If there’s one thing that seems to get people offside in a workplace, it’s communication. You’ve probably heard of the expression ‘being treated like a mushroom.’ If you’re not familiar with the phrase, think about how you grow these fungi; you put them in the dark, and feed them manure. Workers relate - being kept out of the communication loop can make it seem like you’re a mushroom in the organisation, privy only to the leftover crumbs of information. This has two significant impacts on the workforce; it undermines a sense of contribution, and it reinforces status barriers. But it doesn’t have to be this way.
The best thing about living in the twenty-first century has got to be the ubiquitous access to communication. In fact, many organisations now struggle with communicating; there are too many ways to pass information. Email, Slack, IM, direct meetings - the list goes on. Despite this, there’s often no real passage of information. People make decisions and don’t communicate their intentions down the chain, expecting it to instead get passed from one level to the next like a game of pass the message. Sometimes, we overlook the tools that could help us the most.
Correcting this issue can be fairly simple - although with all things leadership, nothing is truly simple; after all, there are humans involved, with all their variety and nuance. But there are certain actions that can lessen the friction.
Initially, decide on the medium. Your organisation likely has a normal means for passing information, and in many cases, it’s probably email. Sometimes, there are better options; engagement can be increased by using YouTube videos, information can be accessed easily through Slack or you might prefer to go old school and gather the team for a meeting. Making this decision though, remember one thing; it’s about the audience. Who are you communicating to, and how will they access the information? And don’t forget that the medium sends a message in itself; if you’re passing on bad news, it’s always best to do this in person.
Next, consider the breadth of the message. How far into the organisation do you want the message to get? Is this something you can send to the entire workforce, or is this relevant only to a small section? For those that might consider themselves mushrooms, how do you open a window and make sure they get the information they crave - the information that they need to do a better job? Most communication mediums now make it easy to share information widely, which empowers people to make decisions and act quickly. If in doubt, share widely.
Don’t forget to add context. Passing on a decision without explaining why a decision was made leaves people with information, but no way to use it. Effectively, this is the manure you feed mushrooms; it sustains operations, but it doesn’t grow oak trees. Without context, people can’t add their own knowledge and experience to the information and in doing so, use it to the organisation’s best advantage. Conversely, if people understand the rationale behind decisions, it’s much easier to anticipate what happens next, and to move in the right direction. By explaining the why, it gives a sense of purpose, and empowers people to do more. Knowledge is not power until you share it.
Information empowers people. It’s entirely natural to want to contribute. By ensuring that information flows smoothly through an organisation, leaders can enable their workforce to see opportunities and act on fleeting circumstances. This translates to speed in reaction, which puts the organisation at an advantage. Knowing what’s happening also provides a sense of belonging, empowering people to contribute and reinforcing their sense of status.
The best solution to communication issues, as it often is to organisational issues, is simply to seek feedback. Engage with the team to find out if they know enough, and if they understand why certain decisions are made. Often, there’s a sense that bad decisions need to be held closely in case people are unhappy with the news, but this undersells the ability for well-informed workers to understand context and appreciate being kept in the loop. Ask the team what’s working and what isn’t - then use the feedback to improve.
The Industrial Age was marked by a sense that managers only passed on the information that workers needed to do their jobs. As a result, improvements - if any - were iterative and slow. In the twenty-first century, any organisation that operates in such a backward way will go the same way as the steam train and the telegram. Don’t be a steam train, and don’t let your organisation create mushrooms.
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