Become a better organization in listening

A company leader in the field of technology service claims to be frustrated. He was confused looking for ways so that his team could talk more in each meeting. He also wants his average team engineer Can be more flexible if spoken to by the client. Especially when the client intends to ask questions directly related to technical matters.

To relax that rigidity, he intended to bring in the organization’s coach. The goal is to encourage his team to be more confident to speak.

Another story. A national company invited me to discuss with all senior leader-HIS. Coverage of the company’s customers is almost all populations in Indonesia. Very large. Our discussion theme is about communication. How to make the senior leader It’s better to communicate, so that the reputation and image of the organization is getting better. The discussion was given the title “Speaking For Para senior leader“.

The ability to speak from time to time is indeed the attention of many people. So it’s no wonder the training speaking We found a lot.

This ability is very important. No need to doubt.

In the two stories above, instead of sharing tips on how to be better at speaking, I am interested in conveying the opposite of speaking: listening. Especially listening in the context of organization.

Actually talking and listening to this package. In order to speak better, we need to listen better too. This is called two -way effective communication. And that’s how healthy communication should be.

But unfortunately the situation often leads us to the conclusion that the superior in communication is those who are good at talking. The more able to dominate the conversation and make other people run out of words to answer them, we consider it superior to the communication. Even though we don’t know for sure, people cannot answer anymore because they understand our messages or run out of mind.

In the context of the organization from small and large, even so. Government institutions, companies, community organizations allocate resources for dissemination, distribution, publication. In essence, distributing information.

The ways are various. Campaigns, advertisements, media relationships, exhibitions, public relationsto equip his team with abilities speaking the good one. Everything is indeed necessary, but everything is an attempt to convey what is thought/registered by the organization outside, not listening to what the outside people want to the organization.

In fact, there are many advantages from listening.

When speaking, we only convey what we know. Whereas when listening, we have the potential to get new knowledge.

Through hearing, the organization actually has the opportunity to get very rich knowledge. In addition, when the organization shows “gesture” listening seriously, it will gain trust, good reputation, and satisfaction of stakeholders (also customers in the context of business organizations).

Professor Jim Macnamara in his book “Listening to Organizations – Essential Lost in Public Communication” convey a series of listening guidelines for the organization he named Architecture listening. This book is the result of broad research on many organizations in several countries at once.

He calls architecture because each other acts as a structure that strengthens each other. Next I convey briefly one by one, hopefully useful:

Listening culture

The key factor in building a culture of listening is to the leader of the organization. CEOs, senior management, leaders, have a central role in making the organization more willing to listen. Leaders’ habits in two -way communication and show a good attitude in hearing, will be an example for all members of the organization to also apply. Listening culture is an open culture.

But open differently from transparent huh. When we encourage organizational transparency, in many places it means to provide a lot of information that needs to be known by the public, both external and internal public. This is important, but still in the form of one -way communication. While listening, more than flooding information from inside out, but absorb information for organizational improvement continuously.

Those who are transparent, not necessarily capable or ready to be open to listening.

Listening policy

The organization consists of many heads who work together. To ensure that the listening process is truly an important part of the organization, it is necessary for policies and regulations that make listening a more neat flow.

One of the most important things in this listening policy is a clear direction from the CEO and senior management that the organization is open with input. Again, the role of the leader becomes very important. From this, other policies will be born that are pro to the process of listening to each other.

Politics listen

You’re not reading wrong. Yes, political politics. That is, organizations must be able to overcome politics in organizations that will be an obstacle in the listening process.

Forms of politics in listening, for example, only hear from one party. While ignoring or obstructing information from other parties.

The term “office politics”, “as long as you are happy” as well as an example of politics about listening.

This political situation makes information not objective and murky, so that it is detrimental in the decision making process that provides maximum benefits for the organization.

Structure and process for listening

Although senior management or organizational leaders play an important role in the culture of listening, not all time they must listen (and answer). He CEO must answer yourself DM Instagram organization, or respond directly to screams on pantry When soy sauce is gone?

The process of listening and responding needs to be delegated. The goal is that more information can be captured, analyzed, then quickly and precisely find a way out. Including how a lot of information is presented to senior management for decision making material.

Technology for listening

Our business is facilitated by technology. Included in spreading and getting information alias listening. Call it a variety of devices such as Media monitoring, trend monitoringAlso a means of long distance communication that is increasingly easy to do at this time. All can be used to listen, to get outlookinformation and inspiration from anywhere and anytime. So, let’s take advantage.

Resources to listen

Although gathering information is increasingly able to be carried out automatically with the help of technology. But listening and processing it still needs resources both human, energy, and often also funds.

Skills to listen

Skills for listening are the ability to process information both quantitatively and qualitatively, interact through social media, make interactive presentations, to understanding how to use data.

Articuals to make destruction

Not all information needs to be submitted to the decision maker to get the right response from the organization. Do not let information not important actually dominate the report to them.

But how to judge information as important or not important? Lest it will fall into the politics of listening to the bias that can be on information and sort them up for a particular purpose?

Each organization can make its own policies about what and how information must be conveyed to the decision maker. Can everything, can be filtered first.

Some indicators can be used, for example based on consideration of frequent information, input, similar questions entering the organization. The more often something we hear, for example complaints of one thing, usually shows that the problem is really happening.

Another thing is related to ethics. The slightest ethical violation needs to immediately get the right response.

It is also related to risks analysis. When the information sends a signal of a risk that we must respond, it means that the more information is conveyed.

How is the practice of listening to us in GNFI? Hopefully I can write it on the next occasion.

Hope it is useful.

Wahyu Aji