Leadership – Weekly Analysis
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Wk5.docxMGMT331 | LESSON 4
Leader as a Manager of Emotional Intelligence
· LESSON TOPICS
· Emotional Intelligence and Leadership
· Measuring and Developing Emotional Intelligence
· Emotions at Work
· Emotional Leadership Styles
· KEY TERMS
· Affiliative Leadership
· Coaching Leadership
· Commanding Leadership
· Democratic Leadership
· Emotion Regulation
· Emotional Contagion
· Emotions
· Emotional Intelligence (EQ)
· Pacesetting Leadership
· Self-Awareness
· Self-Management
· Social Awareness
· Relationship Management
· Visionary Leadership
· INTRODUCTION
· As you continue to expand your mind about the various roles that leaders play, think about the leader as a manager of emotional intelligence. In this lesson, you will first learn about emotional intelligence and the competencies that researchers believe comprise emotional intelligence (or EQ). Additionally, you will explore the measurement of emotional intelligence through assessments developed by researchers in the field. Assessment of EQ is quite valuable because emotional intelligence is viewed as a trait that can be developed over time. You will also determine ways that emotional intelligence can be developed, which are highly valuable to leaders as they build relationships with those in their organization. The impact of emotions in the workplace are evaluated in addition to considering the role that leaders can play in creating a true climate of positivity within their organizations. Additionally, leadership styles with implications for emotional intelligence and organizational climate are explored.
· Emotional Intelligence and Leadership
· As you have learned, leadership trait theory suggests that certain qualities in individuals are likely to result in their success as leaders. One example of a trait that many deem valuable for leaders is that of intelligence or IQ, which is the ability to learn information, apply logic to situations, solve problems, and think abstractly. On the other hand, many have recognized that an additional trait is required for leaders to succeed: emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence, also called EQ, refers to an individual’s ability to perceive, understand, express, and manage emotions within one’s self and in relation to others as well (Northouse, 2010). Emotions are defined as, “intense feelings directed at someone or something” (Robbins & Judge, 2014).
· Daniel Goleman suggests that emotional intelligence exists within four domains and that effective leaders exhibit competencies from each domain (Cutler, 2014):
· SELF-AWARENESS
· The ability to assess one’s own emotions and understand why you are feeling a certain way. Competencies: “emotional self-awareness, accurate self-awareness, and self-confidence” (Cutler, 2014, p. 83).
SELF-MANAGEMENT
The ability to control emotions in a positive way so that they do not affect logical thinking or accomplishment of initiatives or goals. Competencies: “emotional self-control, transparency, adaptability, achievement orientation, initiative, and optimism” (Cutler, 2014, p. 84).
SOCIAL AWARENESS
The ability to assess others’ emotions and empathize or see the situation from their perspective. Competencies: “empathy, organizational awareness, and service orientation” (Cutler, 2014, p. 84).
RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT
The ability to engage, persuade and resolve conflicts with others through actions such as kindness and humor. Competencies: “developing others, inspirational leadership, change catalyst, influence, conflict management, teamwork and collaboration” (Cutler, 2014, p. 84).
DEVELOPING EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
Goleman also asserted that leaders can learn or develop the competencies of emotional intelligence (Kreitner & Cassidy, 2011). Leaders can and should make a conscious effort to understand how emotions affect themselves and others. Each of the four domains does not exist in a vacuum. They are all related to one another and excellent leaders recognize the connections and utilize them to their advantage.
For example, if a leader of a company had to make the difficult decision to downsize and lay off several employees, the leader may experience emotions of disappointment or even anger. After reflecting upon her own feelings, the leader realizes that she is disappointed in herself and her abilities to run the company profitably and successfully enough to keep those employees on board. When she meets with each employee to deliver the news, the leader should anticipate a wide range of emotional responses to the news from those who are being let go.
The leader can make a conscious effort to deliver the message with transparency and empathy. If she anticipates some will react in anger, she should make efforts to ensure the safety and security of herself and other employees as well. Lastly, once the remaining staff learns about the news, they may have emotional reactions as well such as concern that they may be next. The leader can assure them that the current staffing changes are completed and she will do her best to turn the company around. She should ask for buy-in from the remaining staff. Although the leader may be upset at times, she must manage her emotions well, remaining calm and professional throughout the situation.
