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Transforming The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Navigating Institutional Change and Innovation

This article discusses the transformative journey of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in adapting to the rapid changes in the media landscape. Led by Shawn McIntosh, the initiative focused on two key objectives: strengthening their digital presence to dominate local online news and reinventing print through significant investments and strategic restructuring. Key achievements include a streamlined newsroom, enhanced content delivery, and new operational principles aimed at fostering innovation and accountability. The piece offers valuable insights on institutional change, leadership, and maintaining audience focus during transformation.

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Transforming The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Navigating Institutional Change and Innovation

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  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

  2. Two key jobs • Win on the Internet – build our presence so no one could challenge ajc.com as the area’s 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

  4. Switch to video

  5. 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

  6. 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

  7. 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

  8. A few structural issues • Big-ass breaking news desk • Customer care • Digital/Internet • Management layers

  9. 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

  10. 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.

  11. 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.

  12. Katie Hamilton, “Zell No!” Winner and Journalist

  13. Thanks! Smcintosh@ajc.com Director of Culture and Change Atlanta Journal Constitution and ajc.com

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