DID YOU KNOW?

137,000 new companies are started everyday and around 300 million people are currently trying to start a business, in an environment that is as dynamic as ever.

It’s been said that the world is now a global village. While the operations team may be in Sri Lanka, the graphic designer works from her lake-view desk in Croatia. Barriers in communication have been reduced by electronic media, making virtual better than the physical! 

But, just how vital is communication to the success of a project? Ineffective communication is the reason why one out of five projects fails to take off. That’s right, not all those 300 million people end up being one of the lucky 137,000 companies that takes off every day.

As these small start-ups evolve into bigger and more complex organizations, mastering the art of organizational communication becomes synonymous with success.  Let’s explore the most common challenges that may be blocking your organization’s full potential. 

Inter-Group Communication

Traditionally, as they grow in complexity, organizations create departments and divisions to group work. Although this division streamlines processes, it can sometimes be, well, quite divisive. Communication between departments is not the norm. 

This is why many organizations report a lack of a unified strategy between departments. Marketing and Sales may be ready to seize the day and sell more than a trading room, but operations are still developing the product. When customers are overpromised and underdelivered, the organization’s relationships may suffer.

Here’s what you can do to avoid the harmful practice of “us vs them” in your organization.

Remove Barriers and Transparency

Make sure that there are no artificial barriers in communication between departments. Inter-team communication helps teams fix problems as they arise. Extra layers of hierarchy in communication delay results. As Elon Musk said “You can talk to me, you can talk to anyone without anyone else’s permission,” “Moreover, you should consider yourself obligated to do so until the right thing happens”, he continues.

Getting everyone on the same pages requires:

• Quick routes of communication within and between departments
• Organizational goals over departmental goals
• Gone with unnecessary hierarchy
• Reachable and available management
• A virtual open-door policy
• A shared understanding of the vision and goals

Time Zone Differences

What about the rise of the unconventional workplace? you may be thinking. As entrepreneurs focus on innovation, they want the work environment to reflect that culture too. The cubicle is being traded for a ping pong table at the office, or no office at all. Similarly, organizations no longer restrict their staff to cubicles, but look for talent globally. As organizations become more flexible, they may run into communication challenges like cultural and time zone differences.

The more time zones in your team, the more important precision becomes! That means precision in:

• Time of availability
• Type of availability
• Communicating expectations
• Sharing of important materials

Sharing preferred times of communication and finding a middle ground for team meetings is essential to this nature of work. On the positive side, your organization will always have someone on the clock!

Cultural Misunderstandings

The strongest suit of an international team is having global perspectives and connections at your disposal. Cultural misunderstandings are the subject of many comic skits, and the workplace is no exception.

High-context cultures, like Japan and Greece, rely heavily on non-verbal cues in communication. On the other hand, low-context cultures, like US and Germany, rely on words themselves. Neither way is right or wrong, rather than different ways of expressing yourself!

High-context cultures prefer oral communication, while low-context cultures generally expect written communication. Your German coworker may be confused about what the Japanese colleagues are pointing towards, as messages are often implied rather than directly stated. 

As harmless as these misunderstandings usually are, a lot can be lost in translation. To avoid misunderstandings and solve them quickly when they do occur, the art of expressing yourself comes into play.

Express Yourself

To express yourself in an inter-cultural setting:

• Repeat or confirm what you think was said
• Pay attention to nonverbal communication
• Be open-minded to different ways of doing things
• Organize virtual team-bonding activities
• Accept that you’ll make mistakes
• Try to eliminate assumptions

Reliance on Different Platforms 

Organizations today use a myriad of platforms, PowerPoint for presentations, Slack for team conversations, Zoom for meetings, and the list goes on and on. Communication problems may arise when there’s confusion on what communication platforms to use, whether for meetings or storing documents. 

Establishing official channels of communication will reduce confusion, especially when working with a multinational team. Rather than spending 15 minutes looking for an email that contains that presentation you need, consider creating shared folders that grant access to those who need it.

In the age of information, it’s time to set a higher standard for communication platforms. Have you ever found yourself daydreaming of a platform that is not only functional, but takes into account:

• Experience
• Identity
• Culture 
• Motivation
• Visual Gratification

Shine Professionally

Investing in your growth starts by investing in your team. Rather than settling for solutions that simply don’t excite employees, investing in creative platforms that create engagement goes a long way. So, don’t think twice next time you’re considering subscribing to a new technological tool that will get ideas flowing. Solutions like MasterWiZR bring all the tools your team needs under one integrated platform, merging the worlds of practical and visually enrichening experiences. 

Top-Down Communication

Employees today want to feel heard. 74% of millennials are planning to quit their jobs within the next three years. Why so? The modern workforce looks for meaning and growth in their work, and will not settle for less. To feel heard is to feel valued. 

So, it’s time to ditch the top-down communication and ensure that everyone has a seat at the table. The world is moving towards exciting models of flat management, and so should you!

Give Feedback! Ask for Feedback!

Create feedback mechanisms that are two-sided. After all, it takes two to tango. While yearly reviews are common practice, how many companies actually ask their employees for feedback annually? Asking for feedback will not only make your employees feel heard and valued, but will also shed light on things you could be doing better. 

Here are some ideas:

• Practice more diversity in employee feedback
• Finding new ways for managers to be active listeners
• Ask employees about their professional development goals
• Consult employees on process improvement

If you’re struggling to shake things up a little, consider capturing your employees’ interest by adding different polls, small task forces, intra-teams, shadowing groups, or other models that work well for you.

Today, we explored ways of removing barriers and transparency, expressing yourself in an international setting, using platforms to shine professionally and making employees feel valued. We aspire to help you become one of the 137,000 new companies that takes off every day. This is what drives our in-depth look at the art of communication in modern organizations. 

We are continuously exploring and growing with you, and invite you on this journey of discovery. Let us know what tips you found most useful!

For more insights, stay tuned with MASTERWiZR.