Our last few blog posts have focused on projects like TechShare.Juvenile, TechShare.Court, and TechShare.Prosecutor. This week we decided to focus on something a little broader, something we can all relate to regardless of what project you’re on—communication.
Communication and Compensation: it’s never enough
A former colleague of mine once told me, “MBA students stopped writing papers on two topics years ago—compensation and communication. The results are always the same. People will always feel underpaid and under communicated.”
During that time in my career I had been tasked with communicating the ins and outs of my former employer’s top initiative—the successful implementation of a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, SAP. With more than 1,400 employees across 40 locations worldwide, communicating early and often was imperative.
If you’ve implemented a new system in the past, whether it was CCCMS, TechShare.Juvenile, SAP or some other integrated solution, you know all about the role communication plays in a successful Go-Live. End users can’t use a system they know nothing about, right?
Done well, communication during large change initiatives has been shown to strongly influence end user readiness, improved efficiency, system adoption and willingness to accept change.
Lack of Communication Costs Productivity
Following our “big bang” transition to SAP, the leadership team conducted the annual Employee Satisfaction Survey. Each year this survey included a section about communication, something employees had a lot to say about following the implementation.
Aside from the fact communication scores improved over 20% from the prior year, employees commented that they felt more engaged and, ultimately, more ready for Go-Live than any prior system implementation. We may not have been able to influence how they felt about their paychecks, but the more people know about where the organization is going, such as long-term growth, the more confidence they have in the potential for more compensation.
Lack of certainty and direction can lead to procrastination and a decrease in productivity. It all boils down to recognizing the value of having an intentional focus on communicating the company’s top initiatives early, often, and creatively through a variety of channels.
The Less We Know…
The more we fear, right? And the more we fear, the more we kick and scream to know more. Therefore, the more we know, the less we fear. Even better, the less we fear, the more likely we are to ask questions, provide input, and become a part of the solution.
The more your people know about a particular project or change initiative, the more accountable they feel for the outcome. Where there is no accountability, there is no incentive to improve. This is what we call having skin in the game.
If you’re wondering whether or not your people have skin in the game when it comes to your latest IT initiative, ask yourself:
Do I flow information from project meetings down to my team?
If not, it’s time to start, even if you don’t have time. There’s always time to keep your people in the loop. If left up to them, be prepared for “the fear” and lots of it.
Do I share good news, bad news, or both as it relates to the project?
If you’ve ever owned a dog, you’re probably familiar with this concept: if you’re dog hates the vet and the only time he’s ever in the car is when he’s on his way to the vet, then he’s going to hate it when you put him in the car. But if you take him to the vet and his favorite dog park, then odds are his anxiety about the car will subside.
The same goes for communicating with your people. If the only time you ever hold meetings or send emails about the project is when you have good news, they’ll start speculating when you don’t communicate at all (and vice versa).
The best approach way to share information about change initiatives is to have a mix of both approaches. Summarize what’s working (the good news), what’s being worked (the bad news), and any upcoming milestones such as releases or training sessions.
Do I leverage different communication channels for sharing information about the project?
You’re probably familiar with the idea that we all digest information differently. Some of us are visual learners while others prefer a hands on environment. That being said, an effective strategy incorporates a combination of meetings, emails, visuals and videos among other techniques for sharing information.
Never Underestimate the Power of Storytelling and Analogies
Albert Einstein once said, “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.” Remember my earlier analogy about the dog? Stories and analogies are arguably one of the most simple, yet powerful, methods for communicating complex ideas to just about any audience. I’ve witnessed this technique work at all levels of an organization in both the public and private sector.
Not only are analogies less daunting than a 1,200 line Microsoft Project Plan or a complex Visio chart, but oftentimes they’re entertaining and they provide a simpler way for communicating cross-functionally.
We have to remember that we’re communicating with humans, not computers. They go home to friends, families, and pets just like you and I do. They probably drive cars or drive bikes. They can relate to a popular movie reference or sporting event. Any one of these activities can be turned into an analogy about your latest IT project or change initiative.
Plus, every day analogies stick with people. Never underestimate the power of using an analogy to communicate with people, especially when it impacts an organization across a variety of departments, functions, and skillsets.
What’s Your Go-To Communication Technique?
Leave us a comment and tell us how you share project information with teams in your organization. Or, let us know how we support you in finding other ways to communicate project information, especially as it relates to any of our TechShare solutions. Remember the title of this blog? The success of your project depends on it.
Melissa Hicks
Marketing and Communications Manager