We all know
that effective communication improves relationships among individuals, teams
and organizations. But we generally attribute that to a common interpretation
of the content of the discussion through feedback, clarification and other
communication best practices.
A 2012 study by MIT’s Human Dynamics Laboratory, however, found that the “key to high
performance lay not in the content of a team’s discussions, but in the manner
in which it [the team] was communicating.” They discovered that patterns of
communication – how and when teams communicate – are the most important
predictor of a team’s success.
So how do you
improve the way your team
communicates?
Every team
comprises individuals with diverse personality traits that influence how they
communicate with each other and as a group. When individuals become aware of
their own communication style and learn how that style may impact or be
interpreted by others – intra-team communication improves. Team members learn
to use alternative ways to get their message across so that it will be better
received by others, which ultimately improves team relationships and improves
team performance.
Here’s an
example of how improving the way team members communicated resulted in higher
performance.
A team of
deeply experienced professionals at a large airline company needed to improve
their ability to influence other key departments and general managers across
the airline. Although the team was often required to create virtual teams to
work on specific business issues, they didn’t always have official control over
those resources. Their ability to influence in a virtual world was essential.
During a
6-month program which included workshops, coaching sessions and an online
component, the team worked to better understand themselves and others through
use of the Lumina
Spark portrait. The team learned techniques that enabled them to quickly
create an open team environment where authentic and honest communication was
the norm. They each became aware of any
blind spots they had that could undermine the team’s ability to function as a
high performing team. Through
Lumina’s simple color framework, team members were able to quickly “speed read”
others and adapt their communication accordingly, resulting in greater
influence and higher performance. The Lumina “language of color” has now become
a key resource for establishing virtual teams and an essential part of the
organizational culture.
If you’d like to learn more about how Lumina can help your
organization, please contact me for your local Lumina Learning Affiliate. You can reach me at RebeccaBales@luminalearning.com.
Lead on,
Rebecca
