What are the best ways to communicate a change in leadership without causing disruption?

I would point out the importance of the assessment on operational environment including trends and threaths before defining the purpose.

Lions Really Don't Care About The Opinion Of Sheep Not everyone means it when they say they have an open-door policy and thick skin, and you can tell it to them straightforwardly, or when they say they care about what you feel. It would be wonderful if all this was universally true, but that's not the case. We both know it. You still have to pick out the individual, approach them in "their" best way possible. Sometimes, the corporate culture can make it easier or make it hostile. Only you know which. You know the culture you're in, whether or not hostile or welcoming, and even in a welcoming culture, the individual you need to talk to might not be. Know whether you are approaching a lion, cause lions don’t care about the opinion of sheep.

Transparency is always important involving any kind of change. I would also recommend accentuating the positive things about the change and welcome open conversation about it.

Say Less, Get More If this topic needs to be discussed here, and you know you don't feel comfortable, it's likely leaning towards hostile than not. But it may not be hostility to the point where it can't be handled alone. The beauty of modern technology is that it allows various formats for communication. If you have to write a text, read it several times, or let somebody else read it to ensure the message is clear and not provoking. I'm going to be honest with you: if the person is an A-hole or they have a problem with you, regardless of how you approach them, they may make it hostile. Sometimes, saying less can get more. "I have this problem I would like to talk with you about. Can you make time for me?"

Snitches Get Stitches If it's a flat-out hostile environment, with previous issues, bullying, or anything similar, you would likely need to involve another leader. We have a tendency to misrepresent or misuse the word "snitch." It's not just on the street with this word but also within corporate, government, and religious culture. You shouldn't tell anybody because the bosses shouldn't know what everybody down below is doing. If you are living in agony, stressed, or have a problem that must be solved, you must involve the bosses. Everybody who calls you a snitch will not pay your bills, take care of your family, work for you, etc. I need to address this as I'm aware of how deeply this is rooted in many large and small companies.

Use A Third Party Sometimes, it doesn't hurt to involve a third party that's not a boss above the person but is connected to the two of you. People might tell you not to make issues personal at work. I can't entirely agree with that; we live in a community, and at some point, personal, social, and professional aspects are going to intersect. This is how we live on this planet, and a third party can help the situation if the person is unbiased and balanced in their approach, non-gossipy, and can deliver the message without any animation. Anybody who "really" wants to resolve an issue wants to know about it, and if they just have a problem with you, it doesn't matter what the issue is. They're gonna have a problem with you.

Make Sure You Ready "We can not solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them." Make sure you are sincere, emotionally ready, and willing to fix the problem are genuine. If you're not prepared, whether it's agonizing or not, it will be a problem later.