8.3
THE LEADER’S ROLE IN
ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION
Contributed by Ursula Wohlfarth and inspired by the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC)
references. Also inspired by Stephen Covey and Hendrie Weisinger.Communication is the tie that binds an organization together. This tool will help you, as a
leader, to communicate openly with employees, and in doing so to contribute to the develop-
ment of your organization as a whole. Effective communication practices make a difference in
employees’ attitudes toward the organization. The benefits of a well-informed staff include:
✔ increased commitment from employees, because they understand the organization’s
goals, and their own role in achieving those goals;
✔ greater cooperation across organizational business units and workgroups;
✔ elimination of rumors and incorrect assumptions that create misunderstanding or
undermine employee morale;
✔ employees feeling recognized and motivated to take the initiative, such as offering new
ideas.Communication is a defining element of an organization’s culture. Some organizations are
described as open and forthright in their communication, while others are closed and highly
controlled in their approach. Invariably, the organization’s leaders set the tone for communi-
cations. If the CEO is sincere and up front in communicating with employees, then open com-
munication becomes “the way we do business around here.”
Frequently, communication is carried out on a formal and tactical level, and managed in a
controlled way by a corporate communications department. The formal methods used in orga-
nizations include:
- employee forums, •newsletters, •voice mail broadcasts,
- e-mail broadcasts, •intranet sites, •memos and bulletins.
These formal methods work well to ensure that employees get the same information at the
same time.
Although invaluable, these formal communication methods may not be effective in con-
veying the vital context for what employees want and need to know about their workplace and
organization. Furthermore, employees often miss critical information that their organizations
want them to have. That is, either they do not receive the information or they do not under-
stand it. This may result from employees receiving too much information (e.g., e-mail prolif-
eration) and not being able to differentiate between essential and nonessential information.
Thus, leaders must use multiple methods of communication: formal (as already listed) and
informal (e.g., one-on-one meetings, small group meetings, phone conversations, hallway
chats). Leaders must repeat key information over time and in many different ways. This is
especially critical during times of significant change within organizations, as employees often
hear and interpret communications through their own anxieties, and even through their own
worst fears.
SECTION 8 TOOLS FORCOMMUNICATION 239