Strategies in Communicating Change in Disastrous Situations - Example

Organizational change short report Name Institution Date EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Disasters have been known to negatively influence human activity and interrupt essential services such as transport and communication. For instance, heavy storms can lead to delay or cancellation of air travel or flight. A recent storm that hit Australian international airline- Brisbane’s International Airport is a good example : the adverse effects of the storm included; shutting down of all airline operating system; electricity failure that plunged the terminal into virtual darkness, triggering confusion and panic not only among the passengers but also airport staff. This report is built on this context. Communication is extremely essential as a measure to overcome fears and concerns that emanate from change. It's important to keep people informed at the begging of a disaster- as an answer to the possible initial fears as well as concerns, additionally it's also essential to communicate during the entire intermediate states in the disastrous situation. The key areas such communication should focus on include; the current state, intermediary state, the future state, and the activities involved in the change process. Some of the strategies essential in managing disasters include; communication strategy, partnership strategy, monitory and evaluation. . Disaster management therefore will require the cooperation among major stakeholders, for instance; organizations, local populations whom many a time become the victims of such disasters, local governments, just to mention a few. This report finalizes by recommending key action areas that ought to be embraced in communicating change. Some of the action areas include; establishment of structural and institutional frameworks, capacity building and establishment of partnership among the stakeholders. TABLE OF CONTENTS Organizational change short report 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS 3 STRATEGIES AND SKILLS IN COMMUNICATING CHANGE 3 DASASTER MANAGEMENT 3 Context 3 Introduction 4 Skills in communicating Change in disastrous situations 5 Strategies in communicating Change in disastrous situations 7 Stakeholder in change/disaster Management 9 Recommendations 11 Conclusion 13 References 14 STRATEGIES AND SKILLS IN COMMUNICATING CHANGE DASASTER MANAGEMENT Context Many a time disasters have a heavy toll on the activities of human beings. Disasters interrupt essential services such as transport and communication. In this report, we shall focus on the recent (December 2011) massive storm that hit a popular and prestigious Australian international airline- Brisbane’s International Airport, the home base of Wallaroo Airlines. As a result, many of the passengers who were already on board were kept confined for hours on end, due to the heavy storm that seemed like it will never stop. The adverse effects of the storm included; shutting down of all airline operating system; electricity failure that thrust the workstation into virtual darkness, causing confusion and panic not only among the passengers but also airport staff. Consequently, about 500 flights were called off, rendering thousands vacationers and business travelers worldwide stranded for more than a week. The manner in which the disaster was handled by the airlines was questionable and unsatisfactory; directions in regard to the solving the situation were in appropriate, therefore faced resistance from the recipients. “Under what policy are you making that decision?” was asked by many. It was evident the airline lacked knowledge and skills in disaster management policy, in addition lack of support or communication from top management worsened the situation. In this report ,we shall also analyze the strategies and skills for communicating change in such a disastrous situation that the airline ought to have put in place. Introduction A disaster simply refers to situations which devastate local capacity, thus necessitating an appeal for level national or international level assistance (Gustin & Joseph, 1996, p3). Any disaster ca affects the essential services in such as provision of electricity, water, transport and communication, just to mention a few. Heavy storms have been known to have a heavy toll on the air travels. Many cases have been reported where heavy storms lead to; shutting down of all airline operating system; electricity failure thus plunging terminals into virtual darkness, triggering confusion and panic not only among the passengers but also airport staff. Consequently, resulting to cancellation of flights and therefore stranding thousands of vacationers and business travelers worldwide for hours or days on end. Disasters and how they are managed, is a subject of concern to many that has drawn a continuous debate in the recent years. This escalating interest is a clear indication that the universe has turned to a more dangerous place for its populace who are increasingly becoming vulnerable to disasters. In many cases, disasters are inevitable; therefore the best that can be done is to manage these situations appropriately. As complex as they are, disaster will require complex responses that draw on a diverse range of skills as well as capacities (Godschalk &David 1999, p.32). Disaster management therefore will require the cooperation among national and local governments, non-governmental organizations, businesses, natural and social scientists, technical specialists and the vulnerable communities. Skills in communicating Change in disastrous situations Communication is extremely essential as a measure to overcome fears and concerns that emanate from change (Quirke & Bill 1995, p. 7). In disastrous situations, people are continuously worried about what impacts such disasters will have on them- will it inhibit their travel? Will they be late? Will it turn catastrophic? What are the authorities doing about it? These are just some of the questions that may ring into the air travel passengers when faced with disasters associated with air travels, such as heavy storms. Because these quarries will always be raised, it's essential to keep people in formed