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Your Employees Can’t Read Your Mind… or Can They?
- Leaders often overestimate how much of their contextual knowledge is shared by their teams in the workplace, often leading to miscommunication, misinterpretation and wasted time, according to a study. Known as the curse of knowledge, employees assume that other people know things they don't, making it difficult for the knowledge holder and frustrating for all involved. Radical documentation allows communication to flow more freely and clarifies expectations. Teams that understand better are able to take greater risks and, ultimately, deliver more value.
- Each instance of assumed knowledge builds organizational debt, and erodes trust, leading to mediocre work and a lack of initiative. Miscommunicating expectations also contributes to a decline in confidence and a lack of initiative, leading to the departure of high-performing employees. All of the factors caused by assumed knowledge make growth an uphill climb for businesses.
- Culture is also a factor in misunderstood expectations. Without explicit communication and mutual understanding, the unspoken assumptions of every person and every team inform their approach to work, stunting productivity and creating an environment of misinterpretation. Without recognizing these factors, it's impossible to address the gaps in expectation and miscommunication.
- Making the transition from hidden information, thoughts and ideas to explicit documentation and communication takes commitment and hard work, but it enables everyone on the team to be more productive, effective and successful.
- Documentation is one way to help teams be more radical about communicating the information and expectations they need from one another. Each undocumented item is a potential source of misalignment, but a balance must be struck between useful documentation and overinformation that hinders communication.
- Aligning everyone around shared goals, strategies and expectations as early in the project as possible is key. Discovering and addressing misalignment early on keeps teams from wasting time and effort on efforts doomed to failure.
- Communication is the key to effectively manage knowledge, free it from the confines of one person's mind and unleash it so teams can work together to achieve shared goals. Knowledge that isn't shared can't be leveraged, and every knowledge hoarder is a liability rather than an asset.
- Leaders must recognize that if their teams aren't delivering the desired results, they may well bear some responsibility for the shortfall. So, whenever you find yourself thinking "why didn't they know," you should ask yourself why you didn't make expectations more clear.
- Encouragingly, addressing the knowledge gap pays dividends. Teams that communicate better are able to take more risks and ultimately provide more value. It takes dedication and effort, but the payoff far outweighs the cost.
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