BBA 2026, Organizational Communication 1

Course Learning Outcomes for Unit IV Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:

3. Explain communication techniques that improve employee trust and engagement. 3.1. Explain why communication is essential in an organization 3.2. Explain types of situations where specific communication techniques would be most

effective.

Reading Assignment In order to access the following resources, click the links below: Asencio, H., & Mujkic, E. (2016). Leadership behaviors and trust in leaders: Evidence from the U.S. federal

government. Public Administration Quarterly, 40(1), 156-179. Retrieved from https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.libraryresources.c olumbiasouthern.edu/docview/1770073259?accountid=33337

Erdil, G. E., & Tanova, C. (2015). Do birds of a feather communicate better? The cognitive style congruence

between managers and their employees and communication satisfaction. Studia Psychologica, 57(3), 177-193. Retrieved from https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direc t=true&db=a9h&AN=110055805&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Course/Unit Learning Outcomes

Learning Activity

3

Unit Lesson Unit IV Presentation Article: “Do birds of a feather communicate better?

The cognitive style congruence between managers and their employees and communication satisfaction"

Article: “Managing on three planes" Article: “Leadership behaviors and trust in leaders: Evidence from the U.S.

federal government” Article: “Communication provides foundation for being a best place to work Article: “Talk nerdy to me: The role of intellectual stimulation in the supervisor

employee relationship” Unit IV Essay

3.1

Unit Lesson Unit IV Presentation Article: “Do birds of a feather communicate better?

The cognitive style congruence between managers and their employees and communication satisfaction"

Article: “Communication provides foundation for being a best place to work” Article: “Talk nerdy to me: The role of intellectual stimulation in the supervisor

employee relationship” Unit IV Essay

3.2

Unit Lesson Unit IV Presentation Article: “Leadership behaviors and trust in leaders: Evidence from the U.S.

federal government” Unit IV Essay

UNIT IV STUDY GUIDE

Improving Employee Trust and Engagement Through Communication Techniques

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Mintzberg, H. (2010). Managing on three planes. Leader to Leader, 2010(57), 29-33. Retrieved from https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direc t=true&db=a9h&AN=51237063&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Skidmore-Williams, K. (2013). Communication provides foundation for being a best place to work. Public

Manager, 42(2), 52-56. Retrieved from https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.libraryresources.c olumbiasouthern.edu/docview/1406222044?accountid=33337

Smothers, J., Doleh, R., Celuch, K., Peluchette, J., & Valadares, K. (2016). Talk nerdy to me: The role of

intellectual stimulation in the supervisor-employee relationship. Journal of Health and Human Services Administration, 38(4), 478-508. Retrieved from https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.libraryresources.c olumbiasouthern.edu/docview/1770076190?accountid=33337

Click here to view the Unit IV Presentation. Click here to view the Unit IV Presentation transcript.

Unit Lesson Introduction According to Henry Mintzberg (2010), managers engage in multiple functions throughout the workday. Within the organization, managers need to collect and convey information, make decisions, and promote unity. All of these functions are carried out through communication. Mintzerg (2010) explains that managers have an image of themselves as decision-makers, but their jobs entail much more. Managers have to balance roles as facilitators and analysts. They also have to create an effective corporate culture. Managers collect information through conversation, reports, memos, phone calls, meetings, e-mail messages, speeches, and videos, and managers distribute the information along the same channels. Effective managers utilize a wide variety of media and strategies to communicate. As Mintzerg (2010) explains, managers need to listen to employees at all levels of the organization, build a strong group with people who care about the company and its core values, and encourage employees to be innovative. In “Talk Nerdy to Me: The Role of Intellectual Stimulation in the Supervisor-Employee Relationship,” Smothers, Doleh, Celuch, Peluchette, and Valadares (2016) describe how vital it is for managers to employ communication techniques that improve employee performance. If the employees trust the managers—if the communication fosters engagement—then job performance and the psychological well-being of the employees will increase. The authors stress communication transparency and leader integrity as key points. Galip Erdil and Cem Tanova (2015) focus on employee perception of trust and how managers communicate in “Do Birds of a Feather Communicate Better? The Cognitive Style Congruence Between Managers and Their Employees and Communication Satisfaction.” The extent to which employees feel that their managers listen to them and respect their opinions influences the employees’ feelings of trust toward the organization. The style that the managers use to communicate to the employees makes a difference in comprehension. In all three articles, certain core ideas are highlighted: communication, trust, and employee engagement. But, how do all of these concepts work together? The focus of this unit will be an in-depth examination of the communication techniques managers in an organization can use to improve employee trust and engagement. In this unit, we will be revisiting terms and ideas first discussed in Unit I and in Unit II. It may be helpful to review the information. Organizing Information to Fit the Audience, the Purpose, and the Situation In Unit I, the lesson focused on the sender, the channel, and the receiver. The Unit I graphic showed that the interaction moved in a straight line. In the units that followed, concepts of feedback were introduced. The

