Internal Communication: The Multi-Site Company Challenge (7/7) – Flattening the Org Chart "Layer Cake"

Here is your ultimate challenge — as someone responsible for internal communication in a multi-site organization: reducing the "layer cake" effect that creates distance between headquarters and frontline employees, stifles the spontaneity of internal exchanges, and dampens initiative.

This article on the "org chart effect" is excerpted from our Ebook: Internal Communication — The 7 Challenges of Multi-Site Companies >>> Download the full ebook (FREE)

The Org Chart: A Double-Edged Tool

Found in most human organizations, the org chart maps the connections between functional lines of business and hierarchical layers (vertical). Its purpose: to help every employee orient themselves within the organization.

But it has a recognized downside: by identifying with their role, employees internalize a position, conform to the behavior they believe suits their status, and calibrate their contributions accordingly.

The result: in addition to making the company more rigid (hierarchies and functional lines are always more fluid in reality than org charts suggest), the org chart can sometimes put certain employees in a position where they feel they have no real "voice at the table". Everyone starts wondering what they're allowed to say or write — and often ends up saying nothing at all. So much for the dream of seeing spontaneous "peer-to-peer" exchanges flourish across the company!

Preventing and Anticipating Potential Drift

In distributed (or multi-site) organizations — whether in retail or in a consulting firm — geographic distance and relative anonymity amplify this sense of distance, with communication often reduced to vertical, top-down, hierarchical flows. Internal communication, however, has an opportunity to transform the way information flows within (and across) the organization, and to close those distances.

How?

• by ensuring that all employees — white-collar and blue-collar alike — have a voice at the table
• by making communication multi-directional — top-down, bottom-up, and cross-functional — through the right tools (e.g., enterprise social network)
• by making it easier to speak up informally and freely
• and by fostering a culture of feedback, humility, and accountability, in which
• everyone can use their voice to comment, contribute, and propose ideas.

Read also: [Practical Guide] 10 Client Initiatives to Improve Internal Communication

Unlocking the Organization

Transforming the way internal communication is practiced — in particular by adopting tools that make it more fluid — will reduce the "layer cake" effect of the org chart.

Of course, employees (and with them, the employee experience) will come out enriched — with an internal culture that better values kindness, conviviality, and a spirit of initiative.

But the biggest winner of all will be the organization itself, with:

• greater responsiveness in interactions
• more exchanges & feedback on a daily basis
• time saved for everyone

In short, by tackling the "layer cake effect," you should quickly see a strong impact on quality (continuous improvement), on productivity (time saved and ease of task execution), and on engagement (initiative-taking), across the entire organization.

Read the previous article: Internal Communication: The Multi-Site Company Challenge (6/7) – Promoting Headquarters Initiatives

Also discover: Best software for internal communication

*
* *

Access the Ebook

This article is excerpted from our Ebook « The 7 Challenges of Internal Communication in a Multi-Site Context« . In it, you'll discover: the key challenges facing internal communication in a multi-site organization, along with practical advice and best practices to address them.

Download