Manager's Guide to Communicating Company Reorganization Changes

Most change initiatives don't fail because of the change that's happening, they fail because of how the change is communicated. I've watched brilliant restructurings collapse and transformative acquisitions unravel… Not because the plan was flawed, but because leaders were more focused on explaining the "what" and "why" than on how they were addressing the fears and concerns of the people on their team. People don't resist change because they don't understand it. They resist because they haven't been given a compelling story about their role in it. This is where the Venture Scape framework becomes invaluable. The framework maps your team's journey through five distinct stages of change: The Dream - When you envision something better and need to spark belief The Leap - When you commit to action and need to build confidence The Fight - When you face resistance and need to inspire bravery The Climb - When progress feels slow and you need to fuel endurance The Arrival - When you achieve success and need to honor the journey The key is knowing exactly where your team is in this journey and tailoring your communication accordingly. If you're announcing a merger during the Leap stage, don't deliver a message about endurance. Your team needs a moment of commitment–stories and symbols that anchor them in the decision and clarify the values that remain unchanged. You can’t know where your team is on this spectrum without talking to them. Don’t just guess. Have real conversations. Listen to their specific concerns. Then craft messages that speak directly to those fears while calling on their courage. Your job isn't just to announce change, but to walk beside your team and help your team understand what role they play in the story at each stage. #LeadershipCommunication #Illuminate

Change doesn’t happen because you said so. Or because you hit ,Send'. One of the biggest traps leaders fall into is thinking that flooding inboxes with updates and memos will magically remove resistance. It doesn’t. Instead, teams disengage, leaders get blamed for “poor change management,” and transformation stalls before it even begins. 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗮 𝗯𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁. 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗮 𝗻𝗲𝗴𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. If you don’t build emotional milestones alongside project milestones, even the best plan will fail. 🔴 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝘆𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝗳 “𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻” 𝙑𝙤𝙡𝙪𝙢𝙚 𝙞𝙨𝙣’𝙩 𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩. Resistance isn’t caused by a lack of bullet points. It’s driven by fear, loss of control, and distrust. 𝙎𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙨 𝙡𝙤𝙪𝙙𝙚𝙧. When communication feels transactional, people quietly check out. Gallup found only 13% of employees think leaders communicate well during change. That’s how resistance goes underground and derails progress. 🔴 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗜𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗮 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘂𝗲 You can’t email your way through resistance. You shift it by having real conversations that acknowledge emotions and invite people to help shape the path forward. 🔴 𝗘𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗶𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝙁𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙧𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙮 trigger stress and shut down good decision-making. You can defuse it: 𝗡𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝘁. - “This shift is hard, and it’s okay to feel uneasy. Let’s talk about it.” 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹. - Answer, “What’s in this for me?” 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗕𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴. 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴. 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝘂𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘂𝗲. - Run “Why?” sessions where teams can question and influence the plan. - Equip managers to handle tough conversations with empathy. Use peer influence. Trusted colleagues are often the most credible messengers. 🟢 Mindsets Over Metrics 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗮𝘀𝗸𝘀. 𝗘𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗵. ✅ 𝗖𝗼-𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲. Bring employees into defining why the change matters. ✅ 𝗔𝘀𝗸 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝗽𝘂𝘁, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. Use surveys and Q&As to create real conversations. ✅ 𝗖𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗲𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝘀. When teams adopt new ways without pressure, spotlight it. 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲. 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝗴𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺. Because people don’t resist change. They resist being changed. 𝘏𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘥𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯? ----- 👋 I’m Lars – delivering transformation that sticks. 🔔 Follow me for more on fractional leadership and change management.

