This is what you don't want.

I was reading an interesting article in February’s Inc. magazine (FYI I’m able to see into the future) by Joel Spolsky about communication, or more so, over communication.   Everyone has finite resources (time, money, energy) that they want to use as effectively as possible.  A big part of using your resources effectively within your organization is effective communication.  In the article, Joel describes a few ways in which the way we communicate may be becoming less effective instead of more.

It all starts with Brooks’ Law.  Fred Brooks worked on a massive software project for IBM in 1975.  As the project fell behind schedule, IBM added more and more people to the project to speed up the completion time.  What Brooks noticed was that adding personnel had the opposite effect; it actually slowed the project down.  Brooks’ Law says that “adding manpower to a late software project makes it later.”  The Law hinges on two main pieces: first, it takes time for people brought onto the project to become productive, and second, as the number of people on a project increases the number of communication channels exponentially increases.

Joel makes the point that when you first started with a few people in your company, everyone knew everything because they had to.  As you grow and people specialize, it isn’t necessary for every person to know the details of the business or for everyone to be included in meetings so that some people don’t feel left out.  In the end communication isn’t about people feeling included or a part of the team.  Effective communication is about sharing information with others who need the information to complete a task or reach a goal.

Setting the communication stage in your company is an important piece for an effective and productive work environment.  You need to periodically reevaluate your communication’s productivity, since as your company matures your communication channels will need to mature as well.  Next time you setup a meeting or send out an email, ask yourself these questions.  What is the purpose of this meeting/email?  Why is each person being included?  Is there a better way of getting the information I desire?

For Joel Spolsky’s complete article, click here.

For more on Brooks’ Law, click here.