In addition, the study determined the top five
factors that influence employees’ perceptions. The factors
that emerged as the most significant for respondents are
1) Supervisory effectiveness
2) Basic tools
3) Market understanding
4) Business understanding
5) The deal.
The results of the study reflect that market understanding
and business understanding were weighted very highly by employees
as critical factors in driving their overall perceptions of
effectiveness.
Employees are saying that they value information on the competition,
how the company is performing in the marketplace, trends influencing
the business, and deeper understanding about the organization’s
operations. In addition, the data suggests that there is a
general trend of employees wanting a greater stake—or,
at minimum, more knowledge—about what makes their business
successful and how they can help drive that success.
 The
last item, “the deal,” represents communication
to employees about what they can expect from the organization
and what the organization, in turn, expects from employees.
Organizations with higher scores overall tended to score well
in these five categories.
What Were Other Key “Headlines”?
In addition to the key factors, the study revealed that electronic
communication is becoming more important for certain types
of information. In other words, employees often indicated
in the past that they prefer going to their supervisor for
almost everything. Current data suggests that for details
such as pay and benefit programs, the preferred source of
information is the Intranet, with a rating of 29 percent versus
13 percent for meetings with supervisors.
The study also revealed that print is still alive and well.
Despite popular belief, for many organizations, employees
still prefer printed materials and/or newsletter content for
some types of information. The topic areas with the highest
preference scores for print were “general information
about the company (who we are, what we do)” and “company’s
financial results.”
The Role That Leaders Play in the Communication Process
Not surprisingly, the data indicates that leaders play a critical
role in the communication process and how employees perceive
the overall effectiveness of their organization’s communication.
In fact, the study validated that the single most critical
factor in driving employee engagement is leadership’s
ability to demonstrate sincere interest in their employees’
well being.
The study also examined what factors create an effective
communicator—at all levels. From senior leaders to first-line
supervisors, employees are more focused on the content and
credibility of the message than other factors. For senior
leaders in particular, the most important components of an
effective communicator are
1) Timeliness—I receive the information I need when
I need it (79 percent)
2) Consistency—The message matches what I see going
on day-to-day (72 percent)
3) Openness—I know this person is also willing to
listen (70 percent)
4) Expertise—This person knows what they are talking
about (66 percent)
5) Reputation—Others say this person is trustworthy
(26 percent).
What Will the Future Hold?
The findings highlight the importance of effective communication
throughout organizations across the world. To employees, effective
communication is
- Open and honest exchange of information (both good and
bad news)
- Clear and understandable material
- Timely dissemination
- Trusting the source of information
- Procedures in place that enable flow of feedback to and
from senior leadership
- Belief that senior leadership demonstrates a sincere
interest in employees
- Perception of improvement in communication (employees
judge “effective communication” as communication
that is “improving” on past performance)
- Messages regarding the same subject matter are consistent
across sources
- Knowledge of where to get information (particularly the
information required to do one’s job well)
- Senior leadership communicates a vision for long-term
success, as well as the company’s progress.
Katherine Woodall, ABC, APR, can be reached at Katherine.woodall@towersperrin.com.
Charlie Watts can be reached at Charlie.watts@towersperrin.com.
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