5 February 2024 Open communication: 3rd Strategic Investment
Strategic corporate investments
3rd Strategic Investment: Open Communication
How to create a more productive and innovative working environment
Communication is key to building relationships and an open communication is essential for a culture of growth as it fosters the creation of trust and respect useful for the effective performance of work activities.
An communication is open when employees feel comfortable sharing their thoughts, ideas, and feedback, regardless of their position or seniority, and without fear of being judged.
Open communication: some important benefits
With an open communication a number of benefits are realised, including:
- a better collaboration and productivity. When people feel comfortable communicating with each other, they are more likely to collaborate and share their knowledge and skills. This can lead to higher productivity and better results. This is because employees from all levels of the organisation can contribute their own unique perspectives and experiences.
- an environment that creates innovation. An open communication can encourage people to share new and innovative ideas. People who communicate openly can work together to develop new products or services, or to find solutions to complex problems, more shared decisions, and new growth opportunities.
- greater understanding in the exchange of points of view. An open communication helps people understand others better. When people share their perspectives and experiences, they can see the world through each other's eyes. This can help reduce conflict and foster genuine connections between people. When employees can openly express their concerns and even disagreements, these are more likely to be resolved constructively.
- a greater spread of trust and motivation. When employees feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and ideas, they feel more valued and respected. This can lead to greater job satisfaction and engagement.
Open communication: what organisations can do
Here are some actions that can help open communication in organisations.
- Creating a culture of trust and respect: employees must feel they can trust their managers and colleagues when expressing opinions, even if they differ. This is essential to create an environment in which the open communication can spread.
- Encouraging feedbackManagers should encourage employees to provide feedback on all aspects of work, both positive and negative. Feedback can be used to improve business processes and activities, making them easier, more effective and possibly even enjoyable.
- Increase transparency: managers should be transparent with employees about the organisation's goals, challenges, and decisions. This transparency helps build trust and encourages the open communication.
- Provide opportunities for communication: organisations should provide opportunities for employees to communicate with each other, both formally and informally. This could include regular, short, and constructive team meetings, one-to-one meetings with managers, and events where sharing of personal experiences and stories can also be promoted.
- Teaching and encouraging active listeningActive listening means paying attention to what the interlocutor is saying, asking questions to clarify or deepen and to welcome the point of view that may also be different but from which a constructive and therefore useful solution for all may emerge.
- Recognising the contributions of collaboratorsA corporate culture that openly values the contribution of all employees is an important signal for increasing motivation and productivity. Apart from financial rewards, any sign of appreciation, even verbal, of the work done contributes to increasing employees' sense of effectiveness, pushing them to give their best.
An open communication is an essential ingredient for a successful working environment.
Favouring an open communication, organisations can improve decision-making, enhance collaboration, reduce conflict, and increase employee morale.
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Conclusions on the 3 strategic corporate investments
I close this series of articles on strategic business investments with the following final summary consideration.
Employee development, an upright performance appraisal system, and open communication aim to create a positive and productive working environment and are three interconnected systems of any organisation.
Indeed, employee development is fundamental to an upright performance appraisal system. The performance appraisal system is upright when it helps employees develop the skills necessary to reach their full potential.
Furthermore, the upright performance appraisal system helps to spread open communication between managers and employees.
Open communication provides employees with constructive feedback, thus facilitating their development paths.
The common thread of the 3 articles
The common thread that has united the three articles concerns the things that the three topics have in common, namely the following:
- be aimed at parallel growth in both knowledge and performance,
- be based on transparency and objectivity,
- envision to improve company organisation and operations.
When the interconnection between the three systems is neglected, the positive result suffers somewhat.
More information and how to contact me
You can link directly from here to the other articles on strategic corporate investments 1) employee development e 2) virtuous performance appraisal system.
For more information, and to work concretely on these issues, book a
For considerations on what contributes to limiting communication and 4 pillars of good communication:
Julian Treasure: How to speak so that people want to listen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIho2S0ZahI
For ideas to improve listening skills
Julian Treasure: 5 ways to listen better (conscious listening exercises)
https://www.ted.com/talks/julian_treasure_5_ways_to_listen_better?autoplay=true&muted=true