Change communication: An examination of the impact of change messages on individual behavior change.

摘要

In the past decade what was commonly referred to as internal communication or organization communication began to take on a new identity and has come to be known as change communication---specifically how internal messaging effects individual behavior change as the organization undergoes transformation. Although research points to the need to communicate during change, very little information is available on what the characteristics of an internal communication strategy need to be to effect individual behavior change during transformation. This study enhances current knowledge on this topic by investigating the relationship of awareness and understanding of change messages to individual behavior change. Through case study research of the intentional organizational transformation experienced in a large, consumer packaged goods (CPG) company, this dissertation examines the characteristics of internal communication during organizational transformation, specifically as they relate to individual behavior change. The findings point to a strong correlation between (a) individual behavior change and awareness of a change message, understanding of a change message, and the message type; and (b) awareness and understanding of the message types and the number of information sources and types of information sources.