Have you noticed that some sound ideas get bad publicity? Two I have in mind are outsourcing and free trade.
No doubt you could name others, but looking at these two initiatives helps us understand a communication challenge for many companies and not-for-profit organizations.
Free trade and outsourcing both produce a few (well, relatively few) big losers, and many (very many) small winners.
More specifically, free trade leads to big losses for a relatively small number of companies and their employees. Companies can go out of business or be forced to drastically restructure; employees can lose their jobs. The adjustment pains they suffer are very real and very significant.
On the other hand, all consumers in a country that adopts free trade are winners. In other words, just about everybody. The gains for each person are small, yet, taken together those gains far outweigh the losses suffered by the losers. And the gains keep paying dividends year after year.
The story is much the same for outsourcing. A few employees take a very big hit, losing their jobs. At the same time, though, a lot of other employees get to keep their jobs because their companies become stronger. A few suffer for the many.
Which do you hear more about? You hear far more about the losers, of course. Why? Well, as a former news writer and announcer I can tell you that losers holler louder and longer. They actively seek media coverage. And that's not all: stories about layoffs have an inherent drama that stories about the preservation of jobs just can't match.
In addition, small-scale winners often don't know they've won, how they've won, or what they've won, so they don't march in protest or call news conferences. Add to that the general principle that good news isn't big news.
What do you do if you face a decision leading to many small winners and a few big losers? First, hammer away at the context, at the circumstances that drive the decision. For example, don't announce to employees that a new piece of equipment that does the work of three people will make you more efficient. Rather, explain the competitive pressures that force greater efficiency, and the consequences of failing to meet those pressures.
Don't assume everyone shares your knowledge. Few stakeholders understand the broader picture, and even if they could, the pressure of day-to-day events may keep them focused on just one piece of it. It's essential to start with as few assumptions as possible.
Communicate frequently: in advance, during, and afterward. Explain the problem, outline the options, list the decision criteria, announce the solution, and report on how well the solution has worked. Or not worked, which becomes the new problem.
You won't convince everyone your decision is the right one, but you might convince enough people to make further progress possible.
In summary, when a few people suffer big losses and many others make small gains, you can expect the losers to complain very loudly, and the winners to say little or nothing. To deal with these situations, communicate frequently and carefully.
Robert F. Abbott writes and publishes Abbott's Communication Letter. If you subscribe, you will receive, at no charge, communication tips that help you lead or manage more effectively. You can get more information here: http://www.Communication-Newsletter.com
There is a new trend taking hold in business today... Read More
Have you ever worked with someone who always seemed to... Read More
Being a good trainer requires experience and skill. Experience comes... Read More
Picking people for a job is like going... Read More
A trainer dryly discussing how to motivate people in an... Read More
Here are 10 subjects that academia should be teaching their... Read More
Use this check list to assess your communication skills.Focus* Do... Read More
Assignment of Claims Act of 1986"....What does this mean for... Read More
I recently gave a presentation to a group of business... Read More
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More
In September 2004, President Bush signed the $146 billion tax... Read More
We have all attended meetings that were boring, mindless and... Read More
It should not be. If it is an effective newsletter,... Read More
There is a pervasive assumption that small firms are more... Read More
Tips for Getting the Most From Your Conference Investment All... Read More
To release creativity in employees, managers must get involved in... Read More
Some say that in business as in sex: if it... Read More
I love tennis both as a spectator and... Read More
As with any other service, there are good and bad... Read More
We live in a relentlessly competitive world. The daily pressure... Read More
Geshe Michael Roach is a Princeton graduate and a Buddhist... Read More
So, you survived the downsizing. Your company did something that... Read More
Tommy Sherman daily monitors a helpdesk-provisioning queue for a large... Read More
As an experienced manager, I can announce without a doubt... Read More
This article is directed at senior managers. As a senior... Read More
A curious thing happens to entrepreneurs in the spring of... Read More
Time To Market (TTM) is a vital concept that every... Read More
Audiences who saw the fabled Broadway musical, Chorus Line, marveled... Read More
Where does the time go? Billable time. As a consultant,... Read More
As the business world enters a period of hyper-competitiveness, every... Read More
In today's era of Professional and IT Services competition and... Read More
Whether your company holds one meeting a week or dozens... Read More
People buy from you, offer help, and grant rewards based... Read More
Businesses miss on growth opportunities and even close their doors... Read More
I was watching a TV program some months ago about... Read More
A virtual assistant is an individual who provides business services... Read More
The old saying 'You have to spend money to make... Read More
How can you make the best use of your energy... Read More
Interrogated on a beach in Barbados by friends insistent that... Read More
Communication is the basis of who you are as a... Read More
If you have ever worked within a large organisation then... Read More
I've just watched, again, an episode in the Back to... Read More
My mechanic has me trained. When I take my car... Read More
Effective project managers know how to get the job done,... Read More
Does your organisation have one of those annual 'occasions' that... Read More
Learning to be assertive takes time, courage and the ability... Read More
Good news spreads quickly News of the invention of the... Read More
In 1987 I sold my business, South Mountain Company, to... Read More
The company decided to develop and implement an improvement program.... Read More
I recently gave a presentation to a group of business... Read More
Do you remember being told to use the "sandwich" technique... Read More
To get the best results you have to be very... Read More
Doing business and meeting the needs of workers is increasingly... Read More
A series of articles exploring the seven critical areas that... Read More
A few weeks ago I asked my readers what the... Read More
It should not be. If it is an effective newsletter,... Read More
Recently, I attended a webinar with nearly 400 other Chief... Read More
Imagine the following scenario - you pay a visit to... Read More
Do you ever feel overwhelmed by e-mail? Have you ever... Read More
This article relates to the Career Opportunity competency, commonly evaluated... Read More
What is the no. 1 asset in your business beside... Read More
This article relates to the Manager/Supervisor competency, commonly evaluated in... Read More
People want to understand their role - they want to... Read More
Acknowledgement is about recognition or attention from another person. It... Read More
Let me repeat a story I heard many years ago... Read More
There is a pervasive belief that time pressure stimulates creativity.... Read More
Business Management |