How should the boss communicate in the Slack era? The expert gives the advice of managers

Leena Rinne, vice president of SkillSoft Coaching, PMs in an interview with Business Insider that managers should prioritize the best way to communicate in their teams. Otherwise, frustrations and feedback are ignored, which makes team members feel overlooked. This, in turn, leads to the withdrawal and loss of a sense of sense of work, which – as Rinne notes – is not conducive to productivity.

“How important it is, it depends on how much you care about the happiness and commitment of your people,” says Rinne. – If you don't care, maybe it doesn't matter. However, if you want them to be involved, do a good job, be loyal to the organization, it must be a priority – he adds.

Slack is fast, but not always effective

Communication using text, e-mail, private messages and even voice messages significantly accelerated all processes. Rinne pointed out that This form also gives people a chance to think about answering before giving it.

“You can think about what you want to answer,” he says. “If you experience strong emotions, you don't have to react immediately on the spur of the moment,” he adds.

Representatives of the generation from digital natives like this form of communication. As Rinne noted, they feel “almost awkward, talking face to face.” – This generation has never known life without devices and digital commitment – he emphasizes.

At the same time, this form of contacts can lead to a “communication gap”. Many representatives of the Z generation began their first full -time job during Pandemia, which made them bypassed their first years of building relationships in the workplace.

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A generation of fear

“They spent their most forming years at home during a pandemic, while we usually develop social skills,” explains Rinne. “Their experience was completely different than mine and many other generations,” he adds.

Therefore, representatives of the Zoomer generation (from the Zoom application) are a particularly fearful generation and – as Rinne notes – They can develop a tendency to avoid conflicts if they communicate only digitally. According to her, they cannot flexibly adapt to “moments of tense that naturally appear during the conversation.”

Rinne believes that we should generally not rely only on disconnected forms of communication. Younger generations are not the only ones that today use voice and texts.

– We are all evolving in our communication styles. Perhaps a new way of communication has some benefits, but if we rely on it too much, serious deficiencies arise – warns the expert.

Communication with these funds can be limited and susceptible to incorrect interpretation. – Interpersonal connection, this human moment – it's not the same – says Rinne.

He recalls the situation when she responded to his colleague to a private message in a very substantive way. The collaborator took her tone as impatient or annoyed, although this was not her intentions at all.

At the same time, as Rinne adds, It is important to balance the needs and meet the members of the team “where they are”, and not force them to communicate styles that do not suit them.

– If you do not do this, you risk everything that organizations are complaining about now: employee rotation, lack of commitment, quiet departure – says the interlocutor BI.

Mid -level managers are key

The antidote for these problems is to care about maintaining a high level of trust based on a relationship in which minor communication trips do not destroy it.

– Building teams in which psychological security prevails, gives us a much greater margin for trips – both in digital communication and face to face when we are awkward or say something wrong – explains Rinne.

Middle -level managers play a key role in facilitating communication and understanding the needs of their teams. However, this “mess” can receive less investments in leadership development compared to first -level managers and a higher level management, Rinne pointed out.

Companies that try to “wrinkle” organizations and flatten the structures – like Amazon – can, according to Rinne, come across the risk associated with this strategy.

– The whole structure begins to fall apart if you cut this level too deeply. You must then take care not only of completing the competence gap, but also the leadership gap at the middle level – he emphasizes.

– Everyone who stays now has as many direct subordinates with whom they should be involved, know them, adapt to their styles? It is difficult to do with ten people – try with thirty – he emphasizes.

The above text is a translation with American Business Insider edition