Communications Management When a change is implemented, the cultural tendency is to reduce communications until the plan becomes unambiguous

(Austin & Currie, 2003). Nevertheless, change must be communicated at all stages regularly and effectively with all of the employees. It is critical for building awareness and fostering a willingness to embrace change. There is a need for the stakeholders at all levels of leadership of the organization to be actively involved in communicating main messages. Ensure all members of the organization aware of the change effort and objectives, and are aligned to the mission and vision statement. According to Billing (2009) effective communication requires genuine efforts to understand each other and it occurs if the receiver understands the same information or idea that the sender intended to transmit. Putting in place clear and consistent messages regarding the change process will ensure that the employees feel as if they are in the know. It directly helps to build the employees trust in the management and in the changes that are taking place. This may involve listening to the employees concerns about the changes. Sometimes the employees may want to communicate the successes that they are experiencing with the new ideas and changes. This will help the employees to feel that they are really part of the process of making sure these change effort achieved. They will feel like their input is being considered and used by the management. All of these things will help the employees to continue to feel connected to changes and the organization as a whole. A variety of formal and informal communication channels are available within UW. Communications activities could include presentations; Vice-Chancellors Bulletin, staff intranet, roadshows, discussion forums, emails and interoffice blogs. Creating the opportunity for feedback and establishing two-way communication mechanisms are also critical components to a sustainable organization-wide change.

Recommended change approach Blue-Print Thinking (Caluwe & Vermaak, 2004) and Kotters 8 step model (1995) were considered effective for this change initiative; however a holistic step-by-step model is developed based on both models which would be more appropriate for addressing UoAs issues. Blue-Print Thinking ensures plan change readiness and Kotters eight steps change model is the widely used framework in higher educational institutions including UW. The Kotter model was seen as providing a flexible framework that can be used to manage change at all levels of complexity and with all employee groups, including faculty. Given the size and complexity of the organization, the leader-orientated planned approach is more effective for this projected change initiative and more likely to achieve project objectives when effective sponsorship is provided. Strong change management leadership from the highest executive and administrative level in support of faculty, middle managers, and operational staff would have a positive impact on the success of change initiatives. Top-down change management is based on the assumption that if managers plan things properly,

change can be executed smoothly. The only obstacle comes from resistance of some employees, hence focus is on changing the culture of an organisation. Putting in place clear and consistent messages regarding the change process, regular and open stakeholder consultations, airing of grievances, and putting in place feedback and learning mechanisms to enable adaptation during the course of the change process have been essential to those more effective change management processes.