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Consider also the scope of communications in your business. Are your executives and managers communicating effectively at all four levels in your organization:
1.
Organization wide communication —involving all employees

2.
Departmental communication —specific to one department or unit

3.
Team communication —within one cohesive team or group

4.
Individual communication —specific to one employee at any one time


Communications may be working effectively at higher levels, but fail dismally at the more local level. The interpersonal skills of supervisors, team leaders and local managers are especially critical at levels 3 and 4. It is at these levels that people develop the most personal working relationships with their direct supervisors.

Just as important is the communication between and within levels. Gone are the days when departments could stand as silos, isolated from the rest of the organization by impenetrable barriers. Intra-national and international competition is now so fierce that everyone in the organization needs to collaborate closely on solving organizational challenges and on achieving agreed strategic objectives. What are the communication barriers in your organization? Use our complimentary Workplace Culture Checklist to check your progress in building positive working relationships with your staffs.

Where is your organization in its maturity life-cycle? Is it large or growing rapidly? As more people are added to an organization, employee communication needs and stresses increase exponentially. Joe, who used to do purchasing, inspection and warehousing on his own now needs to talk to three other departments as well as the people in his own expanding team. What structures, systems and processes has your organization put in place to encourage and facilitate effective workplace communication flow?

Well-designed employee communication surveys can determine how well your communication systems and practices are contributing to...