Meridian Group - Company Culture Consultants

Today's Topic: Fostering Open Communication

A reader asks,
"How can I foster more open communication in meetings? Where I work everyone looks to the General Manager before speaking out."

The dampening impact of an internally-competitive environment

Just how open or closed communications are in meetings is a cultural phenomenon. To see what might be behind this, look upwards in the organization and see what people do at the top that supports open or closed behavior. In many companies, senior managers may talk about trust and openness but act otherwise. A competitive internal environment can be a driving force in stifling open communication. In your organization, how often do you see competition among the senior executive group? Criticism of the actions of other departments or of lower management?

In the public sector, the politically appointed or elected officials compete for their share of public opinion, often criticizing each other openly. This is true in local government and in state and federal agencies. This aggressive behavior at the top sets the stage for protective/defensive behavior below. This defensiveness results in rigid, rule bound and "siloed" communication. These cultural patterns, understandable as they may be, are hardly good for customer (public) service.

Many senior managers try to protect their people from the destructive environment they see above them. This is easier to do if your offices are physically removed from corporate headquarters than if they are in the same building. But many managers are unaware of the destructive effect this competitive environment has on cooperation and open communications.

What can you do to foster more open communication in meetings?

1. Approach the situation indirectly

As a non-leader of a meeting, you could ask, "If it's OK with you (look at leader), I'd like to hear how everyone here sees the problem or issue?" You might prime an ally to say, "I think that's a good idea. I'd like to start with . . . . .:" In a meeting you can ask questions from any step of the decision process ( see the full decision process outlined at www.meridiangrp.net/4step.html) at any time, e.g. "What are some of the possibilities?" "What's important for us to keep in mind when deciding what to do?" "Who is going to do what?" You don't have to be the formal leader to manage the process of a meeting.

2. Approach the manager directly

If you have a good working relationship with the General Manager, you might discuss this. You could you take him or her to lunch, or arrange some other comfortable private one-on-one time and ask, "Do you notice that in meetings people often look to you before speaking out?" Depending on her response you might ask, "I was wondering how that is for you?" It might be that she likes it that way, or doesn't notice, or doesn't see it as a problem, or has noticed it but doesn't know what to do.

Again, depending on how the conversation is going you might say how you feel about it. "When everyone looks to you that way, I feel I can't say what I'm really thinking. I have talked with others in that meeting and know that some of them also feel inhibited."

If the GM gets defensive, back off a little. On the other hand if the conversation is going well, you might make a tentative suggestion such as, "What could we do to help people speak out?" There are many things both or either of you could do. By far, the best is to use an open-structured decision process such as the four-step process mentioned above.

It might seem strange to discuss this with someone several levels above you, but you might be surprised at the positive response you will probably receive. Most managers are hungry for informal constructive feedback.

The culprit: fearing a loss of control

Keep in mind that a manager may choose to not use an open decision/discussion process because he fears he will lose control. This fear is rarely conscious. I always reassure managers by saying that they can spell out the discussion's boundaries (time, cost, etc.) at the start and later on add anything they missed. Many managers are not used to setting boundaries and then opening the decision to those affected. Once a manager tries this process, they invariably find it both challenging and rewarding. If the manager has made up her mind what she wants done, then suggest that she open up the discussion with how to implement the decision.

Who wins?

There is always room somewhere in any decision for those affected to participate. And in fact, the ultimate solution is more likely to be successful as it bears the buy-in of a greater number of people. The manager and the company ultimately win by fostering an open-communication culture.



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	A Better Workplace --- Meridian Group's Newsletter, Number 8, 6-18-02

	More on Managing Upwards
	Today's Topic: Fostering Open Communication A reader asks, "How can I foster more open communication in meetings? Where I work everyone looks to the General Manager before speaking out." The dampening impact of an internally-competitive environment Just how open or closed communications are in meetings is a cultural phenomenon. To see what might be behind this, look upwards in the organization and see what people do at the top that supports open or closed behavior. In many companies, senior managers may talk about trust and openness but act otherwise. A competitive internal environment can be a driving force in stifling open communication. In your organization, how often do you see competition among the senior executive group? Criticism of the actions of other departments or of lower management? In the public sector, the politically appointed or elected officials compete for their share of public opinion, often criticizing each other openly. This is true in local government and in state and federal agencies. This aggressive behavior at the top sets the stage for protective/defensive behavior below. This defensiveness results in rigid, rule bound and "siloed" communication. These cultural patterns, understandable as they may be, are hardly good for customer (public) service. Many senior managers try to protect their people from the destructive environment they see above them. This is easier to do if your offices are physically removed from corporate headquarters than if they are in the same building. But many managers are unaware of the destructive effect this competitive environment has on cooperation and open communications. What can you do to foster more open communication in meetings? 1. Approach the situation indirectly As a non-leader of a meeting, you could ask, "If it's OK with you (look at leader), I'd like to hear how everyone here sees the problem or issue?" You might prime an ally to say, "I think that's a good idea. I'd like to start with . . . . .:" In a meeting you can ask questions from any step of the decision process ( see the full decision process outlined at www.meridiangrp.net/4step.html) at any time, e.g. "What are some of the possibilities?" "What's important for us to keep in mind when deciding what to do?" "Who is going to do what?" You don't have to be the formal leader to manage the process of a meeting. 2. Approach the manager directly If you have a good working relationship with the General Manager, you might discuss this. You could you take him or her to lunch, or arrange some other comfortable private one-on-one time and ask, "Do you notice that in meetings people often look to you before speaking out?" Depending on her response you might ask, "I was wondering how that is for you?" It might be that she likes it that way, or doesn't notice, or doesn't see it as a problem, or has noticed it but doesn't know what to do. Again, depending on how the conversation is going you might say how you feel about it. "When everyone looks to you that way, I feel I can't say what I'm really thinking. I have talked with others in that meeting and know that some of them also feel inhibited." If the GM gets defensive, back off a little. On the other hand if the conversation is going well, you might make a tentative suggestion such as, "What could we do to help people speak out?" There are many things both or either of you could do. By far, the best is to use an open-structured decision process such as the four-step process mentioned above. It might seem strange to discuss this with someone several levels above you, but you might be surprised at the positive response you will probably receive. Most managers are hungry for informal constructive feedback. The culprit: fearing a loss of control Keep in mind that a manager may choose to not use an open decision/discussion process because he fears he will lose control. This fear is rarely conscious. I always reassure managers by saying that they can spell out the discussion's boundaries (time, cost, etc.) at the start and later on add anything they missed. Many managers are not used to setting boundaries and then opening the decision to those affected. Once a manager tries this process, they invariably find it both challenging and rewarding. If the manager has made up her mind what she wants done, then suggest that she open up the discussion with how to implement the decision. Who wins? There is always room somewhere in any decision for those affected to participate. And in fact, the ultimate solution is more likely to be successful as it bears the buy-in of a greater number of people. The manager and the company ultimately win by fostering an open-communication culture.