How Does Poor Communication Affect Business?
Communication is critical for organizations of all types, which is why individuals who are excellent communicators tend to be valued employees. Ultimately, poor communication doesn't just affect how well people within a business do their jobs; it affects the business' bottom line.
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Internal Effects
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The effects of poor communication internally are profound. When employees can't communicate well with one another, they tend to work in silos and information that could help others never gets shared. Collaboration also suffers, so people sometimes struggle with a problem or project that could be easily solved if they were to work with others on it. Additionally, processes tend to get duplicated, because no one knows what others are doing. This hurts productivity. It also lowers employee morale, as workers tend to feel isolated.
External Effects
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Lowered productivity due to poor communication means lowered overall profits. Thus, a lack of communication internally among employees of a company might mean that, externally, the company can't compete with others in its field on a profit-making level. Additionally, a business that doesn't know how to properly communicate its products and services will have a hard time marketing effectively to get new clients. This will further hurt the bottom line.
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Basic Problems
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There are various communication errors made in businesses. People sometimes fail to share information because they don't see how it can help others, when in fact it can. They also fail to listen to others, either because they are disengaged and unmotivated or simply because they are poor listeners. Some fail to answer communications such as phone calls and emails sent their way, and yet others lack follow-up skills. At the core of all of these problems is a basic lack of courtesy for others with whom the poor communicators work.
Solutions
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Training employees on how to communicate properly in a business setting, including explaining clearly what's expected of them, can go a long way toward solving communication problems. However, motivation often also plays a role in communication issues, because employees who lack motivation can simply not feel like putting in the effort to communicate properly. In such cases, it's important to tackle office morale issues. Lastly, some people simply are not good communicators and no amount of training can make them so. That's why it's critical, at the hiring level, to look for individuals who possess the communications skills necessary to move your business forward.
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References
- Photo Credit Three office workers image by Vladimir Melnik from Fotolia.com
