Ch. 11

• Upward Communication


  Communication of subordinates to superiors or of employees to managers
• Upward Communication


  • Employees speak directly to management in an environment with an "open door" policy
  • Direct upward communication may not be workable because employees often feel threatened by managers and may not be willing to openly communicate bad news or complaints
• Serial Communication


  The message is relayed from an employee to her supervisor, who relays it to her supervisor, who, in turn, relays it to her supervisor, and so on until the message reaches the top
• Serial Communication


  • The content and tone of the message change as it moves from person to person
  • Bad news and complaints are seldom relayed, in part due to the stress associated with delivering bad news (Minimize Unpleasant Messages Effect)
  • Less effective the farther two people are from one another
• Upward Communication Methods


  • Attitude Surveys
  • Focus Groups and Exit Interviews
  • Suggestion Boxes
  • Third-Party Facilitators
• Downward Communication


  Superior to subordinate or management to employees
• Business Communication


  Transmission of business-related information among employees, management, and customers
• Informal Communication


  Unofficial employee communication that is thought to be distorted which provides employees power, information, and entertainment
• Informal Communication


  • Consist of two types of information: Gossip (content lacks of significance to the people gossiping) and Rumors (contains information that is significant to the lives of those communicating the message)
  • Isolates - employees who received less than half of the information
  • Liaisons - both received most of the information and passed it on to the others
  • Dead-enders - heard but seldom passed
• Interpersonal Communication


  Involves the exchange of a message across a communication channel from one person to another
• Interpersonal Communication Problems


  • Intended Message versus Message Sent
  • Message Sent versus Message Received
  • Message Received versus Message Interpreted
• Attitudinal Listening Profile


  Measure an employee's listening style
• Tips for Effective Listening
• Interpretation can be affected by the receiver's emotional state, cognitive ability, and biases
• Improving Employee Communication Skills

  • One of the most common methods used is the training workshop conducted by an outside consultant
  • Attempts to improve the quality of written communication have generally taken two paths: improving the writer's skills and the other concentrates on making material easier to read