Manage Communication to Add Value
Management guru Tom Peters says white collar workers and managers in functional departments need to protect their futures.
They have to learn "the difference between doing totally acceptable work and creating very new value...." he notes, in an Industry Week article. In other words, people in departments like Human Resources and Finance need to become entrepreneurial.
With that in mind, let's look at three ways you can use communication to add new value, whether you work in a functional department or not.
First, every department of every organization generates unique information. That comes from being astride several communication flows that come together in one office or area.
Information flows in from suppliers, from staff, and from other stakeholders. For example, people in your department read trade magazines, they attend seminars, they're in touch with people in other departments, and they may belong to trade associations.
If your department consciously gathers, sifts, analyzes, and organizes that information - formally or informally - then it's creating new value. It's now more than just information: it's business intelligence, information with added value. That's what we refer to as generating new information.
Moving to the idea of condensing information, one striking characteristic of modern communication is the amount of it moving around. No doubt you've heard references to information overload, an all too real problem for those whose work life revolves around information.
You can add value by monitoring the information that comes into your office and selecting just the critical parts. Movie director Alfred Hitchcock put it this way, "Drama is life with the dull bits cut out." That's probably not a bad way of thinking about the condensing of information.
You can also summarize. Rather than distributing selected bits of information, you can write an abstract that captures the key data or ideas and reduces the load to manageable size for others. That's great added-value for senior managers who need overviews, rather than details. Many internal newsletters earn their keep by providing regular summaries of useful information. That information can come from outside the organization or from within.
Third, there's other side of the same coin, which involves expanding, rather than condensing, information.
One way to do this is by providing context. Consider, for example, any current issue that gets high profile treatment. Can you take the information you have, and then provide background that helps others make sense of it? You might bring in additional information that provides a brief history, the current opportunities and threats, and some possible directions for the future, along with their implications.
You might also expand information by making connections to issues that don't seem to affect your organization. For example, suppose your factory serves only the domestic market, so globalization seems irrelevant for at least the near future. But, what if you could explain how changes to tariffs would allow you to buy your raw materials at lower prices?
In summary, you can add value to existing information by turning it into business intelligence, condensing it, or expanding it. All approaches may use the same material, but manage it differently, to satisfy different needs.
Robert F. Abbott writes and publishes Abbott's Communication Letter. Learn how you can use communication to help achieve your goals, by reading articles or subscribing to this ad-supported newsletter. An excellent resource for leaders and managers, at: http://www.communication-newsletter.com
 Google News Updated : Fri, 10 Oct 2008 23:49:19 GMT Notes on a Milk Scandal - Wall Street Journal
Wall Street Journal - By JOSEPH STERNBERG | FROM THE WALL STREET JOURNAL ASIA It's a question I'd never expected to spend much time thinking about. France pulls tainted Chinese food Tainted milk prompts new Chinese standards Publ.Date : Fri, 10 Oct 2008 18:28:15 GMT Wall Street, markets continue roller coaster - Bizjournals.com
Bizjournals.com - A roller coaster week on Wall Street ended with the Dow Jones Industrial Average down 128 points Friday after bouncing back from almost 700 points down in the day. Video: Wild Swings Drive Morning Trading Worst Week on Wall Street Ends Down Publ.Date : Fri, 10 Oct 2008 21:29:25 GMT Emptying the Pac-10 notebook - ESPN
ESPN - USC is a perfect 8-0 vs ASU this decade, last losing to the Sun Devils in 1999. Over the 8 wins, USC has averaged 39.8 PPG. The Trojans are going for their 400th victory at the Coliseum. Trojans sense an opportunity with Arizona State USC, ASU to avoid second Pac-10 loss Publ.Date : Fri, 10 Oct 2008 22:31:02 GMT Two Banks in Midwest Fail - Wall Street Journal
Wall Street Journal - By JEFF BATER WASHINGTON -- The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. on Friday announced the closings of two banks, bringing to 15 the number of federally insured banks that have failed this year. Two banks fold, bringing total to 15 failures this year Regulators shut small banks in Mich., Ill. Publ.Date : Fri, 10 Oct 2008 23:14:00 GMT GOP Alleges Nonprofit Voter Fraud - CBS News
CBS News - (CBS) This week Sen. John McCain and his running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin, went after one of the nation's leading voter registration groups which focuses its efforts minorities and low-income families and now being investigated for voter fraud. McCain Campaign Calls for Investigation of ACORN-Obama Ties Voter fraud accusations mar presidential campaign Publ.Date : Fri, 10 Oct 2008 23:21:41 GMT Conflict Resolution Marked Career of Nobel Laureate Martti Ahtisaari - Voice of America
Voice of America - By Andre de Nesnera Conflict resolution marked the career of former Finnish president Martti Ahtisaari who has received this year's Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to secure peace in various regions of the world. Video: Ex-Finland President Wins Nobel Peace Prize Martti Ahtisaari gets a deserved Nobel Peace Prize for a (failed) plan Publ.Date : Fri, 10 Oct 2008 21:23:27 GMT John McCain, Barack Obama on healthcare - Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times - How workable are the presidential candidates' health reform plans? Here's a summary of their proposals and a list of online resources for more information. In this economy, don't count on comprehensive health reform Fact Check: Would Obama fine businesses that don't offer health care? Publ.Date : Fri, 10 Oct 2008 23:27:40 GMT Make Money Online |
PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts,
Websites, and more... Over the past couple of days I've been setting up... Read More This article relates to the Training competency, commonly evaluated in... Read More It was 2.30 am. It was cold and dark and... Read More In a management role procrastination can seriously hold back progress... Read More ISO 9001 2000, Getting startedBefore starting the ISO 9001 2000... Read More Escalating gas prices...tensions and turmoil in the Middle East...a struggling... Read More Hurting your sales efforts can be accomplished easily with the... Read More Budgets! There I've said it. For some the most hated... Read More What is factoring?Accounts receivable financing, also known as factoring, is... Read More PERMISSION TO REPUBLISH: This article may be republished in newsletters... Read More If you're like most people, you probably started with wonderful... Read More 1. Create a filing system with broad categories such as... Read More "Where did it go? It was here yesterday. Wait. Here... Read More Once working and focused in tune with what they do... Read More The concept of knowledge management or knowledge sharing makes intellectual... Read More Customer relationship management (CRM) is one of the most effective... Read More A major problem for employers today is attracting the best... Read More Being able to communicate effectively with others requires people skills,... Read More It's been a pretty good weekend around the place -... Read More Human beings and the way they interact are extraordinarily Complex.... Read More Are you planning your business or are you... Read More Merely assigning a task with detailed instructions is not effective... Read More If one does not understand a person, one tends to... Read More You can possibly teach a turkey to climb a tree... Read More Effective project managers know how to get the job done,... Read More
Adsense
websites
Data Delivers Credibility
Tales from the Corporate Frontlines: Ideas for Everyday Training
Take the Easy Route - Delegate
Procrastination and JDI!
ISO 9001 2000, Getting Started on The Route To Registration
Change Management: Avoid Havoc In Very Uncertain Times
How To Decrease Profits Without Really Trying
Budgets!
Factoring Financing: How to Grow Your Business Without Debt or Loans
A Leadership Lesson: Two Guys With Guns
The 3rd Plan Missing from your Business
Organize your Office- Seven Solutions
Overcoming the Document Tracking Challenge
Make the Most of Your Time - Focus on Strengths
Knowledge Management - Leadership Behaviours Which Encourage Knowledge-Sharing
3 Reasons Why CRM Strategies Fail
How Managers Can Help Retain Their Best Employees
People Skills: Eight Essential People Skills
Empowering Others - Giving Them Some Control
How To Use W Edwards Deming
Planning For Growth
Allowing Employees Responsibility
Whadda Jerk!
Quality Staffing: Stop Placing the Wrong People in the Wrong Jobs
Project Management, A Forgotten Perspective
Affordable and Reliable Web Hosting Starting at $4.49/Month
Tales From the Corporate Frontlines: Managerial Influence
This article relates to the Manager/Supervisor competency, commonly evaluated in... Read More
Medical Malpractice: Three Myths That Cost Your Hospital Millions
What's the use?Nothing you do will hold down the cost... Read More
Turnover is Not a Problem
"Ha!" you say. "For someone to make a statement like... Read More
A Tricky Supervision Challenge
Many managers believe that treating their team members as responsible... Read More
Overcoming Perfectionism
Perfectionism can get in the way of building or marketing... Read More
Identifying Potential in Ourselves and Others
If there is someone nearby as you read this look... Read More
Better Manager Skills - How to Learn
When you first take over a department, expectations are usually... Read More
Success at Work : People Skills : Dealing with New Ideas
Re-organizing, re-engineering, re-training, down-sizing, outsourcing, changing-changing-changing. Organizations today think they... Read More
The Inferno of the Finance Director
Sometimes, I harbour a suspicion that Dante was a Financial... Read More
The Death Spiral
Sometimes things just happen. Maybe we lose focus and take... Read More
Controlling Your Cash Flow
IntroductionAre you looking for a way to gain control of... Read More
A Winning Way to Handle New Ideas
Janet DiClaudio, who was charge of medical records at two... Read More
Miracle Max On Market Breakthroughs
Successful enterprise building requires seven elements. These are:1. People, who... Read More
Quick Tip - Effective Meetings Begin With Goals
Goals are critically important for the success of a meeting.... Read More
Lack of Operations Manuals Stunting Your Growth?
Lack of Operations Manuals stunting your growth?CONTENTS:1. Do you lack... Read More
Managing Rebellious Employees
Surveys of executives reveal that many companies fall short of... Read More
Riding the Waves to Success
Last week I was confused and frustrated about a few... Read More
The Top Three Problems IT Managers Face and How to Overcome Them
Todays business environment has changed drastically from just a few... Read More
Climb out of the Box - How to Hold Effective Meetings
Out of the box thinking is a popular fad today.... Read More
Small Business Checking Accounts
ACCOUNTING AND BILLINGCHECK BOOKSWe recommend that you maintain a business... Read More
Small Business Outsourcing: An Introduction
Outsourcing is the delegation of a business process to an... Read More
25 Great Ways to Find the Right People and Not Break the Bank
Are you trying to hire dozens of hourly workers or... Read More
Punctuality in Business: What it Says About You
"Nothing inspires confidence in a business man sooner than punctuality,... Read More
Management Development - Micromanagement Works!
Getting into the detail of everything each of your people... Read More
Use QA As Your First Step To Outsourcing
Quality Assurance, or QA, is often given short shrift in... Read More
Business Management |