Everything’s above board. Isn’t that enough?! 

Legitimacy is not enough. Just because a managing director is formally authorised to order an internal restructuring, or because a construction project has been legally approved, the success of a project is by no means guaranteed. Even if decisions are legitimate and formally binding, change processes must at least be accepted by all those affected and all stakeholders if they are not to fail. It is even better if those involved actually agree with the change and support it. This applies to both internal company processes and high-profile projects.

Acceptance requires participation

Public engagement or change communication can significantly promote acceptance of change processes and new projects. It is successful when it enables genuine participation of the people and stakeholders affected by the process. If checklists of measures are merely ticked off mechanically and project communication is treated as a necessary chore, genuine participation cannot be achieved. Communication is not an end in itself. It is successful when people feel well-informed and involved, not when a project leader thinks they have communicated well.

Thinking and feeling from a human perspective 

“When we develop a communication strategy, we therefore do not merely determine how affected stakeholders should be appropriately involved. We also ask: What needs to be done to give people the feeling that they are genuinely involved?” explains Schrott.

Three golden rules for effective communication

1. Communicate on equal terms!
   Fundamental, but by no means trivial: people need to feel understood and taken seriously. This requires communication on equal terms – in the language of the people (keyword: dialect!), in a suitable setting and with a sincere attitude. Otherwise, a feeling of helplessness can quickly take hold, based on the perception that ‘the little man’ cannot stand up to ‘those at the top’.
    

2. Create more transparency! Providing
   timely, clear and honest information builds trust. Project leaders and decision-makers would do well to keep stakeholders continuously updated on a project’s progress and to provide them with the information they need and can understand. We know from experience that when it comes to complex issues such as digitalisation or the energy transition, people need very comprehensive and reliable information. By sharing knowledge and disclosing information about a project, people are given the chance to form their own opinions.

    

3. Allow participation!
   When those affected can help shape and support a process themselves, it is also more likely to gain acceptance. Participation can mean contributing to the content and having a say in the process, or it can involve financial participation in a project, such as in community-owned wind farms. The project sponsor or a company’s management board must be prepared to genuinely allow changes to the project to be made by those involved.
   But be careful! Project sponsors must not make the mistake of giving stakeholders the illusion of having a say. Anyone who first seeks people’s opinions, consults them and identifies their wishes, but then fails to take these findings into account in the process, forfeits credibility. “Well-intentioned participation that is not transparently incorporated into the process comes back like a boomerang and undermines people’s trust in the project sponsor,” warns Dr Karin Schrott.