Measuring Emotional Intelligence
It has been suggested that it may be difficult for leaders to assess their own level of emotional intelligence (Kreitner & Cassidy, 2011). Therefore, it may be beneficial to have others evaluate your EQ because they are objective and unbiased. If it is not possible to be evaluated by others, one self-reported assessment available is the Bar-On EQ-I questionnaire. Originally developed by Dr. Reuven Bar-On in 1997 (2014), the EQ-I, or emotional quotient inventory, was developed to measure respondents’ emotional and social functioning within five realms:
INTRAPERSONAL
Self-awareness, independence, and self-actualization
INTERPERSONAL
Social responsibility, empathy, and relations with others
STRESS MANAGEMENT
Stress tolerance and impulse control
ADAPTABILITY
Flexibility, problem-solving, and testing reality
GENERAL MOOD
Optimism and happiness
MAYER-SALOVEY-CARUSO EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE TEST (MSCEIT)
Another emotional intelligence assessment developed by Mayer, Salovey, and Caruso (2002) is the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT). The test measures an individual’s self-reported abilities in the four branches of emotional intelligence.
FOUR BRANCHES OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
PERCEIVING EMOTIONS
This is the ability to recognize and differentiate between emotions experienced by one’s self or others.
USING EMOTIONS
This is the ability to utilize emotions effectively to solve problems or think critically.
UNDERSTANDING EMOTIONS
This is the ability to recognize even nuanced differences or complexity of various emotions.
MANAGING EMOTIONS
This is the ability to regulate one’s own emotions and manage others’ emotions to achieve originally intended goals.
In addition to these two assessments, there are many other instruments that have been developed to achieve the same purpose: the assessment provides insight into emotional intelligence levels for purposes of self-reflection and development. Unfortunately, since research on emotional intelligence is relatively new, there are not many prescriptive models to aid leaders in navigating emotionally intense situations or challenges. However, many have ideas as to how EQ can be developed.
Developing Emotional Intelligence
Leaders can benefit greatly by viewing emotional intelligence as a skill that can be developed as opposed to a trait that you either have or do not have. Therefore, trying to assess one’s emotional intelligence and, additionally, developing the skills or competencies of EQ will go a long way towards increasing a leader’s chances for success. According to Preston Ni (2014), there are six ways to develop or increase your level of emotional intelligence:
Reduce Negative Emotions
Reduce negative emotions instead of jumping to a negative thought about someone or something, consider other alternatives to your concerns, or other perspectives of the situation, and stay as positive as possible.
Manage Stress and Stay Cool
Manage stress and stay cool and recognize that your body can react to stress and emotions so make a conscious effort to stay calm. Some do better with exercise to relieve stress while others may use an ice pack or cold water to stay cool.
Be Assertive and Express Difficult Emotions when Necessary
Be assertive and express difficult emotions when necessary and stand up for yourself and what is right when you have the opportunity or set boundaries if they are needed. Use statements that start with “I feel” and that focus on the other person’s behavior and not their personality or traits.
Stay Proactive, Not Reactive, in the Face of a Difficult Person
Stay proactive, not reactive, in the face of a difficult person and think before you say something or react in response to anger or frustration (your own or someone else’s). Put yourself in the perspective of the other person and look at the problem as objectively as possible.
Bounce Back from Adversity
Bounce back from adversity and recover from negative situations quickly and ask what constructive lessons you can gain from the experience.
Express Intimate Emotions in Close Personal Relationships
Express intimate emotions in close personal relationships and make a positive connection by sharing intimate feelings and expressions with those you are closest too, such as love and appreciation.
EMOTION REGULATION
It is interesting that Ni noted the usefulness of reducing negative emotions. Some research has shown that emotion regulation, or actively identifying and modifying emotions, make take too much effort and could even make the emotion stronger (Robbins & Judge, 2014). Suppressing emotions is not good. Alternatively, we should seek out positive emotional experiences as opposed to avoiding negative ones because the act of engaging in positive experiences is more likely to put us in a good mood (Robbins & Judge, 2014).
Can you think of a time when you made a conscious effort to avoid negativity? If you were a leader, what kind of people would you surround yourself with and why?
Emotions at Work
Clearly, leaders need a high level of emotional intelligence to create and maintain excellent working relationships with their followers. It’s crucial for leaders to understand how emotions can impact the behaviors of those in an organization, shape the climate or culture of the company, and affect customers too.
IMPACTS OF EMOTIONS
As you reflect upon how your emotion may affect your ability to accomplish goals in your personal life, think about how those same emotions would impact you at work. According to Robbins and Judge, “moods and emotions have important effects on decision making” (Robbins & Judge, 2014, p. 57). Research has shown that positive emotions can contribute to sound decision-making. However, the research is torn as to whether negative emotions may or may not impact decision-making. It’s also been shown that positive emotions can lead to increased creativity, flexibility, open-mindedness, and motivation.
Additionally, a matching effect referred to as emotional contagion has been studied. This effect is the passing of negative or positive emotions from employees to customers. For example, if an employee in a retail store is happy, smiling, and conveying positivity to customers, those customers are likely to respond in a positive manner and may even stay in the store longer to shop. It’s important to note that you do not just want your employees to act in a positive way, you want them to be positive and happy. If they are acting one way yet feel another, this could create emotional burnout among your employees.
