{"id":92,"date":"2012-07-07T17:07:00","date_gmt":"2012-07-07T17:07:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lucilleossai.com\/Blog\/index.php\/2012\/07\/07\/components-of-a-communications-strategy-the-why\/"},"modified":"2022-10-18T14:55:44","modified_gmt":"2022-10-18T13:55:44","slug":"components-of-a-communications-strategy-the-why","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lucilleossai.com\/blog\/2012\/07\/07\/components-of-a-communications-strategy-the-why\/","title":{"rendered":"Components of A Communications Strategy – The “Why”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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2) The \u201cWhy\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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This refers to the rationale, reason or justification for the implementation of the \u2018desired good\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In general terms, this component becomes important especially when driving change initiatives, no matter how small they may be perceived. If handled properly, it eases the transition to a new system, process or program. For this reason we would examine the \u201cWhy\u201d within the context of organisational change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In today\u2019s fast-paced era, managers sometimes do not have the \u2018luxury\u2019 of time to provide sufficient justifications for a proposed action. Moreover, they may be required to deliver results within the confines of incomplete information. When they do provide explanations however, these are often overshadowed by their military-style orders. It is no wonder that even though they expect full co-operation, they receive lukewarm responses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It has thus become important for managers seeking to implement change initiatives to objectively consider the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A) Whether the justification is \u2018ego-induced\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

B) Whether the justification is clearly communicated as the practical option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The justification as an \u2018ego-induced\u2019 declaration<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Many managers today lack diverse skills for their evolving roles.  This is true even for managers who are considered effective in delivering results or in motivating their teams. When questioned about a decision, they sometimes fall into the \u2018because-I-said-so\u2019 category.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some adopt \u2018power tactics\u2019 \u2013 using their positions or influence to make arbitrary decisions just because they are able to do so. Unbeknownst to them, such actions tend to alienate them from their teams. They are often ignorant of the simmering resentment from the employees in their unit, mistaking temporal compliance for consent. The employees however are simply biding their time until they are able to show, in no uncertain terms, a disapproval of the managerial style of their boss and\/or their resistance to his change initiatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even if a rationale is given but construed as  \u2018ego-induced\u2019 and thus simply mirroring the perceptions of the power-obsessed executive, it would not yield widespread acceptance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, a regional sales manager working in a mobile network company, who is known for adopting \u2018power tactics\u2019, may give the rationale, (the \u201cWhy\u201d), for increasing individual sales targets of his team members  by 20%, as being  \u2018necessary\u2019 in order to compensate for the poor sales recorded in the previous month. He might even hint that there might be consequences for all who fail to meet the new targets. However, without proper justifications for the increased targets such as the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I) The telecommunications company undergoing colossal losses due to operational\/technical setbacks and thus needing to boost revenue to cover costs;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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II) The sales unit needing to liaise with the marketing and technical teams in order to pool together talents and resources to boost sales so as to save jobs across the board etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The reasons given would be seen as yet another avenue for threats and intimidation. The employees would display lukewarm actions or outright resistance, despite the gravity of the situation. This is because the justification given by the manager neither acknowledges how the change would impact the employees\u2019 performance, nor addresses other factors which might yield favourable results. People should not be expected to work miracles if neither support nor tools are given to enhance effort. If under extreme stress, the sales executives may be forced to adopt illegal, (or at the very least), unethical measures to obtain the required results \u2013 the ends justifying the means \u2013 thereby tarnishing the corporate reputation if such actions become widespread.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The justification as the practical option<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Now your justification \u201cmakes sense\u201d. Tick. But why is it not receiving the support necessary to drive home your objective? Often times, this problem could arise if it is not the practical option for that<\/em> circumstance. If you also consider the fact that the spontaneous reaction to any change is resistance, (we are all creatures of habit), it becomes clear that your \u201cWhy\u201d would need to be perceived as the most suitable route for your \u2018desired good\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this sense you cannot, or rather should not, compare oranges to tangerines, despite the two obvious links:  both fruits having a similar appearance\/taste and both belonging to the citrus family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, your company may have recorded some success in increasing individual sales targets of its executives in its Johannesburg branch in South Africa, by explaining the need for the competitive edge in the sector and by seeking to retain the branch\u2019s reputation for being the most profitable in sub-Saharan Africa. Perhaps the justifications for the \u2018desired good\u2019, (the increased sales targets), were effective because they benefitted from: a) the collective pride of the sales unit and b) the ownership of certain innovative initiatives which galvanised sales in that location.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, giving similar justifications in the Lagos branch in Nigeria may backfire, even if it does seem like the obvious thing to do \u2013 transferring a \u2018tried and tested\u2019 formula to another sub-Saharan location. And this is the mistake multinationals tend to make. Cultural differences, (ranging from the prevailing corporate culture of the land to social dynamics), are often overlooked, or wrongly assumed, to be identical in African countries sharing certain socio-political similarities or experiencing specific macro-economic trends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unless justifications which are given to the employees in the Lagos unit take into account its operating environment, special circumstances and culture, there would be no effective \u2018buy-ins\u2019 for the initiative and thus no appreciable success recorded. This development would have been prompted by the resentful, ever-present and  uncompromising \u2018this-is-not-how-we-do-things-around-here\u2019 stance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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One of the most crucial reasons for the lack of continuity in change programmes is the absence of the appropriate \u201cWhy\u201d. Unless people really believe in a cause or feel responsible for its success, due to a combination of reasons, among which is their level of commitment, it would not be sustained. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once the right justification is identified, the \u201cWho\u201d should then be chosen after careful consideration as this individual\u2019s actions would have a direct effect on the process of evolution\/renewal\/change that the organisation is seeking to address.



