The importance of good communication

Joseph,

I have sent you a listing of recent books on the subject of internal communications…some are fairly general but others do focus on the importance of good communications. For example:

Beyond bullshit: straight talking at work, by Samuel A Culbert
Stanford University Press, 2008
The author draws attention to the damage caused by the deception and obfuscation which are prevalent in corporate life. He explains the negative effects on employee morale and organisational effectiveness and suggests that it is possible to get straight talk at work, but that this is a difficult task which requires skill, sensitivity and judgement. Relationships of trust and openness are the key to this and guidance on how to develop them is provided. The book also looks at how to recognise bullshit and how to know when it is possible to introduce straight talking and when this is inadvisable. Techniques for introducing more straight talk into an organisation including truth finding and 'I-speak' are described. The book is illustrated by stories and anecdotes based on the author's personal experience of organisational life.

This one is research based:

Measuring the pain: what is fragmented communication costing your enterprise, Siemens Enterprise Communications, 2007
The results of an online survey carried out by Insignia Research are presented. The survey explored the communication difficulties experienced by over 500 respondents and identified the most common 'pain points' and the impact in terms of delay, frustration and increased expenditure on business travel. The benefits of unified communications (UC) such as OpenScape, a software tool produced by Siemens are highlighted.

This looks at actual company practice:

Internal communications, Incomes Data Services, 2010
Internal communication is regarded as a two-way dialogue between employers and employees. This study examines the process of maintaining a flowing dialogue, focusing on the IC strategy, communications channels, and measuring impact. An outline of an IC strategy document is included. Case studies of Asda Stores, Birimingham City Council, E.ON, Northern Rail, PPG industries and PSA Peugeot Citroen are provided.

These are available for members to borrow from our library by ringing 01536 207315 or emailing bookloans@managers.org.uk.

Turning to journal articles, most of what we have is more of the practical ‘how to do it’ kind but I have identified a few articles from the e-journals database which I hope will be of interest and have emailed them to you.  You can search further if you wish at www.managers.org.uk/ejournals.