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graphic no longer moved in a straight line but, rather, looped back onto itself as the sender “received” information from his or her audience after the message had traveled along the channel. But, there is yet another step in the process—audience analysis. When added to a graphic, it would appear as shown below:

Audience Analysis Preparation is required to effectively communicate messages to employees so they understand the reasons for a decision and also grasp how it affects them. In the very first step of any type of communication, the sender of the message needs to focus on who will be receiving his or her words. This type of consideration should occur for both written and verbal communication forms. Some experts feel that this step needs to occur even before the sender forms the idea for the message; other experts believe this should happen concurrently. In part, this depends on the sender’s perspective toward the receivers; how essential is it to know information about the employees in the organization? Mintzberg (2010) believes that managers should focus first on the people involved. It is a more nuanced approach than beginning with the information and requires reflection prior to action (sending the message). Erdil and Tanova (2015) feel it is essential that the sender be aware of the receiver’s cognitive style. Acknowledging the way the receiver processes information will improve satisfaction with the communication process. This will also help to build a constructive relationship between the two parties. Being proactive rather than reactive in this regard will help to improve communication and establish a more productive relationship with the employees in an organization. The sender needs to transcend his or her own perspective and consider the needs/interests of the audience; then, the sender should decide how to account for this in the message. Certain questions, such as those listed below, can assist in this step:

1. Which employees make up the audience? The message could be constructed differently for executives and technicians, for example.

2. If the message needs to be delivered to more than one person, how do the people in the audience differ? The sender has to account for diverse needs of his or her audience. In a written document, for example, the sender may write separate sections that address the needs of the different audiences.

3. What factors impact the way the audience feels about the subject? There are factors outside of the sender’s control, such as recent news reports, the economy, and even the weather that may influence the way the message is received. All of these aspects affect the message and need to be considered when the sender constructs it.

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Purpose Analysis What is the purpose in sending the message? What does the message need to accomplish to serve the organizational problem? What do the readers/listeners need to do? Planning the purpose of the message helps to create focus on the part of the sender. Even a simple message may have several related purposes. What information needs to be included in the message? Plan by creating a list of necessary points. Determine what reasons or benefits the audience will find convincing. The message may first originate with the sender, but feedback from the audience can often alter the information and the subsequent message(s). Case Study: Being a “Best Place to Work” In “Communication Provides Foundation for Being a Best Place to Work,” Kathleen Skidmore-Williams (2013) describes the working conditions of federal agencies in recent times. Federal workers face negative aspects such as pay freezes, hiring freezes, no awards, sequestration, the year-to-year threat of plunging over the fiscal cliff, and government shutdowns. In 2013, the overall job satisfaction for federal agencies that participated in the Partnership for Public Service Survey was 60.8 %. However, the U.S. Army Audit Agency had the highest score for job satisfaction among employees at 87.5 %. Employees consider it one of the best places to work in the federal government (Skidmore-Williams, 2013, p. 52). What sets the agency apart from the others? Auditor General Randall L. Exley explains that the U.S. Army Audit Agency has made communication a top priority for the organization (as cited in Skidmore-Williams, 2013). He believes that information and transparency helps to build trust in an organization, which leads to a happier workforce. Clear, concise, and open communication will increase productivity (Skidmore-Williams, 2013). During the course of the year, Exley and his executive team have on-site visits to field offices, and they conduct group meetings with staff members and with supervisors (Skidmore-Williams, 2013). Regarding the years when the overall job satisfaction was low, staff members routinely expressed concerns about being excluded from the decision-making process for their audits. Some staff felt that the supervisors did not trust them to perform their duties because of micromanagement. Other staff stated frustration with the inconsistency of management practices. After gathering information, Exley decided that effective and open communication between staff and managers would improve the situation (Skidmore-Williams, 2013). His first step was not to form an idea but to gather information about his audience and to analyze it. This preparation allowed him to focus on the people involved and, eventually, gave him the opportunity to craft his message so that it met the needs of his audience. For Exley, there were two different types of audience members—staff and supervisors—and he had to address the needs of both in his message. He and his management team developed a plan to gather information and to utilize it. They created a short, anonymous survey for agency staff that collected data on current communication issues in the organization. Exley and his management team then hired a contractor to create two-day workshops for managers at the various field offices that took these surveys into consideration (Skidmore-Williams, 2013). In the article, Exley explains that the workshops were designed to improve communication and candor between managers and to address the staff concerns (as cited in Skidmore-Williams, 2013). The managers who attended the workshops were expected to develop their skill levels. When they returned, the managers then needed to coach their teams in the principles of good communication (Skidmore-Williams, 2013). Exley sent an agency-wide message announcing the workshops. He explained that the workshops were not targeted toward the mistakes of a few but had been designed to improve everyone’s ability to communicate. The workshops were mandatory for everyone—including the auditor general (Skidmore-Williams, 2013). The agency-wide message helped to establish transparency in the process right from the start. To distribute the information, the management team created a communication best-practices handbook for the supervisors and staff. The organization formed a Strategic Communications Branch. To build support, Principal Deputy Auditor General Joseph Mixxoni, the second-in-command of the U.S. Army Audit Agency, makes sure that staff members are asked what they need to accomplish their mission and to feel like an