\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014-

N.B-<\/u><\/strong> Image courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net. Animation courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This post explains the importance of the ‘Why’ component in change programmes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3422,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[482,494,495,499,560,628,637,692,694,730,732,818],"class_list":["post-92","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-change-programmes","tag-communications","tag-communications-strategy","tag-components","tag-employment-relationship","tag-justification","tag-leadership","tag-organisational-behaviour","tag-organisational-effectiveness","tag-rationale","tag-reason","tag-why"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lucilleossai.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/why-freedigitalphotos.net_.jpg?fit=400%2C300&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":81,"url":"https:\/\/lucilleossai.com\/blog\/2013\/02\/23\/the-communications-strategy-revisited-practical-tips-for-corporateville\/","url_meta":{"origin":92,"position":0},"title":"The Communications Strategy Revisited: Practical Tips For ‘Corporateville’","author":"Lucille Ossai","date":"February 23, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Updated in 2025, this article revisits the Flexible Communications Strategy, an adaptable six-part framework that builds clarity, trust, and results.","rel":"","context":"In "communication"","block_context":{"text":"communication","link":"https:\/\/lucilleossai.com\/blog\/category\/communication\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lucilleossai.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Human-icons-connected-on-a-platform-Freedigitalphotos.png?fit=545%2C354&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lucilleossai.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Human-icons-connected-on-a-platform-Freedigitalphotos.png?fit=545%2C354&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, 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strategy","link":"https:\/\/lucilleossai.com\/blog\/tag\/communications-strategy\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lucilleossai.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/Who-freedigitalphotos.net_.jpg?fit=400%2C288&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":89,"url":"https:\/\/lucilleossai.com\/blog\/2012\/08\/11\/components-of-a-communications-strategy-the-when-how-long\/","url_meta":{"origin":92,"position":2},"title":"Components Of A Communications Strategy – The “When\/How Long”","author":"Lucille Ossai","date":"August 11, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Discussing the implications of effective time management and appropriate timelines for successful outcomes at work.","rel":"","context":"In \"communications\"","block_context":{"text":"communications","link":"https:\/\/lucilleossai.com\/blog\/tag\/communications\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lucilleossai.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/When-3-deadline-freedigitalphotos.net_.jpg?fit=400%2C300&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":80,"url":"https:\/\/lucilleossai.com\/blog\/2013\/03\/25\/one-year-of-blogging-in-memorable-quotes\/","url_meta":{"origin":92,"position":3},"title":"One Year Of Blogging….In Memorable Quotes","author":"Lucille Ossai","date":"March 25, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 BREAKING\u00a0\u00a0NEWS: RETHINKING\u00a0 BUSINESS\u00a0\u00a0COMMUNICATIONS \u00a0BLOG TURNED\u00a0 ONE \u00a0ON\u00a0 MARCH 24TH!\u00a0\u00a0 A year ago, I ventured into the terribly exciting, (but intimidating), world of the Blogosphere. How it all began I hadn\u2019t\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"blog\"","block_context":{"text":"blog","link":"https:\/\/lucilleossai.com\/blog\/tag\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":79,"url":"https:\/\/lucilleossai.com\/blog\/2013\/03\/30\/one-year-of-blogging-in-memorable-quotes-part-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":92,"position":4},"title":"One Year Of Blogging…In Memorable Quotes (PART 2)","author":"Lucille Ossai","date":"March 30, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 As promised in my last post\u00a0 I am celebrating this blog\u2019s first anniversary by listing some memorable quotes from articles posted since its inception. \u00a0Without much ado, let\u2019s continue:6) \u201cIncorporate a dynamic and competent 'Who' into your organisation's communications strategy and watch your 'desired good' gain momentum.\u201dPost:\u00a0 Components \u00a0Of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"blog\"","block_context":{"text":"blog","link":"https:\/\/lucilleossai.com\/blog\/tag\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-ZQM8jWOcwNw\/UylfRozAlgI\/AAAAAAAABLQ\/M9bccC8438Q\/s1600\/Blog%2Bin%2Blens-freedigitalphotos.net.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-ZQM8jWOcwNw\/UylfRozAlgI\/AAAAAAAABLQ\/M9bccC8438Q\/s1600\/Blog%2Bin%2Blens-freedigitalphotos.net.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-ZQM8jWOcwNw\/UylfRozAlgI\/AAAAAAAABLQ\/M9bccC8438Q\/s1600\/Blog%2Bin%2Blens-freedigitalphotos.net.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":96,"url":"https:\/\/lucilleossai.com\/blog\/2012\/03\/24\/communications-strategy-paving-the-way-to-a-healthy-corporate-image\/","url_meta":{"origin":92,"position":5},"title":"Communications Strategy – Paving The Way To A Healthy Corporate Image","author":"Lucille Ossai","date":"March 24, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"This insightful article, published by the reputable BusinessDay newspaper, explores the impact of the Communications Strategy on attitudes and behaviours in the organisation. 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