Honey Bees don’t use words to communicate to each other, yet they do have a language. They are consistently in sync with the current condition of the hive, their queen, and outside competition. How? Pheromones. The queen releases pheromones while her attending bees pick up her pheromones and by the process of brushing against their neighbors, they start spreading the queen’s scent throughout the hive. This is the most basic and natural method of sweep-communication. Sweep communication is a term I will use to define the process of disseminating business objectives for the purpose of furthering the prerogative of corporate purpose or strategy through proximity alone. Think about the water cooler discussions that occur and how much information is shared casually.
In functional corporate organizations, we can see professional connectivity working via individual business units, or departments. When individual business units are synced together, positive results generally follow within that group. What happens when multiple functional business units operate in a silo, communicating effectively solely within their unit? Best case scenario, stagnation of the larger corporate initiatives due to unawareness of how solitary business units influence the corporate momentum. Without a proximity unifier, a link between business functions, sweep communication doesn’t work.
Do you see a business effectiveness connection? Pheromones may be the unspoken language of the bees; the unspoken language of business is sweep-communication. More powerful than a mere exchange of dialog, close and frequent proximity to others allows for syncing.
Bee’s work in assigned “business units” throughout the advancements of their lifecycles. So, in the summer months, for the first 3 weeks of a new bee’s life, they are “assigned” house duties; some of which include either wax building, attending the queen, guard duties, or as an under-taker bee (removing death from the hive). The needs of the hive are determined largely out of sweep communication. They all work together to accomplish their goals and can respond to any changes of the goals due to the proximity of one another. They are living the corporate existence in the most effective manner imaginable.
We have to look beyond the obvious option of using conference calls and video conferencing and substitution for human interaction and consider the power of message spreaders. Why does it seem as though there are always a few well-connected individuals who seem to always have a handle on what is happening, who is moving up (or out)? These individuals are the epitome of sweep communication at its finest. They are connectors. Regardless of where they sit, whether they are in a cubicle, office, or sitting in slippers in their home assiduously working their keyboards, they are connected and a pivotal part of maintaining corporate enthusiasm at their best, and spreading toxicity at their worst.
For the corporation, the communication may spread more slowly, but the verbal buzz is no less heady. The great sweep communicators can influence the direction of ideas, propel ideas into strategies ripe for execution, or deliver the frost that turns great ideas into raisins on the vine.
We haven’t addressed the pros/cons of the work-from-home model, and yet application of this model is becoming more accepted in industries where traditional corporate structures have dominated the past century. The concept of harnessing sweep communicators as effective communicator tools seemingly puts the multiple benefits of the ‘work-at-home’ model in peril. How can an organization maintain an adequate level of sync without the benefit of physical connectivity?
Creative integration of sweep communicators into corporate mix can certainly help, and greater efforts are needed to overcome the obstacle where physical proximity is lacking. A degree of simulated proximity can be delivered through the myriad choices of technological assistance; like video conferencing, live chat, and document sharing tools. This does present inevitable obstacles around summoning idea buy-in when those ideas are not delivered with facial expression, body language, or a voice.
How can an organization utilizing remote staff most effectively use sweep communicators to propel ideas, unite business units or spread the corporate prerogative with fervor throughout the organization?
Please post your thoughts!
