Public relations and change management: The case of a multinational company

Abstract

Organisations are often reluctant to change their corporate cultures even when such change is essential to cope with the changing business environment. This paper analyses the three phases of change management adopted by the multinational company RWE Solutions and describes several steps that organisations can adopt in managing change strategies and establishing new corporate cultures. It is important to formulate and articulate the core statements and the ‘mission’ of the company, making sure that the company’s business model and strategy are comprehensible and communicable to external publics. It is also important for managers to ask whether a gap exists between statements and reality, the real vision and claims of the vision, and assess how any existing chasms can be bridged. Next, assess whether the company’s ‘emotional presence’ is evident in the corporate design, which should match the story of the company and be as close to the self-image and the goals of the employees and management staff as possible. Finally, managed communication (and public relations) should be a critical component of any corporate strategy.