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important member of the team. They are also asked the best channel to use to get them that information (Skidmore-Williams, 2013). Exley uses multiple channels, such as blog posts, e-mail, and town hall meetings, to foster effective communication (Skidmore-Williams, 2013). Exley’s message to improve communication worked. Within the agency, there is an increased frequency of communication between staff and supervisors. The quality of the communication has improved as well. Staff reports indicate that the employees feel empowered; the supervisors are listening to their ideas (as cited in Skidmore-Williams, 2013). At the same time, supervisors are imparting the communication principles they have learned through the workshops to the staff at topic team meetings or office “lunch and learn” sessions. One agency staff member summarizes the results by stressing the fact that the leadership now listens to the concerns of the staff and also takes action on those concerns. This is meaningful. The staff also appreciates the multiple channels of communication that are now available, including the auditor general’s blogs, the workshops, and the human capital plan (Skidmore-Williams, 2013, p. 56). This has led to the agency being one of the best places to work year after year.

References Erdil, G. E., & Tanova, C. (2015). Do birds of a feather communicate better? The cognitive style congruence

between managers and their employees and communication satisfaction. Studia Psychologica, 57(3), 177-193.

Mintzberg, H. (2010). Managing on three planes. Leader to Leader, 2010(57),

29-33. Skidmore-Williams, K. (2013). Communication provides foundation for being a best place to work. Public

Manager, 42(2), 52-56. Smothers, J., Doleh, R., Celuch, K., Peluchette, J., & Valadares, K. (2016). Talk nerdy to me: The role of

intellectual stimulation in the supervisor-employee relationship. Journal of Health and Human Services Administration, 38(4), 478-508.

Learning Activities (Nongraded) Nongraded Learning Activities are provided to aid students in their course of study. You do not have to submit them. If you have questions, contact your instructor for further guidance and information. Apply What You Have Learned Consider organizations where you have worked in the past or where you are currently employed. Have you encountered any situations where it was difficult to communicate with a supervisor? If so, how did this affect your working environment and job performance?

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EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT

At the U.S. Army Audit Agency, communication is vital to success and to reaching the next level of organizational performance and employee satisfaction.

Communication Provides Foundation for Being a Best Place to Work

by Kathleen Skidmore-Williams

�ese are tough times to be a federal employee. At nearly every turn, fed- eral workers are facing pay freezes (no cost-of-living increase in three years and counting), no awards, threats of government shutdowns, fiscal cliffs, hiring freezes, and sequestration (and with that, furloughs). �e federal workforce is often denigrated as a key reason why there’s a bloated federal bureaucracy, but in reality there are fewer federal workers doing more work today than ever before and most take their charge to serve their country very seriously—and proudly.

�is year’s average overall score of job satisfaction for participating fed- eral organizations from the survey of federal workers by the Partnership for Public Service was 60.8 percent—the lowest score since the partnership began reporting these statistics in 2003 and a drop of 3.2 percent from last year.

Despite this downward trend across the federal government, the U.S. Army Audit Agency had the highest score for job satisfaction (85.7 percent) of all participating federal agencies—large, midsize, small, and subcomponent. �e agency also placed first among 292 subcomponent agencies in this year’s rankings, making it one of the federal government’s best places to work.

So, in this challenging environment, what makes a federal agency a great place to work and how does it get there? According to the Army Audit

53THE PUBLIC MANAGER | SUMMER 2013

Agency’s leader, Auditor General Randall L. Exley, there are a number of important factors but none more impor- tant than communication. “An informed and happy workforce is a productive one,” he says, “and happiness depends, to a large degree, on trust, which is built by effective and open communication.”

