Use the Chain of Command

Okay, okay, I’m aware that having “flat” organizations is all the rage these days. A while back the matrix organizational structure was de riguer.

However, when all is said and done, more is said than done, so simplicity usually wins the day. The less complicated you make your team communication plan, the less likely you’ll create miscommunication, misunderstanding, unnecessary conflict, and less than ideal business performance.

The ideal situation is for every member of your team to have ONE supervisor that can give that member clear feedback and coaching on job performance. God bless those assistants who are tasked with helping multiple producers. This means the assistants have multiple supervisors to please and no easy way to prioritize their task list. This situation very often creates a high level of stress and conflict.

A team member’s supervisor can receive input on job performance from multiple sources to get a more complete picture of performance. What you want to avoid, however, is multiple people going to a team member to give them feedback and coaching on their job.

This tends to happen in small businesses run by entrepreneurs who think they need to continue doing everything themselves and to have their fingers in every pie. It also tends to happen in organizations that have a board. Board members often think they need to go directly to the staff and tell them how to do their jobs better.

Both these scenarios result in frustrated and anxious team members who are less than confident that they understand their role and how best to execute it, i.e., they’re not sure what the heck to do next!

So, make good use of the KISS Principle next time. Keep your team communication plan simple and understandable and use the chain of command.

Don’t be a stranger. (770) 993-1129. tdockery@TheResolveFirm.com