Communicating Organizational Restructuring Effectively
This paper examines the critical role of communication during organizational restructuring, arguing that how change information is delivered is as important as the content itself. Drawing on Daft, Lengel, and Trevino's media richness theory, the paper advocates for face-to-face communication as the richest and most effective medium for conveying sensitive restructuring details. It considers practical formats such as individual meetings or small group sessions organized by department, and outlines a managerial strategy for selecting the most appropriate communication channel based on factors such as time sensitivity, company size, and the complexity of changes being announced.
- Introduction: The Sensitivity of Organizational Restructuring: Why restructuring communication must address all employee concerns
- The Importance of Face-to-Face Communication: Media richness theory supports face-to-face over electronic channels
- Choosing the Right Format for Delivery: Individual versus small-group meeting formats and their trade-offs
- A Manager's Strategy for Communicating Change: Applying media richness to build a practical communication plan
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What makes this paper effective
- Grounds practical recommendations in an established theoretical framework — Daft, Lengel, and Trevino's media richness theory — giving the argument academic credibility.
- Moves logically from identifying the problem (ambiguity and mistrust during restructuring) to prescribing a specific communication hierarchy, making the reasoning easy to follow.
- Acknowledges real-world constraints such as company size and timing, showing awareness that ideal solutions must be adapted to organizational realities.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates applied theory synthesis: it takes an academic framework (media richness theory) and applies it directly to a managerial scenario. By citing the same authors across multiple claims, the writer builds a coherent evidence chain rather than relying on isolated quotations, showing how a single theoretical lens can guide multiple practical decisions.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens by identifying the stakes of restructuring communication, then introduces media richness theory to justify the preference for face-to-face interaction. The third section addresses logistical format considerations such as group size and timing. The paper closes with a first-person managerial action plan that synthesizes the earlier points into a decision-making framework. This four-part structure moves from problem to theory to logistics to application.
Introduction: The Sensitivity of Organizational Restructuring
Restructuring within a large organization — or any organization — can be a very sensitive and often ambiguous process. One of the most important aspects of restructuring is communication: specifically, how information is relayed throughout the entire process. It is also important for management or Human Resources to address all components pertaining to the restructuring and how it will affect employees. Some of these components may include a timeline of the restructuring; who it is going to affect and to what degree; whether there will be layoffs or demotions; changes in job descriptions; changes in senior management and direct reports; and changes in benefits.
If the basic aspects of the restructuring are not properly and accurately communicated, a sense of mistrust and disloyalty may develop. In order to maintain trust and loyalty to an organization, restructuring information should be communicated by an employee's direct supervisor and followed through a clear chain of command.
The Importance of Face-to-Face Communication
It is key that restructuring information be communicated face-to-face rather than through a telephone call, email, or letter. A face-to-face meeting lessens the possibility of miscommunications or misinterpretations arising. Face-to-face communication has long been considered the richest form of communication because it allows for immediate feedback and a natural tone of language, and therefore has the ability to decrease ambiguity much more quickly compared to other media (Trevino, Lengel, and Daft, 1987).
Receiving such information via electronic mail may be the least desirable option in this situation because of a strong lack of cues such as "voice inflection, pitch and tone," even though email may at times provide rapid feedback and portray natural language (Trevino, Lengel, and Daft, 1987). The absence of these nonverbal and paralinguistic signals makes electronic communication particularly ill-suited for conveying sensitive organizational news.
References
Daft, R. L., Lengel, R. H., & Trevino, L. K. (1987). Message equivocality, media selection, and manager performance: Implications for information systems. MIS Quarterly, 11(3), 355–366. Retrieved March 23, 2011, from the JSTOR database.
Daft, R. L., Lengel, R. H., & Trevino, L. K. (1987). Media symbolism, media richness, and media choice in organizations: A symbolic interactionist perspective. Communication Research, 14, 553–574. Retrieved March 23, 2011, from http://crx.sagepub.com/content/14/5/553.full.pdf+html
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