Resolving Workplace Conflicts: General - Lack of Communication (PDF)

Conflict tends to have a negative connotation based on our experiences, but it does not have to be this way. When we seek to understand, we communicate that we care enough to work through difficult situations and determine how to make things better to reduce stress, promote communication and enhance teamwork.

A lack of communication in the workplace handicaps team members and management impacting their ability to get work done. Ultimately, an ongoing lack of communication negatively impacts the organization and its degree of success. Issues regarding a lack of communication are chronic in many organizations and difficult to resolve because they are complex and often only dealt with superficially. We believe that you can't make people be good communicators; individuals have to want to be good communicators. It's important to consider all of the contributing factors for a lack of communication and to utilize multiple tools and work on multiple levels to affect real change. This document offers numerous solutions for addressing a lack of communication and ensures that all team members impacted are part of those solutions.

With this tool you get the following:

•  The effects a lack of communication has on team members.
•  Considerations for why an individual demonstrates a lack of communication.
•  Numerous solutions for improvement.
•  Ideas for negotiating/adjusting solutions.
•  Potential barriers and ways to overcome them to achieve resolution.
•  Implementation timeframe.
•  Follow-up review commitments.

Additionally, we provide a blank, editable Conflict Resolution Worksheet and the Worksheet Guidelines providing a step-by-step process for addressing your own workplace conflicts.