Leveraging Social Media as a Change Management Tool

Social media does play a vital role in how a company goes about its change management decisions – it can be a catalyst facilitating better and faster change management. Change management requires a transformation in employee behaviour as well – whether it’s about adopting new values or working in tandem with a new leader’s vision. Social media also helps leaders and employees recognize and reward each other.

Podcast Audio Transcript

Alisha: Hello listeners, this is Alisha; thank you for tuning in to yet another exciting and informative podcast from us at Infosys BPM. Today, we are discussing about using social media platforms for change management. And to talk about this, we have here with us, Emmanuelle Blons, our AVP in charge of change management in France. Welcome Emma. How are you today?
Emma: I’m doing great Alisha. Great to be back here.

Alisha: Good to hear, Emma.

The idea of social media platforms being used for change management is something new. Could you give an overview of why social media is relevant for change management in an organization?

Emma: It’s a valid question, Alisha. Social media does play a vital role in how a company goes about its change management decisions – it can be a catalyst facilitating better and faster change management. A study published in the Harvard Business Review reports that 55% of employees who went through an organizational change event said that more social and digital engagement would have been better.

Internal social media platforms, including blogs and wikis, can help make the organization flat and drive transparent dialogue across all levels, functions, and geographies. Such social networks help companies engage employees and also define their strategic plan by seeking smart ideas that can be put to use to support the transformation.

Change management requires a transformation in employee behaviour as well – whether it’s about adopting new values or working in tandem with a new leader’s vision. Social media also helps leaders and employees recognize and reward each other.

Alisha: That’s very true. Internal social media platforms can be very powerful in facilitating employee engagement.

Could you tell us the key ways in which social media transforms traditional change management?

Emma: Social media is being actively used by global organizations to help in their change management initiatives. Digital tools today help an organization become highly connected and networked, almost like a Live Enterprise. Let’s look at some of the ways in which social media can be helpful in change management.

As a customer communication tool: Social media helps make your interactions with your customers very transparent and straightforward.
For improved collaboration: Social media helps improve collaboration among your employees, thereby helping them come up with new ideas and strategies.
To deliver new learning experiences: Social media can be powerful in providing new learning experiences to employees undergoing the change process.
To promote best practices: Social media can help promote best practices, processes, and policies related to change.
To gather feedback: In addition to the already mentioned items, social media also helps in gathering change management feedback from employees.

As you can see, social media can be a powerful motivator for cultural shifts within an organization.

Alisha: Very interesting indeed. It’s quite evident that these innovative social platforms are transforming our workplace.
How, in your opinion, should an organization embrace social media for change management?

Emma: As the first step of using social media for change management, you need to assess your internal communication tools. If you are a socially enabled organization, continue to use the tools your employees are already using. On the other hand, if you have never tried social media within your organization, then you should initiate with standalone conferencing tools for enhanced internal connectivity. This is more effective than a redesign of your intranet. You should also analyse whether these standalone tools can meet your long-term communication needs.

As the next step, you need to convert your leaders. Lack of leader engagement is a major reason for failure. Try to include the most social-savvy leaders to lead the way of your social revolution. This team should be able to influence more employees to embrace the new social media tools within your organization.

However, social media alone may not lead to greater employee engagement. Face-to-face communication is also key in this. However, social media is a key piece in this change management strategy. Most employees who use social media for personal purposes want to experience it at work as well. That’s why social media is fast becoming a critical component of change management strategies.

Alisha: I fully agree. Social media adoption can be a game-changer in change management strategies.

Emma, that was a very enlightening discussion we had today. Thank you so much for your time.

Emma: It was a pleasure, Alisha.

Alisha: Dear listeners, if you enjoyed our podcast today, please don’t forget to share and like it on social media. Our social handles are mentioned in the podcast page. The podcast will be available on various platforms like Google Podcasts and Spotify, in addition to our website.

Also, if you have any queries, do reach out to us through the email address on the podcast description. Watch this space for more exciting podcasts coming up. Once again, thank you for tuning in, stay safe and healthy. Have a nice day!