The Atlanta Journal Constitution and.com

1
The Atlanta Journal Constitution and.com

• Some perspectives on change - individual and
  institutional
  
• Shawn McIntosh, ChangeNinja (kidding),
• The Atlanta-Journal Constitution and ajc.com

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Two key jobs

• Win on the Internet build our presence so no
  one could challenge ajc.com as the areas mass
  medium.
  
• Reinvent print prepare for a major redesign
  that will take advantage of 30 million in new
  presses and build the newspaper that can continue
  to satisfy and hold loyal print readers.

3
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and ajc.com

• Four departments, two content and two
  production
  
• News and Info and Enterprise
• Print and Digital
• Four month process to completely re-invent

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• Switch to video

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What we accomplished

• Collapsed more than a dozen desks and departments
  into 4
  
• Reduced newsroom staff by 15 (Voluntary buyout
  and attrition)
  
• Reorganized to be stronger, faster
• Separated content and presentation and put them
  on more equal footing
  
• Separated breaking news and enterprise

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What we accomplished

• Eliminated several layers of management
• Shrunk leadership team
• Engaged 300 people in brainstorming what to do
• Established new operating principles
• Mapped and changed nearly every newsroom process,
  improved accountability
  
• Changed half the jobs in the newsroom
• Dramatically increased web resources and results
• Positioned ourselves for print reinvention

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A few structural issues

• News meetings
• Planners
• Process coordinators - mapped every process
• Operating principles
• Durable content/info desk
• Specialization -- web experts, print experts,
  form experts, beat experts

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A few structural issues

• Big-ass breaking news desk
• Customer care
• Digital/Internet
• Management layers

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Some key takeaways

• Communicate more than ever
• Look at process
• Make the business case for non-business folks
• Change the rewards system
• Process then training then communication then
  accountability
  
• Expect it to be daunting
• Expect to be challenged
• Make choices
• Learn to change continuously - journey, not
  destination

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10 tips for institutionalizing and evangelizing
change in a scary world

• Institutional
• Change requires rigor. Leadership and vision,
  then structure and process, then communication
  and training, then accountability.
  
• Be relentlessly audience focused.
• Clear goals and vision - what does success look
  like -- if only short term.
  
• Training is not a luxury.
• Reward new things.

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10 tips for institutionalizing and evangelizing
change in a scary world

• Individual
• Be a strategic innovator.
• Be a teacher.
• Be a lifelong learner.
• Relentlessly learn about audience.
• Be relentlessly optimistic.

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Katie Hamilton, Zell No! Winner and Journalist
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Thanks!

• Smcintosh_at_ajc.com
• Director of Culture and Change
• Atlanta Journal Constitution and ajc.com