours match your messages? Delayed go-lives, and project de-scoping is not a good look. Are your messages only partially true? Cynical readers are going to distrust you. Are your messages clear and simple?
After umpteen communication drafts with technical stakeholders, you are probably exhausted and want to hit ‘Publish’ on your message. But does your average reader understand your message?
Perhaps technical stakeholders do, but you’re so tired that you haven’t looked at your message from another perspective.
Are your messages easy to understand? Change professionals need to make friends with Grammarly.com ⁴, Hemingwayapp.com ⁵ and Plain English ⁶. Is your writing at Grade 6 or 7 level? ⁷
Finally, many change professionals can avoid public relations disasters by adhering to this principle:
Listen before you try to persuade ⁸.
Test your communications with trusted stakeholders. Is it appropriate to send messages introducing change right now? What sensitivities do your audience have? Trusted stakeholders know. Are your messages respectful to these sensitivities?
Neutralise. Are you talking to stakeholders, or with them? Dr Jen Frahm speaks about the importance of monologues versus dialogues for change professionals ². Your communications may instil a sense of change — or stability ².
Does your stakeholder community feel heard? Or is their frustration building as you speak to them? Are you managing their expectations? Neutralise frustrations by putting yourself in your audience’s shoes. We will come back to this point in a minute.
You’re on the phone with a stakeholder. They raise an insightful yet deflating point about your change. You didn’t see that one coming! Their point makes so much sense — you’re disappointed that you didn’t think of it earlier. Not to worry! Your Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document is the friend of any change professional. You can neutralise potential public relations disasters by updating your FAQs. Add a well-scripted yet authentic response to your FAQ, and send your community the link to the update. Is a mea culpa message in order?
Going back to the previous point: your stakeholders may not feel heard. Can you show them how you have listened and made progress with their feedback? If so, you provide stakeholders with a greater sense of control. So publish your latest FAQ with their feedback.
A follow-up email to the stakeholder in question may delight them. Why? You showed the stakeholder you have listened — and what is being done with their feedback. You have induced a sense of progress! This is a powerful mechanism for neutralising frustration.
Seed. What positive messages can replace existing ones? Your project team has made progress? They have a tangible aspect of the future state ready to show everyone! Excellent — a well-crafted and appropriate message makes a difference. A walk-through shows off the goods!
But what if you don’t have good news yet? Involve stakeholders in co-designing your change. Co-design can be a catalyst for seeding positive messages. For example — design a competition, such as a new slogan for your change? Or a “25 words or less” competition to elicit clever ways to influence target behaviours for your change? A photo of the winner with your project sponsor may follow. A brief article with testimonials, ingenious entries and your photo? Or opt for a well-produced explainer video showcasing the emerging future state.
But always check with representatives of your target audiences: are your ‘positive’ messages hitting the mark? Or are they seen as patronising, partially-correct, or poorly-timed? Your research may lead to some last-minute yet crucial message tweaks.
Start to seed positive messages amongst the negative, even when your project team aren’t ‘winning’ right now.
Recap
Shadow stories are the true sentiment of people in your organisation. Many of these stories are hidden from the view of change professionals. But if you are trusted or fortunate, you may be privy to some of the shadow stories about your change. Seek to capitalise on shadow stories. Transform employee frustration and fear into a sense of progress and constructive outcomes. Shadow stories reflect the current ‘energy’ or ‘water current’ of your organisation. Is it better to work with this ‘current’, or ignore it?
Use your knowledge of shadow stories, and work with these perceptions and fears to engineer better change.
Your call to action
Only salmon and herring swim against the current. How do you identify the ‘current’ in your organisation, and swim with, not against this current?
My book — The Change Manager’s Companion — is available now. You can also check out my online course on Change Management.
Reference list
1. McMillan P. Make IT Matter: The Surprising Secret for Leading Digital Transformation. Spit Junction, NSW, Australia: Meaning Works; 2015.
2. So just what is change communication? — Conversations of Change. https://conversationsofchange.com.au/so-just-what-is-change-communication/. Accessed October 31, 2020.
3. Sullivan FC. Let’s Talk About Brand Benefits and a Reason to Believe. Medium.com. https://medium.com/s/how-to-build-a-brand/lets-talk-about-brand-benefits-and-a-reason-to-believe-37a90fff59d8. Published 2019. Accessed December 6, 2020.
4. Grammarly: Free Online Writing Assistant. https://www.grammarly.com/. Accessed December 6, 2020.
5. Hemingway Editor. http://hemingwayapp.com/. Accessed December 6, 2020.
6. Plain English Foundation | Free writing tools. https://www.plainenglishfoundation.com/free-writing-tools. Accessed December 6, 2020.
7. Readability score | Readability test | Reading level calculator | Readable. https://readable.com/. Accessed December 6, 2020.
8. How to Increase Your Influence at Work. https://hbr-org.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/hbr.org/amp/2018/02/how-to-increase-your-influence-at-work. Accessed October 31, 2020.