UPWARD COMMUNICATION: FEATURES, BENEFITS, EXAMPLES - DUDAS - 2025

The upward communication, employee to management is a communication system that encourages employees at the bottom of the hierarchy of an organization to convey information to those who are above them.

Employees at the bottom of the organizational structure often have an invaluable perspective that can be capitalized on by communicating to those who can act accordingly.

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Upward communication provides information about the needs, values, perceptions and opinions of employees. This helps organizations select and tailor their programs and policies to meet the specific needs of their employees.

It enables managers to communicate goals through milestone planning, and team members are encouraged to create the necessary steps to reach those milestones on their own.

Communication plays a key role in the success of any program or policy in the workplace and serves as the foundation for psychologically healthy types of work practices.

characteristics

Upward communication is a process in which the members of the work team are invited to participate in each step of the management process.

The way in which the tasks are executed will depend on the work teams, and that is why they feel involved in the development of the project.

Inclusive task planning

The most important characteristic is the influence that all team members have on how and when tasks will be completed.

The logic is that someone who is closely involved in a certain field will be able to better estimate what needs to be done and how long it will take. This leads to better approximations of the most important project deadlines and milestones.

Clearer communication

Strong communication with team members is an absolute must. This requires a high level of confidence and comfort.

Not all team members may be confident enough to speak their minds in front of a group. However, to ensure the success of upward communication, everyone involved must be able to contribute to the project plan.

Ability to maximize potential

Each employee can help his manager by making him know his own opinion about his capabilities.

This allows a manager to take advantage of resources that they may not have been fully aware of, thereby maximizing the productivity of their team.

Upward communication system

It allows the grassroots employees of an organization to have a voice in the decisions that affect their working life. Consists in:

- Establish and supervise feedback systems that channel communication directly to the appropriate levels of the organization. Thus, everyone can be heard. Then facilitate responses to that communication in a timely manner.

- Communication channels can be: employee surveys, suggestion boxes, assemblies with workers, individual or small group meetings with managers, and an organizational culture that supports open and two-way communication.

- Prepare the members of the work team who have reservations in giving suggestions and comments to direct supervisors. Also prepare management to foster a culture of open communication.

- Develop systems to measure how information is received, interpreted and executed by employees. Also measure how this better communication has helped the organization achieve specific objectives.

- Identify new ways to improve communication, both in channels and in content, as a result of feedback.

Advantage

- It allows making decisions with a much broader set of knowledge. As each team member is involved, they contribute their own knowledge and unique experience in the tasks that need to be completed.

- It allows all levels of the organization to become part of the process, thus helping everyone feel an important part of the objective.

- Helps build high motivation and improve productivity. Employees are more open to work and work harder to achieve goals and objectives in the way that works best for them.

- Allows all employees' talents to be used. A lower-level employee may have a unique perspective on how to solve a common problem.

Disadvantages

- Allowing all employees to participate in decision-making has potential difficulties. Participating in the process can obstruct employees and cause them to suggest too many untested ideas.

- With too much information, managers may have a harder time finding an effective plan to achieve objectives. This can lead to the inability to choose a plan and stick with it, or to constantly alter processes and objectives.

- Planning a project takes more time, as more stakeholders need to be involved.

- In a highly competitive environment, employees may not completely separate their ego from the bigger goal. This could create significant divisions between employees and teams. Likewise, possible conflicts that could have a negative effect on productivity.

Examples

More and more companies are using the bottom up communication style in their daily work. Companies like The New York Times, Ernst & Young, and IBM are implementing elements of this communication style throughout their hierarchy.

Each of these companies offers unique methods for involving employees at all levels of the decision-making process.

Container Store Company

After 10 years of operation, the Container Store company opened a new store in Houston.

Sales exceeded expectations, creating the immediate need to more clearly communicate the company's values, in order to support the decision-making of new employees. Also, these values ​​were not fully defined.

So Kip Tindell, president of the company, brought together all the employees of the Houston store. Meeting at the store manager's home, Tindell opened up a frank conversation. In this way, he shared the ideas he had about his main principles and values, which he had chosen since high school.

These ideas were positively received and eventually refined by its people, in what the company called its "fundamental principles." These values ​​remain essential to the success of the Container Store.

If Tindell had simply taken his principles and pasted them on the store walls, you could bet that the adhesive at the core of the success in Container Store culture wouldn't be as strong.

Engaging employees in an open and honest conversation gave them the opportunity to be more committed to acting in alignment with key values.

References

1. Baker (2018). Bottoms up. Taken from: bakerbrand.com.
2. Elements of IC (2018). Bottom-up communication. Taken from: elementsofic.com.
3. Micah Harper (2015). Top-down vs. Bottom-up Management Styles. Touro University Worldwide. Taken from: tuw.edu.
4. Clarizen (2018). Five Things to Know About the Bottom Up Strategy. Taken from: clarizen.com.
5. Stacey Smith (2015). Employee Communications: More Than Top Down Communications. Institute for Public Relations. Taken from: instituteforpr.org.
6. American Psychological Association (2018). The Role of Communication. Taken from: apaexcellence.org.