Upward Communication

What will be an ideal response?

Upward communication travels from lower to higher ranks in the hierarchy. Good upward communication is important for several reasons.100

First, managers learn what's going on. Management gains a more accurate picture of subordinates' work, accomplishments, problems, plans, attitudes, and ideas.

Second, employees gain from the opportunity to communicate upward. People can relieve some of their frustrations and gain a stronger sense of participation in the enterprise. Third, effective upward communication facilitates downward communication as good listening becomes a two-way street.

The problems common in upward communication are similar to those for downward communication. Managers are bombarded with information and may neglect or miss information from below. Furthermore, some employees are not always open with their bosses; in other words, filtering occurs upward as well as downward.

People tend to share only good news with their bosses and suppress bad news because they (1) want to appear competent; (2) mistrust their boss and fear being punished, even if the reported problem is not their fault; or (3) believe they are helping their boss if they shield him or her from problems.

For these and other reasons,101 managers may not learn about important problems. As one leadership expert put it, "If the messages from below say you are doing a flawless job, send back for a more candid assessment.