Layoffs, closures, restructuring... there’s no easy way to deliver hard news — but how you do it matters. I recently watched a video of Gary Vaynerchuk getting fired up (and I mean fired up) over a question from someone whose company announced they would be relocating their headquarters in 3 years. Yes — 3 years’ notice. They also announced that employees who chose not to relocate could keep their jobs and work remotely, but they wouldn’t be eligible for future promotions or increases. This employee was upset. She loves her job and the company, but feels management is ruining it. She asked Gary if she should cut her losses or stay, and he told her (with many trademark f-bombs) that her reaction reeked of entitlement, not injustice. He praised the company for communicating early, offering options, and giving ample time to prepare. (I’ll drop the link to the IG video in the comments if you want to see Gary go full Gary.) And this week, a coaching client called me. Their company recently announced that thousands of jobs will be eliminated by year-end, with a promise to notify impacted employees by the end of the month. No one knows who’s safe. Anxiety is high. Focus is low. We talked through how he, as a leader, could show up during this time: to keep his team informed, build trust, and support them — even while he’s in the dark himself. Here’s the thing: Companies can rarely “win” when change is coming. - If you give no notice — you’re heartless. - If you give months (or 3 years!) notice — you’re cruel for making people wait and wonder. But here’s what I know: ✳️ Transparency, even when imperfect, builds trust. So what can leaders do when change is coming, and people’s jobs — and lives — are on the line? * Communicate in person, with empathy. Even if the company made an official announcement, you need to have the conversation with your team. Meet with your team members one-on-one. Listen. Acknowledge their concerns without defensiveness. Don’t argue with feelings — they’re valid, even if the facts are off. * Be honest and transparent about what you can’t say yet. Answer questions when you can. And when you can’t, be clear about why, and when more information will be shared. People don’t expect certainty, but they do expect integrity. * Relate without centering yourself. If you’re potentially affected too, it’s okay to briefly acknowledge that. But don’t make it about you. Your role is to steady the ship, not captain a therapy circle. * Help them prepare — without feeding panic. Encourage your team to be mindful and proactive (talk with family, reach out to their network). But also remind them of the importance of staying focused and connected to the mission. Their work still matters. Their contributions still count. The truth is — if you haven’t built trust with your team before disruption hits, these conversations will be harder. But it’s never too late to start. You can’t make hard news easy. But you can make it human.

A common communications problem I see in organizations with low-trust cultures: 🔺 Executive team makes a major decision that will change the company's direction or structure, a key employee experience, or a core process/tool. 🚨 All employees are notified at the same time - including people leaders and managers (because "this is HIGHLY sensitive and we can't risk a leak!") ⁉️ Employees instantly turn to their managers: "What does this mean for me?" 🤷♀️ Managers have NO idea because they just found out too. 😣 Employees are anxious, managers are anxious AND frustrated (not to mentioned embarrassed for feeling out of the loop). 👎 Productivity drops, morale suffers, and intent to leave rises. Managers are either your culture's biggest pain point or biggest success factor. The difference is you - not them. The difference is how well you empower them to actively advocate for the company's direction and goals and set them up to successfully lead their teams through these moments. The difference is trust. Here's an alternative way that scenario can play out in a high-trust, high-functioning culture: 🔺 Executive team makes a major decision that will change the company's direction or structure, a key employee experience, or a core process/tool. 💡 Executive team meets with all people leaders and managers a day before the internal company announcement. They inform them of the decision; provide background context that may not be appropriate for a broader audience; share resources to help managers support employees and answer anticipated questions; and give them time to absorb the change themselves and prepare for their team's response. 🚨 All employees are notified and are immediately invited to a team meeting by their manager. ⁉️ Employees instantly turn to their managers: "What does this mean for me?" 🤷♀️ Managers reiterate key company talking points plus add context unique to the team that helps put the change in perspective. They share links and points of contact for additional questions. They provide clear next steps for the team on how they are going to implement the change. 😣 Employees are processing the change, but feel in control. Managers feel prepared and valuable and a part of the broader leadership team. They are invested in a successful outcome. 👍 Productivity holds steady. Trust and morale increase because people feel respected. Empowered managers are sturdy leaders. Better yet, by bringing your managers into the 'room', you increase their self-confidence and deepen their commitment to the company by enabling them to be good at their jobs. Win-win. Again and again. #Culture #LeadershipDevelopment #InternalCommunications #ManagerDevelopment #Trust #Transparency

Organizational Transformations can be confusing. If they are not backed up with the right messaging. And if leaders don’t guide the meaning-making, people fill the silence with fear or frustration. That’s why communication isn’t a “soft skill” during transformation— It is the most important skill. Here’s how high-impact leaders communicate to help people move forward: 🔹 1. Frame the Change With Context and Purpose → Explain why it matters—and what’s at stake. 🔹 2. Connect Emotionally Through Storytelling → Use real, human-centered examples to build meaning and connection. 🔹 3. Challenge Assumptions—Together → Create space for honest conversations about fears, doubts, and resistance. 🔹 4. Anchor Communication to Organizational Values → Show how the shift supports integrity, growth, or innovation. 🔹 5. Encourage Ongoing Dialogue and Reflection → Ask: “What does this change mean for you?” → Invite clarity—not compliance. 🔹 6. Repeat, Reinforce, Reframe → Leaders must echo key ideas, adapt messaging, and evolve the narrative as the journey unfolds. Transformation doesn’t just need a plan. It needs a message that moves people. If you’re navigating transformation and want your communication to land, lead, and lift— Let’s talk. A fractional transformation executive can help you guide that shift, from insight to execution.