Communication partners during the most significant period of organisational change in its history.
The Challenge
The overall aim of our work was to communicate and help embed a new business strategy across the organisation (numbering 6,500 people) which involved significant changes to sites, services and staffing. Engaging and equipping NHSBT’s leaders to communicate with their teams and stimulate sustainable change was a pre-requisite for successful delivery.
Our response
We developed a communication strategy that incorported clear messaging and a robust programme plan. A significant component was to support and coach leaders to understand and deliver the role that was required of them. We did this via a series of communication skills workshops. We establsished a Communications Planning Group to provide the necessary rigour to the process and produced a range of briefing materials to support consistent and coherent delivery in practice. Follow-up sessions were held post-launch as well as specific additional activity targeted on the crucial middle manager audience.
The results
The original strategy launch was delivered on plan across some 15 sites across England. Responsive feedback loops were established to track key issues and to ensure that these could be addressed via direct contact, the intranet or the established team briefing system. We maintained a series of regular sessions with the change team to ensure that the communication implications of subsequent work was planned and delivered in a considered way.
