Assessing the communication of environmental policies: a chaotic model

Abstract

There is nothing more difficult to carry out, nor more doubtful of success, nor more dangerous to handle, than to initiate a new order of things. Machiavelli.This study assessed the communication methods used to promote energy reduction within a city council, and suggested ways of improving them. These methods were assessed using Lichtenstein's chaotic logic of organizational transformation, which uses chaos theory to divide a cultural change process into three stages. The council was identified as not having completed stage one of that change process, which involves the identification of reasons as to why a change process is necessary, and communicating about the change process to everybody in the entire organization. This was judged to be because the organization-wide formal and informal communication network necessary for efficient cultural change had not been built. In order to improve the efficiency of communication, education and training methods, recommendations were made that included a council-wide survey around energy issues, a series of informal meetings and the utilization of peer pressure and formal, informal, qualitative and quantitative feedback.