The Tribe Report 4. The Change Management Issue | Page 3

Change is hard. But of course it’s a fact of life for any major corporation. Companies are changing all the time, and although the changes are generally intended to improve the business, employees don’t always see it that way. Especially at first. The initial whiff of change can create anxiety, stress and insecurity in the workplace, none of which are good for productivity. Knowledge is power, however, and by communicating change effectively, we can help employees feel more at ease. This issue’s cover story, “Building Successful Change Management on a Foundation of Respect,” discusses how to use the “Yes But” tool to pair negative news with something positive, and the importance of addressing employee fears head on. This quarter’s Spotlight is on Exelon Energy and their recent launch of a new internal brand that embraces the newly acquired Constellation. Branding after a merger can be a sensitive project, but Exelon’s Howard Karesh and Constellation’s Melissa Brooke developed a close partnership that set the stage for success. Our Best Practices feature shares information from three very different companies on their recent changes: The New York Times Company, Cbeyond and GM. In our Showcase, we take a look at Invesco’s Perform at Your Peak platform. This was a new approach they introduced to communicate changes in the way their employee performance reviews are conducted. And our Interview this issue is with Gregg Bedol of RedZone Consulting. Gregg’s perspective is that change is always harder than people think it will be and that leaders have to do most of the work. RedZone works with corporate leaders to help them do just that. This quarterly issue is our fourth, which means we’ve now completed a year of publication with the Tribe Report. Yet whenever someone mentions an article they’ve read in the Tribe Report, I still get a jolt of “Wow! They actually read it!” We’re so pleased you do. SUMMER 2012 ISSUE FOUR What is Tribe? We’re so glad you asked. Tribe is an internal communications company working with national and global brands. We develop strategic plans, internal employee communications and engagement programs to build internal culture. You can see some of our work at www.tribeinc.com. If you’d like to talk about what Tribe can do for you, please contact Kara Bullock at [phone] or [email protected]. Editor Elizabeth Cogswell Baskin [email protected] Contributing Writers Kara Bullock [email protected] Lindsay Podrid [email protected] Alexis Snell [email protected] Tyler Hargrove [email protected] Alan Dixon [email protected] The Tribe Report is published quarterly by Tribe Inc., 2100 Riveredge Parkway, Suite 710, Atlanta, GA 30328. Subscriptions are free of charge but limited to a small group of professionals working in internal communications or brand culture for large companies. A digital version of each issue is available to the public at www.tribeinc. com/bestpractices. For reprints, please call Tribe at [phone]. Produced and printed in the USA. ©Copyright 2012 by Tribe Inc.