Effective Upward Communication

Submitted by Caleb FrischknechtSalt Lake Community College

Comm 1010March12, 2012

I work in a place that is always trying to improve and grow as a company through

asking questions, inviting criticism and learning from mistakes. I am the manager of my

department and every Monday the management of all departments get together and meet

with the CEO to go over production from the previous week and also give suggestions to

improve for the following weeks and the future in general. Every time the CEO will ask

each person for ideas and matters of business to discuss. And every time I want to give

many suggestions on how the company could improve and how the employees could get

treated better, but I always get nervous and stumble on my words or don’t speak at all.

Description of Problem:

Some company leaders are more open to upward communication and some are

not. From the text, “Virtually every organization claims to seek out upward messages, but

many aren’t as open to employee opinions as they claim.” (Communicating at Work, pg.

14) As for the CEO of the company I work for, he has what some would call “selective

hearing.” He sometimes will pretend to listen to people but if the suggestion isn’t

agreeable to him then he will just blow it off and move on. What are the most effective

methods to confronting leaders like this and in general when it comes to giving

suggestions and advice? My lack of confidence when giving my suggestions has made

me feel uncomfortable at times and unsure of myself. I know I could help the company

out a lot more if I felt like my words were received better.

Resources and Constraints

The book is a wonderful source for information about all kinds of communication.

Particularly, in my case, the part about upward communication. Aside from the book,

however, another resource I can use for help is my dad who is a school teacher, and has

worked under different leaders his whole career. He knows how to give effective upward

communication, and can give me a lot of advice on how I can also improve for myself.

There are also classes and conferences that are available for all kinds of issues that people

have that can assist in overcoming fears and problems.

Recommendations

In order for me to help my boss see that what I want to say is going to make his

job easier and make his company more profit, I need to help him understand that I’m not

just trying to complain about something or ask for nonsense. I need to help him see that

what his subordinates have to say can make a big difference that he may have never

figured out for himself. Once he is ready to accept criticism and/or advice, his employees

(such as myself) will feel much more comfortable sharing feelings and ideas with him. If

I know I will be heard, I will have a greater desire to open up to him and won’t be so

nervous when giving my suggestions. In the book, on pages 14-16, it talks about four

different types of messages that upward communication can convey to the supervisor:

First, it helps the supervisor know “What subordinates are doing.” Instead of

always having to roam the workplace and worry about what all of the employees are

doing, the supervisor can share that common trust with his employees and know that they

will be accountable for their work and any mistakes that may occur. If he is open minded

and respects his employees, they will love and respect him as well.

Second, the leader will be reminded of any “Unsolved work problems” such as

the air conditioning is broken, or a machine is down, etc. He cannot be everywhere at

once and so he needs the employees to be his eyes as well to alert him when there is a

problem.

Third, “Suggestions for improvement” can go a long way for the company. Sam

Walton, founder of Wal-Mart claimed that “our best ideas come from clerks and

stockboys.” (Communicating at Work, pg. 14) Wal-Mart is one of the largest retailers in

the United States, clearly they must be doing something right. I like how it says

improvement, or things for the good of the company. If boss and employee work together

towards a common goal, then complete success can be achieved.

Fourth and last, “How subordinates feel about each other and the job.” This can

also be an opportunity to help employers solve problems for the employees and help them

overcome any issues with co-workers or working conditions. They will know if the job is

liked or if there are certain factors that are causing discord among the employees, which

can then be fixed if necessary.

Conclusion

When it comes to giving my personal opinion on things at work I have a hard time

getting my point across without sounding like I have no idea what I’m talking about. But

from reading in the book I have learned that I just need to be confident in what I have to

say and let my boss know what should be improved upon to help make his company

better. If he doesn’t see confidence in my voice or idea, he’s going to blow it off. It’s

important to say things that matter, not only for the employer but to help yourself become

more of a valuable employee in his eyes. “Businesses that really are open to upward

communication can profit from the opinions of employees. But no method will be

effective unless a manager is sincerely interested in hearing from subordinates and

genuinely values their ideas.” (Communicating at Work, pg. 14-15) With this in mind I

look forward to seeing the results of more confident and effective communication.

Works Cited

Adler,R & J. Elmhorst. (2010). Communicating at Work (10e). Boston: McGraw Hill.