We have previously discussed the (fairly) new collaborative technology of wikis. Now the Wall Street Journal (subscription required) discusses wikis (versus e-mail and blogs):
Some analysts have dubbed collaboration via e-mail ‘occupational spam’ — endless, time-consuming and often pointless.
Enter the wiki, which has aims to revive the idea of the ‘writable Web,’ which was how the medium itself was originally conceived by many of its earliest proponents. Using simple software, it allows anyone with Web access to post a page of information that is accessible to anyone else in the same group or organization. Others in the group can then modify, enhance or update it. To keep track of changes, old versions are retained. A wiki has been likened by some to a giant digital white board in a constant state of movement and creation.
From Telephony World:
“Despite the best efforts of departmental heads, the research shows that effective internal communication across a disparate network of global offices remains a huge challenge,” said Graham Opie, research director, Vanson Bourne. “Its importance is clearly understood, however the study confirms that many corporations lack either the understanding or commitment to realise the benefits of new communications technology.”
Do they really lack the “understanding or commitment,” or do they simply not see the value? Our experience is the latter, and it’s why we think it’s so important that Internal Comm. leads start thinking less like journalists and more like business people–ones who can credibly demonstrate the ROI of such investments to leadership.
Avoiding Miscommunications divides miscommunications into two groups: inadvertent and purposeful:
Inadvertent miscommunication arises when people are careless. All of us at some point or another fail to express ourselves clearly or do not take the time to listen. Part of this is human nature; the other part is that we are so busy.
Managers have plenty to do; it’s too easy to rattle something off, assume everyone got it, and move on. Employees are busy; if the message isn’t urgent, they’ll ignore it. Often, the message is sent, but not heard:
As Frances Hesselbein, former CEO of the Girl Scouts USA and chairman of the Leader to Leader Institute, says: “Communications is not saying something; it is being heard.” An unheard message is a message with no action step. It is akin to a tree falling in the forest — silent and forgotten.
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A quirky health-food grocer like Whole Foods may not share your organization’s culture, but it certainly provides an interesting case study in cultivating a strong set of (untraditional) values. Fast Company’s The Anarchist’s Cookbook explains:
The company had a written ‘Declaration of Interdependence’ (1,571 words, 249 more than the Declaration of Independence). It had a set of written core values (’satisfying and delighting our customers,’ ‘team-member happiness and excellence’). And most striking of all, even for a small company, it had a set of quirky management rules that made Whole Foods an odd but effective workplace.
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From CBS MarketWatch:
The number of workers getting fired for violating e-mail policies is rising as companies face more subpoenas of e-mail records, according to a new poll.
Twenty-five percent of companies terminated a worker for violating e-mail policies, up from 22 percent last year.
…
For workers, the message is clear: Think before you hit send.
“If you were standing in an elevator with a client, competitor and a colleague, would you say it out loud? If not, don’t say it in your e-mail.”
Let’s Start Meeting Like This summarizes “Can Absence Make a Team Grow Stronger?” (Ann Majchrzak et al., Harvard Business Review, May 2004), a study of virtual workgroups:
E-mail, while essential in today’s workplace, quickly overwhelms team members, as multiple chains bounce back and forth. Videoconferencing is not quite ready for prime time; according to the study, desktop versions have too little bandwidth, and remote locations require too much travel.
But online team rooms, also known as virtual work spaces, received top marks from successful virtual teams. These networked, file-sharing spaces provide a place for team members to access the latest versions of files at any time, carry on asynchronous discussions (without getting sidetracked into multiple conversations), and keep track of deadlines and time lines. In sum, they collect all relevant information into one place.
The researchers make an interesting point about media richness:
It’s often pointed out that nonverbal cues are an important dimension of face-to-face meetings. For virtual teams, the absence of body language and facial expressions is actually a boon to productivity, the researchers said. Virtual meetings are more democratic than face-to-face discussions; participants don’t feel the effect of hierarchy as much.
Intel’s Got (Too Much) Mail describes how Intel tackled the too-much-email problem — and shares The 10 Commandments of Email According to Intel:
- Don’t use your inbox as a catchall folder for everything you need to work on. Read items once, and answer them immediately if necessary, delete them if possible, or move them to project-specific folders.
- Set up a “Five Weeks Folder” that deletes its content automatically after five weeks. Use it as a repository for messages you’re unsure about, such as that email you want to delete, but you’re not sure if the guy’s going to call you tomorrow and ask about it.
- Assist colleagues’ inbox-filtering efforts by agreeing on acronyms to use in subject lines that quickly identify action items and other important messages. Sample acronyms: , Action Required; , Monthly Status Report.
- Send group mail only when it is useful to all recipients. Use “reply-to-all” and “CC:” buttons sparingly.
- Ask to be removed from distribution lists that you don’t need to be on.
- To cut down on pileup, use the “out-of-office” feature of your email, in addition to your voice mail, to notify people when you are traveling.
- When possible, send a message that is only a subject line, so recipients don’t have to open the email to read a single line. End the subject line with , the acronym for End of Message.
- Graphics and attachments are fun, but they slow down your ability to download messages when you’re on the road. Use them sparingly.
- If you’re sending an attachment larger than 5 MB to a large group of recipients, consider putting it on the company’s Web site or intranet instead.
- Be specific. If you send a 20-page attachment, tell the recipient that the important information is on pages 2 and 17.
Coaching leadership is a recent trend in organizations that requires executives to take a more hands-on approach to employee development, including their own. A recent Fast Company article suggests that To Help Others Develop, Start With Yourself.
The article explains that the Top 20 Companies For Leaders tend to crank out effective leaders because they have senior executives who are actively involved in the coaching process (and open about it). Here’s what General Mills (#18 on the list) CEO Steve Sanger recently told 90 of his colleagues:
As you all know, last year my team told me that I needed to do a better job of coaching my direct reports. I just reviewed my 360-degree feedback. I have been working on becoming a better coach for the past year or so. I’m still not doing quite as well as I want, but I’m getting a lot better. My coworkers have been helping me improve. Another thing that I feel good about is the fact that my scores on ‘effectively responds to feedback’ are so high this year.
According to many execs, what they value most about the coaching process is the honest feedback that results—something they rarely find in their other professional relationships. So, put yourself out there as a “work in progress.” And don’t be surprised if coaching starts to spread down and across the organization to help your employees develop into more effective contributors.