A Top Priority Exley has made improved communications a top prior- ity for his agency. “Whether it’s between peers, between supervisor and staff, or between auditor and client, communication is vital to our continued success and to reaching the next level of organizational performance and employee satisfaction,” Exley says. “Improving our already very good commu- nication is of paramount importance up, down, and across the organization.”

�e agency serves the Army’s evolving needs by helping senior leaders assess and mitigate risk, and by pro- viding solutions through independent auditing services for the benefit of the American soldier. �ough its authorized level is 577, the agency has 550 staff divided into 20 func- tional audit teams and a support staff directorate. About 80 employees work at the agency’s operations center at Fort Belvoir, Virginia; the rest work at 20 field offices (18 offices are spread across the United States; the other two offices are in Germany and the Republic of Korea). �e agency also deploys auditors to Kuwait and Afghanistan, where they serve alongside soldiers downrange.

Fixing Sta�-Management Communication �e auditor general and his executive team regularly visit field offices for town hall meetings and separate group meetings with staff members and with supervisors. It was during these group meetings over the past few years that Exley heard a recurring concern voiced by staff of a disconnect in staff-management communications—from top-level leadership to first-line supervisors.

Some staff felt excluded from the decision-making process for their audits. Others felt that their managers didn’t trust them to work independently even though they were capable of doing so. Without an explanation by management, staff were left frustrated. Some staff

also voiced that management practices weren’t consistent within field offices or across the agency. Auditors had to learn each supervisor’s way of doing business whenever they changed teams.

Exley recognized that this disconnect was creating missed opportunities to capture and expand the flow of ideas that could make the agency an even more fulfill- ing place to work. Consequently, he tasked the agency’s workforce management team to develop an effective and affordable plan to train all agency managers, dedicating time and resources to improving communications and fostering open and transparent dialogue.

Tailored Training Puts Work into Context After extensively researching training programs and products, the workforce management team recommended an off-the-shelf program from a contractor that provides communications training programs. �e team then devel- oped a short, closed-ended, and anonymous survey for agency employees to get their perception of current com- munication in the organization. Survey results helped ensure that the training focused on areas with the lowest scores. In the end, the team incorporated the training program into a tailored workshop full of practical exer- cises that put the auditors’ work into context.

Over six months, managers held 10 two-day sessions of the workshop at various field office locations. Each session was packed with valuable content and practical exercises. Students completed course evaluations, and the team modified subsequent iterations of the workshop to make the training even more focused and effective.

During each session, participants were introduced to the principles of communication contained in the off-the- shelf training program. �ey then had opportunities to apply these principles to critical conversations and situ- ations that supervisors regularly encounter in the work- place, including

• building trust and creating collaboration • giving praise, criticism, and performance reviews

This disconnect was creating missed opportunities to capture and expand the flow of ideas that could make the agency an even more fulfilling place to work.

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• gathering information • disagreeing effectively • resolving conflict.

“When I originally announced the workshop, I spoke about my desire to create a culture in which effec- tive communication and candor are a natural part of how we work together,” Exley explains. He and other agency senior leaders were very deliberate in explaining why the training was mandatory for all agency leaders—including the auditor general. “I wanted each of our managers to use the workshop as an opportunity to get a little better each day at this important part of our craft, and to coach their team members on the principles of good communi- cation,” he says.

His executive team developed a strategic communi- cations message that Exley forwarded to the entire work- force explaining that this effort was not to correct the mistakes of a few, but to improve the agency as a whole because everyone—no matter how good a communica- tor—had something to gain from the training.

An Overall Communications Strategy �e workshop has been just one part of a multifaceted effort to improve communication at the Army Audit Agency. Subsequent to the workshops, the auditor gen- eral has asked for feedback from agency leaders on how they are applying the principles taught in the class.

At leadership meetings, program directors and audit managers are regularly asked to share what they’ve done or are doing to improve communication with their teams. Communication has been added to performance stan- dards for supervisors, and it’s become a key criterion for agency awards.

�e agency’s second-in-command, Principal Deputy Auditor General Joseph Mizzoni, says staff members are asked three questions: What information do you need to successfully accomplish your mission? What informa- tion do you need to feel like you’re an important part of the organization? What is the best way to get you that information?

�e workforce management division also created a handbook of best practices in communication, which was disseminated to all staff. And the agency has dedicated a full-time staff member to its newly formed Strategic Communications Branch.

