Anyone who is familiar with the professional world will recognise that conflict is something that needs to be accepted and managed effectively. Dissatisfaction may begin early in the career when the harsh realities of work strike in stark contrast to the secure, egalitarian environment of college.

Conflicts tend to put a question mark and people may not feel valued by their peers and superiors. To bring out the best in each person and encourage a culture of collaboration and leveraging synergies continuous communication is needed. 

The three 'C's of communication can be a guide in creating an enabling culture at the workplace:

1. Clarity: All communication sent out by management must have a clear message. Ambiguity lessens the impact and may create chaos. The tone is of utmost importance while remaining specific and clear. It should not be open to interpretation. 
2. Conciseness: Do not beat around the bush. Be short, clear, and make sure the message delivers exactly what you have in mind. 
3. Correctness: Do a fact-check, and make sure that there is no scope for contradiction. If an announcement has a likelihood of being reversed, wait till the outcome is known; better still, let staff know that it is still being discussed so that the final pronouncement does not bring any surprises.

The communication channel must never be seen as top-down. Encourage two-way communication, even in a light-hearted setting. Elucidating, an organisation was celebrating where the boss and staff were playing a game. The boss deliberately got into a friendly argument with the staff, demanding to know why he was given out. The staff enthusiastically explained the rules of the game, and the boss pretended to sulk that they were not fair to him. This energised the team in the days to come. They enjoyed the boss's visits and were keen to do their best. An informal communication mechanism paved the way for a livelier, happier, more productive workforce. 

A dynamic workplace must have a cheerful ambience with a structure where staff works together with trust. They will volunteer to assist each other and participate in delivering organisational outcomes. Regular ice-breaking sessions in the form of offsites, social interactions, and spot recognition, may be useful. Traditional hierarchies are typically overlooked at such events, and communication becomes easy, fun, and seamless. 

But when there is a lack of appropriate communication, the environment at the workplace tends to become tense and hostile. The employer is perceived as being antagonistic toward staff.  People tend to become closed, secretive, and suspicious in such situations. Rather than express what they feel, they strive to say things that may impress their superiors. Work becomes drudgery, and professional challenges are met with apprehension instead of enthusiasm. This could lead to leakage of talent in the form of quiet quitting or active disengagement from work.

While formal communication channels must be created, we must ensure that staff members have avenues where they can air their grievances. As far as possible, communication channels should be informal. No staff member should be afraid to approach any member of leadership; leaders, in turn, should be seen to be open and willing to listen. Readiness to listen does not in any way mean readiness to compromise. Building an open culture that keeps communication at the top of its agenda will go a long way. 

In a world of cut-throat competition, communication is a great differentiator and makes an organisation best-in-class. If I were to summarise a great place to work is where Leaders and Staff Communicate, Communicate, and Communicate.