The views of this article are the perspective of the author and may not be reflective of Confessions of the Professions.
Business Is Suffering Because Of Poor Communication
A company has many different parts and requires all those parts to work in order to be most efficient in functionality. If one part fails, then all other areas will suffer one way or another. Communication is everything within a company, from idea collaboration to team collaboration to product delivery and customer service and support.
Communication can be in the form of team meetings, emails, brainstorming ideas, or team leads communicating with each other to ensure all parts of the company are operating together on the same level and the same page. While it may seem logical to send every person from every team into a group meeting, the more efficient method is to elect one or two group representatives to attend meetings and take notes. If the teams are small enough, there is no need to send appointed leaders to meetings, and just have everyone attend.
With communication in any company, it is important that the CEO, supervisors, or bosses are truthful. The truth may hurt, but keeping employees in the dark about important issues, such as a lost contract deal, no bonuses or raises, etc. will make them lose faith, trust, and confidence in the company. I do remember a time where the CEO of my former company said it to us like it was: “There will be no raises this year, no bonuses, unfortunately — we did not get the contract.” And it seemed like he too had lost all hope in the company. One of the sales guys stepped up and said, “I strongly believe in what we are doing and this company is going to succeed!” Everyone’s morale increased and it encouraged us all to work harder and do our best. A month later, I was the first to get laid off. Three months after that, so was everyone else. Looking back on it, there was definitely humor in the situation, but at least the CEO was honest, though during the time, it definitely seemed like the company had been keeping secrets from everyone and not revealing the entire truth.
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Is Poor Collaboration Killing Your Company?
We constantly hear that the Internet and social media make us more connected, especially at work. But if this is true, why are collaboration problems crippling today’s companies? According to a recent Fierce, Inc. study, an overwhelming majority of employees blame poor collaboration for workplace failures—a wake-up call to executives who ignore teamwork and chemistry.
Here, we explore the biggest collaboration breakdowns lie and offer ways to strengthen communication at your company.
Where are the Biggest Collaboration Breakdowns Happening?
More than 1,400 corporate executives, employees and educators were asked to name the specific kinds of collaboration problems that plague their workplaces:
97 percent believe a lack of alignment within a team directly impacts the outcome of a task or project.
92 percent agree that a company’s tendency to hit or miss deadlines will impact bottom-line results.
86 percent cite lack of collaboration or ineffective communication for workplace failures.
How Employees Want Collaboration To Work
Employees were then polled about how they believe collaboration could be improved at work:
90 percent believe decision makers should seek other opinions before making a final decision.
99.1 percent prefer a workplace in which people identify and discuss issues truthfully and effectively.
How do today’s companies measure up to these preferences? According to the study, not well.
40 percent of employees believed decision makers “consistently failed” to seek another opinion.
Less than half said their organization discusses issues truthfully and effectively.
How To Create a Strong Collaborative Culture
Companies that operate effectively and harmoniously do not get there by accident. Here are five ways to establish a strong collaborative culture at work:
Encourage people to share ideas. Make sure employees know their suggestions will be taken seriously by peers and superiors.
Build brainstorming into each project. Solicit feedback from group members at key decision points to ensure vital information is never overlooked.
Log important communications. Document project plans and key discussions to eliminate the “he said/she said” nature of spontaneous conversation.
Limit group sizes. Keep groups large enough to avoid tunnel vision but small enough to preserve a close-knit dynamic where everyone knows each other.
Resist the urge to direct. If you are the boss, allow employees to contribute and tackle problems on their own before immediately jumping in with a solution.
The most successful companies break down barriers that kill collaboration. If your employees are not working together as harmoniously as they could be, now is the time to find out why—and fix it.
![Is Poor Collaboration Killing Your Company? [Infographic]](https://cdn.confessionsoftheprofessions.com/infographics/poor-collaboration-infographic.jpg)
