Lamar, who is president and founding partner of Summit Media Partners in Golden, Colorado, gave some basic guidelines to help managers lead change in their newsrooms. She warned that part of the challenge is managing all the different aspects of newsrooms. “There are so many different pieces you have to consider when making a change,” she said.
Managers need to:
-- Create a sense of urgency about the change, said Lamar, and this needs to be articulated to employees so they will understand what the impact is and will be prepared to take action. “Overcoming complacency puts a company in the state of action,” said Lamar.
-- Enlist a guiding team of effective people to coach the rest of the newsroom staff through the change. Make sure to consider all parties involved in the change because “all of these people have to become a part of the solution,” says Lamar.
-- Develop a vision and strategy. Ask these questions of yourself and your staff: What would you like the future newsroom to look like? What do we want to achieve? How will our customers be better served? Then, design a roadmap on how to get there.
-- Communicate that vision with clear, concise and consistent messages. Lamar warns that this can take patience. Even if you think you are communicating your vision in a clear way, sometimes people still don’t fully understand it. In those cases, managers will have to take extra steps. If staffers don’t understand or agree with the vision, then a manager must better explain ideas in writing or take the time to sit down and talk with employees.
-- Empower action. Lamar says that managers must think of their organization as a team. By engaging all members of that team and making it clear that you consider their thoughts and welcome their ideas, they become more engaged in the change process.
-- Generate short term wins by creating opportunities to show small, visible signs of success. For example, if your newspaper is going through a redesign process, Lamar suggests doing the process in stages to test the effects on readers and staff. Set up a “pilot” situation by picking a team of influential, hard-working people to work on the first stage of the process. Celebrate their efforts, no matter the result. Openly discuss with your staff what was effective and what things could be improved in the next stages. This allows you to test your assumptions without risking a lot. Get feedback and demonstrate to others what the long-term results will look like.
-- Consolidate gains and produce more change. Build on these initial small successes to test assumptions and demonstrate what the long-term results will look like. This will enable you to spread change broadly and hire, develop and promote people who are helping to assist with these changes.
- Finally, implement the change to your newsroom by anchoring new approaches in the culture.
Ensure that every step of your planning is in line with your vision. Demonstrate to your staff how certain behaviors are successful and reward those whose behavior is in line with your vision. Each step will lead you closer to an environment that reinforces the “new way.”