The Ability to Communicate
Communication is one of the most fundamental abilities of us humans and was practically given to us at birth. We communicate constantly, without interruption – be it with words, facial expressions, or gestures. But even a glance at Schulz von Thun’s communication model suggests that it’s not quite that simple. According to the recognized communication scientist, you need at least a sender and a receiver of the message, which also consists of four levels of communication. With a spoken sentence, you not only convey the pure content, but also information about yourself, the relationship to the other person, and the expectation of the conversation. And this merely represents the basics of human understanding.
Own Illustration: Communication Square by Schulz von Thun
Changing Work Environment
But What Does This Look Like in a Company in Times of Digitalization, Always-on, and Maximum Flexibility?
Comparing today’s way of working with that of a few years ago, it’s noticeable that a lot has changed. In the past, people would choose a profession after school and often practice it almost unchanged until retirement. Changes are part of today’s working day. Processes are optimized, new software is introduced, and companies realign themselves to keep pace with the fast-paced nature of today’s world. Digitalization acts as an important driver on the way to the so-called Work 4.0. Millennials in particular value a more flexible work rhythm, and so the need for more self-determination regarding working hours and locations is growing. It can be worthwhile for companies to promote these developments, as they increase motivation.
Politics Has Also Recognized This Trend, So That (Former) Labor Minister Andrea Nahles Also Notes:
“Today there are new images of how we would like to work: There is the creative knowledge worker sitting by the lake with a laptop on their lap. Or the production worker who enters her desired shift times for the next week into the organizational plan via app.¹”
As we place great importance on a positive work atmosphere, we as the digatus team have developed our own approaches to combine the individual requirements of our employees with the innovative technologies of digitalization and to gain a communication tailored to us. We enable real-time collaboration, support dynamic teams, communicate efficiently and flexibly, and continuously work to make usage as simple as possible. This natural way of communication also brings fun as a side effect and thus creates high acceptance among users.
Lived Practice – Communication at digatus
Since the founding of digatus, we have been faced with the question of how to optimally design internal communication, as employees are distributed across various locations domestically and abroad and can flexibly arrange their working hours. Not only the productive exchange on customer projects and internal process design but also the exchange in the sense of coffee kitchen gossip was a concern for us. The communication and collaboration that normally takes place in the office should now increasingly take place on a digital level.
With the design of our communication structure, based on modern solutions, we also want to set a good example as pioneers for our customers and offer them the best possible advice and strategy for their own communication strategy based on our collected experiences. In our team, we test various applications and features with the most diverse requirements. This allows us to make well-founded recommendations for various areas of application and report on our own experiences.
Our communication structure is based on four pillars that, when working together correctly, enable all types of understanding and thus produce optimal collaboration in our company. Our pillars consist of Telephony Conferencing, Instant Messaging, Collaboration Platform, and the use of Microsoft Exchange and its functions. However, it is also important to choose the right pillars for each situation. This becomes clear in the example of content development: data becomes information, and from this, knowledge is formed. Not every pillar is suitable for every type of content. For instance, Exchange does not serve as a knowledge repository, but it is used for information exchange. By choosing a meaningful constellation, we are able to communicate internally and externally, innovatively and traditionally, in writing and verbally. This allows us to achieve an individual and at the same time modern way of working that is suitable for each of our employees, whether they are digital natives or digital immigrants.
Our Experience Values
How can efficient teamwork succeed in real-time? At digatus, we rely on Unified Communications for this. Through the use of cloud-based telephony, our team members are in constant contact with each other. Alignments are made across locations, both internally and externally, in regular online meetings and conferences.
Mathias Müller in an Online Meeting
Why do we need Instant Messaging, which one would rather associate with private chat usage? At first glance, it appears to be a less professional and efficient method of getting work done. But far from it. Precisely because it reminds us of private chat functions, such as WhatsApp, it makes handling easier for employees, as this form of communication has long since become a matter of course for them. Moreover, we see that this type of communication will be indispensable for the future in an innovative company.
How could we prevent media breaks, avoid communication silos, but at the same time make knowledge accessible? We recognized that a change in thinking in the minds of employees and their way of working is necessary to begin and carry out this comprehensive change management process in a structured manner. That’s why we rely on a central collaboration solution from our partner company in Switzerland (MondayCoffee). The innovative platform customized for us and the well-proven analysis, conceptualization, and implementation methodology have helped us establish the necessary internal company changes. The process will continue to accompany us so that every employee can work as intuitively and productively as possible.
What role does the use of Exchange play in our approach? Is there a world without email, or do companies need to continue covering their processes through it? At digatus, we clearly see the tendency to reduce email usage, especially in times when storage space no longer plays a role and thus the flood of information increases. Who has time to filter out the important ones from 100 emails daily? Ideally, our internal communication should no longer be practiced via email at all. This leaves external communication with customers and partners who are not integrated into our collaboration solution. In the medium term, we aim to ensure that Outlook, Thunderbird, and Co. are no longer the programs that one opens first in the morning and closes last in the evening. Our goal is to replace these with our central collaboration solution.
But how does communication actually work now? We say there is not THE but YOUR answer to that. The design of communication should be adapted to your company and be as intuitive and effective as possible to bring out the maximum in collaboration and productivity. On the way there, we will accompany you with innovative consulting approaches and best practices. In cooperation with you and our business partners, we will together make your communication strategy fit for the digital age.
