Why “Keeping Everyone Informed” Doesn’t Work

[upbeat music] Last month, a CEO asked me, "Why is my team so disengaged?" And I asked him, "How does communication work around here?" And he said, "Well, once we decide something, we cascade it down the line so that everyone has the relevant information." And I said to him, "That is your problem." Cascading information down a chain of command creates the illusion of communication, but in reality it creates delays, distortion, and silence.

The important stuff gets lost in a game of telephone.

That's why cascading is a one-way street to disengagement.

W. Edwards Deming said that, "Every system is perfectly designed to produce the results it gets." Deming was one of the most influential thinkers in modern management.

And he figured out that a bad system will beat a good person every time.

I figured this out the hard way at easyJet where many years ago I was in charge of communicating to ten thousand employees, and they were scattered across dozens and dozens of countries.

Now, a big task.

And through a lot of pain and trial and error, we figured out the right approach, and this approach is Push-Pull Exchange.

Push-Pull Exchange solved my CEO friend's problems, and it can solve your engagement problems, too.

It works in a team of five, and it works in a company with hundred thousands of employees.

And here's how it works.