Managing Communication During Mergers

Dear Cross-Border Leaders: Cairo is Not London. When COVID hit, every company scrambled to reduce exposure and keep people safe. I was leading in-person customer support across MENA for a global tech company. One day, we had a multi-regional call to discuss how to roll out safety precautions. The UK manager proudly shared his “brilliant solution”:   💡 Install an iPad outside the support center.   Customers walk up, book an appointment, leave, then return at their slot. Simple. Genius! (London was serving ~70 people/day pre-COVID.) Our regional leader got excited and said,   “Let’s do the same in Riyadh and Cairo!” I said,   > “Riyadh maybe. But Cairo? No way in hell!!” Why? Riyadh handled ~300 customers/day.   Cairo? Over 800.   The iPad idea? It wouldn’t survive the hour. But I was told to try anyway. So… I did... with Cairo-specific “modifications”: - We bolted a steel podium to the ground for the iPad. - We placed it next to the office door. - Assigned a full-time security guard to protect it and guide people on how to use it. - And we prayed. ⏱ Three hours later:   The iPad was gone.   The STEEL PODIUM was gone.   Like it never existed. Moral of the story? If you lead cross-border teams, hear me loud and clear: 👉 What works in London might fail "spectacularly" in Cairo.   👉 Success in Riyadh doesn’t guarantee success in Alexandria.   👉 A process that works beautifully in Amman might crash in Doha. Even within the same country, every city has its own heartbeat.   Its own customer behavior.   Its own culture.   Its own rhythm. Your job as a leader isn’t to copy/paste success.   Your job is to listen, learn, adapt, and respect the differences. Oh! and for the record, while Cairo was chaos… Our Alexandria team? Smooth as silk.   No issues. No fights.   Customers were literally bringing them Basbosah out of appreciation.   Same country. Different realities. #LeadershipLessons #MENAStartups #CrossCulturalLeadership #OperationsReality #CustomerExperience #SaudiBusiness #CairoVsLondon #StartupLife #ExecutionMatters #FoundersLife

🌍 New Series: "Mind the Gap – PR & Communication Across Borders" Ever tried launching a PR campaign in another country and thought, “Wait… why did that land like a lead balloon?” You're not alone. As someone who's navigated international communication for a while, I’ve seen firsthand how cultural nuance can make—or break—a message. So I’m kicking off a new series exploring how PR and communication differ around the globe. 👉 First up: Germany vs. the USA U.S. Communication: Enthusiastic, emotional, and yes—peppered with exclamation marks!!! Storytelling is king. Personal anecdotes and a strong “why” lead the way. Positivity sells. Even problems get rebranded as “growth opportunities.” German Communication: Direct, precise, and suspicious of unnecessary fluff. Facts first. Then more facts. Then a few more, just to be safe. Understatement rules. If a German says something is “not bad,” it might be worthy of an award. Example: An American press release might open with: “We’re thrilled to announce our exciting new partnership that will revolutionize the industry!” A German version? “Company A and Company B have entered a partnership effective May 15. Objectives include market expansion and product development.” Both are correct. Neither is wrong. But the context is everything. Takeaway: If you're crafting messages across borders, remember—it’s not just about what you say, but how it’s heard. ✨ Stay tuned for more posts comparing global comms styles—from Japan’s silence-as-a-power-move to Brazil’s beautifully fluid approach to formality. Have you run into cultural communication quirks in your PR work? I’d love to hear them! Chris Prouty, tell us about your experience as a US PR pro, please. #PR #Communication #CrossCulturalCommunication #Germany #USA #GlobalMarketing #Storytelling #Localization #InternationalBusiness

When I first started in communications, internal and external messaging lived in two separate worlds, but wow, has that changed. If you’re navigating this evolving landscape, here are a few strategies that have worked for me: 🧩 Integration: Align your internal and external channels to create a unified message across the board. 💪 Consistency: Build trust by delivering communications on a predictable schedule. 🔨 Utility: Repurpose your existing tools in innovative ways to tackle multiple communications goals. 🤝 Engagement: Make even the smallest details engaging to keep your audience interested. 🎨 Creativity: Strive to balance informative content with creative storytelling that resonates. Today, “#mixternal” communications or integrating internal and external communications to reinforce a company’s message is the new path forward. Don’t forget, your colleagues are one of your most important audiences—and biggest advocates externally.

