Making formal cascades work

Issue

The problem with most formal communication cascades is that they don’t work.

Facts

Employees want to hear important business critical or work related decisions , information, and announcements from their direct supervisors. And, they want to know that their boss knows as much or more than they do about what is going on organizationally.

Face-to-face conversation is still the most important channel when we want to change what someone thinks, how they feel or their behaviour.  And, for organizations the most powerful communication channel for change is still the direct supervisor[1].

A cascade is[2] a formal mandatory systematic communication process used to drive and support conversations between managers and their direct reports around significant business, customer, and workplace issues.  Formal cascade is therefore potentially the most powerful way to engage employees in critical business issues and perhaps the most efficient way to get the right conversations going in the right way to further the business objectives[3].

Done properly a cascade ensures:

• Consistency of message and discussion
• Coverage and reach
• Accelerated business-critical learning
• Creates an opportunity for: conversation on important issues at every level of the organization, the institution to learn how to be disciplined around internal communication
• Highlights the importance of the employee relationship to the organization
• Underscores how serious the organization is about the role of conversation in building and maintaining those relationships

Cascades that embed small informal face-to-face communication as part of the process are:

• Fastest way to move information and messages¹
• Best way to change behaviour and attitude¹

And increase meaning and relevance.

Learnings

Generally cascades are not done well.  To unleash the full potential of a cascade takes structure and discipline.   Amazingly most communication cascades lack both.   They are simply assumed to happen.

Structure

A formal cascade needs a beginning, a middle and an end:

• Decide when to use Communication cascade. Not everything needs a formal communication cascade.  Even one Corporate cascade may be too many.  If we start to cascade everything, the power of this approach is lost.  We need a way to decide when we will cascade and when we will not and why
• Decide who is affected and where to start the cascade. A traditional, formal cascade starts at the top and cascades level by level to reach all employees.  But, not all cascades are Corporate.  There could be a case to be made for starting a cascade somewhere else due to the nature of the information/discussion we want to provoke. We need a way to support and coordinate division, functional and local cascades
• Understand the limits of reach and design the plan accordingly. It can be a challenge to reach the front lines.  Depending on the organization they may or may not have access to traditional communication channels.  And, may or may not even see or speak with their direct supervisor [hopefully rare, but certainly possible].  They may or may not have time due to the nature of their jobs/their relationship. We need to learn more about what is and what is not possible and use what we learn to design an approach that ensures when we need to reach the front lines we can – consistently
• Decide on roles and timing. Who’s doing what? When?  What corporate communication support will they get?  When and how?
• Mark the end of the cascade. This could include a formal survey and/or debriefing and feedback sessions across the organization [see below:  Get relevant and meaningful feedback up the system with the same discipline and speed as we do with the cascade].

Discipline

• Once the decision is made, not all cascades are created equal.  Some events or decisions have a major impact on the business and workplace and are time-sensitive, some are not.

Type of cascade	# of employees (customers?) affected	Level of impact on our business strategy	Time	Priority
Code Red	“All”	High	There will be a public announcement	High priority
Code Yellow	“All”/most – everyone needs to be aware	High/Medium	We can be flexible	High/Medium
Code green	Most – everyone needs to be aware	Medium	No time constraint – FYI	Low

Once we decide there’s a need for a cascade the process and discipline remain the same.  Depending on the type of cascade, the time frame for implementation will be different

Code Red: It will be conducted with the same speed and discipline as a fire drill.  Our objective is to reach every employee in the company within as short a period as possible

Code Yellow: We still need the discipline, but the timeframe for reaching all employees may be up to a month

Code Green: We still need the same discipline, but the timeframe for reaching all employees is over the next quarter

• Make sure management knows what is expected of them. Managers may or may not know what is expected of them.  They need to know that communication is a key part of their role[4] in general and have the skills.  And, specifically for a formal cascade there need to be real and transparent consequences for non-conformance once a cascade is called
• Make sure managers know the plan.  To the extent we can we need to make it easy for them to know in advance that a cascade is planned and when it will start/end so that they can build their communications and conversations into their work schedules.  This is especially important for front line supervisors who’s time with their people can be constrained by collective agreements and business critical work priorities
• Make sure managers have what they need to adequately respond to a call for a cascade. They need basic facts so they can discuss the implications with their teams. It may or may not be easy for them translate the implications of business decisions and issues for their local teams.  This is especially problematic during a ‘Code Red’ cascade where time is short[5]. A cascade needs to be supported with a range of information and materials depending on the nature and complexity of what is being communicated.  Once the cascade starts, managers need to be able to quickly see this is a cascade communication and understand what to do with it and by when.  For example they can quickly see:  the level of importance/urgency:  high(red), medium (yellow), low (green), what is expected from them, who else is part of this cascade (ie: who has received this notice), how fast do you need to act (eg:  you have 24 hours, a week, at your next session with your direct reports)

• Get relevant and meaningful feedback up the system with the same discipline and speed as we do with the cascade.  “The natural flow of information is upward”[6].  A formal cascade process is a great opportunity to harness the power of the tidal flow by ‘formalizing’ an approach to reverse cascade.   And, since we know that “Good news travels upstream faster than bad news”[7] it’s also an opportunity to ensure that the upward flow is objective input and not just good news unless it is just good news.  Managers and employees may need training about being objective in the conversations we are trying to create [links to risk taking, innovation].  Social media also create additional opportunities to engage and ensure timely, relevant feedback and discussion

Bottomline

Formal cascades aren’t for everything, but when you need them you need them.  And, with thoughtful planning and disciplined implementation [and practice] they are an effective and efficient way to achieve the impact you’re after.

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