Analysis of Organizational Dialogue - Research Paper Example

Analysis of Organizational Dialogue 1. The Gallup Institute (2008, 2009) found significant engagement problems in the Australian workforce and more importantly, these results appear to reflect a broader global pattern in developed economies. Based on contemporary research, critically analyse the impact that leadership communication has on employee engagement. In the face of volatile economy and dynamic and challenging business environment, organizations have been forced to adopt new strategies that can help them survive and remain relevant. Employee engagement and productivity is one of the strategies that that have assumed increasing significance in recent years (Rashid, Asad & Ashraf 2011, p. 98). While employee engagement as a strategy has been assuming increasing significance, its implementation has been experiencing challenges and increasing number of organizations have significant engagement problems. According to the study by the Gallup Institute (2008, 2009), there is significant engagement problems in the Australian workforce and these results appear to reflect a broader global pattern in the developed economies (Gallup 2009). Leadership plays a major role in engaging the employees in the transformation process within the organization. In general terms, employee engagement is defined as the extent to which employees are motivated to participate and contribute to the achievement of organizational goals and objectives (Cook 2008, p. 37). Engaged employees tend to willfully highly recommend their workplace, have higher overall job satisfaction, and favorably rate their pride in their workplace. Leadership communication can greatly impact on employee engagement in any particular organization (Wiley 2010, p. 48). In order to have a clear understanding of how leadership communication impacts employee engagement, this paper will critically analyze the impact that leadership communication has on employee engagement based on contemporary research. Latest research indicates that organization’s leadership and leadership communication have significant impact on the employees’ engagement levels and their overall opinion about the organization (Eisenberg, Goodall & Tretheway 2009, p. 26). The type of leadership adopted by an organization is defined by the style of leadership communication. Hackman and Johnson (2009, p. 11) define leadership as a form of human communication that transitions behaviors and attitudes to focus on collective shared needs and goals. This definition indicates how fundamental leadership in general and leadership communication in particular is in employee engagement (Gerard & Ellinor 2001, p. 59). Leadership communication impacts on how employee commits themselves to their roles and to the vision, mission, goals, and objectives of their organization (Wiley 2010, p. 47). The Kenexa Research Institute (KRI) observes that their latest results on effective of leadership in organization are 51% globally. It states that results indicate that employees in India, Brazil, and United States reported the highest ratings of leadership effectiveness, at 69%, 59% and 54% respectively (Rashid, Asad & Ashraf 2011, p. 101). Leadership effectiveness is measured by evaluating how organization leadership gains confidence of employees through their communications, actions, and decisions, and how leadership keeps employees informed about company direction, as well as how they are seen to having the ability of dealing with the organization’s challenges (Cook 2008, p. 40). The research by KRI is crucial in critically analyzing the impact that leadership communication has on employee engagement. In evaluating leadership effectiveness, one of the critical aspects that are evaluated is how leadership communication impacts on the employees’ commitment towards achieving organizational goals and objectives (Dixon 1998, p. 15). The extent to which leadership gains employees’ commitment and confidence through communications and informing them about company direction is what determines employees’ engagement. Employees get committed to achieving organizational goals by viewing at how trustworthy leadership is. This quality can best be demonstrated through communication and keeping employees well-informed regarding the direction of the organization (Wiley 2010, p. 49). A strong leadership communication has a significant impact on the levels of employee engagement in the organization. It is instrumental on gaining the confidence of employees thereby increasing their satisfaction levels (Hackman & Johnson 2009, p. 17). Strong leadership communication plays a major role in improving employee perception regarding the organization and its transformation efforts. It allows management to communicate why certain directions are necessary and also afford employees with opportunity to contribute to the process changes and decisions (Kotter 2007, p. 98). This is important in sharing the vision of the organization and diverting all the efforts towards that vision. Leadership communication that focuses on all levels and all directions is very important for success of any organization. Kotter (2007, p. 96) mentions that