TRUTH bomb of the day: People connect with people, not faceless corporations on social. This insight helped two merging health systems successfully rebrand without losing their employees' trust. When Beaumont Health and Spectrum Health merged into Corewell Health, they were up against: - 21 hospitals becoming one brand - 300+ outpatient locations needing alignment - 65,000 employees wondering "what's next?" The typical thing to do is to blast out corporate memos and hope for the best. (Spoiler: that never works) Instead, Corewell Health's social team did something different: They turned their EMPLOYEES into the voice of the brand. They leveraged 65,000+ people in their organization and empowered them to drive results! Using Hootsuite Enterprise they were able to: - Create one central hub for brand content (keeping 65,000 people across 300+ locations on-brand) - Make sharing authentic stories effortless (busy healthcare workers could share pre-approved content in seconds) - Monitor conversations in real-time (it became easy to spot negative sentiment early and adjust their content accordingly) And I’m still shocked by the results they generated: → 3M+ MORE impressions from employee-shared content →  2.5x HIGHER engagement than healthcare industry average (4.76% to 1.8%) → 50% DROP in negative sentiment since the merger went into effect (14% to 7%) The big lesson? 👇🏻 Your most powerful brand ambassadors aren't your ads or announcements. They're your people. When you empower employees to share their authentic experiences on social media, you build trust in ways traditional corporate communications never could.

I’ve trained in rooms where people speak English, but think in Marathi, Hindi, Bengali, Tamil Same company, same goals, but completely different communication styles. We love patting ourselves on the back for being diverse. But when a South Indian team feels a North Indian manager is "too aggressive," or a Gen Z employee thinks their Gen X boss is "dismissive", we call it a "communication gap." When really it's India's invisible boardroom barrier. Because while communicating, you’re navigating: 🔹 Cultural nuances 🔹 Generational gaps 🔹 Language preferences 🔹 Urban vs regional perspectives And if you're not adapting, you’re alienating. Here's my 3A’s of Cross-cultural communication framework: 1. Awareness: Recognize that your communication style is shaped by region, generation, and upbringing. It's not universal. 2. Adaptation: Match your message to your audience. One style doesn't fit all rooms. 3. Ask: When in doubt, clarify: What does yes mean here? How do you prefer feedback? What's the protocol for disagreement? India's diversity is incredible. But if we are not actively learning to communicate across cultures, not just languages, we're wasting it. P.S. What's your biggest cross-cultural communication struggle? #CrossCulturalCommunication #AwarenessAdaptationAsk #3AsFramework #Awareness #Adaptation #Ask #CommunicationGaps

In today’s fast-paced business environment, change is inevitable. Whether it’s implementing new technology, restructuring teams, or shifting company policies, change management is crucial for maintaining productivity and employee morale. However, one common mistake organizations make is trying to surprise employees with changes, hoping to catch them off guard and avoid resistance. Why Surprising Employees Doesn’t Work    1.   Lack of Trust: When employees are not informed about upcoming changes, they may feel that their input is not valued. This can erode trust between management and staff, making future changes even more challenging.    2.   Resistance to Change: People generally resist change when it is imposed without explanation or input. This resistance can manifest as decreased motivation, lower productivity, or even turnover.    3.   Confusion and Misinformation: Without clear communication, rumors and misinformation can spread quickly. This can lead to unnecessary anxiety and stress among employees. The Importance of Effective Communication Effective communication is the cornerstone of successful change management. Here are some reasons why it’s essential to communicate changes clearly and transparently:    1.   Builds Trust: Open communication helps build trust by showing that employees’ perspectives are valued. When employees feel included in the process, they are more likely to support the change.    2.   Reduces Anxiety: Clear explanations of what changes are happening and why can alleviate anxiety and uncertainty. Employees are better prepared to adapt when they understand the reasons behind the changes.    3.   Encourages Participation: Communicating changes early allows employees to provide feedback and suggestions. This not only improves the change process but also fosters a sense of ownership among team members.    4.   Improves Adaptation: When employees are well-informed, they can start preparing for the changes ahead of time. How to Communicate Changes Effectively    •   Early Notification: Inform employees about upcoming changes as soon as possible. This gives them time to process the information and prepare.    •   Clear Explanations: Provide clear reasons for the changes and how they will affect employees. Use simple language to avoid confusion.    •   Open Dialogue: Encourage feedback and questions. This helps address concerns promptly and builds trust.    •   Training and Support: Offer training or support to help employees adapt to new processes or technologies.    •   Follow-Up: Check in regularly to see how the changes are impacting employees and make adjustments as needed. In conclusion, change management should never be a surprise. Effective communication is not just a courtesy; it’s a necessity for successful change management. #effectivecommunication

