Communication is the life-blood that circulates in all areas of the business. It needs constant attention and improvement. This is a universal truth which we all accept - but our actions do not always comply. We are too busy; there is a crisis to deal with; we will tell people later. Communicating really well must be a priority for everyone. With ever-changing business environments, it is critical to commitment and performance.

The strongest and most consistent message from our recent research into IT-Related Change was the need for more, effective communication. One manager commented:-

"We put a lot of effort into communication - regular face to face meetings in the department, monthly presentations, a monthly magazine and user representation on the task force. In spite of all this, with hindsight, there was insufficient communication"

On a more general note, research among CEOs in the US asked "If you could go back and change one thing, what would it be?" The most frequent reply....... "The way I communicated with my colleagues".

Good communication is a powerful and essential facilitator of change. It can do much to further the aims of the business, but only if enough thought, energy and resources are invested in it.

Communication is not just an end in itself. It is vital to achieve business results and effective change will not happen without it. It is necessary for:-

• shared direction. People need to know how their efforts fit into the whole - when things are moving fast, a shared view of the target holds the change effort together.

  Less than half the managers in our own research were very clear about the purpose of the change in which they were involved; and only a few thought that the purpose was very clear to the rest of the organisation.

• commitment. Every bit of research about what gets people committed has emphasised that involving them in the decisions makes the difference.

• informed decision making. Effective decisions for High Performance at every level depend on smooth and speedy information flows up, down and across the organisation.

• morale. People need opportunities to discuss their personal concerns about change - so that they continue to feel good about the organisation and the thrust of development. They also need encouragement by acknowledging and publishing successful progress.

• learning in individuals and teams and between people across the organisation. There is a need to share experiences from previous change initiatives and to help others to learn from each one as it evolves. There's no point in learning alone; profit lies in learning form each other for continuous improvement.

• business integration across the organisation and to 'focus on the customer'. Most change depends on communication across organisational borders and the customer ideally only wants one interface. Multiple change initiatives across the organisation also need to be integrated to avoid duplication and to maximise their impact.