My Journey to Streamlining Workplace Communication
Internal communication should make work easier, but in many companies, it does the opposite. At my workplace, information is often scattered across different channels, making it hard to find the latest updates. Sometimes, employees rely on outdated details, leading to confusion and mistakes. After attending a lecture on change management and internal communication by Rahel Balie, I realized how structured governance could fix these problems. The insights I gained will not only help in my daily work but will also play a big role in my master’s thesis, where I aim to develop a more efficient communication system.
How Governance Can Fix Communication Problems
One key takeaway from the lecture was the importance of governance - basically, having clear rules and responsibilities for internal communication. Without governance, messages get lost, people don’t know where to share updates, and things spiral into chaos. Governance isn’t just about creating rules - it’s about making sure the right information reaches the right people at the right time. As Welchman (2015) explains in Managing Chaos, strong governance ensures that digital communication flows smoothly and avoids debates over content ownership. Inspired by this, I want to set clear guidelines in my master’s thesis to prevent redundant information and streamline communication.
Making Information Easy to Find with Knowledge Management
While researching for my thesis, I came across knowledge management, which I found really interesting. It’s all about organizing and storing information so people can find what they need quickly (Koenig, 2018). The lecture reinforced how critical this is, especially in workplaces where employees waste time searching for the right documents. The Cynefin framework by Snowden et al. (2021) also stood out—it helps companies understand that internal communication isn’t one-size-fits-all. Instead, organizations need flexible solutions that adapt to different situations. This is something I will keep in mind while structuring my communication process.
A Real-Life Example: The Messy Way We Handle Updates
A big issue in my company is the duplication of information. Updates are shared in multiple places, and no one knows which version is correct. As a result, employees either waste time double-checking or act on outdated information. Research by WordBank (2022) shows that a strong governance model can prevent this by clearly defining who shares what, where, and when. Having a structured approach to communication would save time, reduce errors, and make work smoother for everyone.
Applying These Lessons to My Master’s Thesis
For my thesis, I plan to create a structured system for internal communication that outlines where, how, and when different types of information should be shared. The goal is to cut down on unnecessary messages, make important updates easy to find, and ensure that employees aren’t stuck searching for the right information. The content maturity model from Schroeder (2023) will help me assess where companies currently stand and what steps they need to take to improve their internal communication.
Internal communication should help, not hinder, productivity. The lecture on change management and internal communication gave me valuable insights that I will apply both in my workplace and in my master’s thesis. By focusing on governance, knowledge management, and content integrity, I hope to create a structured communication system that minimizes confusion and improves efficiency. Clear communication is the key to smoother operations, and I’m excited to put these ideas into practice.
References
Koenig, M. E. D. (2018). What is knowledge management? KMWorld. Retrieved from https://www.kmworld.com/About/What_is_Knowledge_Management
Schroeder, E. (2023). How to measure the maturity of your content strategy. Lullabot. Retrieved from https://www.lullabot.com/articles/how-measure-your-organizations-content-strategy-maturity
Snowden, D., et al. (2021). Cynefin Decision-Making Framework. Cynefin. Retrieved from https://cynefin.io/wiki/Cynefin
Welchman, L. (2015). Managing chaos: Digital governance by design.Rosenfeld Media.
WordBank. (2022). How (and why) to build a global content governance model. Retrieved from https://www.wordbank.com/us/blog/language-localization/content-governance/
