3 steps to effective employee communication

Actionable information for improving internal communications

Simplifying access to relevant information

Historical data reveal problem-solving knowledge is under-leveraged because employees did not know it existed. Additionally, they are uninformed about its relevance. Accessing relevant information during problem solving is also constrained by the amount of time available. To overcome the challenge, teach employees how to access explicit and tacit knowledge by making it a part of their induction/on-boarding process. Facilitate it by stocking the repositories with documents pertaining to best practices.

Encouraging collectivism

In global enterprises, employees understand organizational culture through strikingly different lens of beliefs and values.  As communicators, we should acknowledge and understand its influence and facilitate dialogue by employing a bias free language. In addition, we should weave in the differing perspectives by highlighting the areas of commonality into employee communications. This will help in breaking-through the cultural silos and unifying over a shared understanding of the goals. Significantly, it encourages cohesion within the organization, thereby making communications between peers effortless and effective.

Facilitating Flow of Information

Engage employees by letting them access the tacit knowledge within the organization. Use newsletters, email campaigns, internal social networks, groups and importantly influencers to further the process.  For example, in addition to discussion boards, create communities of practices. The key is to facilitate expertise brokerage in real-time, along with communication, collaboration and networking. The goal is to make employees part of the information flow, so that they will feel empowered to propagate it between themselves.

Discussion Question: How does your organization facilitate internal communication?