Case study #8: Too Many Communication Levels Create a Mess
Find the right diffusion of communication.
Communication is the process of exchanging information between individuals. Easy. But why does it cause so much trouble?
Organizational communication sometimes resembles a child's whispering game. You send a message, and something else returns.
The more people on your team, the higher the likelihood of misunderstandings. It is never smooth.
‘Who said what’ is the real game.
Kosmo company was a mid-sized company with project managers, senior project managers, team leaders, account leaders, associate directors, client directors, directors, and a CEO.
Each level had their meetings, and information was cascaded top down. It was often not what was said at the top of the hierarchy that reached the bottom. Team leaders complained they didn’t have enough information. Associate directors were not involved in discussions with the CEO.
There was a lack of consistency between the teams. One was positive, the other negative, and the third did not say it at all.
Everyone felt frustrated and dissatisfied.
What would you do to improve communication?
Top-down does not work
The idea of distributing information from top people to lower levels is problematic. Kosmo's leadership team tested how it really worked. They sent a message:
“We have to prepare for a major capacity crunch as we will get loads of new business from a Universe client within the next few months. ”
Directors discussed who would manage the upcoming big client. They also wondered how to make the capacity manageable. Then each of them spoke to team leaders and account leaders. This was what some of them said:
Director 1: “A new major client is coming. It’s a great opportunity for us.”
Director 2: “We might need to hire more people to manage the new business.”
Director 3: “They again won a new business. I told them we are busy. So, let’s hope we don’t get the new client.”
Director 4: “We need to prepare well for the next few months. New business is coming. So, let’s make sure we have quality standards in place.”
Then, leaders spoke to their teams, and these are pieces of information project managers heard:
Team leader 1: “Guys, I know we are busy right now, but we will be even busier. There is another new client.”
Team leader 2: “Vuhuuu. We are lucky. New opportunities will be presented in the next few months. It’s a chance to get a promotion.”
Team leader 3: “It looks like there will be another capacity crunch soon. So, if you have anyone eligible to join the team, let us know. We will be hiring."
Team leader 4: “Guess what? We get to work with the major player - Universe is coming to our portfolio. Who’s in?”
Team leader 5: “Kosmo is doing well. We keep our numbers healthy and manage to get new business for extra work.”
What and how?
After a week or so, the leadership team talked to different people to find out what they heard or read.
No surprise. Some things got lost in translation. The final communication was influenced by personality, relationships, and team dynamics. The lack of consistency was worrying.
The team had to think about how to spread critical information more efficiently.
Two questions:
What needs to be communicated to your team members?
What is the right channel for each item?
One rule of thumb to remember is that if the topic could drive a strong emotional response or you need immediate action, it is better to communicate directly (face-to-face, Slack, Teams, phone, etc.).
The leadership team discussed what people needed to know. But they only had assumptions. So, they decided to run a few surveys and workshops to ask what they wanted to know. They also explored in which form they would appreciate receiving information.
They needed to break top-down communication and test new ways.
“Chewed” information is more practical
People across the organization agreed on a few things:
They wanted a communication space that would be updated regularly.
They wanted to know everything that directly influenced their work.
They wanted to know ‘why’ some decisions were made.
They needed to feel they could ask questions.
Kosmo's leadership team realized what was not working. Strategic messages did not always translate. Different teams had different priorities. They needed to be as specific as possible and let people ask questions.
So, they chewed the information. Instead of just cascading what, they added two more pieces:
Why
So, what
At the same time, they held QA meetings for leaders to ask questions and clear up doubts and concerns. They also set up a space with a regular CEO summary and highlights of the business on SharePoint.
While consistency was still challenging, the updated approach helped to bring people on board. It improved transparency between departments and connected them to the company's activities.
Plan for communication
Kosmo's team benefited from implementing the following communication flow.
Who: Who does it need to know?
What: What do people need to know or do?
When: When is the best time to communicate?
Where: What channel to use?
How: What words to choose?
How bonus: What tone to choose if it’s in person?
Remember what you say matters as much as how you say it. It is probably the wrong idea to criticize a team at an all-staff meeting, announce layoffs on your Intranet, or not comply with the feelings information can drive.
Communication doesn't just happen. If you plan it well, your organization will complain less. The connection to the vision will increase.
Communication is two-way. Don’t just announce. Try to engage with people. Reply to their questions and comments. Give them space for interaction, particularly, when it directly concerns them.
As a result, you can look forward to building a trust culture. That is a perk worth planning your communication around.
What can you learn from this?
It could be an idea to:
Watch for how many levels each piece of information needs to go before it gets to everyone concerned.
Too many levels can be counterproductive, and something gets lost in translation.
Always consider who needs to know what. Practical information impacts.
Consider the appropriate channels.
Give space for conversations, questions, and listening.
How’s communication in your team? Any trouble you face?
Speak soon, Ivona