Better and higher productivity is essential in almost every aspect of a business. Innovative approaches, excellent ideas, and well-trained staff are beneficial if an organization accomplishes its goals and completes every project. Let’s see how to improve communication for better productivity at work.
So if it looks like the company has everything it needs to become highly productive, it could get frustrating to start getting a lower output. If you have done all you think you could and there are still no significant improvements, the problem might just be communication.
Even the most efficient employees with the best intentions may not be able to work effectively if they do not communicate effectively with each other. If you are looking to improve your company’s productivity levels, then communication should be one of the areas you need to tackle.
It is a fact that practical cooperation and sharing can positively affect your business and help guide you on the path to achieving all your goals. You can work with professionals like G 12 to come up with effective communication systems for your team.
Table of Contents
Improving Workplace Communication
Sometimes you might wonder why almost every job listing demands good communication skills? Many business individuals may have experienced the adverse effects of lack of interaction in the workplace. Unfortunately, not all of them can do what it takes to control it, with most of them failing to do what is in the company’s best interest. Some others think that office relationship is just another buzzword in business that has little or no relevance.
When information is not being passed the right way, through the proper channels, and at the right time, productivity is sure to dwindle. Even more, projects may not be completed, which would mean that goals may not be met. The opposite is also true; with effective communication, positivity will be evident in workers’ output, boosting their retention rate, employee morale, and overall productivity in the working environment.
If people knew how important communication in the workplace could help improve their productivity, maybe they will work hard to establish good interaction practices within the company.
Let us refresh our minds a little; do you remember the seven Cs of communication? Yes, the seven Cs is just a checklist for evaluation interaction and relationships in the office or company to ensure that any message passed is clearly understood as intended.
Generally, to be more productive and effective, communication has to be clear, concrete, concise, coherent, correct, courteous, and complete. In this article, we will delve deeper into how well communication can help productivity on different levels.
We will look at its impact on individuals, its impact on groups or teams, and then its impact on the organization as a whole. While we do this, you should bear in mind that the effects of good office relationships may also depend on some other factors, even though our focus will be on improving communication for maximum productivity. This link https://www.business.com/articles/helpful-tips-for-maximizing-employee-productivity-in-a-world-of-distractions/ has more on maximizing the company’s productivity.
Its Impact on Individual Performance
We can agree that the efficiency of every organization depends on the output of its employees. No matter how talented one individual is, they can only achieve so much.
Companies perform better and thrive on the collective contribution of the subordinates. This is why leaders should understand the factors that affect their workers’ productivity. Some of its effects on individuals include;
Positive relationships with other people can do a lot more than keeping employees happy. By being surrounded by people who communicate, workers are always sure to improve their work. Some of these benefits include;
Empowerment and Self-Development
With proper interaction, empowerment can be influenced positively. People respond based on how you talk to them. If the tone is wrong, many things will go wrong too. If you do not communicate right with your employees, they lose motivation and develop fear.
On the other hand, with proper communication, more doors of opportunities can be opened. When a boss can inspire and empower workers with the right words, they are bound to do better, developing themselves in the process.
Clarity
If you are working with a boss and they give you something to do without giving you clear instructions, will you be able to carry out the instruction? Lack of clarity leads to higher chances of making mistakes and can reduce motivation levels.
If you need so much time to decipher the instruction, it makes you less efficient, and we must agree that clarity could have solved that problem. Generally, employees tend to deprioritize tasks that are unclear, leading to lower productivity levels. Giving detailed and explicit instruction leaves little room for ambiguity. Clarity assists workers in getting started.
Engagement
Bad interaction undermines engagement by allowing people to feel that whatever they do or think has little or no consequence. Also, since only the bosses are likely to get all the influence, people are usually less likely to speak out. The lesser diversity of ideas may lead to less creativity and more errors.
When there is excellent interaction, levels of engagement are significantly increased. Have you ever been ignored when in the middle of a conversation? Now, how would you now feel when people take your input seriously? You will notice the difference in moods when those two happen and realize that interaction leads to engagement.
When someone communicates with other employees, there is motivation to do better as they may start believing in the impact and relevance of their actions and voices.
Accountability and Ownership
Communication is directly tied to power. Seniority usually determines how information flows. Most bosses expect direct reports from their employees, with little chance to give or react to the input. Some team leaders argue that this is an efficient system.
However, those who see the bigger picture can agree that those in the lower level can still give their output. If their voices are not heard, the employees tend to lose the zeal to work, getting more and more detached by the second. The functional relationship gives them a better sense of accountability, making them more inclined to get better output.
