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[LeadersWorkshop] ~~~~~..Nice Read...~~: Re: Rumour as organisation communication

 




Rumour as organisation communication  
 - Janmejaya Sinha    
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Communicating well internally is the glue that binds an organisation together. This is true at all times but vital when an organisation makes a big move like a merger or an alliance.


One of the biggest failures in large organisations is the inability of the top management effectively communicate with  their employees

Why are most organisation corridors heavy with the weight of of the most recent rumours? Why does rumour mongering increase with the size of an organisation? any why are organisaions with  distant and impervious  CEOs alwways more prone to rumours than those where the top executives are accessible?

One of the biggest failures in large organisations is the inability of the top management to communciate with their employees. As  organisations get large even employees who are fairly senior and holding important positions have very little knowledge about corporate issues. They frequently have no idea of corporate plans or organisational strategy . They are  regularly caught by surprise by inorganic moves made by the organisation. They are often poorly aware of personnel moves that are on the anvil. Sometimes they are suddenly and unexpectedly transferred to a different location/ At  other times,  they are surprised when they are not promoted. Often they feel they are victims of organisational actions and not part of the management. These actions are very unsettling and tend to alienate employees from the organisation

It is here that rumours  play an important though mostly unhelpful role in organisation communication. Employees in an organisation are always trying to obtain information. They would like to  know the plans of their organisation/ . They would like to know their organisations' strategy and they would especially like to know any that is likely to affect them so the roumour --Did you hear that a transfer list  has been prepared? is floatedto obtain a denial or an agreement. If people deny it categorically people feel comforted. If not, then they have learnt that such a list is in the works/ Then the next set of rumours will go around trying to identify who moves where. The same is true in government where every few months a rumour that the FM is being shifted.

At other times a rumour is used to inform the organisation.
 If a rumour gains enough momentum the top management  hears a concern of the employees. " People are really feeling underpaid compared to the market." This then inorms the top management about a certain employee perception that might need to be addressed. Finally, rumours are floated by some employees to suggest that they are in a management inner circle. They know something that others don't. This makes people look up to them. Wheile these  rumours  play a role in facilitating organisation  communication they rarely help the organisation or its morale.

Top management need to remember that communicating well internally is the glue that binds an organisation together/ This is true at all times but vital when organisation makes a big move like a merger or an alliance. At such times to keep business going people's anxieties  need to be managed.organisatio ns that are good at communicating are better prepared for such moves. Unfortunately most organisations are very poor in communicating internally. Organisations communicate poorly primarly on account of four reasons.

First is that the CEOs do not fully undrstand the need. They are busy doing important things and don' make the time communicate internally .

Others believe information should be provided on a need to know basis. While this is a good line to hear in a John le Carre  movie, it does not help in an organisation. the internal attitude is one of asking why the person needs to know this piece of information rather than providing an overview This creates a certain culture of secrecy. Actually departments are interlinked and the organisational context is important for people to stay involved and connected.

Thirdly even where CEOs want to communicate they don't sept up the processes to do so and so find themselves communicating a lob t but not being able to reach the organisation

Finally, poor communication could be on account of an even more insidious situation. Here basic information is hoarded by some people to develop a personal power base. They seek to be the only person in the organisation who know a certain piece of information. CEOs  should never tolerate this especially in an era where IT can so easily address the information problem. The only thing that can root out rumours is real communication , and on the margin, CEOs should always settle for more communcation rather than less.

To create an effective organisation in terms of communication requires effort. It  begins with the recognition  in the CEO that employee communication is vital. Then begins the tough task of creating an open culture where people can ask for information and get it. It requires for the management to first listen and then communicate. Information that relates to a personnel issues needs to be made as transparent as possible/ Good organisations have good career development processes to preven ugly surprises and consult people on transfers. A rumour is not required then to get information. Beyong that the CEO should inform, if not engage, the larger leadership team about the company strategy  They should provide the leadership sensible ways to think about inorganic choices but naturally not divulge market sensitive data. The second layer should encouraged to do the same with the rest of the organisation in a cascade through the company.

Finally the organisations needs to put in place the whole set of communication vehicles that need\ to be used --face to face meetings, business level meetings, letters, emails, internal newsletters, social events and having a value structure that says communicating is a good thing to do it. It is true that  part of the CEO's job is to keep the morale up and not be in a rush to pass out the bad news. But smart CEOs know that unless you say it someone else will and they will say it their way. So ask, is roumour the de facto form of coummunication in your organisation/ If it is, then you need to be out there talking more!


Rajendra.Deshpande.


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