Communication Failure In A Hierarchical Organization

Journal Entry The workplace computer system has crashed. Management is dumbfounded on how this could have happened. Every employees’ reaction was, “we saw it coming”, “we told you so”, and “why doesn’t anyone listen to us?” This is an example of communication failure in a hierarchical organization. This paper will examine how to improve hierarchical communications, why leaders need skills in recognizing trouble from subordinates, and the implications for learning and effectiveness. In order to reach aspired goals within an organization, an employee needs to think outside of the organizational chart. New employees need to research and be aware of other employees that supervisors seek for answers, co-workers who look for guidance from, and listen to inner office communication on who is the most trusted employee. I agree with Goldsmith and Katzenbach (2007) that connecting with the informal organization promotes faster decision making, employees are more motivated and connected with the organization’s goals and mission, all resulting in better performance overall. The informal organization consists of, communication networks outside of the formal organizational chart. Employees with networks between departments, vendors, and customers, have stronger inside knowledge of how employees are feeling, what needs vendors are meeting, and

Organizational mapping also consists of people outside of the organizational flow chart. These select people have insider knowledge that other employees might not have access to. The best source of information in the organization are the administrative assistants. Two benefits for network mapping are: 1) identify communication breakdowns between and within groups, and 2) retain intellectual assets, making it a priority to retain those employees, to spread their