Your Team’s Communication Should Be A Clearly Marked Trail, Not A Rough Path

You have to climb your S Curve by yourself, but you never do it alone.?

We—all of us—live, work, and grow in relation to other elements. We constantly draw resources from and contribute to our ecosystems.?

But, in today’s dispersed, virtual, and remote work environments, it can be harder than ever to measure the health of those ecosystems.?

So, what’s the metric for successful communication – and how can you ensure things are going well?

Best-selling author, a longtime professor at Columbia Business School, and a Disrupt Yourself podcast guest, Rita McGrath recently posed that exact question in her newsletter. You can check out our full conversation in episode 126 of the Disrupt Yourself podcast.

Through her research, Rita identified five core characteristics that determine whether a team is likely to produce results – or just frustration.?

Information flow is one of the five characteristics, and one I feel is particularly important as teams scale their collective S Curves.

Rita shared, “As teams work virtually, one very robust research conclusion is that you have to be much more deliberate about structuring the flows of information than if everyone is physically together.”

“One of the most famous studies was done by MIT’s Thomas Allen, who found that if people were physically located more than 60 feet apart, they might as well have been on the other side of the country.”

Let’s look at four main pillars that hold up a working communication ecosystem, whether that’s in-office or across the globe.

Conducive - In the context of information flow, a conducive ecosystem is one where team members have the resources they need to store, share, and obtain the information they need. In today’s world, that may look like having all your data stored on the cloud or a messaging system such as Slack or Microsoft Teams. It could also be having a clear organization chart so new team members know who to go to for information or resources.?

Connective - Communication – and, with it, information flow – are often the key to having healthy, connective ecosystems. In this new era of work, it can sometimes feel like we are being bombarded with communication. Still, a healthy connective ecosystem focuses on quality over quantity – or relationships over data. Encourage team members to form healthy relationships by taking time in team meetings to focus on personal updates, and acknowledge members for their impact on the organization's broader goals.?

Nurturing - Information flow should not just include data and updates about the organization or a current project. Team members also need to know that their individual S Curve matters – notes of appreciation, for example. As a leader, prioritize opportunities for team members to share how they would like to be developed. This can be done through regular check-ins with team members, virtual group coaching sessions, habit-forming software, or accountability buddies.

Resilient - When there are setbacks – and there always will be – how is that information shared and processed? Resilient ecosystems have processes to identify and share openly about constraints (for example, budgets and deadlines) and setbacks they are currently facing. The key is that there is an expectation that the information flows to the rest of the team and that the team responds by reframing it into a learning experience.?

With intentional, well-planned systems, processes, and policies in place, teams can focus on the flow of information, creating healthy ecosystems where each team member is better able to climb their own S Curve.

How does information flow in your organization?

Does the flow of information contribute to a healthy ecosystem?