A good business needs both upward communication and downward communication; between boss and subordinates. Just as it needs both loyalty upward and loyalty downward between boss and subordinates.
The downwards ones nurture employee loyalty. The upwards ones help the business be successful.
It is not just about having good relationships between a boss and his employees. It is about having timely and effective communications.
Examine the upward communication opportunity carefully
There are some who understand the issues and opportunities. But there are some who do not understand as well. There are sometimes intermediaries that do not understand the importance of good upward communications.
The link between boss and the front-line workers
There is a critical role played by the boss who helps to organize and link the entire business with the employees. This linking process is completed by a number of middlemen. The first step of the formal upward communication hierarchy is data collection or information gathering. Let us assume that a supervisor is in charge of gathering data collected by the working employees and reporting the same upward to his/her manager. But, let us not forget the informal communications that happen during coffee breaks, over lunch, over a beer, or at industry association meetings, etc.
Categorization of information into slots
During the communication process there is some amount of information loss. For instance, the working employees, those who interact with the customers, know a great deal about the transaction process between the customer and the system. However, as this information is sent upwards, much data is lost as the information is slotted into categories. What happens when the information does not slot easily into a previously existing category? For a startup, much information will belong in a new category.
Conclusion
Timely and effective communication is key to success for both startups and new divisions. The boss can routinely check how effectively and quickly he is receiving important information.
References
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