Communicating Organisational Change With Animation

Nothing can stir up uncertainty among employees faster than organisational change. Whether it’s a company restructure, a new leadership strategy, a digital transformation, or a shift in company values, people naturally fear the unknown. When communication falters, rumours and resistance can develop in its place.

This is where the power of bespoke animation comes in, helping leaders navigate the landscape of organisational change with empathy and creativity. Sliced Bread Animation believes that animation isn’t solely for marketing or external communications, although it’s highly effective in both of these areas as well.

Animation can also be a vital tool for internal comms, especially during transitional phases. When you incorporate storytelling methods with visual design elements, animation allows organisations to break down complex information into easily digestible and engaging narratives that deeply resonate with team members.

Why Does Traditional Communication Fall Short in Times of Organisational Change?

Emails, slideshows, and all-hands meetings are staples of internal business communications. However, when it comes time to communicate company-wide changes or transformations, these methods often fail to engage or inspire employees.

According to Harry Robinson, a senior partner with the global consulting firm McKinsey and Company, research shows that about 70% of all corporate transformations fail. Often, these failures come down to a lack of clear communication about the organisational change. As Robinson says, in the early days of the transition, leadership often fails to “build conviction within the team about the importance of this change or craft a narrative that convinces people they need to make the transformation happen.”

Bespoke animation can be a big help during these times, especially when it comes to communicating the “why” behind the change. After all, whenever your boss requests something outside of your typical day-to-day responsibilities, your first question is likely to be, “Why?”

Animated videos can answer this question in an engaging and memorable fashion, helping your employees buy into the change. Animation offers an emotionally intelligent and visually appealing approach to communicating organisational change. When employees have uncertainty about how a change will affect their daily work, they need more than a mere list of bullet points — they require context, reassurance, and a clear vision of the road ahead.

3 Ways Bespoke Animation Helps Communicate Organisational Change

Overall, much of the benefit of using animation to communicate business transitions comes down to increased engagement. The Gallup 2025 State of the Global Workplace study found that just 21% of employees surveyed around the world said that they currently feel engaged at work. Even worse? That widespread level of employee disengagement and resulting lost productivity costs the world economy roughly £330bn annually.

A 2021 study from Gardner-Webb University found that, when viewing animated training content as opposed to a PowerPoint presentation, employee engagement “improved significantly compared to the performance of employees in the retrospective population who received the content from PowerPoint slides.”

Here are three reverberating effects that work in tandem with increased employee engagement to make animated videos the medium of choice when communicating business transitions.

Empathy via Narrative

Animation enables you to craft a narrative that mirrors your audience’s journey. When you personify challenges or portray relatable employee characters, an animated video humanises organisational change in a way that enables your employees to see themselves in — and identify with — the story.

A brief bespoke animation about an employee navigating a new organisational structure can acknowledge employee concerns and highlight positive outcomes at the same time. It’s difficult to create this level of empathy through a slideshow, all-hands meeting, or email.

Simplifying Complex Concepts

Organisational change can be complicated. This is especially true if it involves new technologies, revised workflows, or cultural shifts. With an animated video, you can condense complex systems into simple, straightforward visual explanations. Moving graphics can demonstrate how to approach new processes in a manner that’s as engaging as it is retainable.

After all, studies show that we remember 65% of what we see and just 10% of what we hear. With this in mind, give your employees their best chance at absorbing, understanding, and retaining complicated information by distilling it into easily understood animation.

Scalable and Consistent Messaging

Regardless of their role or location, everyone at your organisation needs to receive the same message — this is one of the core tenets of internal comms. With animation, you have an infinitely scalable, 100% consistent communication medium that delivers a uniform message across departments, time zones, and even languages. Animated content retains its quality and tone, no matter where, how, or by whom it’s viewed.

Conclusion

Organisational change always has its challenges. How you communicate that change can mean the difference between employees buying in or not. Animation is a powerful, flexible, and emotionally resonant medium that can bring your employees on the journey right along with you.

Connect with the experts at Sliced Bread Animation today and learn how our animated videos can help you provide a consistent and scalable internal comms solution.