Introduction
What is spontaneous communication?
Spontaneous communication refers to unplanned, informal interactions that spontaneously take place when meeting colleagues unexpectedly, for example at the coffee corner or in the hallway.
Why is spontaneous communication important?
When team members frequently use the opportunity to communicate in a spontaneous manner, they are more likely to build positive emotions at work, foster their feeling of belongingness, as well as their beliefs about their capability to perform their tasks.
On the other hand, lack of spontaneous communication among team members increases the probability of misunderstandings and conflict and can hinder interpersonal bonds. This is especially highlighted in distributed teams or teams that do not have a lot of face-to-face time.
Let’s take a look at an example and highlight how spontaneous communication is important:
- Scenario: There’s a misunderstanding between colleagues on an important project.
- Negative impact: The team feels the impact of the misunderstanding and tension rises.
- How spontaneous communication helps: If the team members had been able to communicate in an unplanned manner, the misunderstanding may have been avoided and any tension or conflict is less likely to have developed or occurred.
Related reading
Hartner-Tiefenthaler, M., & Loerinc, I. (2022). Development and Validation of a Scale to Measure Communication Behaviors in Hybrid Teams. In Academy of Management Proceedings (Vol. 2022, No. 1, p. 16041). Briarcliff Manor, NY 10510: Academy of Management.
