The greatest tool that I have in managing the operations of a growing company is my access to information and internal communication. Without information and communication, you’re shooting in the dark and I don’t need to go into detail as to why this is so dangerous for any company. The single biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it’s taking place.

For decades, companies have understood the importance of communicating with customers. It’s the fundamental reason for a marketing department. Money and time is spent on conveying the brand identity to the consumer, to the public, and even to competitors by the messages a skilled marketing team delivers. As CEO of Armstrong Steel, the focus on internal messaging is equally important to me.

When a company has clearly defined systems in place and those systems perform as planned, good things follow. Excellent managers understand that companies are more than their product, more than their departments, more than a combination of cogs that each turn a different wheel in the machine; they’re made up of people.

Hands and feet function independently, but running requires cooperation between the two to maintain balance and mobility. Similarly, in business, communicating and exchanging information is crucial.

So how do I recommend improving internal communications within your organization?

1. Assess current communication methods and channels.

Take a step back and look at how things currently operate. Which departments or individuals already do a great job of communicating well? Take a cue from these examples and replicate org wide. Do you have employees who effectively convey thoughts, ideas and messages with little or no ambiguity? How are these departments or individuals doing this? Memos? Meetings? Emails? Structured policies? Collaboration is the key to success.

Which departments are in conflict and where is communication lacking? Is it midlevel managers who don’t understand the culture or the goals of the leadership team? Is ego or lack of skill getting in the way? These questions aren’t always easy to answer but they require careful consideration. It seems like common sense but sometimes leadership teams become so externally focused that internal processes get overlooked.

2. Encourage mingling.

Notice I write ‘mingling,’ and not rampant socializing. The reason I encourage this is because I believe there are many people within an organization – the folks in the trenches – who have great ideas on ways in which internal processes can be corrected or made more efficient, but fail to speak up because of lack of familiarity and shyness. Organize team meetings or events to serve as icebreakers. Perhaps it’s your floor plan. Do folks spend most of their time in their offices? Consider opening up your work environment in an effort to encourage interaction. on-site benefits have the added bonus of keeping the employee workforce in the office more often. Give employees enough reasons to stick around and you’ll likely see productivity go up. Many of our on-site perks appeal to young people. Armstrong Steel employees can play a quick game of foosball and video games like Call of Duty or Madden in the break room. Our employees can also head over to the gym across the street to work off the Armstrong kegerator calories on their breaks. Of course we don’t encourage employees to spend a compromising amount of time around the water cooler or lounging on beanbags, but we do encourage employees from every department and every level to feel comfortable and this lends to collaboration.

3. Build a collaborative office environment that encourages organic communication.

It’s traditional to group people together. Marketing people sit with marketing people, sales people sit with sales people, managers are closed off in perimeter offices. But you might want to take a closer look at who needs to speak to whom, how often, and how you can improve their relative geography. Perhaps it’s a matter of tearing down office walls, rearranging cube walls or moving desks of one department closer to the desks of another.

Our company, which relies heavily on the internet, realized that it was critical for the web development team and the creative team to more effectively exchange ideas and thoughts in real time, and quickly. When we expanded into the War Room, or the ‘Creative Suite’ as it’s more affectionately referred to by some, I didn’t want an atmosphere that involved walls or cubes. The members of this think tank work in an open area where problems can be discussed and solved quickly. It encourages collaboration among employees. They’re in constant communication – about work and about their lives – and ideas can be bounced off each other. When the user interface guys come up with a bold new idea, they can get immediate feedback from others on whether or not the design is feasible, realistic, will perform as they envision on the web, etc. When content needs reworked because the site isn’t performing to expectations, the copywriters can make quick adjustments on the fly.

4. Don't ignore the power of CRM.

Imagine this scenario: Worker “A” receives a call from a customer with an issue, and although he means well, forgets to respond. That same customer, now angry, calls the company to find out the status of their issue and Worker “B” answers, unaware of the initial communication. Worker “B” asks the customer to be patient while he gathers information from Worker “A.” While on hold, the customer hangs up and takes his or her business to a competitor.

In this example, one innocent mistake led to the loss of a customer. Mistakes may never be eliminated, but they can certainly be minimized through better organization. Meet Customer Relationship Management software. CRM solutions track communications internally and externally and allow multiple users to access/update information accordingly. CRM also allows notes to be made to customer files so that accounting can see if there were modifications to billings, shipping can see shipping instructions, and your customer sees only the benefits of a cohesive and efficient communication system!

5. Develop a monthly/quarterly company newsletter.

Whether this effort would be effective or not depends on the size and nature of your business, but I maintain that if you employ more than 30 employees you should have some way to deliver messages to the team that is separate from starched corporate memos and osmosis. These are not meant to be shared with your customers and when written properly will help nurture the culture and climate for your business that you envision as its leader.

Our newsletter details charities our company is involved with, it showcases the achievements of individual employees, we write about the lives of our employees outside the office and exchange information about new products or innovations with which the company is pursuing. We also include a lot of photos so employees can put faces to names. Each one includes a personal letter to the team from an executive. Sometimes these executive letters detail how they moved up in the ranks, sometimes they encourage the team on a good month, sometimes they’re just fond recollections of how the company has grown. These letters tend to break down barriers and help to humanize managers who, because time is often limited due to responsibilities, don’t have an opportunity to connect with employees on a more personal level.

6. Be clear about your expectations.

Many companies rely on word of mouth when it comes to bringing new-hires up to speed on the culture and policies of the organization. If you’ve ever played the game ‘telephone’ you understand that, inevitably, the phrase the last person hears bears little if no resemblance to the original phrase and you understand how messages are misinterpreted when communication is not clear.

Telephone is no way to run a company. Consider an employee handbook which includes:

  • The company’s mission and vision statements
  • Corporate structure and the chain of command
  • Communication standards and points of contact
  • Codes of conduct, dress codes and expectations
  • Non-disclosure agreements (if applicable)
  • Safety guidelines
  • Policies regarding internet and social media behavior

7. Ask for feedback.

Do you know your employees level of comfort when approaching their managers with ideas on how to improve systems? Do they know who to contact for specific questions about benefits, job description, and possible advancement? You can achieve this with formal surveys (anonymous, even) meetings, or even casual conversation.

We’re all different in the way we perceive the world and using this understanding as a guide is the key to effective communication. The words ‘information’ and ‘communication’ are used interchangeably, but they’re really two different things. Information is talking to someone; communication is speaking with them. To be relevant in your organization and relevant in your life, you’ve got to be able to do both – and do them well.