By: Eng. Hammam Elmahi
Introduction
In the business field and project management, communication is vital to keep teams, stakeholders and managers posted about important information at the workplace. To keep the communication process, moving smoothly in a company functional, and project managers should develop their interpersonal skills (power skills) and emotional intelligence as well as develop a robust communication plan. Effective communication can reap many benefits as shown in this essay.
“The art of communication is the language of leadership.” – James
H. Hunter
Effective communication will lead to satisfaction:
One of the essential goals of any business endeavour is to achieve customer satisfaction. Because that will enrich the business and lead to expansion, that will promote the company’s reputation. As a project manager, you need to know what stakeholder needs, when, and how, this is essential to understand the best method/model of communication. Thus, as long as you provide adequate communication and engagement level to customers, you will achieve satisfaction and improvement, which will ease the process of receiving approvals, permits and licences.
Effective communication will minimize conflicts:
Conflict is investable at work & in the project management field; however, it doesn’t mean that project management can’t do anything about it, they can!. An effective proactive measure to address conflicts is effective communication, it has proven to have a vital effect in reducing conflicts in workplaces. Moreover, clear communication can ensure the correct message is sent and understood, which will reduce misunderstanding, the reason for conflicts. In addition, effective communication can build trust and a collaborative team, which will foster a productive atmosphere that makes conflicts unlikely.
Boost production and productivity:
As you ensure the correct message is conveyed to the team, you will get the required output, which can reduce rework and deliverable deviation (quality defect). Also, improper communication can alter the production series, because the team will work based on incomplete or incorrect information. in production, poor coordination within a team is a communication risk that should be addressed and discussed, because it usually results in expanding activity duration and delays.
Management support:
At the beginning of projects, the project manager should understand the organisation’s vision and drive a project vision out of it, also most of the project management team works is built around the project vision to provide the required product, service or result. The aim of that is to ensure management support, empower the team by delegation and improve the tempo of the work by avoiding micromanagement with a clear shared understanding.
Develop team dynamics and staff satisfaction:
To ensure team support and collaboration, you need effective communication. Management must work and develop communication within the team as well as the team lead. Furthermore, developing a shared understanding of management expectations, organisation direction and other stakeholders will keep staff satisfied with the organised work and clear tasks and job descriptions. All of the above will keep the team satisfied and drive buy-in to organisation work.
“The key to successful leadership is communication – the ability to clearly express your vision, motivate your people, and get buy-in.”
Jack Welch
Foster innovation:
Effective communication can provide a creative environment because open communication for the team will encourage the development and sharing of new ideas and overcome the fear of providing different opinions. Also, it enhances team engagement, and decision-making within the organisation. Techniques such as brainstorming require an open discussion room and adequate facilitation, again empathy and self-awareness can play an important role in opening a window for innovation.
Conclusion
George Bernard Shaw once said “The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.”, this is very true in the management field, communication is critical in any successful endeavour. It is known that according to PMI’s Pulse research, 55 per cent of project managers agree that effective communication with all stakeholders is the most critical success factor in project management (PMI May 2013). There are many other benefits of effective communication rather than what is mentioned in the scenario such as effective problem solving, better decision making and high ability to change.