There is a moment in change processes that is almost always misinterpreted. The team does not pull together. Bookings slow down. Meetings grow quieter. The manager interprets this as resistance to the change.
This is almost always wrong. What is being observed is not resistance to change. It is the logical reaction to an information vacuum. The team does not know what is coming. It does not know why it is coming. And in this vacuum the only thing arises that arises when people have no information: they invent it.
What really happens in finance organisations during phases of change
Finance teams are used to working with figures. With facts. With certainty. When change processes are poorly led in communicative terms, this basic mindset meets a vacuum. That produces a specific form of stress that runs counter to productive work.
There are four patterns of reaction: a wait-and-see attitude, information seeking, an unofficial narrative, and a defensive attitude. All four are rational. All four can be substantially reduced through timely, honest communication.
Why managers do not communicate during phases of change
The assumption that communication should wait until everything is clear. The assumption that the team would not understand the change. The discomfort with uncertainty in communication.
The most dangerous thing about this: during the time of waiting, the team runs into the vacuum. The unofficial narrative arises and is already deeply rooted by the time the official communication finally comes.
What specifically must be communicated
The first core question is What is happening. The answer must be as concrete as possible and communicated as promptly as possible.
The second core question is Why is this happening. The team does not need to know all the strategic considerations. It needs to know the why.
The third core question is What does this mean for me. This question must be answered with the willingness to say honestly, even then, what is still unclear. ‘I do not yet know how the reorganisation will affect your individual roles. I will discuss this with each of you personally as soon as the decisions have been made’ is an honest answer.
What I specifically do in my engagements
I hold one-to-one conversations with every team member in the first week. Not to gather information. Primarily to signal: I am here. I see you as people. I am listening.
After the one-to-one conversations there is a team communication in which I address what I have heard: I have heard many questions over the past few days about the why of this change and what it means for your roles. I want to address that directly.
What I bring to the table
I am Nicole Vekonj, Interim Manager Finance & Controlling. In my engagements, communication is not a downstream step following the operational analysis. It begins on day one.
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