on what is changing and for what reasons. Therefore, the important aspects that ought to be taken into consideration in effective communication include; when should you communicate? , what do you communicate?, and how will you do your communication? Communication is a constant process (Duck, Steve, & McMahan 2009, p. 13). It's important to keep people informed at the begging of a disaster- as an answer to the possible initial fears as well as concerns, additionally it's also essential to communicate during the entire intermediate states in the disastrous situation. As the change process progresses, two things are likely to happen. Individuals will have new questions that they will answered, consequently new opinions and understandings in regard to the intermediary and final states will be developed. Therefore, people ought to be constantly informed with actual and future states, and answers provide to their quarries. The key areas such communication should focus on include; the current state, intermediary state, the future state, and the activities involved in the change process. Individuals need to be informed the possible reasons why whatever changes settled for are necessary and the possible dangers involved if such changes are not implemented. Explain why organizational plans have to change with environmental changes and what these will mean for them as travelers. Communication about the present and the intermediate state helps build confidence (Quirke & Bill 1995, p. 17). Individuals get confident that although a current situation seems to be completely out of control, this situation has been recognized in the planning process as an essential step on managing the situation, and before long all will be well. Communication can be achieved in a variety of ways, for instance through the use of newsletters, videos, intranet, e-mails, person to person, or in small groups. A Newsletter can be an effective communication tool however it holds the risk that some individuals may be 'too busy' to read it. E-mails tend to be generally inaccurate medium and are can easily go unnoticed. Individual-to-individual communication is time consuming while presenting information to groups has been associated with synergistic benefits. On the other hand, videos seem to over-formalize communication, and fail to provide a direct through which people can ask questions. Therefore, the best method of communication is getting on board all the relevant stakeholders. The communication process should begin at the top of the organization and trickle down to each level. Staff should first get to hear change messages from their bosses and be able to seek all clarifications, before they further communicate it to their team members or target group. In this way, relevant information accompanied with support material can be communicated throughout the organization. And finally, it is important to ensure a feedback process is in place as a surety that the communication process is meeting its objectives. Strategies in communicating Change in disastrous situations Disasters are complex situations that call for a systematic response. Therefore, it is important at to design strategy to manage such situations (Sandhu & Jeet 2002, Pp 38-53). Some of these strategies include; Partnership Strategy As complex as they are, disaster will require complex responses that draw on a diverse range of skills as well as capacities. Disaster management therefore will require the cooperation among governments and non-governmental organizations, businesses, technical specialists and the vulnerable communities. Some of the key actors to be involved in disaster management and risk reduction include; departments of State, disaster management focal points, Traditional institutions and leaders, Private sector/business community, researchers, civil society organizations, Security and Emergency Services. Communication Strategy Communication strategy is very essential and instrumental in the implementation of change management plans and also in creating disaster management offices in the regions within which the airlines operate. Within the framework of the communication process the disaster Offices serve to: Set up record centers that are entrusted with the responsibility of collecting, managing as well publicizing reliable and relevant information on disaster management as well as risk reduction in a region. Develop public platforms that manage on-line discussions on the present as well on emerging disaster in a region. Produce news letter that will keep all actors up to date in regard to emerging national disasters and the involved risk reduction issues. Engage participation of private as well as public media in implementation of the activities of the disaster management office. Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Strategy Monitoring and evaluation ought to be part and parcel of any planning process as it is vital in the evaluation of progress against defined benchmarks. Monitory and evaluation are closely associated, however they are different. While monitory is a regular and on-going activity to evaluate change management in terms of inputs and the resulting outputs , evaluation is more of concerned with the appraisal of the impacts on disaster and risk reduction management e.g. safety and welfare of the target group. It is vital to monitor the operationalisation disaster management issues as well as early warning systems. The general monitory framework entails: Establishing early warning system for different disasters through; establishment of indicators (early warning signs), periodic collection analysis of disaster information, recording of disaster status and implications, and constant feed back to the relevant stakeholders. Monitoring systems development and operationalisation through; development of review indicators for each priority area, establishing data collection systems for management and mitigation of impacts (by answering the questions when, who and how), establishing analysis as well as reporting mechanisms, developing analysis and reporting mechanisms, setting up systems that will facilitate feedback ( at central, national as well as regional levels) from time to time, and conducting