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EQUALITY IN COMMUNICATION
The quality of discourse determines the health and success of an organization
by President and CEO Jean Henri Lhuillier
(as mentioned during the BOM and AOM Summits of the PJL Group of Companies)

Jean Henri Lhuillier

An organization is a complex network of conversations. And in today’s modern and fast-paced world, we are afforded countless means by which to communicate. It could be through meetings - face-to-face or online. An e-mail to remote colleagues. An SMS message to people sitting just across the room. Feedback forms given to customers from time to time. The company newsletter circulated monthly or quarterly. And it could be through the informal yet timely and sometimes reliable source of information - the company grapevine.

But all these channels are just that - channels. The urgent question is: When do we know that real, genuine communication has taken place?

While communication may be considered a functional part of an organization, it needs to be considered, more importantly, in an interpersonal context. Communication is not just a meeting of people; it is a meeting of meanings between persons and groups, between management and the employees.

The analogy might seem uncommon, but effective organizational communications can be likened to a diamond that has been expertly crafted to have perfectly equal sides and angles. The operating word: equal.

In some traditional organizations, communication is mostly one-way. In the top-to-bottom model, management mostly dictates what should be done, by when, and how. This discourages creativity and innovation among the people, which, in turn, curtails professional growth. In another model, which is the bottom-to-top model, employees are free to tell management about feedback from the different ranks and from customers, and management takes everything in and acts on it, hoping that satisfaction ratings would remain at all-time highs. While acting on feedback is good, sound management should also seek to make employees understand that benefits come with a certain price.

Equality in communication in the workplace requires that both management and employees are determined to pursue not just their own agenda, but the true success of the company. Equality requires openness and trust. This is something that, admittedly, needs to be worked on, both from management and employees’ end - yes, even during this day and age. This is because each person that comes to the boardroom brings with him his entire being - his education, his upbringing, his preferences, his motives. Diversity is an advantage that is yet to be uncovered in many organizations. When maximized, teams could prosper in leaps and bounds. Success could be more that what you have imagined.

Equality in communication requires conscious effort. This effort must be two-way, but for real change to happen, the effort, more often than not, must come from the top. This is because most of the time, leaders are the only ones who have the wide perspective of things.

How can open and trusting communication happen? Here are some helpful pointers that organizations can consciously adopt when communicating:

Equality in Communication Diamond Statue by Jean Henri Lhuillier

Suspend judgment. Hang assumptions on a "string" in front of your nose, where you can examine them. Pre-conceived judgments and assumptions prevent us from even hearing what the other party has to say.
Listen. Hear others with the intent of learning from what they have to say.
Inquire and reflect. Slow down your normal response pattern and ask questions from genuine interest. Work hard to understand the logic behind the other's view.
Advocate from the heart. State your position clearly without the intent of making someone else wrong. Present your well-researched facts. Your primary goal is to get others to help you explore and test your position.

Communication is equal and effective to the extent that there is a match between both parties' intentions and the outcomes. In an equal and effective business communication model:

Valid data and informed decisions are a high priority. This means data not just from one side of the fence.
Perspectives and assumptions are tested. This means both parties enter the meeting room with the belief that their positions are not the single truth, but hypotheses that need to be tested.
Critical issues are discussed openly and responsibly. This means that management should deliberately take an effort to be open to inquiry from all ranks. Among themselves, leaders must mirror trust - employees must see that their leaders can openly and constructively question one another and come up with win-win decisions.
Calculated risk-taking is encouraged. As a proverb says, great achievement requires great risk.
Conflicts are leveraged for learning. Healthy communication happens when ideas are abundant. When there is not one person in the room who thinks differently, management has a good reason to be afraid.
People take responsibility for error. When people feel that they have each other's support, they are not afraid to take accountability for their actions.
Threatening issues are jointly managed. Equality also translates to teamwork and collaboration - yes, even when mistakes happen.
Effectiveness escalates. When messages and intentions are aligned, there is a bigger chance for success.
Trust is constant. Again, this is the primary building block of equality. When the cycle of trust is constant, the cycle of success continues.

Like a diamond perfected by pressure, communication becomes effective when there is productive tension between management and employees. Equality in communication could be the only turnkey that an organization needs to achieve its goals. When the meaning of one meets the meaning of another across the bridge of words, tones, acts and deeds, when real understanding occurs, then we know that we have communicated. Only then can we say that we are poised for success.