six out of ten causes of failure in organization and particularly employee engagement relate to poor leadership communication. This situation occurs mostly on the failure of effective communication in the change process of an organization. The 2010 Work Trends survey by KRI on Employee Engagement Index (EEI) that sought to know whether employees are proud of their work and the organization they work for; whether they are satisfied at the workplace; whether they would recommend others to work in the organization; and whether they rarely think about searching for a new job in different organization showed that leadership communication is central to EEI (Eisenberg, Goodall and Tretheway 2009, p. 28). Effective leadership communication significantly determines whether an organization would have a favorable or unfavorable EEI. Employees who are highly engaged in their employment are willing to demonstrate loyalty, willingness, and a commitment to go beyond the basic requirements to accomplish their tasks and achieve organizational objectives, all of which are essential for business success (Rashid, Asad & Ashraf 2011, p. 102). Gallup Institute (2010) found out that there is significant engagement problems in the Australian workforce and the results of the study appear to reflect a broader global pattern in developed economies. Whereas there are other factors that impact employee engagement such as competitive pay policy, quality of working relationships with subordinates and superiors, and career improvement opportunities. Leadership communication has proved to impact immensely on employee engagement in an organization (Gerard & Ellinor 2001, p. 77). The above discussion has already shown that leadership communication is central to employee engagement and the overall performance of an organization. Hence, how exactly does leadership communication impact on employee? Leaders should inspire confidence in the future of their respective organizations. There is no better way of inspiring confidence regarding the future of an organization other than through leadership communication. In today’s volatile economy and challenging business environment, there is increased worry of slowdown in the performance of the overall economy and that of the organizations (Cook 2008, p. 53). As such, employees may be worried that they may be retrenched any time as companies attempt to reduce cost of production and remain profitable. Moreover, in the face of technological advancements, organizations may require more work from fewer people and it is imperative that leaders motivate employees to perform their best in the workplace (Hackman & Johnson 2009, p. 12). Leaders should utilize leadership communication to minimize uncertainty by securing the perceptions of the employees regarding the future of the organization (Eisenberg, Goodall & Tretheway 2009, p. 31). This will help to support the belief among employees that there is a future for them and help in driving higher levels of employee engagement. It is no doubt that one of the main factors that contribute to reduced employee engagement is uncertainty about the future and leadership communication is best management tool to address this concern (Wiley 2010, p. 50). Leadership communication impacts employee engagement as it demonstrates how management respect and recognize employees. Leadership style is often reflected in the leadership communication style. The communication style of the management will demonstrate to the employees how the management respects them and if they should commit themselves more towards the achievement of organizational objectives. Employee respect and recognition is a critical component of attaining higher engagement levels (Rashid, Asad & Ashraf 2011, p. 105). Management should reinforce its respect and recognition through communication by acknowledging, appreciating, and showing respect to their efforts in making difference in the organization. Management should reinforce the recognition awards with word of mouth and other means of communications such as e-mails, letters, and anniversary cards. In addition, they should be praised for the efforts they are putting in their employment (Dixon 1998, p. 22). Furthermore, they should be made to know that their opinions are valued, and that they count on respect and support of their managers even when they make mistakes. This will go a long way in enhancing their commitment to the vision, mission, goals, and objectives of the organization (Cook 2008, p. 88). More importantly, leadership communication impacts the employee engagement as it demonstrates whether the organization has genuine concern for employees, as well as the community in which they operate. Many of the engagement problems in the workforce in Australia and in other developed economies is as a result of the perception by employees that the management does not have genuine concern for them and the communities they operate in, but rather in what they contribute in the organization in terms of profits (Hackman & Johnson 2009, p. 19). Leadership communication can be very instrumental in demonstrating the genuine concern for employees and increase their levels of engagement. Management should