Poor Communication Strategy and its Effect on Business Performance.

The progress of any business or organisation depends on the flow of information and how it is processed both internally and externally.

Most business managers wonder why their business is not growing and for that matter record low productivity in their daily operations. Many managers as well as team leaders sit in long hours meeting to brainstorm or try to diagnose what might be the cause of their unproductiveness. Eventually, this creates a knock-on effect on their low productivity. Internal communication in any Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) is essential for higher performance which leads to business growth. To understand, communication itself is a tool in enterprise management however, like any other tool, if it is not utilised well can result in negative impact on business performance.

What makes SMEs Performance Important?

Small and Medium Enterprises are the backbone of every modern economy because of their great contribution towards technological innovation, employment opportunities and additional actors they integrate in the consumer goods value chain. Again, SMEs have been considered to be the bedrock of industrial development in many countries. These enterprises serve as drivers of economic growth and innovation. However, categories of these enterprises face multiple challenges with communication^[1]. As a result, it places a hindrance on the effective performance of these enterprises whenever there is a communication barrier.

Often times, managers spend more productive hours in meetings just to communicate in their organisation to arrive at something whilst there could be an effective way of achieving same result without spending much time^[2]. The demand on time for meetings could be channelled for productive tasks or services which will eventually bring profit to the business. It is obvious that managers spend more productive hours just to communicate one idea or message in long meetings which does not profit the organization. Majority of Project managers and team leaders fail to communicate and instil their organisation’s vision and aims to their ‘internal customers’ in order to deliver their best at any task. 

What are the best strategies for internal communication?

In my opinion, management of enterprises should find better means to communicate and instil the organisation’s vision and aims into their internal customers in order to perform better. Below are some tips for effective communication.  

5 Tips on how to stay productive with effective communication

1. Make your organisation’s vision and mission clear to your staff.

Lack of proper communication affects organisational culture and behaviour. When vision and mission are not communicated well by managers to employees, most often it hinders the progress of any organisation.

2. Avoid long meeting hours

In most SMEs where there are fewer employees who play multiple tasks in the business, long meetings usually make them unproductive. This is in the sense that long hours spent in meetings consume most of their productive hours and sometimes they are not able to meet the company’s targets or customer demands and satisfaction.

3. Give Clear Instructions 

Clear instructions tend to get jobs done on time. Unclear communication causes delays and can completely stop an ongoing project. It is always important to include detailed instructions for every task or assignment you give out to your staff and team members.

4. Use Visuals or signs

Images or pictures communicate more effectively than mere words. Be encouraged to utilize different approaches of communication to help get your messages across. Many times, people miss details or important steps at work if they don’t have a visual reference to go back to. Use symbols, illustration and images at your workplace to remind your staff of some important issues. Place such signs open and at vantage points to get your message across. Use whiteboards, cards, etc. they promote creativity and make content visually appealing and easier to be understood.

5. Create room for feedbacks

It is important to create a friendly environment for your internal customers. Such an environment creates room for effective communication in workplaces. It’s also important to allow one-on-one meetings with each team member to get feedback whilst giving them the opportunity to ask you questions and present their problems or suggestions. This is a great moment for you as a leader to talk to your team members about their performance.

Communication is very crucial and it can not be left out as far as business performance is concern. I highly recommend you take this course: Interpersonal Communication in SMEs.

References

^[1] Ongori, H., & Migiro, S. O. (2010). Information and communication technologies adoption in SMEs: Literature review. Journal of Chinese Entrepreneurship, 2(1), 93–104. Retrieved August 18, 2018

^[2] Pinsonneault, A., & Kraemer, K. L. (1990). The effects of electronic meetings on group processes and outcomes: An assessment of the empirical research. European Journal of Operational Research, 46(2), 143-161.