Poor communication can be one of the greatest threats to a company’s culture. But don’t let that be what divides your team.
Consider these five approaches to communication in order to create and maintain and healthy work environment:
- Commit to open and honest dialogue. Key to this level of honesty is relationships. Information-sharing aids in creating a productive culture. In the workplace, the age-old adage of honesty is the best policy holds true and has significant weight. If for some reason, all information cannot be shared, executives should make a point to explain that some issues cannot yet be disclosed, but information will be forthcoming. Failure to revisit the issue at a later date can also erode trust and relationships. Companies, instead of fostering a culture of lies, must commit to honesty. Not only is honest dialogue necessary, but the dialogue must also be open. Executives must not shy away from hard questions. Opportunities for this type of dialogue should frequently happen so that information flow is not halted. Executives should also deliver news as near first-hand as possible, so as to avoid the inevitable workplace version of the children’s game of “telephone”. Employers owe employees honest and truthful responses to organizational happenings. This may look different from company to company – some may take a more or less formal approach. Others may hold large Q&A sessions or individual departmental meetings. How it happens is not necessarily important; that it happens and eventually becomes ingrained into the office culture is.
- Employ a two-way communication system with a continuous feedback loop. Leaders should incorporate and actively seek communication from employees. By implementing two-way communication, employees will be actively engaged. Employee engagement matters as no company finds success in its operations without employees. Engaged employees tend to be more satisfied and productive. This, in turn, translates to decreased turnover and increased profit. As such, a continuous cycle of feedback and suggestions is ideal. Leaders should provide opportunities for discussion, and an open-door policy works well to achieve comfort in sharing information. Another solution for two-way communication is to implement a process for sharing ideas or concerns in anonymity. Doing so may increase the comfort level of employees while allowing leaders to become aware of ideas or issues they may not have otherwise been known. However, putting systems in place is not enough. Employee input must be taken seriously. Immediate feedback should be provided, and issues addressed promptly. In other words, the request for information and input is only the first step, albeit a big one. Leaders must also accept and act upon the information received. Taking this approach provides much in the way of employee morale.
- Repeat and clarify information until everyone is on the same page. This ensures that information is not misunderstood and misconstrued. Leaders should also consider offering information in various formats. Not all people learn and understand the same way. What is simply understood for one, may cause concerns for another. To account for these differences in learning types, leaders should be willing to adjust delivery methods. There is a plethora of personality and learning style instruments that organizational leaders could use. Knowing this kind of information benefits everyone and makes sure that people understand the information given to them. However, to take advantage of these tools, leaders must invest time in getting to know their people. Additionally, repetition of information should not be delivered in an overbearing or condescending manner, but with a genuine interest in ensuring everyone is of mutual understanding.
- Be intentional about communicating and acknowledging interim goals and benchmarks. Clear-cut smaller and more quickly achievable targets can aid in keeping morale high and provide reason for smaller celebrations and acknowledgments of success. Consider the progression of as a child learning to walk or run. A child must first learn to turn over, crawl, stand up, walk and then run. Children do not start out running. Similarly, organizational leaders must learn to recognize that each step in the process is important. Furthermore, they should be praised for incremental progress throughout the process to ensure momentum continues.
- Be vocal and direct about the general standards expected of any project or product that comes from the organization. In other words, leaders have a responsibility to communicate not just what should be accomplished, but how. One option is to address these expectations on a project-by-project basis. Those in charge of overseeing a project should check-in with employees occasionally to ensure expectations are met. If standards are not met, it is imperative that both executives and employees take time to figure out where the miscommunication of expectations occurred and work to remedy it immediately. Outcome goals should not be eradicated. Instead, they should be accomplished by clearly set parameters by which to operate. This type of communication, specifically, is beneficial to ensuring all work products are of exemplary quality.
Additional reading: 5 Communication Mistakes No Leader Should Make
