Are Communication Breakdowns Damaging Your Operation?
Clear, consistent communication among team members is important in almost every type of business. But in industries where safety and environmental concerns are just as important as getting orders right and pleasing customers, communication is vital.
However, in most shift operation environments, in which the entire workforce changes after every shift, breakdowns in communication are very common. “Most of the errors occur when communication doesn’t take place among teams,” says Brent Bauer, founder and CEO of Bauer Leadership Consulting Group, which provides leadership development and coaching for manufacturing businesses. “People are very familiar with the work they’re doing and they assume that others who step in behind them on a project are familiar with it too. But that isn’t always the case.”
Problems Resulting from Poor Communication
Change is constant throughout the course of a day or a project, and those changes must be communicated among team members to keep business running efficiently and effectively. For instance, a machine may break down or experience a problem, a customer may change his or her order, or a team member may find a faster way to work around a common problem. If those changes aren’t communicated consistently throughout the team, at every level of the project, work will eventually slow or stop.
“When new information comes into play, such as through verbal conversation with a customer or a leader, and the handoff of that information doesn’t occur, things get missed,” Bauer says. “The bottom line is that when communication breaks down, the company experiences a loss. Mishaps that could be prevented generally occur when people aren’t communicating.”
While a brief work stoppage may not seem like such a big deal, without a solid, reliable system for ongoing communication, those stoppages will happen regularly. Stalling work can lead to profit losses and frustration among leaders, as well as finger pointing and placing blame. When leaders are regularly frustrated and blame is placed, the culture of the organization is damaged and line workers are likely to become disengaged and unhappy.
“Leaders rarely realize the real reasons why workers are leaving, but turnover can often be attributed to breakdowns in communication,” Bauer says. “Not only will your turnover rates increase, but your reputation will be affected and you’ll have a hard time recruiting good workers.”
How to Stop Communication Breakdowns
If a lack of consistent, clear, and reliable communication is causing errors, mishaps or other problems for your organization, don’t panic. In fact, successful communication among teams can be relatively simple. “Pain is created for your organization and your customers when communication isn’t taking place, but communication doesn’t have to be that hard,” Bauer says.
Consider these three important steps to repairing communication problems and fostering strong communications among your team.
- Find a champion. “Sometimes it can be challenging to get leaders to understand the problems with communication on the front lines of an organization,” Bauer says. “But having a champion at higher levels of the organizational chart can help ensure that communication is emphasized.” To obtain buy-in, record details or create a spreadsheet showing where communication breakdowns have happened and what the results were, and share that information with other leaders.
- Be open with your team. If you’re considering making changes to the way information is reported or communicated, your team may be resistant to changes. Take time to talk with them and help them understand why you’re doing it. “Show your team the results of not having strong communications and trust them with that information,” Bauer says.
- Adopt a system. Finally, put a workable, simple system in place where every team member can easily record information and compile details regarding projects. Take time to train employees on how to use the system to capture information and refer to it regularly to avoid problems, Bauer says.
Logbook provides easy-to-use software to facilitate clear, regular communication among team members in an environment where there are multiple shifts. “Logbook compiles a database of details that would often be lost among team members, making it easy to record details regarding a project that can be referred to later,” Bauer says.
Brent Bauer is a guest commentator and has worked in operations management for over 20 years. bauerleadership.com
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Cartoon by Tim Dolighan. dolighan.com