Is your cascade strategy setting up managers for success?

Tools to help managers cascade and share key messages to their teams and throughout an organization vary by individual preference. What works for some, is cumbersome for others. There is seldom a “one size fits all” solution, but at the very least, it should be simple and efficient.

Consider your audience

Ideally, you need to keep your audience in mind. How do they best receive and process information? And sometimes a message or situation calls for a variety of tools to be used. It could be a power point template sent via email, a face to face team meeting, a video, or a blog post to name a few. Or preferably a mix of the above.

Managers can even use something as simple as a “who, what, where, when, why” worksheet. The 5 “W’s” have been used for years to teach or remind us to stick to the facts and focus on basic must-have information. And when you add in the “how”, it brings in the important element of action.

Cascade guiding principles

No matter what tool a manager uses, here are some guiding principles:

• Bottom up - involve line managers early to get their input, buy-in and alignment on information and messages
• Be clear on the desired outcomes - put messages into context for your teams, this is the whole point of cascading
• Keep the message simple, regardless of the audience (remember KISS - Keep it simple stupid)
• Choose the right channels for your team or department
• Ask employees to volunteer as champions
• Use face-to-face whenever possible, it’s the most effective way to increase understanding
• Make the cascade process measurable
• Recognise success