ABSTRACT
As shown previously in this book, open communication is an obvious challenge for leaders in their one-on-one relations with followers. Knowing if, when, and how to openly communicate performance and related concerns to followers represent challenges for people seeking to be better leaders. We now turn our attention to the communication of organizational issues that go beyond the performance of the individual follower. Instead, the information pertains to the myriad of events going on in the organization to which the manager might have access because of his or her position in the hierarchy. The nature of the information will change as compared to what we have already considered in earlier portions of this book (i.e., performance feedback to followers). However, the challenge or dilemma remains essentially the same: if, when, and how to openly communicate. Whether we are talking about one-on-one performance feedback or the sharing of organizationally relevant information, the stakes remain high for people in leadership positions and their organizations. Effective communication is likely to result in a committed and motivated workforce, creative problem solving, and innovation. Unfortunately, ineffective communication can have opposite, deleterious effects. That is, poor communication can result in a demotivated and unempowered workforce, as well as ineffective problem solving and a lack of creativity and innovation.
