Monday, November 26, 2012

Importance of communication and feedback

The organisation’s willingness, desire and ability to implement change are the key to its success. During times of change, employees at various levels are exposed to the vagaries of rumours and incorrect representation of the information, etc. These have a debilitating effect on the employees, and the organisation, at large. The effects include low motivation, a demoralised team and drop in productivity levels. Our experience shows, communication should be a mix of top-down and bottom-up approach.

Owing to its closeness with employees, HR understands the impact of change on them, and hence can bring in suitable framework and initiatives. At Virtusa, there is a communication framework ‘VIRCOMM’ which is a structured, calendarised and theme based two-way communication flow. This approach helps in getting a real time feedback from the employees and to clarify any ambiguity in their minds.

Like communication, timely feedback from employees and its resolutions play an important role. Staff feedback needs to be put to action and well communicated for employees to sense the organisation’s responsibility. At Virtusa, Global Team Member Survey (GTMS) is an initiative where feedback is collected in a structured manner and action plans are drawn collaboratively by employee volunteers and leadership sponsors. This ensures transparent approach to handling change.

Change is the only constant and every organisation, at some point, will be impacted by it. Anticipation and overcoming the effects of change through a planned approach can ensure people’s involvement, motivation and focus in supporting growth and success.Read more...