Effective communication is essential for any workplace to run smoothly and achieve its goals. However, many organizations struggle with operational communication, which involves the efficient transfer of information and messages between team members, departments, and stakeholders. Poor lines of contact can lead to misunderstandings, delays, and a lack of collaboration, ultimately hindering an organization’s success. The good news is that with the right strategies and tools, communication can be transformed to streamline workflows, enhance collaboration, and ultimately improve business outcomes.
There’s a big difference between top-down internal communication and empowering operational communication. Top-down internal communication refers to information that flows from the top-level management down to the lower-level employees within an organization. This type of data dissemination is typically hierarchical in nature, with information, instructions, and decisions being communicated downward through various levels of management.
On the other hand, empowering operational communication is a more collaborative and inclusive approach to discussions within an organization. It emphasizes the exchange of ideas, information, and feedback between employees at all levels, regardless of their position in the hierarchy. This type of communication promotes active listening, encourages dialogue, and fosters a sense of ownership and accountability among employees.
Why Is Operational Communication Important?
Operational communication allows for the seamless sharing of qualitative and quantitative information throughout an organization to ensure that all team members and stakeholders have a complete view of the business, its processes, and its goals. This information can then be used to drive important business decisions and identify areas needing improvement. Having a comprehensive understanding of the business allows for better alignment between teams and departments. This facilitates cooperation and collaboration, leading to better outcomes.
Streamlining work management, logistical coordination, and knowledge sharing ensures all activities are completed efficiently and effectively. In a recent survey, 72% of business leaders said that effective communication increased productivity. Effective contact channels are essential for the smooth flow of work from one team to another, ensuring timely delivery of goods and services. Information flow is also critical for effective coordination, such as managing supply chain logistics, inventory management, and transportation.
Finally, knowledge sharing allows teams to leverage the collective knowledge of a company. This leads to innovation, better decision-making, and improved operational efficiencies. It also ensures that every member of the organization is on the same page, effectively working towards the same objectives. This leads to more cohesive, collaborative, and productive teams. Efficient work management, logistical coordination, and knowledge sharing are made possible through improved operational communication, leading to increased business performance and success.
Challenges to Internal Communication
The popularity of remote work means that effective internal communication has never been more important. But businesses must overcome some major challenges to fully experience its benefits.
Operational Miscommunication Results in Unnecessary Costs
Operational miscommunication is a common challenge faced by organizations that causes various issues and unnecessary costs. When correspondence is unclear, incomplete, or misinterpreted, it can mean errors, delays, and rework. These lead to inefficiencies and increased expenses. The lack of effective data channels between teams, departments, or individuals can lead to misunderstandings, missed deadlines, and compromised quality.
Organizations can address these challenges by:
- Improving communication channels
- Promoting clarity
- Establishing clear processes
Prioritizing these issues will ensure that information flows smoothly, enabling workplace transformation across all levels of the organization.
Digital Solutions Can Connect Office and Deskless Workers
A significant challenge in internal communication is the digital divide between office and deskless workers. Traditional methods, such as emails and intranets, may not effectively reach deskless employees who work remotely or don’t have regular access to computers. 32% of people surveyed stated that communication with clients and coworkers has become more challenging in the past year. This divide hinders effective collaboration, information sharing, and engagement.
Ultimately, office and deskless workers need to be connected by digital solutions.
The Emotional Impact on Deskless and Frontline Workers
Another challenging aspect of internal communication is the emotional impact it has on deskless and frontline workers. These employees often face high-pressure environments, demanding physical labor, and limited opportunities for social interaction. The lack of effective communication and support exacerbates feelings of isolation and distress among these workers. This, in turn, leads to higher levels of depression and anxiety.
Find Creative Ways to Engage Remote and Deskless Employees
Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace 2023 report states that only 23% of employees are engaged at work. The rest are either “quiet quitting” or actively looking for a new job. Engaging remote and deskless employees is a significant challenge faced by companies today. These employees often work independently or outside of a traditional office setting, which can lead to feelings of isolation and disengagement. To address this challenge, companies need to explore creative ways to engage and involve these employees.
4 Benefits of Operational Communication
By overcoming these challenges, businesses can expect to see their workplace transform through the benefits of operational communication. These include free distribution of information and greater productivity.
- Reduces Friction in the Workplace
Clear and concise information helps prevent misunderstandings and conflicts arising from miscommunication. When employees have a common understanding of their roles, responsibilities, and the processes they need to follow, it promotes a more harmonious work environment. More specifically, it reduces friction between employees, organizational processes, and internal systems.
