upward communication

Examples of upward communication in the following topics:

• Upward Communication

  • Upward communication moves from lower to higher levels within an organization.
  • In this way, upward communication indicates the effectiveness of a company's downward communication.
  • The communication channel, or mode of sharing information, strongly influences the upward communication process.
  • The availability of communication channels affects employees' overall satisfaction with upward communication.
  • This is likely to make employees feel satisfied with their level of access to channels of upward communication and less apprehensive about communicating upward.

• Middle-Level Management

  • Middle managers may also communicate upward by offering suggestions and feedback to top managers.
  • Because middle managers work with both top-level managers and first-level managers, middle managers tend to have excellent interpersonal skills relating to communication, motivation, and mentoring.
  • Note that middle management is tasked with (1) their tier of technical skills, i.e. information management systems, as well as (2) communication of system efficacy upward to senior managers and (3) delegating tasks downward to workers.

• Technical Skills of Successful Managers

  • Front-line managers must communicate up the chain of command while still speaking the language of the workers who are executing the hands-on components of the industry.
  • A technical skill for a front-line manager might include a working understanding of a piece of equipment: the manager must be able to coach the employee on its operation, as well as communicate to upper managers the basic functions of the machinery.
  • Office environments require a complex set of communicative, technological, and data-organization skills in order to optimize managerial performance.
  • Successful managers in an organization must therefore learn to use the technological assets at their disposal, collecting critical information and data to communicate upward for strategic planning.
  • A technical skill for a front-line manager might include a working understanding of a piece of equipment: the manager must be able to coach the employee on its operation, as well as communicate to upper managers the basic functions of the machinery.

• Delivering Constructive Feedback

  • The 360-degree assessment may be contrasted with "upward feedback," where managers are given feedback only by their direct reports, or with a traditional performance appraisal, in which employees are most often reviewed only by their managers.
  • This after-action review entails a candid analysis of work product, communication practices, individual effort, coordination and planning, and other key aspects related to the project.

• Causes of Workplace Stress

  • According to the Department of Labor, there has been an upward trend in hours worked among employed women, an increase in work weeks of greater than forty hours by men, and a considerable increase in combined working hours among working couples, particularly couples with young children.
  • Researchers and social commentators have pointed out that advances in technology and communications have made companies more efficient and more productive than ever before.

• Downward Communication

  • While downward communication may sometimes invite a response, it is usually one-directional rather than reciprocal–the higher-level communicator does not invite or expect a response from the lower-level recipient.
  • Whether informative or persuasive, effective downward communication results in the recipients taking action or otherwise behaving in accord with the communicators' expectation.
  • Business communication experts John Anderson and Dale Level identified five benefits of effective downward communication:
  • Ensuring effective downward communication is not necessarily an easy task.
  • Managers need to effectively communicate information to their subordinates; they do this through downward communication.

• Defining Communication

  • Communication requires a sender, a message, and a recipient, although the receiver may not be present or aware of the sender's intent to communicate at the time of communication.
  • Communication requires that the communicating parties share some area of commonality.
  • Perhaps the most time-honored form of communication is storytelling.
  • Business communication encompasses marketing, brand management, customer relations, consumer behavior, advertising, public relations, corporate communication, community engagement, reputation management, interpersonal communication, employee engagement, and event management.
  • Many organizations have a communications director who oversees internal communications and crafts messages sent to employees.

• Horizontal Communication

  • Horizontal communication, also called lateral communication, involves the flow of messages between individuals and groups on the same level of an organization.
  • Communication within a team is an example of horizontal communication; members coordinate tasks, work together, and resolve conflicts.
  • Horizontal communication occurs formally in meetings, presentations, and formal electronic communication, and informally in other, more casual exchanges within the office.
  • An organization that has relied on rigid, formal styles of communication in the past may find it difficult to switch to more employee-directed, horizontal communication.
  • Horizontal communication refers to any communication between employees at the same level of an organization

• The Nature of Effective Communication

  • The goal of communication is usually to generate action, inform, create understanding, or communicate a certain idea or point of view.
  • Barriers to effective communication distort, obscure, or misrepresent the message and and fail to achieve the desired effect.
  • Effective communication only happens when the words and symbols used create a common level of understanding for both parties.
  • Communications have to take the potential barriers of an audience into account and tailor the message to reach them.
  • Define effective communication in the context of organizational challenges and barriers

• Team Communication

  • Effective communication is often a key to the successful performance of team tasks.
  • A major part of teamwork is communication.
  • Norms typically emerge about preferred modes, frequency, and timing of communication.
  • When centralized, communication tends to flow from one source to all group members.
  • There are several barriers to effective communication within teams.