social audits on enquiries to disaster events. Stakeholder in change/disaster Management From the case of Brisbane’s International Airport, It is evident that stakeholder support is essential in not only change management but also very vita in disaster management. Some of the key stakeholders include (Mahanti 2006, Pp 42- 49); Technical Advisory Group A technical advisory group comprises of professional well versed in disaster management issues .It is very instrumental in designing disaster management plans that are relevant to the situation and organization in question. Usually the technical advisory works hand in hand with the top management, who then share the communication with other staff to implement the recovery strategies. Organization and staff In a sensitive sector like Airline travels, organizational the staff plays a critical role in communication. Whereas top management participates in formulating disaster management policies, other staff participates in implementation of such of policies. Key roles of staff in change/disaster management include; Formulation of plans for disaster prevention and mitigation. Coordinate plans on disaster prevention and mitigation. Dissemination of educative information to the public on natural disasters which are likely to affect the region and the actions that ought to be taken. Vulnerable population/group In times of a disaster, usually it the immediate that is hit most, for instance when there are heavy storms and the airlines have to suspend their travels, it is the travelers who experience the consequences the most. Therefore the victims have a significant role to play in disaster management. Their two main roles include; In the event of a disaster, victims are usually the recipient of information in case of disaster emergencies Cooperate with authority in managing disasters, without their cooperation it almost impossible to manage a disaster. Recommendations Priority Areas for Action Brisbane’s International Airport disaster management policy seems to be insufficient. Therefore there is a need for identification of disaster management priority areas for intervention. The following suggested priority areas ought to be the disaster management agency’s building blocks for championing risk reduction as well as disaster management (Comfort &Louise 1988, Pp. 69-74): Establishment of structural and institutional frameworks which have capacity in preventing, preparing for and as well as responding to emerging disasters at Local, National and Regional levels. Interventions in this dimension will focus on creating favorable institutional environment that will sustain disaster management and mitigation. This will entail creation the of a National Office accompanied with the associated technical committees on local, national, and regional levels, as well as the strengthening the of capacities of all actors: government, development partners, private sector, decentralized agencies, and state institutions. Integration of disaster risk reduction plans into sustainable policies The interventions in this aspect aim at mainstreaming disaster management and risk reduction plans into sustainable National policies through developing national platforms for managing disasters , awareness creation and sensitization on disaster management, and building the capacities of local populations in disaster. Establishment of a body of knowledge and skills that will be significant in supporting governments, humanitarian organizations as well as other partners; to foresee, plan for and manage disasters successfully Interventions in this dimension will entail developing and improving on efficient early warning systems, establishment of a comprehensive data-base, system development, carry out surveys and establish communication channels. Establish efficient partnership among governments, humanitarian organizations as well as other partners, to participate in disaster management and risk reduction activities involved in addressing the underlying concerns in disasters The disaster management Offices’ ought to aim at ensuring that the necessary platforms, processes and structures exist for legitimate partnerships as well as concerted efforts in disaster management and risk reduction. Moreover, this intervention focuses on policy dialogue, and the development of other effective linkages with the environmental impact evaluation process. Introduction of International and regional best practices in disaster management and risk reduction. The National Office ought to create links with external agencies and institutions for excellent and competent practices, and sharing of experiences in disaster and risk reduction issues. Conclusion Disasters can interrupt essential services, such as transportation and communications. The interruption can seriously affect individual plans as well as organizational activities; the delays and even at worse cancellation of air travel as a result of heavy storms serves as a good example. Disasters come with shocks, and if the sudden changes that come with disasters are not well communicated; the disaster can have long term impacts even long after the immediate felt effects have been mitigated. Therefore communication is extremely essential as a measure to overcome fears and concerns that emanate from such changes. Moreover, such communication ought to be done in a systematic and competent way. Some of the strategies essential in managing disasters include; communication strategy, partnership strategy, monitory and evaluation. The success of these strategies would fully rely on stakeholder participation in managing disasters. Essentially, information sharing among the stakeholders is the core of managing change or disastrous situations. References Comfort, Louise K.. Managing disaster: strategies and policy perspectives. Durham: Duke University Press, 1988. Print. Duck, Steve, and David T. McMahan. The basics of communication: a relational perspective. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage, 2009. Print. Godschalk, David R.. Natural hazard mitigation: recasting disaster policy and planning. Washington, D.C.: Island Press, 1999. Print. Gustin, Joseph F.. 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