Man is a social animal, but then of
course, Animal Planet and National Geography have proved to us that so is every
other animal! We will however restrict our discussion to human beings in this
article. What exactly do we mean when we say, and accept that human beings are
social? Does it imply that we physically need to be in close proximity to other
human beings? Does it mean we are inter-dependent? Does it mean that we need a
set of rules and regulations that drive our behaviour? Well, probably all of
these and more, but most importantly it means that we need to share thoughts
and feelings, we need to express; in other words we need to communicate.
Contrary
to the popular belief that women need to express more than men, all human
beings need to express. Different people choose different mediums of
communication depending on various factors including gender, age, culture,
upbringing, etc. While some choose to use words to communicate, others feel the
very way they conduct themselves (the choices they make, the clothes they wear,
the work they do, etc.) speaks for them.
People
carry this need to communicate everywhere they go and a workplace cannot deny
the importance and the magnitude of this need. Ironically, while need for
communication defines man’s social behaviour, communication is also one of
those skills that all of us need to improve upon as individuals and as groups!
Statistics
state that more than 50% of failed marriages can be attributed to a collapse in
communication. Similarly, organisations come tumbling down when the information
sits with strategists who don’t share it with those who deliver. Many of us
believe that the Third Reich failed and Hitler lost his war, despite the
meticulous planning and obsessive passion, on account of lack of communication
between him and the last of his soldiers on the war frontiers…
The
success of an organisation largely depends on its people, their understanding
of the goals and strategies of the organisation, their ability to identify with
the organisation’s leaders, culture and ideology and their desire to be a part
of it. Just like individuals, organisations also have their own communication
strategy.
To share or
not
Some organisations believe in complete transparency and
strive to keep their people informed about not just history, values and culture
but also about financial aspects, prospective clients and other such aspects.
It is important that the maturity level of the employees is high for an
organisation to follow this policy of complete transparency. Employees need to
have been a part of the organisation for some time and at a certain level to
feel engaged enough to appreciate this set-up.
There are some other organisations that (probably at certain
times) believe that ‘ignorance is bliss’. This may work as a strategy when the
tides are unpredictable and the ship is rocking uncontrollably! Leaders absorb
the tension and the insecurities and allow the rest of the organisation to
concentrate on day-to-day activities. When organisations work with low-skilled
employees or with very young and inexperienced staff or with transient
population, it might be a smart decision to only reveal what is required!
Most organisations follow the system of selective revealing -
selective information, selective members of staff and selective situations in
which the information is released. Different factors are taken into
consideration to ultimately arrive at the appropriate mix/ the right strategy
for internal communication. This is probably the most effective of methods and
the most prevalent system in the corporate world. The pitfall, however could be
leaving too much to the discretion of individuals. There needs to be a strong
system that defines the ‘who’, ‘what’ and ‘how’ of internal communication.
Whether it is planning summits, focus groups, magazines,
newsletters, emailers or internal team cascade sessions, all ways to
communicate serve a specific purpose and have their own limitations. One method
cannot be better than the others and hence, ‘Corporate Communication’ teams of
organisations have to be very careful while choosing their ingredients for that
perfect recipe - employee engagement!
The bare essentials of internal
communication
• Give a face to the brand
• Constantly communicate the management’s vision for a
product/ service/ division
• Bring about role clarity
• Open a channel for feedback from the foot soldiers
• Communicate values and ethos of the organisation
• Define the road map ahead
• Play a crucial role in crisis/change management
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