Who can benefit from the Signal Lines Programme?
Any organisation where people have to talk to each other to get the work done ...
We believe that any organisation, in any sector, will find something in the Signal Lines programme to support their journey to excellence in interpersonal communication.
Organisations of 50 or more employees are likely to see interpersonal communication becoming a relevant issue as informal communication structures begin to break down and more formal approaches become necessary.
For large organisations of 3000 or more employees there will be yet further step changes in interpersonal communication as layers of hierarchy create layers of message filters which increase the likelihood of distortion, duplication and delay.
There are some specific business situations outlined below which might make the decision to try Signal Lines even more essential for your organisation.
What are the signs that you need Signal Lines now?
Your Organisational Signal Detection testing is flagging a problem
Whether you are doing the Signal Lines Communication test across the whole organisation, or in parts of it, if the voices you are hearing are telling you that some of their highest priority interpersonal communication lines are damaged or broken then you need to act ... and fast.
You want to support your teams to develop their communication skills
Providing your staff with practical, effective and memorable training and development opportunities underlines your commitment to keeping and growing them in your organisation. Providing these opportunities in vital interpersonal communication skills will add even more value.
You need teams to collaborate outside line management structures
Traditional line management structures support the lines of interpersonal communication up and down an organisation. If a programme of work requires collaboration across different teams then interpersonal communication needs particularly skilled focus, especially if it travels across different communication cultures or outside normal lines of accountability.
You are undergoing rapid organisational growth
As an organisation grows the number of interpersonal communication lines grow exponentially, and these communication lines get further away from the direct view of the leadership team. This is particularly noticeable as an organisation makes a step change in size eg after a merger or sudden expansion. At these times the risks associated with increasing lines of interpersonal communication need to be very well understood and managed.
You are experiencing unexpected resistance to change
While there is nothing as certain as change, there is also nothing as certain as change being unexpectedly hard when people in your organisation have damaged or broken lines of interpersonal communication. If things start getting tangled when they should be straightforward, and no one really knows why, then think about where there might be communication damage that needs your attention.
You have higher than average staff turnover
If you are regularly losing good people from your organisation then this may be a sign of interpersonal communication challenges. While this may just be happening between individuals in local teams, people will rapidly become disengaged from an organisation that doesn't recognise or respond effectively to the problem at a leadership level.
You have staff working remotely
More and more organisations now have a blended working model, or even total remote working. Teams in these situations need communication skills, and effective communication management systems, that have been carefully developed to ensure that damaged or broken lines of communication, and their impacts, can't just be masked or ignored because they are less visible.
You have small HR teams
Human Resource experts are a precious resource and no organisation wants to waste their time and skills on problems that could be avoided. Dysfunctional interpersonal communication creates grievance, management friction, higher recruitment activity and other problems that will consume HR time and energy unnecessarily.
You have project and programme delays or non-delivery
If projects and programmes hit unexplained delays and breakdowns then one of the first places to look for a reason is interpersonal communication. The essential change processes will be disrupted by broken lines of communication and it is likely that more time will be spent on navigating the difficult communication than on delivering the expected outcomes.
You have higher than expected customer or service user dissatisfaction
However much we would wish otherwise, poor interpersonal communication in an organisation will invariably flow out to customer or service user experience. If you are asking your clients the right questions, and they trust you enough to let you know their experience, then their feedback can be a valuable source of information about how well people in your organisation are talking to each other.