How can we improve communications about organizational change 🤔 📣 Communications play a pivotal role in people-centric change. High quality communications about what the transformation means for individuals and teams can help to address questions such as: Why is the transformation necessary? Who will the transformation affect? What is going to change and When? How will I be affected by the change? Some of the practical ways to ensure high quality communication about organizational transformations include (but are not limited to): ▶️ Engage in dialogue throughout the transformation process.  Creating a safe space for conversations about change can help people to rasie their concerns, hopes and fears. ▶️ Know your audience Have a firm understanding of the audience’s perspective and what information they already know and what questions or concerns they have.    ▶️ Focus on Visualization Things that people see are more likely to evoke emotions than things they hear or read. Use a variety of communication channels include videos, pictures and images. ▶️ Deliver the message with the appropriate tone and style using: ✴️ Compassion: Show the audience that you care about their perspectives and inform employees as soon as possible about the transformation including: Why, When and How the process will evolve and within what expected time span. ✴️ Clarity: Communicate clearly and repeat key messages. Just because you have communicated the message once does not mean that individuals will have heard it, internalised it or made sense of it. ✴️ Conciseness: Ensure that the message is short enough to internalize. Long, complicated sentences make written ideas hard to understand because they demand more concentration. Keep communications short, clear and concise. ✴️ Connection: Connect emotionally with the audience and provide opportunities for employees to give feedback by: ensuring appropriate channels for employee voice  and that different groups feel able to access them; actively seeking people’s ideas; and take action on feedback. ✴️ Candor. Admit what you don’t know, for instance, if an employee asks you whether there will be redundancies, and you are not sure whether they will happen or not. Your response might be: “I wish I could tell you exactly what is going to happen. We will give you updates as soon as we know them.” ▶️ Avoid overcommunicating A word of caution is required because most organizations overcommunicate about change which can lead to confusion and disengagement. Rather than overloading people with formal communications especially email build in time for conversations. Source: Hodges, J. (2024) People-centric change: engaging employees with business transformations. Kogan Page Publishing, London - Chapter 5 Joe Ferner-Reeves Lucy Carter Emma Dodworth Laura de Ruiter, PhD Lisa Cardow Inga Grigaliunaite Durham University Business School

The importance of communication in Change & Transformation. Change & Transformation is about People & Processes; the tech is an enabler. But too often it’s seen as a tech implementation. The other elements are minimised or ignored. When those impacted aren’t fully on board with the changes we see active and passive resistance. People find work arounds. Then we don’t fully realise the expected benefits of the change. Communication is key. Those affected need to understand what, why, when, what’s the benefit and what will I need to do differently? Set the up the comms plan for success: 1. Stakeholder alignment. Ensure buy-in to the comms strategy 2. Create a comms plan. What, when, who, which distribution channels 3. Ensure comms are appropriate and timely. Match distribution channels to recipients needs. Facilitate feedback and active listening 4. Minimise uncertainty. Be transparent. Respond to rumours and inaccurate information 5. Use common words and phrases. Ensure the programme team and all leaders are using the same terminology 6. Ensure visible leadership. Leaders need to be seen in their comms as authentic and committed 7. Involve users in building the comms plan. They will have helpful views on frequency, content and distribution channels 8. Create change champions. They will advocate for you and influence their colleagues 💥 My name is Paul. 🔺Supporting you to achieve better Transformation & Change business outcomes. That means focussing on People and Processes, not just the tech delivery. I lead teams of Programme and Project Managers, Business Analysts and PMO. If you need this, please get in touch. Liked this post? Want to see more? Ring the 🔔 on my Profile 🔝 Connect with me #fintech #financialservices #programmemanagement #digitaltransformation #leadership

🌍 Why Your Cross-Cultural Communication Efforts Might Be Failing (and How to Fix It) Belonging begins with the words we choose. Unfortunately, even leaders with the best intentions often stumble when communicating across cultures. If you want a truly global, inclusive team, you need more than good intentions. You need to learn how to communicate more effectively. 💡 Here’s What to Keep in Mind When Communicating across Cultures: 1️⃣ Never Assume Similarities Just because humans share some common needs (i.e., food, shelter, security), it doesn’t mean we share the same communication style. Stay curious, not assumptive. 2️⃣ Look Beyond Words — Tune Into Nonverbal Cues Most of what we communicate is done through nonverbal channels. Understand that gestures, patterns of eye contact, and even silence mean different things in different cultures. 3️⃣ Check Your Cultural Lens It is natural to see our way as the “normal way.” True inclusion starts when we suspend judgment and explore different ways of thinking, behaving, and communicating. 4️⃣ Create Space for Clarification Don’t just ask "Do you understand?" Instead, say: "Can you share back what you understood?" This ensures clarity, not just agreement. 5️⃣ Recognize the Stress of Speaking a Second Language For non-native speakers, communicating at work can be exhausting. Slow down, avoid slang, and encourage clarification without judgment. 🌟 Now, imagine a workplace where: - Every conversation builds bridges, not barriers. - Cultural diversity strengthens collaboration instead of causing silent friction. - Global teams communicate with clarity, respect, and authentic connection. ❤️ 🎯 Want to master cross-cultural communication and transform your team's collaboration skills? Schedule a strategy session with me to learn about our "Differences in Communication Styles" workshop. You'll discover how to: ✅ Communicate clearly across cultural differences ✅ Engage non-native English speakers effectively ✅ Use a proven framework to prevent miscommunication and foster inclusion 🌍 Because communication isn't just a "soft skill,” it's the foundation of real inclusion. #MasteringCulturalDifferences #InclusiveWorkplace #GlobalDEI #EffectiveCommunication #CrossCulturalCommuniationSkills #CulturalCompetence