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In my 16 years of work experience, one of the greatest challenges for organizations has been internal communication, especially when major change is involved. It is easy for employees to criticize management, but once you become that manager, you realize how much grace you should have extended to your own leaders.

Understanding Change Communication

Kurt Lewin’s classic three-step model of unfreezing, moving, and refreezing remains one of the most reliable frameworks for understanding how change should be communicated.

In the unfreezing stage, managers must create awareness of the need for change and prepare employees emotionally and mentally. The moving phase involves implementing the change, where communication is crucial to encourage participation and reduce resistance. Finally, in the refreezing stage, new practices are solidified through feedback and engagement. Without consistent communication throughout these stages, organizations risk reverting to old habits or failing to sustain transformation.

But perhaps the toughest question for most leaders is not what to communicate, but who to tell, when, and how much. I have learned this the hard way, both by withholding information I should have shared and by revealing what I should have held back.

Clampitt and Colleagues’ Change Communication Strategies

Researchers Clampitt, DeKoch, and Cashman identified five distinct communication strategies that managers often use during change. Each reflects a different balance of control, transparency, and employee involvement, and the impact on morale can be dramatic.

1. Spray and Pray

Here, managers spray employees with lots of information, hoping they will make sense of it. While it may seem transparent, it often causes confusion and overload. Employees struggle to separate what is important from what is not, leading to uncertainty and mixed reactions.

2. Tell and Sell

In this approach, managers tell employees what will happen and then sell them on the benefits. It can work when there is trust and the change is straightforward. However, it is mostly top-down and assumes persuasion alone can create buy-in. The danger is that employees may feel left out of the conversation.

3. Underscore and Explore

This strategy balances direction with participation. Managers highlight the key issues and priorities while giving employees room to explore implications, ask questions, and contribute ideas. It encourages collaboration, trust, and innovation. Many communication experts agree that this is one of the most effective strategies, especially for complex or large-scale change.

4. Identify and Reply

Here, employees set the agenda by identifying issues, and managers respond with action. It is a bottom-up, participatory approach that works well in cultures where employees’ voices are valued. However, it requires openness and trust; otherwise, staff might stay silent even when they have valuable insights.

5. Withhold and Uphold

This is the least effective approach and unfortunately, the most common in rigid hierarchies. Managers withhold information until rumors or unrest force them to respond. When confronted, they try to uphold the organization’s image through delayed explanations. This erodes trust, fuels resistance, and damages morale. It often stems from fear or a lack of preparedness.

Which Strategy Works Best?

I have provided illustrations in a company setup, but the concept can also be applied in a family setting or any social group with some kind of structure. For instance, communicating lifestyle changes in a household due to a change in income can utilise the same strategies. The best approach depends on the organisation’s culture, structure, and the urgency of the situation.

When change is radical or controversial, participatory methods such as underscore and explore or identify and reply build trust and buy-in. During a crisis, directive approaches like tell and sell can work, but only if messaging is clear, honest, and consistent.

At the heart of it all, leaders must remember that employees are not passive recipients of information. They are active interpreters, influencers, and co-creators of meaning. When communication becomes a dialogue rather than a broadcast, change no longer feels imposed; it becomes shared.

Organizations that nurture openness, honesty, and participation not only manage change better but also build teams that thrive on trust and collaboration.

References

Clampitt, P. G., DeKoch, R. J., & Cashman, T. (2000). A strategy for communicating about uncertainty. Academy of Management Executive, 14(4), 41–57.
Lewin, K. (1951). Field theory in social science: Selected theoretical papers. Harper & Row.
Lewis, L. K. (2006). Employee perspectives on implementation communication as predictors of success and resistance. Western Journal of Communication, 70(1), 23–46.
Mishra, K., Boynton, L., & Mishra, A. (2014). Driving employee engagement: The expanded role of internal communications. International Journal of Business Communication, 51(2), 183–202.
Tourish, D., & Robson, P. (2006). Sensemaking and the distortion of critical upward communication in organizations. Journal of Management Studies, 43(4), 711–730.