Are you part of the conversation?

Published at: 06/07/11 17:00:00

As recent events in the Middle East show people will go to terrible extremes to get their views across when they don’t think anyone is listening to them. Sometimes it takes an extreme event like the demonstrations in the Middle East for us to be shaken out of our own comfort zone and reappraise the status quo within our own organisations.

When times are tough it’s easy to assume that you can drive through changes to working practices, cut back on resources and get everyone to do more with less and sometimes for less -all without much resistance. After all now’s not the time to complain or look elsewhere for more favourable employment is it?

Taking the business decisions that a lot of companies have made may make short term improvements to the bottom line but at what cost? Are their staff advocates of their strategy or less than enthusiastic followers? What will happen when things start to get better?

I have often thought that the art of management has always been to get other people to do what you can’t do yourself. As a consequence we become completely dependent upon our colleagues for the business to be successful.

But how well do we communicate with them? Does information only flow in one direction?

How valuable would it be to know the honest views of your colleagues, not just the party line? Wouldn’t you just love to be a fly on the wall at the water cooler and not only hear what is being said but be part of the conversation as well so you can put across your own point of view?

I don’t know why but it reminds me of my school days (yes I can remember that far back) when the best teachers were the ones who always knew their latest nicknames and what the kids were saying about them in the playground. It was almost as if they had a sixth sense and could read minds. I guess nowadays you don’t need a sixth sense all you have to do is look on Facebook (if you dare) and you will see in graphic detail what the word on the street is.

Take this thought with you into your workplace - are you in the know or are you being kept outside of the conversations that are going on? Believe me these conversations are taking place and you really need to be part of them.

Is the closest you get to hearing them being cornered at the bar at the annual conference by someone who, after probably one too many drinks, decides to tell you that you’ve lost touch with what everyone in the company thinks? We’ve all been there!

In the past it was very difficult for senior management to keep on top of what people felt. They relied on a chain of trusted people to report up what was being discussed or resorted to ‘The staff Satisfaction Survey’ and consoled themselves that the results were better than last year. Not surprising as last year’s critics were probably casualties of the latest round of cutbacks!

The good news now is that there are new ways of becoming part of the conversation and as a result influencing the direction it goes in. Web 2.0 technologies, like the ones we have developed in our Wiki-Labs, bring those conversations on-line. Real dialogue takes place with people sharing their views, insights and ideas with one another and commenting on the views of others. Everyone can be invited and be part the conversation. The big trick is getting everyone engaged and turning ideas into action but don’t worry we know how to do that as well.

Now it’s relatively easy and extremely cost effective to turn people into advocates by being part of their conversations as opposed to not really knowing what they think and why they are less than enthusiastic followers.

So you can now be a fly on the wall without having to transform yourself into one!

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Are you part of the conversation?

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