Improving Organizational Performance: Moving from Communication Simple to Communication Complex

"When searching for ways to improve an organization as a leader, or to assist an organization as a consultant, it is important to find methods and mechanisms that take into account culture and context."

This article, drawn from the author's experiences in Belarus, Poland, Russia, and Macedonia, discusses the pressures that push leaders of organisations worldwide to develop ever improving ways of increasing the effectiveness of their processes. "Because each organization functions within its own unique circumstance, at the intersection of country, culture, community, and industry as well as within the larger global context, they must engage leadership and consultancies that can work with them to develop greater effectiveness at all levels."

As stated here, "one of the most accessible and adaptable approaches to improving performance rest[s] with shifting from traditional notions of communication to what we call a communication perspective....Communication simple is a term I use to signify this transmission model of communication.  The idea that communication is only about conveyance (hence the use of the term for public transportation) often prevents us from exploring fairly inexpensive and simple solutions to what otherwise might seem to be a difficult problem....Communication complex refers to an approach that rests on a premise that most problems are created by how we interact with each other thus most of our solutions arise from the same process.  A growing body of theory and research about communication tells us that we live in communication, that it reflexively creates us as we create it.  Recent research in neuroscience finds that communication literally plays a role in the construction of our brains as we talk with each other." 

The author's observations are that there are some similarities in the post-Soviet experience, but some country and cultural specific issues as well.  "Communication complex takes such issues into account when engaged to as a means to improve performance...." He describes process, patterns, and perturbations as follows:

1. process: "Conversations are topics discussed across time, space, and people." This would be a process, e.g. the process of discussing worker motivation moves and evolves through time becoming a pattern, whereas one instance of it would be a conversational episode.
2. patterns: "Communication complex shits our attention to the pattern that is created when people talk.  The pattern offers a much richer unit of analysis for improving organizational functioning.  We become more interested in what people are creating together than in what each person is doing."
3. perturbations: "A perturbation refers to how we choose to intervene in a process, to alter undesirable patterns to promote greater productivity and performance.  Whenever we endeavor to change an organization (for better or worse) ultimately what we are doing is perturbing the way people engage each other....Perturbing a pattern leads people to do something that at first can be uncomfortable and leave people feeling incompetent.  Almost nobody likes to feel incompetent.  Thus, we see resistance to change. If we directly challenge a person’s resources then we can expect pushback.  It is better, to work with them first, to develop a sense that the resources are obsolete or by comparison not as effective as a different set of resources.  Once convinced of that people are not resistant but motivated to change.  This can entail the use of demonstrations, discussion with the workers, presentation of data, and coaching.  We must then work with them to insure that the new resources, contributing to a new pattern, are mastered.  This builds effective change."

"...At a fundamental level, the process can begin by the consultant or manager choosing to do two things.  First, consider process, patterns, and perturbations.  Second, lead [an] analysis with some key questions like the following:

• When people talk in this organization what are they making? (Productive patterns, unproductive conflict? Good customer service, etc.)
• When people disagree are they more interested in being right, or being effective? (Do they argue to win or do they move to make the organization better?)
• What are our goals? (IF we change, what do we hope to achieve?)
•  Who benefits and how from the changes? (Do people get something for their efforts?  If so, what?)
• How might the process of change work? (Can we envision the transformation process as opposed to just thinking about what the change will look like when we are done?)

Communication complex requires inquire and introspection.  It also works best when change is based on data rather than supposition."

The author concludes that people within organisations need to learn to communicate differently to create change.  "Changes in markets, technology, transportation as well as other areas mean that all managers and consultants must be come expert in the art of creating meaningful and productive change.  One if the best sources for facilitating the insight and skill need to be effective is to learn more about and how to engage communication complex as a frame for understanding and creating change in the organization."

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