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Klinisk Biokemi i Norden · 1 2018
needs covered, whether this is ambition or money,
and the leadership and communication should be
planned in this way.
Besides the clarification of the context, five key
points are necessary for achieving communication
with a high quality:
✓
✓
the communication needs to be frequent
✓
✓
interactive
✓
✓
punctual
✓
✓
precise
✓
✓
problem solving
To deliver on all five key points, you need to be well
prepared. If the communication is not frequent, the
staff will lose the in-sight into the progression towards
the goals and the direction. Wrongly, stories about
the lack of progression or change in plans will arise
and quickly become the new truth in the lab. If your
timing is wrong or your communication isn’t precise
or problem solving, it can lead to insecurity and a lot
of phantasies driven by emotions and dread for worst
case scenarios. Being too quick, you might leave a lot
of answers open because you don’t have the answers
yourselves yet. Being too slow, some information may
already have reached the staff with no background
to understand this information which might lead to
a lot of insecurity and activate barriers/obstructions
for change such as: don’t understand, don’t like that
or don’t trust the leaders. Balancing the pro et cons
regarding the timing of the communication, I prefer
a pro-active communication in order to avoid too
many phantasies and storytelling. In my experience,
it is much easier to explain the lack of answers, involve
and interact with the staff in the problem solving than
trying to get all the different versions of stories on
the table, get them rejected and the right information
communicated to all members of the staff. Besides
the verbalized communication, one mustn’t forget
that you also communicate through your actions and
charisma. Your communication will not be truthful
if you don’t act according to your own instructions.
Gandhi once said: “You must be the change you wish
to see in the world”.
Dynamic vs stable organization
Firstly, what is the role of an organization, and what
kind of organization are we a part of? Hopefully, the
organization is primarily a playground for results,
new ideas and possibilities – e.g., good diagnostics,
treatment, teaching and research instead of being a
platform filled with obstructions. The structure of an
organization should deliver the platform on which
a complex interaction between formal or informal
1.
Lack of understanding (facts,
data, idea). Makes no sense, no
logic, insufficent information
2.
Emotional reaction against
change. Loss of power, status,
control, professional areas or
competence, ”loosing face”,
exhausted
3.
Lack of trust towards the
management and the values
of the management, disagree-
ment about values, ”personal
stories”, history, previously
bad experiences
Don´t understand
Don´t like
Don´t trust
Figure based on Maurer R: ”Beyond the wall of resistance”. 1995
Levels of obstruction
Figure 3