Can you recall a time when you truly felt one way but also felt obligated to act another way? Maybe you thought you had to put on a happy face for others even though you were sad? Suppressing emotions like that can prove to be difficult and exhausting. How do you think the best leaders cope with those situations?
Organizational Climate
What can leaders do to create a climate of positivity within the organization? If you recall, we discussed upward communication and the potential feedback that can be solicited by leaders from those in lower levels of the organization. It’s important that leaders make those in the organization aware that they truly care about their emotions and feelings. Employees need to feel like they can safely express their concerns or moods about issues that affect their work or their job. Providing a formal channel or outlet for them to communicate those concerns, such as an anonymous feedback mechanism, could allow for the flow of upward communication and release of negative emotions.
For example, an employee is upset and angry because he feels a policy is not being instituted fairly across the organization. Some employees are granted their vacation requests while others’ requests are seemingly denied without reason. Why are they being denied – is it favoritism?
The employee submits an anonymous concern ticket through a formal communication system for the issue to be investigated and evaluated. This report gives the leader an opportunity to evaluate the vacation request process. She realizes that the process does not address denial of requests nor does it require managers to provide reasoning. Therefore, she modifies the process and updates the staff about the changes. Now, the employee feels that his concerns are being listened to and addressed appropriately.
LEADER RESPONSIBILITIES
ALLEVIATING STRESS
It is crucial that leaders consider the type of work that employees are being asked to do. Is the work unnecessarily stressful or emotionally draining? If so, why and can the work itself be changed? If the work must remain somewhat stressful now (for example, the office is temporarily understaffed due to turnover), what can you do as a leader to alleviate some stress? Could you offer flex time to the employees who are working overtime for the next few weeks? Perhaps, they can take a vacation once the vacancy in the office has been filled.
CHOOSING LEADERS
As a leader, you also have the authority and responsibility to select other organizational leaders and managers. You should make every effort to ensure that current members, and new hires, exhibit high levels of emotional intelligence and positivity. Research has shown that 90 percent of top performers manage emotions skillfully during stressful times by remaining calm and controlled (Bradberry, 2014). The aptitude for emotional intelligence is also important for individuals who will work as part of a team. Robbins and Judge state that, “selecting positive team members can have a contagion effect because positive moods transmit from team members to team member” (Robbins & Judge, 2014, p. 60).
IDENTIFYING EQ WHEN HIRING
Therefore, leaders can build questions into the selection process that will help them identify candidates with high emotional intelligence. They can provide an opportunity for candidates to demonstrate self-awareness, the ability to work well with others, and willingness to recognize accomplishments of an entire team as opposed to taking complete credit for successes on an individual level. Mark Murphy cited two excellent questions to ask job candidates to gauge their emotional intelligence and to demonstrate some of these EQ competencies (Murphy, 2016):
“Could you tell me about a time you made a mistake at work?”
“Could you tell me about a time you got tough feedback from your boss?”
MANAGING YOUR MOOD
Leaders should also realize that their mood can impact the mood of everyone in the office and in the organization. “How well leaders manage their own moods affects everyone else’s moods and, thus, the climate of the whole organization” (Cutler, 2014, p. 89). Can you think of a leader who was extremely negative or always seemed like he was in a bad mood? How effective do you think that leader was? How productive do you think his team members were amidst the negative energy? As a leader, you must set the tone and lead by example because your negative emotions can affect everyone in the organization. Be as positive as you can and convey that enthusiasm and energy to every individual in your organization and around you!
Emotional Leadership Styles
There is no doubt of the importance of emotional intelligence for leaders and how positive emotions and moods can impact the organizational climate and every person within it. Therefore, it’s valuable to explore various leadership styles that have been linked to emotional intelligence competencies or factors. In the 2002 work, Primal Leadership, Daniel Goleman, and others outlined six different leadership styles that resonate with others due to their impact on emotional intelligence throughout the organization (Goleman, Boyatzis, & McKee, 2002):
VISIONARY LEADERSHIP
Visionary Leadership is focused on inspiring individuals to accomplish long-term goals.
COACHING LEADERSHIP
Coaching Leadership is the effective delegation of tasks to responsible individuals with decision-making authority while considering individuals’ strengths and weaknesses.
AFFILIATIVE LEADERSHIP
Affiliative Leadership is focused on the creation of a people-focused atmosphere and positive emotional environment.
DEMOCRATIC LEADERSHIP
Democratic Leadership is where leaders actively seek out input and ideas from all members of the group and those ideas are carefully considered.
PACESETTING LEADERSHIP
Pacesetting Leadership is ambitious goal-setting and constant progress monitoring, which is also referred to as management by objective.
