April Johnson AET 560 Dr. Christine Nortz April 4, 2016 Communication plan April Johnson AET 560 Dr. Christine Nortz April 4, 2016

University of phoenix The University of Phoenix is implementing a new Juris Doctorate program which will require the University to proceed through several changes. First, existing faculty will need to gain additional certifications in order to teach the courses. Secondly, new faculty that is skilled in various law subjects will need to be hired. Lastly, the University will focus on a mass recruitment of students to sign up for the new program.

How to launch plan The communication plan will be present throughout the change management process. There are four communication phases to the change management process: Prechange approval Creating the need for change Midstream change and milestone communication Confirming/celebrating the change success (Cawsey, Deszca, & Ingols, 2012, p 319)

Technology needed In addition to face-to-face meetings; University of Phoenix will utilize the following: Online surveys E-mails Online reports Telephone

Test effectiveness In efforts to test the effectiveness of the Juris Doctorate program; University of Phoenix will use: Student feedback Faculty feedback via surveys Discussions

Impact of management response Management’s response to the organizational change is vital to success. Management is essential in: Communicating the plan The plan’s steps The change’s steps Addressing employee concerns as they occur

Generating feedback Employee and customer feedback is essential to the success of University of Phoenix. University of Phoenix will make efforts to overcome organizational silence by having open discussions. UoP will use student feedback to: Assess change efforts Gather data about changed behaviors Determine any improvement and corrections to be made.

Addressing negativity The communication plan is designed to combat rumors and other negative actions to the change. To address the change effectively, University of Phoenix must participate in the following actions: Encourage employee participation Give regular updates of change Honest communication Give clear expectations for employees Give clear steps for change

Affect organizational change Effective communication needs to be a major aspect in all phases of the change management process. The plan helps: Communicate the change steps Identify issues with the change Keep the change process adaptable Improve future change process Fights rumors Continuous feedback from employees

conclusion University of Phoenix communication plan is essential in implementing the Juris Doctorate program for students. It will ultimately help align the University’s goals with the faculty, students as well as new students. The University will prosper from more effective and efficiently skilled faculty members as well as revenue from the newly formed program.

references Cawsey, T. F., Deszca, G., & Ingols, C. (2012). Organizational Change: An Action-Oriented Toolkit (2nd ed.). : Sage Publications. Spector, B. (2013). Implementing organizational change: Theory into practice (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.