Bridging Communication Gaps in Organisations

Communication gaps can be the biggest barrier to the growth & health of any organization. 86%* employees cite LACK OF effective COMMUNICATION (& hence collaboration) as MAIN CAUSE of WORKPLACE FAILURES.These barriers can exist between senior management, middle management & the executive team as such. They can exist because of different geographies. They can existing between any two individuals/teams because of varying perceptions/objectives/
awareness of facts in the local or larger environment/biases/prejudices…or a multitude of other reasons.

In one of my previous roles, we used to workshop with startups to help them define their vision-positioning-identity. The more I think of it, the more I realise that a much larger application of this exercise is to break silos within organization, to let communication flow freely and create teams which unite from a unity of a vision.

Please drop in a comment if you wish to aLINE!

*Source: https://pumble.com/learn/communication/communication-statistics/

1. aLINE
Bridging Communication Gaps at Work

2. 86%
Percentage of
employees who cite
LACK OFeffective
COMMUNICATION
(& hence collaboration) as
MAIN CAUSEof
WORKPLACE
FAILURES.
Source: https://pumble.com/learn/communication/communication-statistics/

3. But why ?

4. Communication Gaps

5. But why do Communication Gaps happen ?

6. Senior Management
Middle Management
Junior Executives
Some differences in alignment of direction,
but largely aligned.
Lack of communication with top,
alignment is more haywire on goals.
Misdirected by middle management,
even more lost with respect to direction!

7. MISCOMMUNICATION
LOCAL ISSUES in
BRANCHES / TEAMs
MOTIVATION
of EMPLOYEES
WRONG POSITIONING
of ORGANIZATION
BARRIERS at WORK
SENIOR MANAGEMENT’s VISION

8. HENCE, a lot of EMPLOYEES feel like…

9. But is all this worth investing in?

10. Some Interesting Statistics
Source: https://techreport.com/statistics/business-workplace/workplace-communication-statistics/#:~:text=on%2C%20let's%20blaze.-,A%20Quick%20Glance%20at%20Workplace%20Communication%20Statistics,%25)%20do%20their%20daily%20tasks
Key Benefits for Employees
Key Benefits for Companies
66% 60% 54%
PRODUCTIVITY
INCREASE
BETTER WORK/LIFE
BALANCE
BETTER MENTAL
HEALTH
10% 6% 16%
DECREASE IN
OFFICE COSTS
EASIER TO RETAIN
EMPLOYEES
EASIER TO
ATTRACT TALENT

11. Some Interesting Statistics
Source: https://techreport.com/statistics/business-workplace/workplace-communication-statistics/#:~:text=on%2C%20let's%20blaze.-,A%20Quick%20Glance%20at%20Workplace%20Communication%20Statistics,%25)%20do%20their%20daily%20tasks
70%
workers believe they’d
get more done with
better communication.97% 85%
say communication
affects performance at
a daily level.
feel more motivated
when bosses share
news often.

12. Alignedon a Single-Minded Goal(year-on-year)
from Top-to-Bottomsuch as winning new business/awards etc.
More importantly, in my 17 year long career(across
MNCs & start-ups), I have seensuccessin
teams/organizationswhich were:

13. In Zenith (Publicis Media), I worked 5 years non-stop on winning
new business, within the first month of my joining we won Bombay
Dyeing, followed by Parle…..and many other global accounts such
as GSKbecause of the alignment of goals from local-to-global teams.
In Mindshare (Group M, WPP)–I saw the organization winning many
awards, including the coveted Emvies(Agency of the Year) 6 times in
a rowbecause the goals were so aligned that they had a motto,
“Ye EmviesKahinNahi Jayega!”

14. ●Goalswere not alignedOR
●Goals kept changingsporadically from time-to-time OR
●Goals were not communicated & aligned seamlessly across the
organization OR
●There were no proper communication channels for employees across
levels (leaving barriers to success unresolved)
And I have seen Failures in Organizationswhere:

15. I am an IIT alumnuswith a MS from US. Being a student of design, understanding
people and their needs came naturally to me, as a strategist for 17+ yearsin leading
advertising agencies-I honed my skills further on understanding consumer
needs/motivations/triggers and barriers.
While doing workshops with various startupsto define their purpose-vision-positioning,
I realized the APPLICATION OF THIS EXERCISE IN IDENTIFYING COMMUNICATION
GAPS WITHIN AN ORGANIZATIONand GENERATING INSIGHTS to BRIDGEthe same
BETWEEN SENIOR MANAGEMENT/ IMPORTANT STAKEHOLDERS/ MIDDLE
MANAGEMENT/ TEAMS ACROSS FUNCTIONS & GEOGRAPHIES, all the wayup to
INDIVIDUAL EMPLOYEES.
This led to the birth of aLINE-a frameworkaimed at closing
communication gaps at work to increase productivity
and create a happierand more positive workforce!
Who am I ?

16. Sowhat will I do for you ?

17. Help Bridge the Communication Gaps in Your Organisation

18. How?

19. Step 1:Workshop with Senior & Middle Management

20. Core
●Purpose (why you exist)
●Vision (what you aim to achieve)
●Mission (how will you achieve your vision)
●Values (what you stand for)
Positioning
●Target Audience (who you need to talk to)
●Gap Analysis (where you can succeed, and what you need to improve)
●Touchpoints (where can you communicate with the whole organization)
●Positioning Statement (how internal stakeholders perceive your organization)
Persona
●Personality (archetype/s associated with your organization)
●Voice (tonality in which you communicate with employees)
●Structure (how is your organization structured)
Defining / Aligning the Organisation’s:

21. STEP 1:
1 SESSION,
followed by
aLINEREPORT
•WORKSHOP with 11 interactive exercises to co-
create the above flow organization’s purpose to
positioning (4-6 hours)
•FINAL PRESENTATION (after 1 week):
•Defining Organisation’sCore, Positioning & Persona
•MIsALIGNMENTsnoticed in Workshop
•Recommendations & Brainstorm with
Sr. Management on possible solutions

22. Step 2:Survey with all other executives in organisation

23. STEP 2:
Survey (50
employees)
•Simple 10 question Google Form floated with up
to 50 employees (beyond 50 will need
involvement of HR/Team Leads for analysis)
•FINAL PRESENTATION (after 1 week):
•Insights from aLINEsurvey
•Recommendations for aLINEment& Brainstorm with
Sr. Management on possible solutions

24. To stay aLINED: Annual Workshops & Bi-annual Surveys

25. Let’s aLINE!