COMMANDING LEADERSHIP
Commanding Leadership are instructions are given to individuals without solicitation of input or any listening from the leader.
Leaders can use any of the leadership styles or a combination of styles to appeal to the emotions of their followers. The first four leadership styles (visionary, coaching, affiliative, and democratic) are described as resonance builders and the last two styles (pacesetting and commanding) are viewed as dissonant styles because they do not involve listening to followers.
The first style, visionary leadership, is great when leaders want to communicate and emphasize a shared long-term vision for the organization. The coaching leader provides a layer of support for those seeking additional consultation but the primary goal of the leadership style is to let employees achieve goals once they are collaboratively established. Coaches provide a level of autonomy to followers as they allow them decision-making authority.
LEADERSHIP STYLES
Affiliative
Affiliative leaders are focused on creating the ideal emotional climate within the organization. This style meets the emotional needs of followers but can leave work or task needs at the bottom of the list. Also, affiliative leadership can result in avoidance of any negative dissension or disagreement. Some conflict is good and meaningful as some issues and concerns must be addressed so that the team or organization can move forward in a positive way.
Democratic
The democratic leadership style focuses on gaining inputs and ideas from the followers through active listening, ensuring a great level of commitment and buy-in from the team. However, it’s not always feasible to ask followers’ opinions for every issue or task that needs to be addressed or completed. This could result in decreased efficiency or an appearance of a leader who lacks confidence or expertise to make decisions without the group.
Pacesetting
Pacesetting leadership must be utilized with caution as leaders may come off like they do not care about emotional intelligence at all because they are most concerned with goal attainment and objectives. The idea is that pacesetting leaders lead by example and they expect competent motivated team members to follow close behind, instinctually knowing the next step that should be taken to achieve results.
Commanding
The commanding leader directs individuals to complete tasks and comply with requests – no questions asked – and attempts to alleviate fears any members may have. Although they are concerned with negative emotions, commanding leaders may still elicit negative moods because followers are not listened to or given any real authority. It is obvious how the pacesetting and commanding leadership styles may create emotional challenges for followers if the implementation of the style is poorly executed.
Can you recall a time when you exhibited or experienced one of the leadership styles discussed? When you reflect upon that experience, did that style elicit an emotional response within yourself or from others? Was it a positive or negative emotional response? What did you learn from that situation?
There is no doubt that other leadership styles can be utilized to elicit emotional support or create positive work environments. This list is not all-inclusive. However, regardless of the style selected, leaders should carefully reflect upon the implications that the style may have upon the organizational climate before they implement them.
Conclusion
Throughout this lesson, you have reflected upon the impact that emotional intelligence has a leader’s ability to successfully build and maintain relationships with others. Emotional intelligence competencies include the ability to recognize emotions in yourself and others as well as manage emotions of your own and others. It’s clear that emotional intelligence is not a substitute for intellectual abilities but it is certainly a necessity for those who need to be able to communicate goals and a vision clearly with others. It is up to leaders to convey positive emotions or moods and to hire and retain organizational members who do the same because emotions are contagious. Negativity can spread through a team and an organization, and even be passed from employees to customers. Therefore, it’s critical that leaders do all they can to create a positive organizational climate and utilize effective leadership styles to elicit the best possible emotions and moods from their followers. Leaders have a unique opportunity to lead by example and to lead enthusiastically and positively.
MGMT331 | LESSON 5
Leader as a Communicator
LESSON TOPICS
Communication in Leadership
The Communication Process and Effective Listening
Communication Channels
Communication Strategies and Electronic Communications
KEY TERMS
Channel
Chunking
Decoding
Downward Communications
Encoding
Feedback
Lateral Communications
Leader-member Exchange (LMX) Theory
Message
Noise
Receiver
Sender
Social Judgment Skills
Upward Communications
INTRODUCTION
Throughout this lesson, you will learn about the importance of communication in leadership. Communication is closely related to the leadership theories of the leadership skills model, the leadership traits theory, the leader-member exchange (LMX) theory, and the team leadership model. Additionally, you will explore the communications process and its elements, which are important for excellent communicators to understand. Leaders must understand that they make several choices during the communication process, including the selection of the appropriate channel, or medium, of message delivery. They must also engage in active listening to their employees. Additionally, you will explore the directions which information flows within an organization, both formally and informally. Finally, you will explore the value of creating a communications strategy and consider the implications of the vast array of electronic communications available to us in today’s tech world.
Communication in Leadership
Can you think of an excellent leader without exceptional communication abilities? When you reflect upon the importance of visionary leaders in strategic goal attainment, think about the visionary leader’s ability to clearly communicate his long-term goals with the organization’s stakeholders. If that leader could not share his ideas with the organization, his vision, how could he drive others to succeed? Additionally, you explored the role of the leader as a problem solver. As you learned, it’s sometimes necessary for leaders to identify problems that need solving. As you will realize in this lesson, gathering information and much needed feedback from organizational stakeholders and team members is crucial to solving problems.
