Impressive Team Communication Begins With Managers

It’s tempting to blame individuals when there’s a communication breakdown on a work team. One person didn’t speak up or convey all the information and the team makes a mistake, is delayed, loses a sale … or worse. In the healthcare industry alone, Research estimates that 70 percent of preventable patient deaths are linked to communication errors. Those are huge consequences.

Management plays a big role in how teams communicate. Even though they aren't involved in every interaction, meeting, or decision, they set the tone and guidelines. They ensure all team members are strong communicators and establish and maintain a culture of trust where people are comfortable speaking up.

Cross-functional collaboration, where the team is made up of individuals from various departments or disciplines, helps organizations deal with today's unpredictability and tight labor market, but also adds a layer of complexity to communication. Brilliant minds don’t always think alike and and when they're coming from different departments, they may have different priorities or agendas.

Without strong communication skills and standards, many employees struggle at the first sign of friction — expressing disagreement, giving constructive feedback, or being open to unpopular ideas. This can easily lead to team dysfunction.

Ensuring that teams communicate well takes more than simply gathering a group of employees and calling them a team. Management must support and guide these teams — helping them navigate the points where team and individual or departmental responsibilities intersect or conflict.

How management can help build stronger team communication:

1. Clearly communicate tasks and objectives. 

   What is the scope of the team’s project? What is the expertise of each person and what’s expected of him or her? Who has decision-making authority over which aspects? These are things everyone on the team needs to know. They also need to be aware of short-term priorities as well as the desired goal. Managers can help keep the project on track by getting the team together regularly (or suggesting a schedule) for a progress check and to ask questions and address concerns, suggests workzone.com. Use data and concrete evidence to hold people accountable and make these check points objective.

2. Provide communication training to ensure everyone is skilled. 

   There’s a science to successful team communication. Little things such as the way someone listens to us, how we handle conflict, assertiveness and our ability to convince others all have an impact on a team’s progress. Revisiting the basics will help eliminate misunderstandings and miscommunication.

3. Determine what form of communication is best for which situations. 

   When should a conversation be face-to-face or video conference? When is email or text ok? How should meetings be structured? If you’re using project management software, how much detail should be included? Team managers should establish rules of engagement for various types of communication—which channels for which information. Establish these processes early with input from the team.

4. Help build a sense of trust between team members. 

   Open, honest communication helps build team cohesion and begins with you. Set the tone by having an open door, addressing concerns and mistakes head-on without pointing fingers or making it personal. Make it safe for team members to talk, discuss and decide. Encourage them to share lessons learned. Offer feedback in a positive, respectful way.

The use of teams is on the rise in the business world. But navigating team communication isn’t always easy for everyone on the team. Managers play a key role in helping teams avoid breakdowns in communication and the mistakes that result.