Ideas in the Workplace

It was the fast food giant McDonalds which has popularly embraced the mantra of openness and transparency in the workplace.  They created a system that resembles a corporate democracy, where people can express their ideas and question practices without fear of reprisal. Not one of us is better than all of us, says its management dictum. This is perhaps the reason why the American corporation has become one of the world’s most recognizable brands and one of the most enduring companies.

The McDonalds model encourages open communication in all levels of the company. They give lower rung employees the opportunity to see the problems that they are encountering, suggest solutions to management and when it is found to be working and effective, the solution is carried out to all McDonald branches. It is simple yet novel. Because of an open communication line, employees become part of the system. It elicits their loyalty and in the long run, improves productivity, which eventually is a gain on the bottom line.

Such practice of open communication is being adopted by the biggest companies, like Google. Recognized for years as the best company to work for, Google adopts a monthly no-holds barred forum between all employees and their big bosses, facilitated by the chief executives themselves. Concerns from traffic signs, to hospitalization benefits, even to their free meals in the office are discussed and solved, immediately.

The result speaks for itself. The company is breaking revenue record year-after-year and could be the biggest technological innovator in the past decade. And they continue to produce spectacular applications that keep competition eating their dust.

Communication is very important in companies. Managers and executives must not hole themselves in their corner offices and hope their every decision will create better days for their companies. It is important for them to listen to the people in the ground. They must listen to their employees facing the customers for they know how their products and their services are being accepted. They must talk to people in the production and development sides, as they will understand how their products work and how it could fail.

Only by then will they fully understand the concepts of their operation, educating them to make sound and effective policy and judgment on the direction of the company.

When we come to think of it, that is the basic concepts behind the management board – they are representatives of the owners and various interests in the company – coming together, gather the best ideas and decide. That is also the idea behind bulletin boards, message by executives during programs and even company magazines. In most companies, however, it is only the executives and the managers talking with employees just listening and implementing the orders.

In an open company, employees are encouraged to give ideas making them feel part of the decision-making process and part of the company. This way, they become stakeholders. This is also a great way to discover talent and future company leaders from the rank-and-file.

Bond Ties in Management and Business

Good communication strategies are important aspects in managing and supervising an organization. They also serve as catalysts to the success of the whole enterprise.

Having an effective channel of communication amongst the management and the staff, as well as the support groups, personnel, suppliers, business partners, clients, and customers will ensure that the business will be successful and will function smoothly as in a well-oiled machine.

Creating corporate communication strategies is a difficult task. That is why every business should have communication managers to facilitate the proper way and effective implementation of communication lines. It is the communication strategies that tie the business to management and the management to its staff and employees.

The crucial part here is how to effectively implement these communication strategies to the people inside the business. It should require both words and actions so that communication is not only verbal but should also be visible thereby creating effectiveness in the implementation of the strategies.

Communication in a corporate should be an open-line as well as a bidirectional way of communication. That is from top to bottom and the other way around. This way, both parties will have sufficient understanding on each other’s side of the fence. The job of the communication manager is to facilitate order on these things to promote better communication management.

Communication management is the systematic and interactive planning, developing, monitoring, problem resolution, revision, and facilitation of all lines of communication standards and protocols in an organization. It maximizes the utilization of manpower and technological resources within the business. It also answers the following questions:

*        How to analyze information?

*        What are the targets and use of information?

*        How to organize information?

With these, a preventive thinking helps solve a problem prior to its occurrence. Managers should also bear in mind these critical roles:

*        Harmonize effective information in the business.

*        Analyze the flow of information in the business.

*        Formulate doable communication visions, missions, and goals.

There are also various modern innovations and techniques created in order to have effective communication management in an organization. Some classic techniques are suggestion boards and complaint boards. Modern techniques such as emails and presentations, teleconferencing, videoconferencing, forum sites, as well as communication training and seminars for employees are now being introduced to ensure that communication is effectively practiced as an essential aspect of an organization.

By this, the employees should also do their job in listening and accepting change in communication strategies. It is their role to know this strategy by heart to create a harmonious line of communication. In return, communication manager should also do a follow through to evaluate if their employees get the idea of the strategies. And if ever there were changes in the strategies, they should also know if the employees have really adapted to the changes because for one, change is always there to stay; and that there is no other way than to move forward and accept the changes for the better.

This initiative to develop successful communication lines focuses on the quality of strategic planning and thinking within the business. Upper level management must share the definition of the new strategy and its purpose in order to produce high-end goals into clear goals to employees. Proper guidance instead of simple mission statement shall be relayed to middle-level managers so that it will enable them to comprehend the course of actions required in achieving organizational objectives. Constant seminars and training will further enhance this strategy but the mutual understanding must be on the perpetual discussions of strategy between management and employees. Emphasis should be given in a bidirectional communication everyday which should comprise mostly with managers and employees.

Communication is a two-way process. It is the secret of all good relationships out there, be it in an intimate relationship, in a group, in an institution, or in a big organization. Communication is indeed intentional; people should put a lot of effort, time, and energy to create an effective channel of communication to make anybody heard and understood by everybody. Good communication is the key to the success of a business; thus, effective management on it should be necessary.