Communications Issue? Maybe Not.

How often are you confronted with,"We've got a communication problem!"?

That's a strong signal to start digging deeper because something else is probably going on.

Communication is a catch-all phrase. It's  generic, socially acceptable, and really indicates that someone wants to start a conversation. But it probably won't end up being about communication.

Psychologists and counselors refer to these kinds of introductory pronouncements as "presenting" problems." They're  a call for help when someone doesn't know what to do or may not even be aware of the real issue.

Unless you know the genuine issue, you can spend a lot of time creating an elegant solution for the wrong problem.

In organizations, communication is the #1  presenting problem.

The next time someone lays a "communication" issue on you, try this:

"That sounds interesting. Help me out. Describe specifically what you see happening and why it's a problem."

You may discover that the Marketing group refused to follow guidelines from Research and ended up slightly misrepresenting a product. 

Listen carefully. How many presenting problems can you shed some real light on today by digging just a little deeper?

Beware the "communication" trap!

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Bonus, Hot Off The Press: A week's worth of learning available through the latest Leadership Development Carnival. Big hat tip to Lynn Dessert for putting together this month's edition.

Comments

[coaching employees]

I agree with this, and it presents a rather big problem especially for those who are not very quick learners.

[Balanced Scorecard Template]

Thanks for this. Lack of communication can really be tough on a business.

[David M. Kasprzak]

Good post, Steve,

I am fairly convinced that, by the time we observe something troublesome, we are not seeing the problem - we are seeing a symptom of the underlying problem. Considering your example, the immediate firefight might be over a customer threatening to break a contract - that's a symptom of an underlying problem. The reason for the upset customer is marketing's refusal to follow guidelines. But why are they ignoring the guidlines?

The marketers are handsomely rewarded for closing deals, which they did, but if the guidelines had been followed, there'd be no sale. It could be that departments are stovepiped and individually rewarded for efforts that benefit themselves directly, leading to the wrong behaviors when viewed an enterprise-wide persepctive. Yipes! That's a real problem that could be driving all the other troubles.

I agree with you entirely - Those daily firefights are just symptoms. You need to get down to the root cause, or you'll just be putting out the same fire over and over again.

[Steve Roesler]

David

Thank you for laying out a few underlying sets of dynamics that could be causing the symptom that we are seeing. I, too, am convinced that what we see is a symptom of the problem. I must say that, after years and years in business and having attended training while a manager, Cause Analysis was one of the two or three most useful programs in my career.

[Klara]

i think when people are complaining about communication problems, it is always different. communication is such an inter-disciplinar thing, it means too many things. i absolute agree with the back-question for the specification of the problem. i hear the sentence in critics very often: "because of the wrong communication". i always wonder what it really means, in the concrete situation. nice post btw, it made me thinking

[Steve Roesler]

Klara, pleased that you found it thought-provoking.

[Know Yourself Quiz]

Communication.. something we all struggle with especially in a business. Thank you for pointing this out and explaining the importance of having good communication in a team. It cannot be stressed enough. Good job!

[cameron]

very nice blog.......

[Jean Tupas]

Communication problems rooted from misunderstanding, misinterpretation, and lastly conflict. Just like what you all said, it is not that easy to fix. However, we have to bear in mind that problems specially in communication happen all the time. Listening carefully from people involved in the issue is the only solution for any presenting problem such as this.

[Jerry Hingle]

Communication is often the recurring problem in an organization or business. It's definitely something that needs to be addressed time and time again. Thanks for the post, it was really interesting.

[Steve Roesler]

Jean,

Wouldn't it be great if more of us viewed communication as listening vs. talking? :-)

[Steve Roesler]

Jerry,

Since "getting things done through others" is the main focus for managers, it would make sense that building good relationship is a high priority. Being an effective communicator goes a long way to accomplishing that.

[federal labor law posters]

One of the things that I always hated when working in a firm was lack of communication. Allot of big issues can be avoided with good communication.