The Tribe Report 4. The Change Management Issue | Page 19

Do your employees have a comprehensive and current
go-to place for information about a major change
initiative? That can make all the difference in their level
of comfort with the change. One thing we often hear
in discovery sessions with corporate employees is that
during change, reliable information is hard to find. This
is especially true for a long rollout.
Without access to appropriate information, employees
undergo unnecessary stress and anxiety, rumors are
spread and trust in management can be eroded.
A microsite provides an efficient and effective one-stop
shop for everything related to the change. The site can
also provide a venue for two-way communication,
allowing employees to ask questions and share
experiences. And when the change process is complete,
the microsite can be taken down.
In some instances we would recommend a true microsite.
What I mean by this is a stand-alone site with a separate
URL from any other existing sites. Often when you’re
experiencing a really large change or a change that takes
a significant amount of time to come to fruition, this is
a great option.
But for most changes, rather than create a new and
separate microsite, you might be better served by simply
developing a sub-site of your current intranet. This can
be just as effective and often easier to implement. The
goal is to include all the communications in the same
place – and to update the information continuously.
Setting up a change blog can help with this. It’s also a
great way to field some questions and comments so you
have two-way communication. With a blog you can have
several different authors giving you the opportunity
to have communications from leadership, change
managers and even regular employees.
Another option is to put all communications within
a forum. This is great for change that requires many
discussions between teams or employees. Even if you
add an additional site, this is a good supplemental

feature. Employees need to know where to go to ask
questions and a forum makes it easier to monitor the
answers being given.
A good way to give yourself a microsite feel without
having to build the infrastructure is to add a page to
your existing site. Link it directly from the home page
and give it a place in your main-level navigation.
Also, don’t forget the power of design. A simple trick is to
give the change initiative its own branding with a color and
style treatment. It will help the change communication
stand out, especially if it lives in multiple places.
The most important thing is consistency. Not just
consistency in the message, but in the look and location
of the communications. Change is always hard because
you can’t control every aspect of it, but what you can
control is how you communicate it.

SOFTWARE FOR MICROSITES

1

SQUARESPACE

2

SNAPCOMMS

www.squarespace.com
RELEASED 2003
FEATURED IN The New York Times, The Washington
Post, CNET and Businessweek
SHORTHAND “The platform behind exceptional ideas”
STRENGTH “Powers tens of thousands of sites, with
billions of monthly hits”
Goleta, Calif.
1-805-715-0300
www.snapcomms.com
FOUNDED 2002
CLIENTS INCLUDE Virgin Mobile, Cox, KPMG
SHORTHAND “A better way to communicate
with employees”
STRENGTH “Technology to solve an internal
communication problem”

SUMMER 2012 | 19