What’s Holding Your Organization Back From Strategic Communication?

 

Effective, clear and organization-wide communication is the key ingredient to strategic planning success. Simply put, if everyone isn’t on the same page, strategy execution is likely to stay on the shelf and never reach fruition.

The first step to achieving powerful strategic communication that gets results is knowing what the most common barriers are. Take a good look at your organization’s strategic planning procedures and see if they are suffering from one of these four communicative obstacles.

Inconsistent messages

Senior executives are saying one thing, while middle managers say another – and the employees themselves are on an entirely different wavelength.

It’s inevitable that your strategy will have to be accessed by people from all corners of your organization, so it’s crucial that the same, consistent message is relayed throughout. A common problem is that people at different levels of the company may speak in different ‘languages’ – make sure that all information is conveyed in a manner that is accessible by all.

Too many levels and silos

The bigger your organization is, the more likely it is that it will be cross-sectioned into different layers and departments.

Although each component of your organization will have its own unique purpose, you must ensure that everyone works in harmony to achieve the underlying goals of the strategy. No department is an island, so make sure everyone has access to the same strategic information at all times.

Physical barriers

Hierarchical barriers are one thing, but your organization’s attempts to foster effective communication may even be hindered by your office layout.

Are team members being kept physically apart by numerous walls and open spaces? Allowing employees to easily reach out to one another can also help to aid communication.

Poor choice of medium

Even in today’s technological world, it’s surprising how many organizations rely on outdated methods for strategic communication.

Haphazardly collating and sharing information through documents and spreadsheets is not conducive to fast, effective strategic execution. Cloud strategy software, on the other hand, can bring everyone in your organization together to collaborate on its strategy.