Do We Know Enough to Make the Best Decisions?

Taking the right decisions and actions inevitably relies on the quality of the information we are able to use. And the quality of information available often depends on human interaction and communication skills. The ability to ask the right question, in the right way and to listen attentively to what we are really being told in response goes a long way.

If information is what feeds good decision making it also needs to flow efficiently. Which means that people need to be responsive and show information quickly and efficiently – essentially owning other people’s priorities as well as their own.

Bearing all of this in mind it’s no surprise that research shows that people’s perception of a business is experience led. It relies on soft skills just as much as technical expertise. We like to feel we are being listened to and that our need for information or our opinion is important.

Research also shows that customer satisfaction levels go up if a relationship includes effective people skills, such as effective listening and responding quickly. You only have to look at virtually any customer survey or feedback report to see this.

It’s All About People

The human element plays a vital part in how effectively information is gathered, used and shared. It should be no surprise that procurement processes are increasingly using tools such as behavioural assessment to evaluate people skills and weighting these significantly in the award of contracts.

Seeing how well an organisation can handle communication is a good indicator of how smoothly projects are likely to run and the quality of the outcomes that will be achieved. That’s the simple reason behind our philosophy of putting people, not products or technology, at the centre of how we work with our long-term customers.

This, in turn, builds trust to make programmes like One Team Wessex so successful. Everything is based on clear communications, openness and an information strategy that ensures everyone is equipped with all the available information needed to make the best decision. This is the route to lower lifetime costs and achieving the best value from every infrastructure investment.