It's a jungle out there! In a time when the typical organizational pyramid is flattening into horizontal information clusters, candid, pragmatic communication flows are more vital to success than ever before.

Traditionally, most communication that takes place within organizations has moved in one direction: downward. In a system that is dependent only on downward communication, little, if any, interaction takes place between employees and management.

Face-to-face communication is an opportunity for interactive dialogue between employee and supervisor where two can exchange information and get immediate feedback from one another. It can be as simple as a one-minute discussion between a supervisor and a few employees and Users at the start of a seminar or lab mixer, or as complicated as a State-of-the-Lab address.

Better communication involves the movement of information in two directions: upward from the employees to management and back down, from management to employees.

People who work at the lab are housed throughout the site, and Users come from across the country and around the world. As such, the lab community uses several methods of communication. These methods cover all aspects of information movement: traditional, face-to-face and upward. However, the latest communications survey tells us that face-to-face communication is the preferred method of communication by the lab's staff.

A common thread revealed in the survey data is the desire for exchanges of "live" information. Face-to-face communication with sender(s) and receiver(s) permits participation in or reaction to the process as it moves along. For example, many at the Lab have a preferred method for receiving particular types of information. Here is a summary of the top methods for receiving different types of information at the Lab:

With the exception of flyers and bulletin boards, all of the methods listed above involve the exchange of live information.

If you are left out of the loop, if you are not aware of the big picture issues (new lab initiatives, long-term lab plans, etc.), or your best source of information is the lab's rumor mill, perhaps you need to ask yourself if it's time to add another communication method to your arsenal. Strap on that bulletproof vest and venture into the jungle.

Just be aware. Once you step into the jungle, you may be surprised at the amount of information available just for the asking.

--Karen Hokansson, ICT Chair

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