The Untapped Advantage: Fueling Growth with Bottom-Up Communication

Today, in this article, we will try to unlock the Power of Bottom-Up Communication.

Key Takeaways:

• Organizations naturally favor top-down communication, but bottom-up communication is essential for informed decision-making.
• Psychological contracts, fear of negative consequences, and potential retaliation hinder upward flow of information.
• Leaders can foster bottom-up communication by creating dedicated channels like surveys and skip level meetings and one on ones, then acting on the feedback received.

Most companies are set up so information travels from the top to the bottom, and often miss the value of information flowing from the bottom up.

I’m Steve Norman, and Communication Coach is here to help leaders like you make a bigger impact!

Today, I want to talk about top-down versus bottom-up communication, which is key for successful leadership.

Communication and leadership are two sides of the same coin, to be a better leader, one must work on communication.

Understanding Communication Flow in Organizations

The Natural Top-Down Structure

Organizations are typically built with a hierarchy, where communication flows down, much like in the military. Unless leaders actively try to change, information will naturally move from the top down.

Obstacles to Bottom-Up Communication

Getting honest information from frontline employees to decision-makers can be difficult. Here’s why:

• Psychological Contract: Employees often think their job is to follow orders, not to offer opinions. Research by Bisel, Messersmith, and Kelley supports how workplace assumptions affect communication.
• Fear of Speaking Up: People might worry about damaging their relationship with their boss or being seen as a troublemaker.
• Retaliation: Employees may fear criticism or punishment for sharing bad news (“don’t shoot the messenger”).

The Consequences of Limited Upward Communication

Decision-makers can become disconnected from the day-to-day realities of frontline employees.

Frontline staff have valuable insights from their work with clients and customers, but there’s often no way to share it upwards.

This can lead to leaders making decisions that don’t make sense to those on the ground. Often times when communication gets passed up, each level leaves off negative information and emphasizes things that make them look good.

By the time you, the decision maker, get the message, it’s way off.

Creating Dedicated Channels for Bottom-Up Communication

The Benefits of Upward Communication

Better information leads to better decisions! I believe the leaders of the future must prioritize bottom-up communication.

You need good intel, if you want decisions to resonate with the people following through with them.

How to Encourage Bottom-Up Communication

In my training and consulting sessions, I talk about creating “dedicated channels” for upward communication.

Here are a few simple ways to gather high quality, upward communication:

• Employee Surveys:
  • Keep surveys short (1-4 questions) and focused on specific issues.
  • Make sure the results go directly to you without interpretation from others.
  • Use free tools like SurveyMonkey or look at existing data on sites like Glassdoor.
• Skip-Level Meetings: Meeting with people a level or two below your direct reports can provide unbiased information. It might be tough to get use to, but you can ask them direct questions and get pure information.
• One-on-One Meetings Focused on Upward Communication:
  • If you supervise people directly, dedicate every few meetings to asking for their feedback.
  • Try every 3rd or 4th meeting and ask how things are going, what can be changed and how you can be a better leader.
  • Encourage open and honest feedback without judgment.

These ways are free to do, and only take a little bit of time and attention.

Final Thoughts

While most organizations are set up for top-down communication, leaders need to actively foster bottom-up communication.

I’ve shown you how to do so. Try creating dedicated channels and taking action on employee feedback, and I am sure you can create a healthier, more effective workplace where everyone’s voice is heard.

I encourage you to share your own experiences with upward communication in the comments below!