Today’s increasingly global workforce comes with a broad spectrum of cultural norms, disability accommodation needs and diverse expectations around communication. Unfortunately, according to Gartner research, many of these expectations are incompatible—causing escalating conflicts among employees. This growing professional communication gap can even hinder collaboration and innovation.

Trouble with workplace collaboration

“Employees today have more connections but less valuable collaboration due to uncertain connection norms following the pandemic, broader social tensions and new technology that can isolate employees and depersonalize work,” says Russ McCall, a director in the Gartner HR practice.

A second-quarter 2024 Gartner survey of nearly 18,000 employees revealed a concerning trend: Only 29% of employees are satisfied with their workplace collaboration, down from 36% in 2021. Further analysis by Gartner highlights that satisfaction with collaboration directly impacts performance. Employees who report satisfaction with collaboration consistently outperform their peers.

Collaboration dissatisfaction extends to managers and leaders, too. “We also see on-the-job learning falling short,” says Jessie Knight, VP of research at Gartner, referring to a May 2024 survey revealing that nearly 60% of employees are not receiving on-the-job coaching that supports their core skills. “Due to factors like new work models, turnover, the pressure to do more with less and an emerging technology, there is a growing disconnect between employees who have critical skills and those who need to learn them,” according to Knight.

AI-powered ‘nudgetech’ emerges

To address these challenges, the Gartner team predicts forward-thinking companies will explore “nudgetech,” an emerging set of AI-powered tools designed to improve workplace communication and cohesion. For instance, organizations can leverage AI to prompt employees to use email rather than text based on a client’s preferences, remind managers about their direct reports’ working styles or generate custom communication tips tailored to specific scenarios, according to Gartner.

The concept of “nudgetech” draws from nudge theory, a behavioral science framework developed by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein. Thaler’s work on nudge theory earned him a Nobel Prize in economics.

“Nudge theory is the idea that in each choice, whether you know it or not, you’re being nudged in a certain direction,” explained Kira Foley, Ph.D., a behavioral scientist at employee experience transformation company Perceptyx, during a recent industry session.

The Perceptyx session featured Rachel Dillon, head of leadership development at The Kraft Heinz Company, who shared compelling data and insights on manager engagement with nudges. “Most of our people managers engage with their nudges daily,” reported Dillon. She said 85% of these managers fall into the top two categories of engagement, highlighting a high level of interaction with nudging.

Additionally, Dillon noted, managers who consistently engaged with nudges were more likely to be rated highly effective by their direct reports. In contrast, Dillon shared that the small minority of managers who did not regularly engage with nudges were 2.5 times more likely to be rated as needing support by their direct reports.

Small nudges, ‘massive transformation’

Megan Steckler, director of workforce transformation at Perceptyx, told HR Executive that action planning is the most significant barrier to effective listening for many organizations. “Our research shows that only 32% of employees are confident their manager has acted on survey feedback,” she noted.

Steckler explains that, unlike other listening approaches, nudges encourage organizations and employees to regularly share progress updates and reinforce behaviors aligned with established action plans based on feedback.

“Intelligent nudges can ultimately be tailored to address strategic business priorities, team challenges and personal development goals, enhancing both the employee experience and business outcomes,” Steckler said.

These nudges can also be personalized to support individual development and 360-degree feedback, empowering employees to take meaningful steps toward their career goals, she notes. Nudges also strengthen communication strategies, she says, enabling leaders to engage more effectively with employees and drive goal achievement.

“Small reinforcements,” Steckler says, “add up to massive transformation when deployed at scale.”