Here's the secret to a top performing highly innovative team - and its not what you think.
The answer is
UPWARD COMMUNICATION. So, what is it?
Upward communication is the process of opening two way comms, meaning communication from the top down (the usual type) and from the bottom up (one that doesnt happen very often).
So, why implement upward communication?Everyone in a company has one thing in common: they have lived daily experiences of the very job they do.
What they don't have is understanding of other roles, simply because they don't do them.
Having lived experience of a thing, allows a person to draw conclusion and make judgement based on that thing.
An example is that a reception can attest to what works, what may not work, what the barriers are etc. Albeit a different receptionist will have a different experience. Still, this feedback will highlight issues and gaps and will create room for solutions to better the experiences of the functions of the business that drive output.
Clearly, feedback is invaluable to the decision makers in the business. Collecting feedback from all levels and seniorities will allow for informed decisions based on insight as opposed to guessing what strategies will work and what might flop.
However,
There is a right way to encourage feedback, and a wrong way. HR processes need to be calculated with a clear goal in mind. It is also imperative that managers and leaders of the business are aligned with the processes instead of treating it like a tick box exercise.
I'm keen to know if you have clear upward communication channels in your company?
