Human and organizational factors are commonly identified as causes
and contributors to failures and difficulties in implementing planned
change. This study examines the implementation of quality programs in
four organizations; the communication used to introduce the programs
and to encourage employees to participate; and employees' perceptions
of the programs, implementation activities, and change agents. The pur
pose of this study was to provide empirical evidence of key communica
tion problems common to planned change implementation. Four key
themes emerged: (a) creating and communicating vision, (b) sensemak
ing and feedback, (c) establishing legitimacy, and (d) communicating
goal achievements. Conclusions and implications for future communica
tion research are discussed in a final section.
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