Additionally, the solutions to problems realized through communication may also require organizational change. What if the leader did not communicate the reason for the change and the process by which change would be enacted through the organization? Can you imagine followers who would be eager to go through a change process with a leader who did not communicate key components of a massive, or even minor, organizational change? Also, you have reflected upon a leader’s necessity to be emotionally intelligent. Leaders must be able to perceive verbal and nonverbal cues from followers regarding their emotions towards them, towards other team members or organizational stakeholders, and towards the goals they’re tasked to accomplish.
Leadership Skills Model
According to Mumford, Zaccaro, and Harding’s (2000), leadership skills approach, the key leadership skills, or leadership competencies are problem-solving skills, social judgment skills, and knowledge. You already learned about problem-solving in a prior lesson. However, social judgment skills refer to an individual’s ability to:
UNDERSTAND OTHERS’ PERSPECTIVES
Perspective Taking
ANTICIPATE OTHERS’ REACTIONS TO PROBLEMS OR CHANGE
Social Perceptiveness
ADAPT OR ADJUST BEHAVIOR ACCORDING TO OTHERS’
Behavioral Flexibility
SHARE VISIONS, PERSUADE, OR RESOLVE CONFLICTS WITH OTHERS
Social Performance
As you can see, it is very important for leaders to be able to communicate with others, particularly regarding the social performance aspect of social judgment skills. For example, if you are a leader amidst a massive organizational restructuring, you should be able to understand the perspective of your followers. You should anticipate that some will go with the change willingly while others may require more convincing as to why the change is even necessary or beneficial at all. Therefore, you should adapt your behavior according to these anticipated perspectives. Share the details about the change up front and try to address many of the questions you anticipate from both supporters and those who may dissent. Anticipate that you may have to resolve conflicts based upon some of the new roles that have been created with the restructuring. Mediate those conflicts as they arise. As you can see, as a leader, it is important to be an excellent communicator and to utilize social judgment skills.
Leadership Traits Theory
According to Ralph Stogdill (1974), valuable leadership skills and traits were pertinent for leader success. Although “fluency in speaking” itself is on the skills list, many of the other skills and traits noted by Stogdill, as well as other researchers, can be conveyed through effective communication.
Think about a leader you admire. Do they convey intelligence, wit, and tact while they are speaking? Can they be persuasive in convincing you or others? Do they communicate effectively whether they are giving a speech to a crowded room, having a small group discussion, or communicating one-on-one? Think about how you convey these skills when you are communicating through your body language, vocal inflections, or facial expressions too. Do leaders slouch or do they stand tall to exude confidence? Do they speak enthusiastically and convey energy and knowledge? It’s clear that leader skills and traits are communicated to others in many ways.
LEADERSHIP SKILLS AND TRAITS
SKILLS
Clever and intelligent
Diplomatic and tactful
Fluent in speaking
Knowledgeable about group tasks
Persuasive
Socially skilled
TRAITS
Clever and intelligent
Diplomatic and tactful
Fluent in speaking
Knowledgeable about group tasks
Persuasive
Socially skilled
Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) Theory
In earlier lessons, you saw that many leadership theories emphasize the leader’s skills, traits, attributes, and behavior, the context (situation), or the follower’s readiness. The leader-member exchange suggests that inevitably, leaders form stronger bonds with some subordinates over others and that those followers comprise an ‘in-group’ and others are within an ‘out-group’.
It’s difficult to measure the quality of the leader-member exchanges but can you imagine high-quality effective exchanges without meaningful communication and understanding? Leaders must be able to communicate effectively to build relationships with followers and to engage in productive exchanges to accomplish organizational goals (Northouse, 2010). Leaders should also make every effort to effectively communicate with all followers, not just some followers, and to also ensure consistency and honesty in messages.
Team Leadership Mode
Hill’s model for team leadership asserts that the team’s effectiveness is driven by a leader’s actions, which should be based upon the performance or functioning of the team (Northouse, 2010). The team effectiveness component can be achieved through a leader’s ability to clearly communicate the goal of the team, the roles and responsibilities of the team members, and the norms or processes the team should operate within. Leaders can foster an environment of collaboration and ensure that team members openly communicate with them and with other team members. They can also act quickly to resolve any conflicts that may arise. Additionally, leaders can and should recognize team members’ and overall team accomplishments.
The Communication Process and Effective Listening
Communication has been simply defined as the “transfer and the understanding of meaning” (Robbins & Judge, 2014, p. 162). As leaders constantly convey meaning to their followers, they are continuously communicating. Leaders must also listen to messages others are conveying to them. It is important that leaders understand that communication is a process whereby a sender encodes (creates) a message, delivered via a communication channel, which is then decoded by a reciver.
