Encouraging Organizational Communication
Because an organization acts only in the way its organizational communication directs it to act, organizational communication is often called the nervous system of the organization. Formal organizational communication is generally the more important type of communication within an organization, so managers should encourage its free flow.
One strategy for promoting formal organizational communication is to listen attentively to messages that come through formal channels. Listening shows organization members that the manager is interested in what subordinates have to say and encourages them to use formal communication channels in subsequent situations. Table 12.2 presents some general guidelines for being a good listener.
Table 12.2 Ten Commandments for Being a Good Listener
| 1. |
Stop talking! You cannot listen if you are talking. Polonius (Hamlet): “Give every man thine ear, but few thy voice.” |
| 2. |
Put the talker at ease. Help the talker feel free to talk. This is often called establishing a permissive environment. |
| 3. |
Show the talker that you want to listen. Look and act interested. Do not read your e-mail while he or she talks. Listen to understand rather than to oppose. |
| 4. |
Remove distractions. Do not doodle, tap, or shuffle papers. Will it be quieter if you shut the door? |
| 5. |
Empathize with the talker. Try to put yourself in the talker’s place so that you can see his or her point of view. |
| 6. |
Be patient. Allow plenty of time. Do not interrupt the talker. Do not head for the door to walk away. |
| 7. |
Hold your temper. An angry person gets the wrong meaning from words. |
| 8. |
Go easy on argument and criticism. This puts the talker on the defensive. He or she may “clam up” or get angry. Do not argue: Even if you win, you lose. |
| 9. |
Ask questions. This encourages the talker and shows you are listening. It helps to develop points further. |
| 10. |
Stop talking! This is the first and the last commandment because all other commandments depend on it. You just can’t do a good job of listening while you are talking. Nature gave us two ears but only one tongue, which is a gentle hint that we should listen more than we talk. |
The United Kingdom segment of McDonald’s offers a useful example of how to increase listening within a company. When faced with meeting a number of daunting organizational challenges, U.K. CEO Peter Beresford instituted a program called Listening Campaign. Under the program, Beresford and his staff had face-to-face meetings with various stakeholder groups, including staff, customers, and investors. The purpose was to listen to stakeholders and gather input regarding the challenges Beresford faced. According to Beresford, the success of Listening Campaign was undeniable. Through listening, he achieved numerous benefits, including building more effective work teams, identifying organizational problems and their solutions, and implementing sound problem solutions.53
Some other strategies to encourage the flow of formal organizational communication are as follows:
MyManagementLab : Try It, Communication
If your instructor has assigned this activity, go to mymanagementlab.com to try a simulation exercise about a chain of clothing stores.
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Support the flow of clear and concise statements through formal communication channels. Receiving an ambiguous message through a formal organizational communication channel can discourage employees from using that channel again.
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Take care to ensure that all organization members have free access to formal communication channels. Obviously, organization members cannot communicate formally within the organization if they don’t have access to the formal communication network.
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Assign specific communication responsibilities to the staff personnel who could be of enormous help to line personnel in spreading important information throughout the organization.
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Make sure that the leaders sending messages are trusted by the workforce. Interestingly, a recent study reported than less than 40 percent of employees have trust or confidence in their senior leadership.54