Language and Organizational Change
In my work, I often comment on the importance of communication for organizational change management. This insight is based on both practical experience and research. Here is an extract from an article I wrote about language and organizational change.
Theorists started to study the relationship between language and organization in the 1980s, when language began to be understood not simply as a mechanism of communication, but rather as a fundamental aspect of organization and organising.
Language-in-use is often referred to as discourse. In its narrowest and most traditional definition, discourse refers only to spoken dialogue. A fuller understanding of discourse, however, includes both speech acts and written texts. The most radical view is that organization exists only through language, leading to views of organization as text, or as narrative, or as constituted in discourse.
It has been shown that there is great value in looking at discourse during change processes. Language, in the form of conversations, stories and rumours, is a significant factor in the way change is conceptualised. The way in which organizational members negotiate meaning in the change process is through discursive practices and textual objects. Indeed, coherent language use can play a significant role in the outcome of change initiatives. One study of the introduction of new technology on the London Insurance Market demonstrates that there are fragmented and competing discourses within an organization. Consequently, competition between groups takes place through discourse.
Conversation is one of the most common forms of communication in the workplace. Studies of managerial activities have shown that managers spend a large part of their time in carrying out oral communications. The act of conversation and the content of conversation produce action, which indicates why conversations can play an important part in a change process.
Stories play a significant role in the creation and maintenance of meaning in organizations and hence in the development and maintenance of organizational culture. The informal nature of storytelling does not mean that it is not important. It has been shown, for example, that the use of stories enables change to take place, as when an executive’s storytelling enabled him to convince colleagues to move in new direction.
Discourse – communication – is a mechanism through which change happens, and it should therefore be considered in an investigation of change processes.
Managers and consultants should also pay attention to language when leading and managing change processes.
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