Communication plays a significant role in the performance of any business irrespective of the industry within which it operates (Snyder 3). James Shaffer, in his article “Make Communication Your Business,” explores the subject of communication in business, highlighting its significance in the success of any business. Shaffer acknowledges the impact that communication professionals can have in bringing about change that will lead to improved performance in business. Various communication professionals in top corporate positions lend their support to the importance of closing communication gaps, often alluding to instances where such practice has helped immense record success has helped their organizations achieve greater efficiency and better performance. However, one cannot achieve the desired outcome of effective communication immediately. The process of achieving desirable business performance takes time and involves several steps as opposed to it being a one-off activity.
The first step is the timely involvement of the leaders. The management’s support in this endeavor is crucial as it is a determinant of its success. Second, is to present to the company’s leadership the value proposition early enough, which will mean immediate recognition of the challenge and an exploration of the plausible solution (Shaffer 24). The proposal should show the value that you intend to add to the company and its clients while highlighting the items that you will change versus those that will remain constant. In his article, Shaffer samples feedback from one of his firm’s customers who opined that the communication would only handle work that props up the communication skills of leaders increases the impact that execution of strategy has, brings about early wins in areas identified as having high impact and has improved return on investment. According to the client, the communication would not do work that is immeasurable, fails to alter people’s work culture in a way that offers improved results, is a one-off work, and has no connection with strategy execution. From the list, the customer was able to prioritize items.
The third step in the process of achieving success with effective formal communication is to carry out a value-to-cost assessment. The assessment will enable measuring the ability of different communication activities to help people in bettering their work. A survey of the effectiveness of the communication processes using employee and client feedback can help one understand the role that the changes introduced to play in the overall success of the business. The communication professional can then make use of the information gathered to rank the various activities in order of importance while comparing the items with the cost of their implementation (Shaffer 25). With such analysis, one can tell whether or not they may be overspending on any of the initiatives. One can then move on to the assessment of communication capabilities as the fourth step. Just as Shaffer, I believe that it is essential to determine how good one is in executing a strategy as this will help in determining the right approaches to solving the problem.
The fifth step involves ensuring that one measures the right things. Emphasis should be on outcomes. If, for instance, if an organization’s key performance indicators include quality, productivity, and delivery, then they should be or at least inform the communication goals. The sixth stage is the development of the appropriate infrastructure that will support the communication initiative under implementation (Shaffer 26). The big question is on what you are trying to achieve compared to what you need as such. With the questions answered, one now needs to be willing to start small. An overhaul of the communication can appear to be an enormous task. The best thing to do is begin by focusing on smaller parts or departments before replicating the same and applying efforts to the rest of the organization. Another area of interest is the high priority areas. There are criteria that one can use to identify the best group. One is that the group is of value to the organization. Second, it has robust leadership and that the group operates below capacity. Another important factor is that the identified group members have the ability to determine the outcomes. The final step would be to bring on board the new way.
Apparently, the process of achieving desirable business performance takes time and involves several steps as opposed to it being a one-off activity. The first step is the prompt involvement of the organizational leaders. The second phase entails the presentation of the value proposition early enough, which will mean timely recognition of the challenge and an exploration of the possible solution. Step three is in the in the process of achieving the intended objectives of effective formal communication is carrying out a value-to-cost analysis. One can then move on to the fourth step involving the assessment of communication capabilities. The fifth step entails ensuring measurement the relevant things. Sixth: the development of the infrastructure that is necessary to support the communication initiative under implementation. One then needs to start small. The final step would be to bring on board the new way. There is a need for communication professionals to be willing to consider the implementation of better communication for improved organizational performance.
Works Cited
Shaffer, James. CW Make Communication Your Business, 2013, Web.
Snyder, Jason. Today’s Business Communication: A How-To Guide For The Modern Professional. Business Expert Press, 2014.