�e auditor general continues to reinforce effective communications throughout the year through blog posts and email, and at town hall and agency leadership meet- ings. Exley has an image he likes to show at these town hall meetings: a bottle of water next to a dead plant. No matter how good the quality of the water, it cannot bring a dead plant back to life. He extrapolates this to good communication. “No matter how well-organized and well-presented your message is,” he says, “communication will not be effective if it’s about the wrong things.”

He recognizes that effective communications is hard work. “It’s a balanced mixture of art and scientific method. It’s more about receiving than sending, and it requires more listening than presenting,” Exley says. He continues: “It’s as much about how you communicate as it is what you communicate. It’s as much about your knowl- edge of your receivers and your relationships with them as it is about the subject of conversation.”

Heightening Empowerment Exley notes that employees are seeing a difference in both the frequency and nature of communications with their

Figure 1. Workforce Perception of Raters’ Communications Skills Pre- and Post Workshop

Before (%) After (%)

Effectively creates an environment of trust 72 80

Provides effective feedback on my performance efforts 71 80

Asks questions in a way that I can easily understand 86 90

Effectively communicates position/point of view without offending me 77 84

Communicates effectively when resolving work-related personal conflicts that I may have 74 81

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leaders and feedback from staff shows that the course has markedly improved communication (see Figure 1). Audi- tors feel like they have a voice and are listened to. One commented, “Open communication has made relation- ships with peers and supervisors much better.”

Additionally, staff feels more empowered. “Generally speaking, we’re given enough authority to talk to people, gather data, analyze it, and make decisions (or at least recommendations) to complete our work,” one staff mem- ber said.

Managers are creatively passing on the communica- tion principles they have learned. Some have made “office communication” the topic at team meetings or the focus of a field office “lunch and learn.” One field office posts photos and supportive messages; another has a “thank you” whiteboard where anyone can write a note thanking someone for something nice or helpful he or she has done.

Some offices have instituted employee advisory boards to facilitate better communication between staff and management. “As with any new initiative, it will take time to achieve our goals,” Exley says, “but this progress in such a short time is heartening and fills me with pride in our management team.”

One staff member adds, “What makes our agency great is that leadership listens and takes action. We iden- tified that communication needed improvement and our leaders stepped up and addressed the deficiency. �e com- munications workshop, our human capital plan, the audi- tor general’s blogs…. all of these are examples of how our agency listens to the concerns of its employees and then takes meaningful steps to try to address the concerns.”

�e emphasis on communication also has helped staff members feel even more like they’re part of a team. One auditor noted, “My management allows me to voice my opinions openly and freely—they always listen and they make you feel like what you’re saying matters. �ey value your input and say thanks. �ey treat me more as a peer than an employee—it’s about accomplishing the mission as a team.”

According to Mizzoni, after listening, leaders must act. “Without the next step (acting upon what the staff says), the words are empty,” he says. “We want to listen because we want to know what to address to make the agency better.”

Another staff member commented, “With clear goals and mission and message—and how we go about

Auditor General Randall Exley discusses his priorities and solicits feedback from staff at a town hall meeting at Fort Meade, Maryland.

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accomplishing them successfully—staff are empowered to excel and care about what they do.”

One of Exley’s guiding philosophies is to communi- cate broadly and deeply—and to lead transparently. He regularly blogs to employees, sharing what he and his executive team hear at top-level Pentagon and command meetings so staff knows what’s happening almost as soon as he does.

According to Mizzoni, “We need to share all the information we can. When you don’t fully disclose all information, people will fill in the blanks with either the wrong or worst-case information.” Mizzoni discussed the auditor general’s initiatives when he participated in a recent panel discussion on effective communications sponsored by the Partnership for Public Service with leaders from several other highly successful organizations.

Exley says agency auditors are an integral part of the Army team, seeking to improve the Army by providing timely, value-added audit services. “We are the Army’s internal auditors,” he explains. “We audit what matters most to Army senior leaders and quickly deliver results in support of soldiers, civilians, and families.”

Secretary of the Army John M. McHugh congratu- lated the agency on winning the Best Places to Work

award. “Your accomplishments are great news for the Army, and we are inspired by your sustained and excep- tional performance,” he wrote in a letter. “You stand as a stalwart example of success for our Army organizations and the rest of the federal government. You have estab- lished a high standard of excellence and I am proud to serve on the Army team with you.”

Kathleen Skidmore-Williams is chief of the Army Audit Agency’s editorial branch. Her team edits more than 200 audit reports, attestations, and follow-up audits each year. In her spare time, she enjoys arguing the merits of the serial comma and sharpening red pencils. Contact her at [email protected].

Staff from the St. Louis field office participate in one of the agency’s communications workshops.

Communication has been added to performance standards for supervisors and it’s become a key criterion for agency awards.

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.