Whenever anything goes wrong in an organisation, it can virtually always be traced back to poor communication. A badly-worded instruction or information passed on carelessly can so easily lead to errors or omissions, so the need to take real care needs to be drummed into everyone.

But there is an equally important point here.

When people are kept fully in the picture they relax, confident that they will be consulted whenever change is being considered. But if things happen to us and they are a surprise they may also be a shock. We will inevitably find them disconcerting and maybe actually upsetting.

We dislike change. It unsettles us and we prefer the things we are familiar with but most of us do understand that change is inevitable and that both we and our businesses need to keep up to date with the latest in systems, technology and procedures and with the ways in which business is changing. If we are kept “in the loop”, consulted fully, our opinions listened to and given proper consideration, we are happy to be open-minded about change, but if we are kept in the dark rumours spread that paint the worst possible scenario, and the entire organisation is de-stabilised. And, of course, productivity falls as people speculate anxiously in the office kitchen, imagining things that may not even be under consideration. Stress levels rise, possibly without reason.

Good management is therefore open and communicates freely. The more staff know, and above all the more they feel their opinion goes into the decision-making process, the more likely they are to support the results.

Email can be invaluable in this respect but be careful. A hastily-written email may be poorly worded and can fuel fear rather than allay it. Email is also cold and cannot see the response of the receiver. When we talk we send and receive many unspoken signals: a look in the eye, an expression, body language, smiles, nods and so on that tell us a very great deal about how we are being received. We can adjust the message to suit the response we are getting. Email allows for none of that.

So communicate, listen to your people, and take their opinions on board. When you reach your decisions explain them and win support for them, don’t simply force them onto your staff. And if you have something to convey that needs sensitivity it is usually better done face to face.