Effective Leadership Communication: The Organizational Conversation Model

Boris Groysberg, a Professor of Business Administration in the Organizational Behavior unit at the Harvard Business School, currently teaches Managing Human Capital course in the second year elective course of the MBA program and in several Executive Education programs. Michael Slind, a writer, editor, and communication consultant of talk, inc: How Trusted Leaders Use Conversation to Power Their Organization (Harvard Business Review Press, 2012), emphasizes in this article on how leaders should communicate with their employees as "Leadership is a Conversation" suggests.

The authors argue that in today's business world, effective leaders should communicate with employees as if they are having a regular person-to-person discussion. They suggest implementing the "organizational conversation" leadership model, which focuses on intimacy, interactivity, inclusion, and intentionality. The author believes that traditional one-way communication is outdated and should be replaced with a two-way dialogue.

The authors introduce a new model of leadership they created known as "organizational conversation" to help leaders retain or recapture qualities like operational flexibility, high employee engagement, and tight strategic alignment that can give start-ups a competitive edge over established rivals (pg.

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78). They further elaborate on the four interconnected elements of "organizational conversation", starting with intimacy where leaders must build trust with their employees.

They suggest that achieving mental and emotional closeness is possible by stepping down from high positions in corporations and engaging in personal and transparent communication. The three ways to achieve intimacy, gain trust, listen well, and get personal are then explained. Interactivity is the second element, with the authors defining a conversation as essential.

They emphasize the need for leaders to communicate openly and acceptingly with employees to facilitate a more open and fluid dialogue between them.

According to the authors, enhancing communication with employees can improve the bond between employer and employees. One method they suggest is transitioning from one-way communication methods, such as broadcasting, to two-way channels like blogs or "TelePresence." They also highlight the importance of inclusion, noting that conversations should provide equal opportunities for all participants to contribute their ideas and take ownership of the discussion.

They explain the three new roles that committed employees can take on when the spirit of inclusion is incorporated into the company: brand ambassadors, thought leaders, and storytellers. The fourth element is intentionality, which focuses on aligning discussions towards a unified vision. This is believed to help employees at all levels of the company hierarchy understand where the company stands in its competitive environment.

The authors argue that controlling the flow of conversation is key for effective leadership, as one-way communication is outdated. They suggest that conversations should be intimate, interactive, inclusive, and intentional for people to engage. While Groysberg and Slind provide examples of modern business communications, some of their insights are open to criticism.

Athenahealth entrusts secret documents to all their workers, making them all "insiders". This raises concerns as labeling all employees as trustworthy is a broad assumption. There are likely to be individuals within any company who would betray their employer by sharing confidential information with competitors. Athenahealth's approach relies on a significant level of trust that may not be realistic in a world with prevalent white collar crime. Implementing such practices could result in companies experiencing financial losses as competitors steal their ideas.

Communication between company leadership and employees should be friendly and transparent, without revealing sensitive company information easily. Examples of expanding communication with employees include Cisco using Tele-Presence for video conferences that closely resemble in-person conversations, allowing users to have lifelike interactions. Similarly, Kingfisher plc. organized a "bazaar of ideas" to connect previously separate divisions.

These ideas may be impractical for smaller companies, which make up the majority of businesses, as they are too costly. For example, Cisco's Tele-Presence costs US$21,600, a significant amount for small business owners. Kingfisher's "bazaar of ideas" required renting a building in Barcelona, a costly endeavor for all their retail managers.

While Groysberg and Slind offer valuable examples in their article, these may not be relevant to individuals who are not part of the business elite. However, the article also emphasizes the advantages of managers engaging in personal conversations with employees. Instead of just issuing commands, managers are urged to have dialogues with their employees, facilitating the sharing of information and ideas. This move towards interactive communication represents a departure from conventional top-down communication practices in the business world.

Seeking an employee's opinion on company policy can boost their morale and job satisfaction. According to Gryosberg and Slind, mental and emotional closeness in business communication is crucial for fostering strong relationships between employees and managers, even when physical interaction is limited by busy schedules.

These two components, good body language and listening skills, are essential for building conversational intimacy, which is the foundation of a strong relationship formed through conversation. Managers must possess these skills in order to establish intimate connections with their subordinates. A prime example is seen in the actions of James E. Rodgers, the president and CEO of Duke Energy. Rodgers implemented a system where employees could grade him, leading to his realization that he needed to improve his internal communication skills. He took this feedback to heart and began engaging in the exercise more frequently, ultimately enhancing his communication skills.

The number of people who believed he was not improving gradually decreased as employees witnessed his efforts to connect with them. By listening to their comments, Rodgers showed that he valued their opinions, creating a close bond between them. This approach can be used by other employers to improve relationships with their employees.

CONCLUSION Generally speaking, this article provides valuable insights on how contemporary business communications should be carried out.

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