It is no secret that communication fostered within company culture is the key to prospering corporate transparency and conveying valuable messages from one person to another. It is a fundamental element of any organization. But unfortunately, it is not leveraged to the extent that it needs to be for optimal operational growth and sustainability.

The reality is that most of the time, organizations adopt a top-The reality is that most of the time, organizations adopt a top-down communication method, which means they miss critical feedback from their employees. This way of communication becomes a catalyst for employees to have lowered morale, become unmotivated due to not being heard, and can cause message interpretation/distortion challenges, which can all be detrimental for the company culture and operations.

Fostering Open-Communication by Adding in Bottom-Up Strategies

To remediate this, organizations should implement their original communication style with a bottom-up approach as well. This is essentially allowing employees to give their voices a chance to be heard by promoting their participation in organizational decisions. That, in of itself, is a prime benefit for a healthier work ethic. Other notable benefits of adding in this tactic and reducing one-way communication include:

• More Flexible: Organizations, both big and small, need to be flexible in their operations in the ever-evolving market. Those who are using open communication are better positioned for any unpredictable aspects that could arise. For example, if a problem surfaced and the manager is not around, employees are empowered to make reliable decisions when needed and have the freedom to be proactive to address issues. This is not to say that there cannot be boundaries of some sort to limit any ego/power concerns, but it does pave the way to overcome hurdles easier.

• Input from All Levels: Managers need to make decisions on a regular basis. When those choices are being made to reflect a positive future for the company, they need to ensure that the pros outweigh the cons. The best way to do that is to get input from all levels in the chain so they can make sure that no one is going to be negatively affected by something they advocate for. It can be hard to see what is going on in the working floor, so being able to tap into their minds and get their input will drastically help management make decisions that will better everyone.

• More Resourceful: Sure, auditors can come in and make suggestions and provide feedback, but employees can do that too. They have the resources right in their building, and those employees have seen firsthand what is working and what is not. It would be wise to get that information from them and use them as viable resources to better the company as a whole.

• Better Relationships: As noted before, open communication is a sure-fire way to boost morale and make employees happier. But that is not all it does; it grows the respect between them and management. Open communication allows everyone to feel involved, respected, and a part of the big picture. This reality significantly helps with the relationship between levels, which is a critical aspect of creating a healthy work environment for everyone. 

• Higher Productivity: Employees who feel left out typically are not giving their all in their positions. They may feel like they do not matter, and think why bother trying to go above and beyond if their efforts will go unnoticed. Alternatively, happy employees who can freely communicate to management tend to be much more inapt to work more productively and stay motivated. This is a domino effect in the business because the happier employees are, the more efficient they work, and the more efficient they work, the better the business output will be.

Top-down or bottom-up communication on their own may sound like an ideal solution to instill superiority or order. Still, the cons significantly outweigh the pros of using both together. Between employee resistance and the higher probability of making unfavorable business calls, that should be a red flag to reduce those one-way communication methods and provide the company culture a more open platform for people to each have their opinions/ideas heard.

Communication is not a one-way thing in any aspect of life, and it only works well when it is double-sided. For organizational leaders to make the best decisions for their business, they must get all input from each party so they can be confident that their actions are in the best interest of everyone involved. This will foster a much better working environment, happier employees, and a smoother running business that will have a higher chance of thriving in the competitive market.