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Is top down the most important type of employee communication?
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8 Answers
Not anymore. The workplace and environment in which we must perform has become very complex. Long term uncertainty, increasing regulatory pressures, fragile consumer confidence, unstable markets and so on has turned the status quo into the “status isn’t.” That means the days of just top down communication only is simply ineffective particularly when organizations still need to hit targets regardless of what is going on around them.
The best way to do that is through employee engagement. Martha Finney said it best, “Create a workplace-wide culture in which high potentials are noticed and given the chance to speak fully from both their hearts and their heads. When you do this, you’re putting your company in the position of reclaiming millions of dollars that would otherwise be wasted…”
Effective communication particularly of today requires an integrated communication approach as opposed to just one over the other. Top-down, bottom-up, and peer-to-peer. An example of bottom-up and peer to peer is what we are doing in our workplace. We have sought to capture the voices of our employees via video interview on specific important topics such as how to become a patient centered healthcare provider. We then gather the feedback, share with leadership and implement appropriate changes. We also use those “voices” to share with peers in training sessions, new hire orientations, and open forum settings.
Gone are the days of just one simple solution. We need to think creatively in order to achieve results. Effective communication strategies are a golden opportunity for employers in this era.
Is the reverse perhaps equally or more important? Many employees may feel intimidated by their managers and find it difficult to express important concerns and issues that they deal with on a day to day basis, that managers may not be aware of.
Sometimes yes and sometimes no, but if I had to choose, top down would be my second choice.
I think that communications in all directions in any business are important. With flatter, more lean management structures and frequently a more collaborative work style, all employees must communicate often and effectively.
This does not mean that there is no place for top down communications. It is situational and top management has a responsibility to keep the organization informed on direction (strategy) cultural and values issues, policy and procedures, positive recognition and more.
I believe top down communication is vital to keep employees informed and engaged. Well informed associates tend to be invested in the success of the company and have a better understanding of their contribution and responsibilities toward that success.
That being said, I believe management would be imprudent to ignore or dismiss communication at all levels. After all, many a fresh idea or revenue-saving process has emerged from the trenches.
Managers must know what is going right and wrong and listening is the best way to learn what is going wrong. Managers do not learn while they are talking so they must listen. Therefore, top down is less effective than bottom up.
Tresha’s comment is spot on. Effective communication is a very complicated subject. The complexity derives itself from the fact that many organizations believe that it’s management’s responsibility to get the “message” across to the organization. Not so today. The needs of the organization as well as the needs of employees go hand in hand. If, for example, you examine the various modes of social media and how messages are sent and received, there is a substantive correlation between the effectiveness of the message and the amount of information transmitted. If an organization takes the “fire hose” approach to communicating its desired message to their employees, the amount of information transmitted is great, but the intended effectiveness of the message received could be low. On the other hand, if the amount of information communicated is little, the effectiveness of the message might also be low. The idea, then, is to find the right balance between the optimal information content so that the effectiveness of the message by the organization is clearly received and understood. Twitter may be a perfect example. It limits the communicator to 140 characters in order to ensure the sender gets their message across clearly and with only the relevant details. Thus, the receiver who responds must do the same. In sum, whether top down or bottom up, those organizations who work to maximize the clarity of information and the amount passed on to receiver will realize success in balancing the underlying needs of the organization along with the underlying needs of the employees.
Great question Scott. I've found that leadership sets the example for how communication is practiced in the organization. Effective leaders and organizations encourage everyone to communicate openly and actively in all directions. It also helps to train people to practice excellent communication skills at every level. Communication tends to be more effective when we allow it to flow freely rather than trying to contain it.
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