Nothing slows your business operation faster than a conflict of information. If you’ve been in the workforce for any length of time, it’s likely that you have experienced information conflict more than once. You might not realize how much disruption or disturbance of information can slow the cogs in the wheels of business until it happens to you, but there are some things you can do to prevent it from happening in the first place. Here’s how to manage information conflict in your company so you can keep on keepin’ on.
When You Get the Wrong Information
There are few things as frustrating as when someone gives you the wrong information. You may take for granted that the information you receive from your coworkers, superiors, and even business owners is correct; however, mistakes happen. People get and give the wrong information all of the time. In order to prevent that kind of miscommunication, it’s a good idea to have some checks and balances in place. For starters, it’s good practice to have more than one employee or supervisor check the validity of the information. Of course, it’s not feasible for all operations to do this, due to time and money, but if possible, it can go a long way to save you and your coworkers time and energy. Confirmation of the information can prevent the receipt of wrong information.
When You Give the Wrong Information
It’s important that you take responsibility for passing on the wrong information. It’s frustrating when it happens, but it’s even more frustrating when nobody stands up and takes responsibility for the mishap. In order to help manage information conflict in your company, be sure to do your part to take responsibility and work to make it right – to the best of your ability. You may tell yourself that it’s not your fault because you didn’t know the difference and trusted the source of the information. That doesn’t help you or anyone else. People make mistakes, but it’s everyone’s responsibility to stand up and try to do their part to make things right. It’s not about the individual – it’s about doing what’s right for the company.
When You Have a Breach of Information
When you work for a company, you are privy to information that you wouldn’t normally have access to and some employees have more access to information than others. The flow of information helps maintain the culture and expectations of any company and if you or your employees, coworkers, or even owners of the organization are not following the proper protocols and practices for ensuring the flow of information, breaches can happen. To prevent this from happening, a company should conduct an update of their access control policies and procedures. This should be an annual event where the flow of information is reviewed, gaps are identified, and plans are put in place to reduce the risks associated with collecting, storing, and using information. Whether you sell designer jeans or high-end legal services, ensuring proper control of information is vital to the success and longevity of any organization.
Despite the high-quality security measures that organizations adopt, the risk of human error remains high. The best way to reduce that risk is to discuss the possible risks throughout the entire organization and work together to take ownership of where the gaps may exist. Accidents happen, but when they happen due to a human error, the optics send doubt throughout a customer base. Maintain control and confidence with a realistic understanding of kind of information comes into and goes out of your company and be vigilant with the control and use of that information.
