Communication training in Bern · canton of BerneInternal communication: the problem is not a lack of information

Facing a misunderstanding, the reflex is often to add a message, a note, a meeting. Research suggests the problem lies elsewhere.

The overload concept

Martin Eppler and Jeanne Mengis (2004, The Information Society) synthesise work on information overload: beyond a certain volume, additional information degrades decision quality instead of improving it. The effect is documented across several disciplines.

What employees see

Angela Edmunds and Anne Morris (2000, International Journal of Information Management) describe employees who filter, postpone or abandon reading in the face of the flow. The most common coping strategy is not better reading, but harsher selection.

The limits of the data

Part of this work dates from the email era and measures today's instant messaging poorly. The mechanisms — interruption, switching cost — are nonetheless confirmed by attention research. (our executive and employee training programmes)

What follows for internal communication

Adding a channel or resending a message increases volume without addressing selection. The lever supported by data is reduction: fewer recipients, one message per decision, an identifiable sender.

A practical implication, verifiable in Bern

For one week, count the internal messages a team receives and those requiring action. The ratio illuminates the problem better than a satisfaction survey. It is a diagnosis we run with Bern organisations. To go further: explore the Communication training in Bern in the canton of Bern, or browse our executive and employee training programmes in Switzerland.

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