Additionally, there may be barriers to communication that could affect the perception of the message – these barriers are referred to as noise. Feedback may also be provided from the recipient back to the sender, which may confirm his understanding (or misunderstanding) of the message.
As leaders reflect upon each of the components of the communication process, they can increase the likelihood of accurate interpretation of the message by following four guidelines.
GUIDELINES FOR ACCURATE INTERPRETATION
SELECT APPROPRIATE CHANNELS
Selecting appropriate channels, or mediums through which the message is passed, for communication. The channel may be face-to-face verbal communication or a written email. If the channel is face-to-face communication, the message could be the speech itself or the sender’s nonverbal cues. Therefore, leaders must be aware of body language as well.
CONSIDER THE RECEIVER
Considering the receiver, or audience, in terms of readiness to accept the message and ability to understand or decode it. Language barriers or cultural context should be considered, too.
EVALUATE POTENTIAL BARRIERS
Evaluating potential barriers to communication (noise) and eliminating those barriers if, and when, it is possible. If you are communicating in a highly technical language, consider that the technical jargon may be a barrier to the receiver’s understanding. Physical, literal noise could be a barrier as well if loud noises from machinery on the production line are preventing you from hearing a message your employee is trying to communicate to you.
ASK FOR FEEDBACK
Asking for feedback from the recipients of the message to confirm understanding. If you are communicating face-to-face, you could look for nonverbal cues such as head-nodding to confirm understanding or puzzled faces to show confusion. This feedback can also be received in writing.
Communication Channels
Today, you have many choices of media, or channels, which can be used to deliver messages. Speeches, small-group dialogues, one-on-one conversations, emails, written memos, and other electronic channels such as social media are a few options. It is important for leaders to consider when it’s appropriate or most effective to utilize certain channels. For example, when delivering bad news, it is a good idea to deliver the message face-to-face.
Although this may be difficult, it will show the recipient a great deal of respect and fairness while also providing him an opportunity to ask any questions about the bad news immediately (Vozza, 2016). On the other hand, if an email is sent with bad news, the recipient may not understand the message and, if she has questions, may not be able to get clarification for some time. You want to create the opportunity for feedback, or confirmation of understanding, especially if you are delivering bad news.
COMMUNICATION CHANNELS
FACE-TO-FACE COMMUNICATION
Face-to-face communications are an excellent way to facilitate two-way communication, ensuring that feedback can quickly be provided.
NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION
Nonverbal communication such as body language and facial expressions are important to consider from both the sender and receiver’s perspectives. Even though it seems that most conversations can be improvised face-to-face, leaders should still take the opportunity to carefully craft, or encode, their message. They should anticipate any questions the receiver may have and try to address them either in the original message or in their responses. It is also a great idea to consider the environment of the conversation and select a neutral place, such as a conference room, when possible as opposed to always asking the receiver to come to the boss’ office.
WRITTEN COMMUNICATION AND EMAILS
Written communication is great because sending an email can also be done very quickly by a leader with a packed schedule and an urgent message to send. It also provides great record-keeping for senders and recipients alike. However, it is also important to consider additional potential drawbacks of written communication even if your message is a positive one. The major drawback is a misinterpretation of the tone of the sender or the meaning of the message itself.
Some emails are densely written and can result in an information overload (noise) that can impact the receiver’s understanding. One strategy that may alleviate the dense blocks of text is chunking. For example, send an email with a clear subject line, an introductory purpose statement, three to five bulleted points of interest, and a closing statement with any required actions.
Effective Listening
Leaders will not always be the sender in the communication process. As you have learned, it’s crucial for leaders to identify organizational problems and to arrive at the best solutions. Therefore, they must listen to those around them. Leaders need to gain valuable feedback from their followers and also gain unique insight from experts. An interesting fact is that “85% of what we know [has been] learned through listening” (Llopis, 2013).
Employees want a leader who makes time to listen to them and to understand the challenges they face, the needs they have, and the ways which the leader can clear their paths to success. Listening is much more than the absence of speaking. When you are the receiver of a message, it takes great effort to decode that message and understanding the true meaning behind it. All verbal and nonverbal communication must be considered. Relationships are built through engaging conversations. Llopis (2013) also shares six ways that leaders can demonstrate their listening.
SIX WAYS TO DEMONSTRATE LISTENING
Show your employees that you care about them and their well-being.
Engage and take an active role in the conversation. Ask follow-up questions for clarity. Repeat what has been communicated to you and demonstrate your understanding of their needs.
Be empathetic and express genuine concerns for your employees’ needs. Relate to them and make yourself approachable.
Avoid being judgmental of others’ ideas or style. Embrace diversity.
