Even on a good day, clarity can be a very difficult thing to achieve. Without the proper level of clarity, you are likely to suffer from disconnects in various forms. Anything from miscommunication to ambiguity to role confusion and unclear direction all represent a potentially severe lack of clarity. Clarity is a two-way street. For success, communication needs to be both delivered and received clearly. This may take some skill and effort to achieve from both sides. Without proper clarity you have avoidable risk and waste.
Risk in that team members not fully on the same page might not be doing the right work needed in order to meet goals. At the same time, it represents waste in that it seeking clarity causes a lot of back-and-forth communication that takes time and skill and waste, nonetheless. Beyond that a misunderstood deliverable represents a miss with customers and likely some expensive rework, delayed payment, and damage to reputation.
Precise language, improved focus or attention span, along with active listening helps a great deal. Beyond those though our favorite involves Flow Engineering and how it generatively builds the clarity needed for lasting improvements. Once you have consensus with the people involved you are best equipped to solve the right problem. Targeting the right most beneficial problem helps a great deal to solve it quickly and correctly for the benefit of all. The various Flow Engineering maps help to bring about the clarity needed across the board for the best results.
As part of this series on Flow Engineering triggers we want to highlight many of those business situations that might be demanding a closer look at Flow Engineering as a solution. We fully expect that you will come to see that Flow Engineering is an essential ingredient to success in how to optimize how work gets done and value is delivered to customers.
A few disturbing stats that are projected to get even worse regarding clarity might shiver your timbers…
- $37 Billion lost annually due to poor communication, communication barriers and misunderstandings between employees – Forbes
- $1.2 Trillion is lost annually due to ineffective communication – Communicate4Impact
- 57% of employees report poor communication and the primary reason for reduced performance or missed deadlines – Gallup
- 28% of project failures are directly linked to poor communication – PMI
- %50 of students receiving unclear instructions are more likely to receive lower grades – American Educational Research Association
Flow Engineering triggers involving clarity
OK so let us jump into the trigger situations that we have identified directly related to the clarity aspect of Flow Engineering. Consider each of the common situations described below in the left column then review the Flow Engineering impact on the right.
| Situations/Observations | How Flow Engineering applies |
|---|---|
| Our people are confused about how to contribute to higher level company goals | High Level: Success with Flow Engineering relies on the North Star approach to broadly communicate company goals. This improves clarity of how individuals and teams align their efforts and contribute best toward those goals. In the trenches: Across the organization, from leaders to individuals all better understand how their work contributes to company goals. This serves as a filter to eliminate any proposed work that does not properly align with those goals. This creates the illusion of increased capacity, but the reality is that it is that effort applied is more focused on what matters most. |
| We have had several recent leadership changes bringing a new vision, direction and focus. We need to bring greater clarity and alignment to the teams, so they understand how their work impacts the new company’s direction. | High Level: A well-defined North Star that involves alignment around performance will serve you well. This can be a stressful situation for all and could trigger frustration, disengagement and departures. In the trenches: People tend to prefer a stable and healthy existence. They need to know how their work aligns with the new company’s direction. Flow Engineering brings about a greater degree of alignment , clarity and empowerment regarding the work being done as well as how it is done. |
| Our leaders dictate what improvements we need to make, but these tend to be ill-conceived and disconnect from the reality of what is possible or realistic. | High Level: How is that working out? Chances are you are making some progress, but there is friction, and the people involved are not as engaged as they could be. The gains you projected are falling short and you are rapidly losing good people. In the trenches: Don’t get me started about the evils of micro-management. While it might be OK for management to set realistic and achievable goals, the people involved are better informed and capable of making the magic happen. |
| We are the top dog in our industry. We have always done things a certain way and it worked well to get us where we are now. | High Level: That might be true, but times are very different now. In this digital infused information age, everything moves faster and with more precision. Notice any new competitors that are rising fast? They are digital natives and are not saddled with legacy baggage. In the trenches: Loyalty goes both ways and while it once was essential to be long-term loyal to your company that is not quite so true anymore. Your people are bored, unempowered, disengaged, and uninspired. They want more and will notice the competition and likely be lured away in various ways beyond money. |
There are dozens more related triggers no doubt that we can add over time. Please add your situations below and we can either respond to them or add them to the list above.
Leave a Reply