consistently communicate how they value employees and their overall wellbeing, as well as its commitment to serve the communities in which they operate. This will make employees feel that its employer is committed to their livelihood (Wiley 2010, p. 50). For employees to care about organization’s vision, mission, and goals, they should feel that the sentiment is reciprocal. Expression of the genuine concern would not only help them to master the job’s tasks, but also to feel pride in the accomplishments of the organization and genuinely share in the excitement when the organization achieves its goals (Dixon 1998, p. 74). The more they feel they are building their competencies and genuinely concerned about, they are more likely to demonstrate enhanced levels of engagement (Eisenberg, Goodall & Tretheway 2009, p. 32). Employees who are more engaged are more likely to improve customer satisfaction, productivity and performance of an organization. This is because they are motivated to contribute to the success of the organization and are more willing to put more effort in accomplishing the tasks that are central to organizational goals (Cook 2008, p. 111). As various studies have shown, leadership communication is central to improving employee engagement. It gives a clear picture of the organization at the moment and gives a picture of the direction that the organization is headed. In addition, it helps in providing an exciting and interesting work environment which gives employees the pride to work towards achieving organizational goals. As has been noted, there is no better way of demonstrating recognition and respect to the employees other than through leadership communication (Dixon 1998, p. 87). Apart from the formal channels of communication, the management of the organization ought to be visible to employees; their personality and outlook should also communicate to workers. For example, the mode of dressing and talking of the management should clearly communicate what is expected of the subordinate employees (Wiley 2010, p. 51). In other words, the non-verbal communication of the management should be transparent. Moreover, leadership communication should encourage upward communication rather than downward communication. Top leadership and management should create opportunities for dialogue with lower-levels employees and managers (Gerard & Ellinor 2001, p. 42). This is because the input and ideas of these employees and managers are important in the ultimate success of the organization. In particular, opportunities for dialogue with lower-level employees and managers are crucial in improving the levels of employee engagement (Rashid, Asad & Ashraf 2011, p. 106). For organizations to meet the challenges that they face in today’s global competitive market, they should adopt strategies that not only improve their profitability but also enhance the levels of employee engagement. One of the best ways of achieving this is by embracing leadership communication style that can generate high levels of excitement and commitment among employees. Various studies have shown that leadership communication can significantly transform an organization to become successful especially in regard to employee engagement and employee retention. Leadership communication improves employee engagement levels by: giving employees a clear picture of the direction that the company is headed; inspiring confidence in the organization’s future; demonstrating recognition and respect for their employees; demonstrating genuine concern for employees and the communities in which the organization is operating in; create room for tolerance of dissent and differences; and by aligning employees beliefs, values, and actions with the organization mission, vision, and goals. Reference List Cook, S. 2008, The Essential Guide To Employee Engagement: Better Business Performance Through Staff Satisfaction, Kogan Page. Dixon, N. 1998, Dialogue at Work. Making Talk Developmental for People and Organizations, Centre for Creative Leadership, London. Eisenberg, E.M., Goodall, H.L. & Tretheway, A. 2009, 'Defining Organizational Communication', in, Organizational Communication: Balancing Creativity and Constraint, 6th edn, Bedford/St. Martin's, Boston, pp. 26-56. Gallup 2009, 'The Gallup Q12 - Employee Engagement - Poll 2008 Results', viewed September 5, 2012, Gallup Consulting 2010, Employee engagement. What’s your engagement ratio? viewed September 5, 2012, Gerard, G. & Ellinor, L. 2001, Dialogue at Work: Skills for Leveraging Collective Understanding, Pegasus Communications, Waltham, MA. Hackman, M. & Johnson, C. 2009, Leadership. A communication perspective (5th Ed.), Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press, Inc. Kotter, J. P. 2007, Leading change. Why transformation efforts fail. Harvard Business Review, 85(1), pp. 96-103. Rashid, H., Asad, A. & Ashraf, M. 2011, 'Factors Persuading Employee Engagement and Linkage of EE to Personal & Organizational Performance', Interdisciplinary Journal Of Contemporary Research In Business, vol. 3, 5, pp. 98-108 Wiley, J.W. 2010, 'The impact of effective leadership on employee engagement', Employment Relations Today (Wiley), vol. 37, 2, pp. 47-52 Read More