The efficient and effective management and distribution of information, as well as improving morale, engagement, and productivity, are hallmarks of any successful organization. Unfortunately, a lot of time and effort is wasted when parts of the organization are relying on information that is inconsistent or conflicting.
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It seems as though it should be easy to provide people with consistent messaging and information, but even in small teams, messages can get confused. Why?
Different Sources
One major cause of incorrect information is that the information is being received from different sources. In an imagined scenario in which the manager of a department and the assistant manager meet with their superiors to discuss companywide goals, say one employee gets information on the direction from the manager, while another gets inconsistent information from the assistant manager.
Although it’s simple enough to reconcile any discrepancies, it takes time, and work may have already been wasted.
Incorrect Recollections
One key reason to keep meeting minutes is to document discussions, decisions, and action items while they are fresh in one’s memory, but even if that’s done, each individual taking notes may not have the same recollection.
Information Changes Over Time
Another issue that occurs frequently is changing information. An e-mail may be sent out detailing the state of affairs or some instructions, but in a dynamic workplace, what was true 2 weeks ago may not be true today. Even if follow-up e-mails are sent, it’s not guaranteed everyone will receive, be able to find, or reference the correct version.
Here, we’ve discussed some common causes of inconsistent information, and in a follow-up post, we’ll recommend the use of a shared document system, such as the New Technology File System, and explain how this can eliminate or mitigate many of the issues that arise when trying to work with consistent information.