Listening in a connected world

Today's digital workplace has made listening more difficult, finds a recent Accenture report. The research, Listen Learn Lead, which surveyed 3,600 professionals from 30 countries, found 80 per cent respondents multitask on conference calls with work emails, instant messaging, personal emails, social media and reading news and entertainment.Those who listen actively on calls typically either need something from the call or are required to lead, participate in or follow up on the discussion.

The study says while nearly all (96 per cent) professionals consider themselves to be good listeners, the vast majority (98 per cent) spend part of their workday multitasking. In fact, almost two-thirds (64 per cent) say that listening has become significantly more difficult in today's digital workplace. While 66 per cent of respondents agree that multitasking enables them to accomplish more at work, more than a third (36 per cent) say the many distractions prevent them from doing their best, resulting in a loss of focus, lower-quality work and diminished team relationships.

When asked what interrupts their workday the most, respondents cited telephone calls and unscheduled meetings more than twice as often as they cited instant messaging and texting.