Three Steps to Better Organizational Communications

It seems like communication is one of those topics everyone complains about – like the weather – but no one does anything about it.

In the surveys we do with clients, communication is always at the top of the list of things that need to be improved.

Here are three steps that will help you overcome organizational communication problems. 

1. Be Clear About Organizational Purpose

The first step is to be clear about the purpose of the organization. Communication will only help if you have a clear direction set, answering the basic things about why the organization exists, who it serves, what kind of products or services it will deliver, and the values the organization has.

In the Bible, God illustrated this principle in the creation narrative. He said everything was void and without form. It was chaos! 

And then he began to bring order by declaring, “Let there be light” or “Let there be animals,” et cetera. Expressing organizational purpose is the beginning of controlling communication problems.

2. Integrate an Operating System

The second recommendation is that you have some kind of operating system. Some call it a business operating system. A business operating system is a way to work on the organization as it grows and changes.

I like to use a diagram called the execution paradox that illustrates why you must have a system to anticipate growth problems. On the horizontal axis, you see the number of employees. In this simple example, it goes from one to 25. 

On the vertical axis, you see the permutations – the number of potential interactions – between employees. If the headcount goes from three people to 25, that's an eightfold increase in head count, but it's a 117 fold increase in the potential complexities and interactions among people.

How do organizations attack this paradox?

Organizations create departments and processes like an air traffic control system. At a minimum, these departments and processes describe who's going where, when they're going to arrive, what the destination is, and more. 

We see the same thing, this same systematic approach to attacking chaos in everything in life.

3. Care for People

The third thing is to care for people. All the systems, processes, and purposes will only matter if you have an environment where every single leader and person is held accountable for an attitude of caring toward other people through words and actions. 

The reason is that care creates trust, which is an essential component of communication.

You really can't communicate openly with other people. Words are very intimate. They come from your heart, and you don't speak clearly to people you don't trust.

Three Principles for Improving Organizational Communication

To summarize

1. Be clear about the purpose. Make sure everybody understands it. 
2. Put a business operating system and framework in place. A business operating system helps you scale the organization and keep leaders on track to communicate the organization's purpose and manage the execution.
3. Build a culture where people care for each other because care leads to trust, and trust leads to openness and better communication.