Question

A manager trained his employees to use the new software which was introduced in order to improve the efficiency in communication within the organization. But the efficiency has gone from bad to worse. Discuss how will the manager solve this situation? 150 word

Answer 1

A manager need to follow the below to improve communication within the team:

Leaders set the tone within an organization. How they behave and how they communicate has a ripple effect on every team and individual

1. Work out loud to set the tone for open communication and transparency.
2. Encourage, and take part in, debate and honest feedback on team projects.
3. Respect feedback and new ideas, even if they’re in contrast to your own opinion
4. Recognize and reward this open and honest communication.

The power of “hello” is stronger than you realize. Often, it’s the catalyst to conversation; a primary building block in more team communication.

However, in some offices, it often goes unsaid. Perhaps it's due to stimulus overload and distraction. Or, maybe you’re distracted by a hard problem. Or, simply too shy.

Whatever the reason, it’s time to bring “hello” back into your workplace. Greet that guy you pass in the corridor, say hi to the girl getting her lunch from the fridge, and make sure you say hello to each team member as they arrive each day.

Stop treating others the way you like to be treated, and start treating them the way they like to be treated. You may want to communicate verbally and assume others like the same, while they actually prefer connecting through messaging. Or, you may want to work in near-silence for eight hours, while others need to break up the work with a few conversations.

Ensure you take the time to check in with your teammates and find out their preferred method and means of communication for anything from brainstorming to team check-ins. Then build your communication from there.

Sometimes miscommunications within a team are part of a larger problem; a lack of role clarity. This can be a lack of clarity on a macro scale (one’s responsibilities within an organization) or a micro scale (one’s responsibilities within a certain project).

If you’re finding things are getting missed, or there’s duplicated work and confusion, it may be time to clarify. Every person in your team should know what each team member is responsible for. This will allow them to work smartly with their teammates, predict bottlenecks in work, and see any gaps and opportunities between the roles.

Sometimes, teams don’t communicate well because they don’t communicate enough. And sometimes that’s simply because they’ve never really communicated. If you’ve got that problem and want to change it, it may be time to simply extend an olive branch: start the conversation.

This requires a certain level of confidence (and the ability to be vulnerable). Funny though it may sound, it can feel hard to break the mould even in this small way. However, if you’re confident enough to open up a conversation and share with your colleagues, you’re likely to establish a stronger, trusting, and more communicative relationship.