No one doubts that effective communications are essential to the success of any organization. But not everyone succeeds at this critical task. There are five reasons for this failure.
Organizations spend hundreds of millions of dollars a year on employee attitude surveys, newsletters, brochures, videos, audio cassettes, face-to-face meetings, and other tools of internal communications. Big bucks are invested in training managers to be better communicators.
Yet large numbers of employees at every level give internal communications poor grade despite all the investments of time, money and effort. The result is a "trust gap" between employer and employee.
Many managers have no idea that their communications efforts are not working. In a survey for Fortune magazine, 8 out of 10 chief executive officers said their corporate strategy is understood by "everyone who needs to know." To the contrary, it was found that less than one-third of employees think management provides clear goals and directions.
Less that fifty percent of employees approve of their employers' efforts to communicate what's happening with their jobs, according to a survey by Opinion Research Corporation.
Another study found that when top management does put out information, only about half of the employees have a positive response to what they are told.
The result of all of this is a loss of direction; a declining sense of loyalty between employer and employee; sagging morale; and loss of productivity.
Internal communications fail for five basic reasons.
1.Failure To Listen
Despite career advice to the contrary, most management efforts are made in sending messages rather than listening. This ignores the fact that communications is a two-way street.
Management sends out a blizzard of communications without ever taking the time to listen to see if the messages are being received, to say nothing of understood.
2. Sporadic Communications
Organizations cripple their ability to communicate and lose credibility with a program that is "on again-off again." This condition usually manifests two ways.
Employers are frustrated when employees fail to understand what is expected of them. Furthermore, they don't care. The solution is "We need an internal communications program". There is a flurry of activity; the situation shows some improvement. The communications program dwindles and dies, to be resurrected only when another crisis in employee attitudes develops.
In another scenario, things are going along in good shape for the company and management is actively communicating the good news to the troops. Suddenly there is bad news ... Sales and profits decline or the company is subjected to a class-action lawsuit. The iron curtain drops and all communications stop, to be resumed only if and when things get better.
3. Dishonest or Misleading Communications
Some companies are foolish enough to believe they can outright lie or mislead their employees. That never works for long.
4. Actions Don't Jibe With The Words
Management sends out messages that are contrary to their actions.
Such managers write articles saying, "We are all in this together ... one big happy family." Then they push their salaries to astronomical heights while holding pay raises for the rank and file below the rate of inflation.
They forget that actions speak louder than words.
5. Communications Are Confusing and Irrelevant
Management fails to communicate in clear and effective languages that everyone can understand and can relate to.
Fluff instead of facts fills the communications media: news of brides, babies and dead fish, plus canned cartoons and fillers. A warm and fuzzy climate is induced while the issues that deal with the health of the business are ignored.
It is very difficult to change these conditions. However, if this is the case in your workplace, you can make a start toward improving the situation by being sure you are communicating with your associates and your boss. Open a dialogue with your boss about the problem and suggest ways to open the lines of communications.
Your performance and that of your organization will improve with effective communications.
Ramon Greenwood
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