Much of the communication today in business and health care entails an exchange, wherein all parties involved must act as both giver and recipient of information. This exchange ensures that the information is received and the recipient has an opportunity to express agreement, disagreement, confusion, understanding, need for clarification or any other response.
For example, a recent study by the U.S. Center for Studying Health System Change found that “reliance on electronic medical records (EMRs) could result in poorer communications with other providers in inpatient or clinical environments. While the use of other communication tools with EMRs – such as email and instant messaging – can sometimes help clinicians, they can also hinder care when a time lag occurs between responses.” Communication starts and stops all effective collaborations. Learning how to effectively communicate is a critical component of your development as a leader.
Some of the causes of ineffective communication are a mixture of both organizational and human factors. Time pressures, work stress, a multilayered corporate structure, language incompatibilities, and information overload are cited as some of the organization related causes. The human factors are mental, behavioural and emotional weakness, such as the following:
1. Poor listening skills
2. Lack of focus or mental disorganization
3. Impatience and arrogance
4. Tendency to assume instead of double-check
5. Uncontrolled emotional attachment or response to the information
6. Disinterest in the information or task
7. Refusal to clarify or follow up
8. Fatigue or burnout
People who display these and similar interpersonal inadequacies put themselves, their communication partners, and those affected by the information in a dangerous position. They send and receive only partial and possibly incorrect information and consequently they create time consuming double work, confusion, frustration and conflict. In this case, communication will not improve if behaviours and mindset do not improve. This is particularly true in trying to prevent medical errors as we seek to improve health care quality and safety.
Ineffective communication is a leading cause of untoward events and harm to patients whether it is an organizational factor or a human factor of disruptive behaviour. Adopting the skill of Positive Presence as a business improvement strategy is the first step to acquiring the necessary mindset for behavioural awareness.
CORPORATE HARMONY is grateful to Dr. Michael E. Frisina for his contributions to this entry.
Catherine is the President and CEO of CORPORATE HARMONY, providing virtual solutions for leadership development and organizational culture change. Her leadership and coaching experience as a Project Manager in an ever-changing, fast moving technological organization with unrelenting demands drove her to the realization that a positive mindset and strength-building behaviors are essential for today’s complex and chaotic organizational systems. CORPORATE HARMONY’s virtual platform of programs, coaching and performance measurement, is an innovative online technology of tested proprietary content. The world-class content of CORPORATE HARMONY’s Positive Presence Program develops the skill of ‘Positive Presence’ and the necessary ‘Positive Presence Behaviour Competencies’ for maintaining a positive and energized mindset and increased performance in today’s complex work environment, and leading to a culture of collaboration and connection. Catherine’s vision for Corporate Harmony is to bring the skill of “Positive Presence” to the corporate world as it becomes more complex, ambiguous and chaotic. Catherine is uniquely positioned to impact organizations’ productivity and long term success, with her powerful vision of eliminating bad stress from every workplace around the globe, bringing purpose into the people equation to promote healthy, productive and meaningful work cultures and turn the tide on the neglect of mental health on a global scale. Catherine is author of the book: “CORPORATE HARMONY – The Performance Link for Today’s Modern Organization” Catherine can be reached at: Catherine.Osborne@corporateharmony.ca or go to ‘contact us’ on our website www.corporateharmony.ca. Catherine is available for consultation, and can be reached by 519-695-3407.