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Globalisation, “glocalisation”, deregulation, privatisation, mergers, acquisitions and a movement of labour toward less expensive economic locations, coupled with revolutionary advances in technology and simultaneous empowering of consumers coupled with changes in demand – are among the revolutionary forces impacting organisations around the world. In this dynamic context, organisations need to re‐evaluate their purpose and raison d’être. This evaluative process will help them to decide which changes: strategic or operational, will have to be made in order to perpetuate survival and growth. While, undoubtedly, organisations realise the importance of good communications, they often find it hard to forge the link between “what gets said” and “what gets done”. Aims, initially therefore, to explore the nature of the link between change, change management and internal communications. Ultimately aims to explore how internal communications contribute to the “successful” implementation of change management programmes. Develops as a theoretical contribution in the domains mentioned. As such, the authors would welcome comments and debate from colleagues with an interest in the fields of internal communication and change management.

This paper builds upon work already completed by the authors on the nature of the link between internal communication and the successful implementation of change management programmes in Northern Ireland companies. During 1999 and 2000 the theoretical foundation in the requisite areas of this study was completed. Then in the latter half of 2000 and the early months of 2001 the pilot phase of the research was undertaken. The purpose of this paper is therefore to contextualise and relay the findings of the study thus far.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the social impacts of short-distance office relocation that also involved a new way of working, as perceived by employees during a relocation process. Relocation is any process of moving business premises and can consist of (often) significant change in locality, building change, workplace change and ways of working. This case study was not influenced by the effect of locality change making it hence a short-distance relocation.

The social impacts are analysed based on the perceptions of approximately 15 per cent (nine employees) of the case organization across the relocation process – two months before, one week before and four months after the move. The qualitative data collection is conducted by semi-structured interviews, supplemented by diaries and participatory action research.

Before the relocation, the subject organization’s old premises were considered inadequate. Still, employees had concerns during the process about the new open office environment including the adoption of new ways of working. Some employees did experience resistance towards the change, although the amount of engagement possibilities was deemed sufficient and engagement recognized as an important part of the process. After the relocation, adaptation was considered easier than originally anticipated and experiences of improved inter-team collaboration were reported by most while others experienced just the opposite, pointing out to emerging individual differences.

The limitations of this study arise mainly from the ability to statistically generalize on the basis of a single case study which this paper represents. Furthermore, since the last interviews were made four months after the move, all post-occupancy implications were possibly not yet fully experienced.

The paper provides information on the social impacts of organizational relocation process, as it identifies individual employee perceptions during a relocation process where locality change is minimal. Moreover, the threefold research approach across the relocation process enables the appearance of possible time-dependent development of adaptation to change in employee perceptions and these perceptions to be analysed in more detail.