Case study: How we helped colleagues embrace a major digital transformation
Technology doesn’t drive transformation. People do.
That became particularly important when a delivery organisation with 150,000 colleagues began rolling out a multi-million-pound digital transformation programme.
The technology promised significant improvements to the way people worked. But employee engagement was low and many colleagues were struggling to understand how the changes would benefit them or what would be expected of them.
CommsRebel was brought in to help turn a complex transformation programme into a change colleagues could understand and engage with.
The challenge: communicating digital transformation at scale
Rolling out organisational change to 150,000 colleagues is never simply a technology project.
The organisation was introducing new ways of working, but many employees didn’t yet understand why the transformation was happening or how it would affect them.
People were also experiencing change fatigue.
Some feared the transformation was being introduced to reduce jobs rather than improve the way people worked.
That meant the biggest challenge wasn’t the technology.
It was trust and understanding.
Before people could adopt the change, they needed to understand the why behind it.
Creating a change communications strategy
We developed a detailed communications plan for the transformation programme, designed around the needs of different colleague groups.
Rather than relying on one message for everybody, we created tailored communication approaches that recognised different audiences would have different questions, concerns and experiences.
Our work included:
- Developing a detailed communications plan for the transformation programme
- Creating tailored communications for different colleague groups
- Ensuring messaging reflected the needs of colleagues beyond head office
- Advising on best-practice communication throughout the rollout
- Developing creative concepts to increase engagement and understanding
This was particularly important in an organisation with a large and varied workforce.
Change communication needed to work for the people experiencing the transformation, not just the people leading it.
Making digital transformation relevant to colleagues
We worked closely with the transformation team to identify communication gaps and address concerns directly.
That included:
- Bespoke messaging for different audiences
- Interactive workshops and drop-in sessions
- An informal ambassador network
- Expert-led sessions demonstrating how the technology could support colleagues in their roles
The aim was to move away from communicating at people and instead create opportunities for colleagues to understand the change, ask questions and see what it meant for their own working lives.
The focus was simple: make the change feel relevant, practical and achievable.
The impact
Over a three-month period, the organisation saw a 30% increase in Workplace downloads.
More colleagues began engaging with the new platform and taking the first steps towards adoption.
But the numbers only tell part of the story.
The communications approach also helped shift the conversation around the transformation by addressing uncertainty directly and helping colleagues understand why the programme was happening.
Instead of expecting the technology itself to create engagement, the organisation focused on the people who needed to use it.
What this case study taught us about change communications
People rarely resist change simply because they dislike change.
They resist uncertainty.
When organisations communicate transformation solely in terms of what the organisation is introducing, they can miss the question employees are actually asking:
What does this mean for me?
Effective change communications connect organisational objectives with people’s everyday experiences.
It creates space for questions, acknowledges concerns and makes the benefits of change tangible.
Technology can enable transformation. But people make it happen.
Planning a major change programme?
Whether you’re introducing new technology, restructuring the organisation or changing the way people work, communication can make the difference between announcing change and helping people embrace it.
CommsRebel helps organisations develop change communications strategies that build understanding, engagement and confidence throughout transformation. Let’s chat to find out more.
