“We’re too busy.” “It’s too hard.” “There is too much else going on.” “It won’t happen to us.” “We’ve already adapted to the risks.” Then, one day, when leaders least expect it, a crisis emerges.
Whether faced with a security threat, cyber breach, technological adoption, or the need for cultural transformation, success often hinges on one factor — human behaviour. More specifically, the behaviour of the least compliant user, member, or employee.
The human factor in security and change
Keeping people safe will not happen through infrastructure spending alone, but rather by assuring that every last building user remembers small things, like closing the gate. Cyber breaches are rarely about inadequate technology, but an employee clicking the wrong link, reusing a password, or ignoring protocols. Organizational restructuring efforts don’t fail because of a lack of planning but because of employees who resist change, struggle with new processes, or fail to see the value in a new model.
Turning the ship: The slow, steady process of behavioural change
Behavioural change stalls when leadership underestimates the deep-seated habits and mindsets that shape everyday decisions. Shifting human behaviour is like turning a giant ship. It does not happen without significant effort and cannot be forced. It takes skill, vision, steady pressure, and repeated reinforcement. So, to whom should leaders turn to help them reach their goals?
Option 1: Communication specialists – Consider the TV appearances, TikTok appeals, and transit ads during COVID-19, which tried to get people to wear masks and vaccinate. While there were many excellent communication campaigns, awareness and knowledge of the benefits of masking and vaccinations did not result in full adoption.
Option 2: Change management professionals – Consider a hospital hiring a range of new support staff to meet increased pressures on the system. To keep patients safe, there is no room for error when it comes to the necessary collaboration and adoption of new processes. Yet, without storytellers to make it personally relevant, people are less likely to care about following the rules.
When change is necessary, understanding what seems mundane can actually be the most essential. Options 1 and 2 offer some excellent strategic advice. But hiring both and working together will turn that slow-moving ship around faster. Communications without change management result in well-crafted messages and creative ideas with no substantive action behind them or planning for setbacks. Change management without communications risks a strategy that no one understands or cares about.
A first-of-its-kind collaboration
It is, therefore, without further ado, that Baka Leadership Consulting and Wendolyn Reputation Management announce a first-of-its-kind collaboration that brings together the disciplines of change management and strategic communications.
When the consequences of failure are too high, it is vital to anticipate the realities of human behaviour.
PLAN for people’s desire to be efficient and the likelihood of skipping a step.
PLAN for employees to hold a door open or share a code to be kind.
PLAN for staff to be forgetful when balancing an already too-heavy workload.
PLAN for people to resist change.
Yes, there is a strategy for that. It’s a new, combined strategy that was just released.
For more information about Wendyolyn Reputation Management’s new service and collaboration with Baka Leadership Consulting, contact Wendy@wendolynreputation.com.