EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
The impact of both good and bad communication in the workplace is noteworthy:• The U.S. Joint Commission for Hospital Accreditation reported, “Communications failures are the leading causes of inadvertent patient harm,” being the primary reason in over 70% of cases.
• Slaw, a Canadian on-line legal publication, reports that 40% of malpractice claims against real estate agents involve communication errors with the client.
• In a survey conducted by the Computing Technology Industry Association, 28% of respondents cited poor communication as the main cause of failure for IT projects.
• A separate study found that companies with the most effective communications programs provided a 26% total return to shareholders (TRS) compared with a -15% TRS for firms that communicate least effectively.
One half of effective communication is conveying specific expectations. The other half of effective communication is attentive listening. At Neo-Strategic, we believe leaders are responsible for setting the basic foundation for direction and accountability within their organizations. And attentive listening is central to diffusing conflict and to fostering a culture of value, respect, and connection.
Simple shifts in communication habits have powerful impacts on the organizational effectiveness and culture that leaders enable.