Be mindful of surroundings and nonverbal communication cues, such as eye contact and body language. Also, be aware of the nonverbal cues you may be sending too.
Do not interrupt your employees while they are speaking to you because it halts the flow of communication. Do not think of what you want to say next. Instead, listen intently to the full message before you respond.
Communication Channels
In addition to understanding the communication process, it’s also valuable to reflect upon the different directions that communication can travel within an organization. As a default, many leaders believe the most important messages they send are the downward communications. An example of a downward communication would be the announcement of a new policy or procedure the organization will institute. It is important for leaders to understand that employees appreciate explanations to accompany such downward communications.
Additionally, it may be helpful if such messages are communicated more than once and in different ways. Reflecting upon the new policy to employ a vacation request system and form, it would be beneficial to receive an email with the announcement of the new policy and electronic copy of the form. It would also be beneficial if direct managers could demonstrate this new system at departmental meetings and explain the process and form verbally to staff. Finally, administrators of the forms could follow-up with one-on-one meetings if the request system is still not understood.
The opposite of downward communications is upward communications, which are messages that flow from the lower levels of the organization to the top. Upward communications can be extremely valuable in providing updates from individuals or teams as to the status of specific initiatives or goals. Additionally, this type of communication provides employees an opportunity to offer feedback such as concerns, questions, or ideas.
Following the example of the new vacation request policy above, an example of an upward communication would be feedback from the employees about the system. This feedback could be solicited via a survey, electronic or paper, or also via informal or formal group meetings where leaders can ask employees their thoughts about the policy and form. Upward communications can shape current systems as well as reveal ideas for new innovative products or processes.
According to Kreitner and Cassidy (2011), some ways to promote upward communications, or feedback, from employees may be to institute:
Formal grievance procedures
Employee surveys
Suggestion systems
Open-door policies
Informal meetings
Social media
Exit interviews
Finally, in addition to the vertical downward or upward communications methods, the third type of communication that flows within an organization is lateral communication. Leaders may make a conscious effort to promote such exchanges as they can foster a culture of communication among team members, which can improve coordination, performance, goal attainment, and motivation.
However, they must be aware that lateral communications may result in distortion of the message if it comes from another person (think of the game operator we played as children) which could affect the interpretation of meaning. Also, these exchanges may leave leaders or managers out of the communications loop and uninformed of any progress or issues they may need to be aware of
Formal vs. Informal Communication
As you think of the directions that information can flow within the organization, you are probably thinking about the formal and informal communication systems that exist. Formal communication systems are established by the organization and the flow of information through this system follows the hierarchy or chain of command that has been established. For example, if an employee has an issue or complaint, they can speak directly to their supervisor as opposed to going straight to the CEO or top of the company. Leaders should think about formal communication systems as an opportunity to establish a consistent process whereby employees can escalate any concerns or issues they may have.
Of course, the informal communications that occur within an organization are not necessarily established nor do they follow the chain of command. Think of conversations that happen around the break room water cooler or behind closed doors. Sometimes, these exchanges can be productive and insights or ideas can be shared. At other times, informal exchanges can breed gossip or negativity about specific individuals in the office or even criticism about leaders or organizational initiatives.
Although leaders cannot eliminate informal communications, they can make efforts to be aware of any rumors that arise so that they may offer clarification or insight to employees. For example, picture a group of employees talking in the hallway about a big office move. They are discussing what they heard is the new office space and how there are fewer offices there.
Therefore, the department must be planning to eliminate staff members before the move. Then, they start guessing who those individuals are. If you are aware that these conversations are happening, take the opportunity to share information about the anticipated move at the next staff meeting. Assure employees that the new space will comfortably accommodate all team members, otherwise, an alternative space will be found.
Communication Strategies and Electronic Communications
Often times, the importance of communication strategy is underestimated and leaders miss an opportunity to plan messages carefully to increase impact and understanding. Can you think of a time when you thought you could wing it and give a speech or have a critical conversation without planning? How did that speech or conversation go? Was it well-received by the recipient? Did you give too much information or not enough? Was the medium the right choice?
Phillip Clampitt and others (2002) developed a four-step model for leaders to communicate effectively.
FOUR-STEP COMMUNICATION MODEL
Assess the Context
Consider the stakeholders’ emotions, willingness to take action, and key values or beliefs that may impact their ability receive the message and react. Also, evaluate the communication system within the organization and consider alternative channels of communication. Is the system working effectively?
Craft the Strategy
Select a communications strategy that conveys organizational goals in a way that they can be understood by the audience. Underscoring a few key themes that are the most important to emphasize the message.
Implement the Strategy
Select the best communication channel and implement the strategy you have chosen, utilizing repetition and redundancy if possible. Reiterating crucial information signals the level of importance to the listeners and increases the likelihood of understanding. Identify key opinion leaders in the organization whom others listen to and value. Get the buy-in of those leaders first and they can help convey your message.
