Communication is still an issue, now even more than ever

Are the men in the picture above talking to each other? Perhaps.

Communication is a key ingredient in almost everything. As humans, we have been communicating since the very beginning of our lives. According to Wikipedia, human communication began with the origin of speech around 100,000 BCE. That's a lot of time to develop expertise, right? Unfortunately, from my experience, communication issues are still the most common root cause of many problems.

I like use "5 whys" method for problem analysis. It allows you to delve deep into understanding the real root cause and focus on fixing it instead of just addressing symptoms. Usually, by the third level or so, I find issues like "lack of communication, misalignment, lack of knowledge..."

What do you think? Have you observed this as well? If yes, what can we do? Addressing communication issues isn't easy, and there are rarely quick fixes. However, I would start with the following steps:

• Be aware about importance of this topic (this might seem obvious and even silly, but it's very important).

• Observe (identify communication channels and the communication structure between two teams, top-down, bottom-up, cross-department).

• Check how many layers of communication you have and how much updating and alignment is needed (this is usually a cost factor, and reducing the number of alignments might be a good idea).

• Build a foundation for a feedback culture and open communication (encourage a flat structure, focus on relationship building, conduct workshops, practice Nonviolent Communication (NVC)).

• Listen to understand, not just to reply.

• Create a structured knowledge base and introduce visualization tools (e.g., Kanban boards).

These activities, over time, should lead to increased transparency. Transparency aids communication, as does visibility.

This is a high-level overview; I promised it would take no more than 5 minutes to read. In each area, we can set a direction and choose a small first step towards a slightly better tomorrow. It cannot be achieved by one person alone. There will be a need to build a system that supports a feedback culture. Look around and leverage existing roles within your company.