Communicate or fail

ISO Certification can be a powerful tool in aiding the growth of an organisation. The clarity of roles, procedures and processes can assist in huge steps forward for a company. That being said, there is one common issue which can hinder its success – communication.

Communication has been the downfall of many organisations, no matter the size with a key example being Nokia. Once a world leading manufacturer in mobile phones, from the outside it could be argued that their fall from grace stemmed from not keeping up with its competition.

This in part is correct, they indeed fell behind as the likes of Apple offered more desirable products but that is not to say they did not have the expertise and ideas.

Former employees have stated that the company anticipated the introduction of the iPhone but the company failed to turn their prototypes into products due to poor communication which led to delays in getting new products to market.

Numerous consequences

Failure to ensure clear channels of communication and especially two-way communication can lead to numerous issues such as:

Knowledge is not shared and acted upon. This can include where there is a fault with a product and the information is not passed on to management. This results in increased costs and causing severe damage to the company’s reputation.

Poor morale. If management are not aware of any rumours or conflict, this will spread and lead to poor morale, higher staff turnover and training costs.

Decreased efficiency. If communications take longer than they should, projects will take longer, or even worse, are not completed properly. Clear communication ensures decisions are made in a timely manner with all the information.

Resistance to change. The main complaint that is often made against companies implementing change is that employees felt that they weren’t consulted and that the change was forced upon them. In these situations, it recommended that:

• Where possible, employees are made aware of the potential for upcoming change and the reasons as to why. The why is very important and sincerity is a must.
• Give employees the ability to feedback to management in the form of concerns or suggestions.
• If the change is significant, ensure that it is implemented in a realistic time frame. Too much, too soon creates conflict.
• Listen to all employees and ease their concerns where possible.

Communication and the ISO Management System

An effective ISO Management System relies on excellent communication with regards to its initial implementation. Here at ISO Quality Services Ltd, we pride ourselves on working with what clients have in place however there will be a degree of change and this requires management.

Keeping employees up to date with changes and explaining why they are necessary is imperative. Everyone is more accommodating if they understand why it is necessary.

With regards to the maintenance of a Management System, a key part of the ISO 9001 Quality Management System is the Management Review Meeting (MRM). This is designed to inform all levels of management of upcoming changes and a critical element of which is the review of actions taken following the previous MRM.

Without effective communication, a number of the key business principles involved with the Management System, including continual improvement and factual approach to decision making will not happen.

ISO Certification is more than just a badge, if you would like assistance so as to make the most of your Management System, please contact our friendly team at info@isoqsltd.com or alternatively, 01905 670303.

References

Groysberg, B. Slind, M (2012) The Silent Killer of Big Companies. Harvard Business Review [Online] Available from: https://hbr.org/2012/10/the-silent-killer-of-big-companies [28.04.2015]

ISO Quality Services Ltd are proud to specialise in the implementation and certification of the Internationally recognised ISO and BS EN Management Standards.

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