Provoke the Dialogue
Convey to listeners that feedback is highly desirable and that questions are welcomed. Engage in two-way communication with your employees and you can have a meaningful exchange that promotes clarity of the message.
Communication Strategies and Electronic Communications
The options for the second step in the process, which is selecting a communication strategy, exist along a continuum. According to the amount of information transmitted, communication effectiveness can be either low or high. Ideally, according to Clampitt, it is best to utilize the underscore and explore strategy, which involves two-way communication and sharing of a few important key themes or ideas (Clampitt, 2002). The five basic communication strategies are:
SPRAY AND PRAY
A strategy to share the most information possible, which leaves employees responsible for sorting out what is significant or important.
TELL AND SELL
A strategy to share restricted information by telling the employees about the ideas and selling them the message rather than asking for feedback in a two-way exchange.
UNDERSCORE AND EXPLORE
A two-way communications strategy sharing key information linked to organizational success and receiving feedback about concerns, obstacles, or misunderstandings so that the message may be clarified.
IDENTIFY AND REPLY
A response strategy that only addresses key concerns of employees that have been identified.
WITHHOLD AND UPHOLD
A strategy that keeps information secret until it is necessary to share.
Communication Strategies and Electronic Communications
The options for the second step in the process, which is selecting a communication strategy, exist along a continuum. According to the amount of information transmitted, communication effectiveness can be either low or high. Ideally, according to Clampitt, it is best to utilize the underscore and explore strategy, which involves two-way communication and sharing of a few important key themes or ideas (Clampitt, 2002). The five basic communication strategies are:
SPRAY AND PRAY
TELL AND SELL
UNDERSCORE AND EXPLORE
IDENTIFY AND REPLY
WITHHOLD AND UPHOLD
A strategy that keeps information secret until it is necessary to share.
Can you think of a time when you utilized one of these communication strategies? According to the amount of information you shared and the type of strategy you used, do you think the communication was effective and meaningful? Why or why not? As you can see, it is beneficial for leaders to actively craft a communication strategy.
Electronic Communications
With today’s technologically advanced communications capabilities, it’s important for leaders to be aware of the additional electronic channels available to communicate with others. Considering these channels is part of the strategic communication process. According to Robbins and Judge (2014), approximately 71 percent of organizational communications are electronic. These digital channels can aid in communication efforts for those both internal and external to their organizations but it is also important to recognize the challenges they present.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Additionally, customer feedback from external sources to the organization may be shared on social media sites, which could potentially damage the organization’s reputation if the feedback is negative. Therefore, it is wise for leaders to implement an organizational policy for social media use that creates a solid set of guidelines for the information it is appropriate to share along with a post-approval policy. It’s also a great idea to allocate staff members to the management of and response efforts for social media sites and/or internet blogs.
As you know, email communications are an efficient and fast way to share a message with anyone across the world. As mentioned, email serves as a great record of communications because it provides a searchable repository of information sent and received. However, the decoding, or interpretation of meaning within email messages can be difficult due to densely worded and unclear messages. Emails also lack nonverbal cues such as facial expressions, vocal intonations, and body language, making it difficult to understand the sender’s intentions. Overwhelmingly large inboxes can also deter organizational leaders from getting the information they need when they need it.
These challenges provide an opportunity for leaders to establish guidelines, policies, and etiquette to avoid some of the issues with this channel of communications. For example, make it a rule that excessive copying of recipients, or constantly hitting “reply all”, is undesirable as it increases the unnecessary flow of information and floods inboxes. Also, train employees on email etiquette, such as avoiding writing in all CAPS, including a useful subject line, and avoiding expressing emotions with jokes that may not be well-received or emoticons that appear unprofessional.
VIDEOCONFERENCING
Today, an increasing number of employees telecommute, or work virtually from home. Additionally, the number of global corporations with employees all around the world in different time zones has increased. Therefore, video conferencing has become a necessary and popular medium for communication and meetings. This technology has saved leaders a great amount of money in travel expenses for employees because they used to travel around the world to meet with coworkers and customers. Although phone communications are still popular group conferencing tools, video conferencing allows for live video and audio to be streamed from one location to another.
If utilized effectively, this technology can result in meaningful exchanges and collaboration. It is important that leaders adopt a tool that is adequate for their needs, that is high-quality, and that is easy for employees to be trained on and to use. It is important that systems are tested prior to use, standards of use are set, and that functionality is fully utilized. For example, if attendees have a question during a meeting, set a guideline that they will not interrupt the speaker. Instead, they can send a live “instant message” to be seen by the meeting’s moderator which can be brought up at an appropriate time.
Conclusion