Time Management
Nobody likes to waste time, but we do it anyway. Some of the time, we waste time when it could have been avoided. Without better interaction, time will be wasted. Imagine an employee working on a difficult task for so long only to find out you were wrong all the while?
It can be frustrating knowing you wasted so much time and effort on something that did not come clean. Poor communication can lead to this as there may be some misunderstanding in the buildup. It may even happen during meetings.
If people cannot interact appropriately, the attendees end up achieving nothing. Everyone may spend so much time pushing their agendas that they end up wasting precious time. You can check this page for tips on better time management.
Its Impact on Team Performance
Teams are often the lifeblood of most businesses and companies. Because of the collective output of individual members, teams become successful. Since the goals and projects of organizations revolve around teams, we will be discussing how effective communication can influence team performance;
Team Flexibility
Before now, communication used to be done in two ways; written or verbal. However, thanks to technology, information can flow through several media. These may include phone calls, texts, emails, or videos. Different forms of media come with other use cases.
However, they are all different ways to allow the flow of information. Effective interaction can increase team flexibility by enabling them to enjoy and explore other options. For example, people do not need to be under the same building while working with effective communication. There are other examples where a good flow of information can increase employee flexibility.
Team Cohesion
When you see an efficient team, there is a strong bond between them. It does not have to be family ties or friends from childhood; effective interaction helps people hold some respect for one another. Cooperating to achieve a set goal can form the bond and team cohesion we are talking about.
Even though it may take a little while to develop such cohesion, communication can get it done. Getting to express their skills, goals, and personalities will help them understand each other, forming a bond.
Conflict Resolution
You can agree with us that no matter what one does, conflict is almost inevitable. The fact that the different people in a team or business are from diverse socio-economic, ethnic, or family backgrounds means that they may be involved in some sort of misunderstanding along the way.
Communication can help resolve those conflicts because it creates an understanding between those parties. In fact, with effective interaction, one can even prevent the conflict from happening in the first place.
Team Support
As long as you work and interact with human beings, emotions are bound to run. People can get emotional due to different reasons. They may come in the form of home or workplace struggles, and they need every support they can get.
How is this support offered to those people before they start suffering from mental or physical illnesses? by interacting with them. Once someone can describe their concerns and needs to another party, they can be offered the correct help. This would not be achieved without effective communication.
Team Efficiency
The general aim of teams is to achieve complex assignments that may not be possible for one person, so they need to work together, right? Leaders ensure that teams are formed, and members are assigned to those teams to work together. Coming down to these teams, they will not be able to split tasks amongst themselves or understand each other’s roles without proper interaction.
Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of teams boils down to effective communication. Otherwise, there will be complications due to mixing up at different points, leading to inefficiency. With the proper flow of information, team members can tell other members of their progress and notify them of any concerns or issues.
Its effects on the Organization or Business
Even though the positive effects of interaction can apply to both teams and individuals, we must also analyze how it can benefit the business or company. How does it achieve that?
Work Culture
This concept depends heavily on interaction and vice versa. Let’s start with this; some organizations and businesses impose limitations on how employees interact. For instance, some companies do not permit employees to talk about topics that are unrelated to work. On the other hand, some companies allow employees to interact actively with each other and get to know themselves better.
Looking at the concept of the two companies, it is easy to know that the latter set would do far better than the former because there is adequate interaction. Nobody is saying the employees should be allowed to do as they like. However, it is pertinent to say that they need to be able to share ideas and information amongst themselves, and it does not necessarily need to be only about work.
Employee Retention
The work culture is dependent on interaction, no doubt. Without the right work culture, employee morale and motivation levels are usually affected. When an employee’s personality does not match that of the existing culture, they may leave sooner or later. Nobody wants to work under the guise of modern slavery. Proper interaction may correct this problem by giving people an idea of the existing work culture and facilitating suitable support mechanisms.
Solidarity and Agility
The way leaders interact with their subordinates can be used to measure the company’s success. It also allows the employees to understand what is expected of them. Positive interaction between bosses and employees will give the same type of cohesion that can be formed between team members. After all, they are all working toward the same goal. With the right level of communication, there is a quicker transfer of information.
This would mean that the team members or employees can act faster and get things done at a much faster rate. With the technologically advanced tools that are used to pass communication quicker, everyone becomes proactive and can get the work done.
Take Away
A business or organization is not only where monetary transactions or paperwork are being made; it is where most employees spend a large part of their life.
Socialization is an aspect that should play a vital role, and communication is in the driving seat. No matter the form it takes, it will do your business, your organization, and even an individual a lot of good.
