Businesses Need to Understand the Importance of Communication

By: Eric Jones
October 14th, 2011

“We manage processes, but we develop people,”—anonymous.

I truly believe that quote. Typically, what I find in the business world is managers attempting to manage people, rather than developing them. There’s a huge difference in my mind when I consider this.

The critical piece in both managing processes and developing people is communication.

Communication can take many different forms. It can be very complex with a lot of detail, and you can sometimes get lost in the minutiae. But at other times, communication can be very high-level, almost in outline form. Not containing detail; just covering crucial points.

I believe companies need to understand that communication can be basic and at the same time, have a phenomenal impact on the organization as a whole. Information can also improve efficiencies and productivity if people know what is expected of them.

Communication can sometimes be a focal point and companies can sometimes get lost in providing too much information to its employees. Frankly, there are times when an organization makes communication more complicated than it needs to be. Communication should, first and foremost, be very simplistic. Don’t try to reinvent the wheel.

Instead, look at what works and what doesn’t work. Start off with the basics. For example, communicate what the vision is, what the goals are and the timelines associated with achieving those goals.

Companies should also ensure that good communication standards exist between departments, managers and their employees.

There seems to be a disconnect in companies — a barrier that exists between senior-level managers and people that are responsible for the day-to-day execution.

The only reason this barrier even exists is because basic communication is lacking.

Communication Basics

The basic communication that’s lacking is just a simple, “Good morning,” or “Hello, how are you doing? How’s your family? How’s work?”

As you develop this on a daily basis, it’s also important to talk about the other areas of the business that are important. Areas such as quarterly goals, progress to achieving these goals or any coaching/mentoring that is necessary to develop the team.

Oftentimes, employees who execute the day-to-day activities feel as if the company’s leadership team thinks they’re too good to interact with them. Executives, in a lot of instances, drive a wedge between themselves and those actually responsible for doing the work (e.g. building an engine or making the clothing).

There’s a misnomer out there that says in order to be professional, you can’t be personable. That’s a fallacy. We can very much be professional and personable. Being professional yet personable can really set the tone for your company’s culture.

Another part of basic communication is providing a regular flow of company information such as a newsletter. However, communication doesn’t have to be written communication. It can also come in the form of a video or podcast posted on your intranet or sent out in an e-mail.

This kind of communication gives everyone in the organization an idea of how the company is doing, what the culture of the company is like, the general goals the company has and what the expectations for productivity are in the coming months.

Just give basic, high-level information. It doesn’t have to be exhaustive. It can be something as simple as four or five bullet points that capture what the company is currently focusing on. It just needs to be informative for employees.

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