Reasons internal communications clog up
Structural issues and technological flaws are often easier to fix than the human element. Is one of your upper-tier managers the proverbial kink in the hose?
What’s stopping the flow of communication in your organization?
In late 2014, DecisionWise asked a salient question across different levels of organizations. Simply put, the question was this: “Is the amount of communication you receive about important information in the organization appropriate?”
The results they received aren’t necessarily bad, but they do shed light on a common challenge that communicators face.
Here are the findings:
They call this the “irrigation effect.”
The purpose of irrigation is to take water from a source and spread it where it’s needed, whether that be to crops, a field, a yard, whatever. The farther from the source, the more energy is required to get the water there.
This is no different in communications, and the data show that as you get farther from the source (senior leadership), the information doesn’t flow at the same rate. More energy has to be applied; more “water” must be pushed.
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