Fiedler’s Contingency Theory states that, for a leader to be effective, their leadership style must fit the situation. Using this model, you’ll identify your own leadership style, assess the situation that requires leadership, and determine whether you’re the right leader. In this piece, we further break down the theory, teach you how to apply it to become a better leader, and provide examples of the theory in action.

With the rise of remote and hybrid work, many of the things that were long held dear by companies, such as cohesiveness, loyalty, and a chain of command have all started coming apart, with massive long-term ramifications. This is because the traditional ethos of internal communication, which involved memos and emails, is no longer befitting this new age, bringing forth a string of new apps and solutions to pick up the slack “pun intended!” First up, why bother with communication tools at all?

Employee onboarding is the process through which new employees are integrated into an organization. It involves a series of organized activities and training sessions that aim to provide the necessary knowledge and skills required for a successful start. Effective onboarding is crucial as it sets the tone for an employee’s experience within the company.

It’s not always obvious what kills your productivity or even goes beyond that to become a part of toxic productivity. According to a CareerBuilder survey, about 75 percent of employers say that more than two hours of efficient work are lost every day. It may get difficult to strike the balance between creating a collaborative environment and respecting the need for focus. Sometimes, the balance is disrupted so much that it leads employees toward toxic productivity.

Call center quality monitoring isn’t just for phone calls anymore. Email communication is a vital part of call center operations; monitoring the quality of email interactions is crucial for ensuring customer satisfaction. Like with phone calls, evaluating email exchanges allows managers to identify areas where agents excel and areas where improvement is needed.

Effective communication between the police and the public is fundamental to maintaining community safety and fostering trust. However, traditional channels of communication, such as calls or in-person meetings, present challenges like long wait times and restricted accessibility. Considering these problems, law enforcement agencies have begun integrating modern means of communication, including live chat, to revolutionize communication with the public.

Last week, Slack’s users realized that under the company’s terms of service, their private data could be used to train artificial-intelligence models. This came as a shock: chat messages convey sensitive company data, and LLMs(large language models, the category of AI models that includes ChatGPT) are known to leak the data they are trained on.

In the dynamic landscape of managed IT services, staying ahead requires constant innovation and optimization. Managed service providers (MSPs) face the unique challenge of delivering exceptional service to a diverse client base while streamlining internal operations for maximum efficiency. This is where Enterprise Service Management (ESM) software comes into play.

In the digital age, where instant gratification is the norm, immediate responses to customer inquiries can make or break a brand's reputation. This rings especially true for software companies. Jackrabbit Technologies, an online class management software provider catering to children's activity centers, learned this firsthand. Before their partnership with TeamSupport began in 2011, Jackrabbit relied solely on emails to handle customer support.

Last week, Meta announced that it was deprecating Workplace, its all-in-one communication platform and first-ever B2B SaaS offering. Since the announcement, many companies — including Simpplr— have presented themselves as candidates to replace Workplace. Understandably, there are many businesses out there that rely on Workplace that will now be looking for an alternative platform.