- Streamlines Business Workflows for Better Agility
Operational communication also facilitates the coordination and cooperation necessary to complete tasks and projects efficiently. This enables organizations to respond quickly to changes and adapt their workflows to new requirements or challenges. For instance, establishing clear information channels and providing timely updates will immediately help to streamline business workflows.
- Improves Worksite Safety
Effective operational communication also encourages reporting of safety concerns or near misses. Organizations can then take proactive measures to address potential risks and prevent accidents. Regular channels and tools, such as safety meetings, safety audits, and safety training programs, help promote a safety-conscious culture within the organization.
- Provides Complete Visibility for Leadership
Greater visibility enables leaders to make informed decisions, set realistic goals, and implement necessary changes to improve organizational performance. Operational communication also enables leaders to effectively communicate organizational goals, strategies, and expectations to employees. This ensures alignment and fosters a sense of purpose throughout the organization.
How Businesses Can Implement Effective Operational Communication
Improved operational communication can completely change the way modern organizations operate, but how can businesses get there?
Encourage and Leverage Two-Way Communication
By encouraging and leveraging two-way communication, organizations can effectively empower deskless and frontline workers.
To encourage better collaboration between typically siloed business departments, organizations should equip deskless and frontline workers with mobile devices and apps that facilitate instant messaging, task management, and collaboration. This allows them to stay connected, receive real-time updates, and actively participate in discussions, regardless of their physical location.
Additionally:
- Managers should cultivate a culture where all employees are encouraged to share their ideas, opinions, and feedback, regardless of their role or location within the organization. Establishing these two-way channels can provide an equal voice to both office-based and frontline workers.
- Actively involve frontline workers in decision-making processes and seek their input on operational improvements.
- Providing formal feedback mechanisms that enable employees to provide suggestions, highlight issues, and share their experiences can also be very helpful. These mechanisms include digital feedback forms, regular surveys, and dedicated communication channels that allow employees to voice their concerns or provide input anonymously.
Choose Technology That Supports Dynamic Distributed Teams
As organizations increasingly rely on distributed teams, it becomes essential to select the appropriate technology tools that support efficient communication and collaboration. Businesses should choose technology solutions that can scale seamlessly as the organization grows and adapts to changing operational needs. This will ensure that communication channels and collaboration tools can accommodate the dynamic nature of distributed teams.
It is also important that any solution a business chooses is part of an interoperable technology stack rather than an individual software that adds work to an employee’s work day instead of reducing it. Organizations should opt for technology that is intuitive and user-friendly, eliminating the need for extensive training and minimizing potential barriers to adoption. An easy-to-use interface ensures that team members can quickly grasp and utilize the tools effectively.
Operational communication is the backbone of any successful workplace and requires intentional efforts to optimize. By implementing effective collaboration strategies, leveraging specialized tools, and fostering a communication-centric culture, organizations can vastly improve cross-department collaboration. The benefits of improved operational communication are substantial, from increased productivity to improved job satisfaction, employee retention, and customer satisfaction.
We hope the strategies outlined in this blog post will help you transform the way your organization works and drive greater success in your business.
Author Bio
Dean Mathews is the founder and CEO of OnTheClock, an employee time tracking app that helps over 15,000 companies all around the world track time.
Dean has over 20 years of experience designing and developing business apps. He views software development as a form of art. If the artist creates a masterpiece, many people’s lives are touched and changed for the better.
When he is not perfecting time tracking, Dean enjoys expanding his faith, spending time with family and friends, and finding ways to make the world just a little better. You can connect with him on Linkedin.
FAQ
Operational communication refers to the exchange of information, ideas, messages, and data within an organization to facilitate its day-to-day operations. It involves all employees and team leaders, regardless of position, and is essential for the smooth functioning of any business or organization.
Organizational communication encompasses all the formal and informal ways in which information is exchanged within an organization. Typical examples include email, meetings, internal memos, newsletters, internal social media messages, team chats, workshops, and employee feedback channels.
Types of organizational communication generally relate to the way communication flows. Downward or top-down communication describes the transmission of information from superiors to subordinates, while upward communication is the reverse of this. Horizontal communication describes a flow between people regardless of position.
Organizational communication offers many benefits that contribute to the overall efficiency, effectiveness, and well-being of organizations. The 4 main benefits highlighted here relate to both leaders and employees. They have enhanced decision-making, improved employee engagement and morale, increased efficiency and productivity, and the ability to build stronger relationships with stakeholders.
