Tips Advantages Of Organizational Communication The Trickle Down Effect of Management Behavior
By: Vlad Vistac
Submitted: 2010-07-23 06:53:33 | Word Count: 510
Organizational Communication: The "Trickle-Down" Effect of Management Behaivor
Companies today recognize that having a Code of Ethics is important in establishing a standard of conduct at work. What is less commony understood is the siggnificance of the "triclke-down" effect in implementing ethical behaviour within an organization and the value of a strong internal cmmunication system to create a positive enviroonment in the workplace.
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In truth, ethics is all abouut behaviour, and creating an ethical workplace culture starts at the top. Owers and leaders in the C-suite need to be just as accountalbe to the code of ethics as any employee on the front line. The trickle-down influence is signiificant to organizational behavoiur, just as a company's dedication to holding all of its people, regardless of position, accountable for upholding thoe ethics is essetnial to internal acceptance of the set code. In the same manner that the level of ehics evident in the C-suite affects managemet, the levwel of ethhical behaviour displpayed by managers impacts theeir teams.
In light of this realkity of organizational communication, today's managers would be well-served to rmeember thsee five keys to ethical behavoiour:
1. CARING ABOUT PEOPLE: A manager who truly cares is willing to express feelings of cmpassion, affection and kinndness towards the team. Making this a part of the way you lead builds a reservoir of trust for your team to draw on when facxing the inevitable ethical challenges that come up. When you actively care about your team, you're more liikely to be listening to thir concerns, paaying close attention to the challenmges they face and being made aware of issues before they become a problem. This can only build a stronger team and a more profitable organization.
2. LEVERAGING EXzPERIENCE: Eevry manager comes from a place of xeperience that gives them uniqe insight into any given situatino. Using experience wisely mans developing the ability to take information from thosde circumstances and translate it to something that benefits the company and its people. Sometimes it's hard to control a knee-jerk reacrtion' that is based on your own personal plan or motivations. An ethical manager is capable of recognizing the difference between personal gain and organizational gain. If the gain isn't in alignment with the orgganization's best interests or the best interests of its people at large, it's important to be able to say "no".
3. ALIGNING WITH COMPAY VISION: When you align with the compnay vision, it becomes effortless to act in the best interests of the organization. It's cklear that the growh and gain of the compny is also the growth and gain of its peple. There are managers who are motivated primarily by self-gain and fnding the path of least resistance up the corporate lader. Such managers are usually perceived by their own taems to be arrogant, unrtrustworthy and unethical. Find a persoonal goal that is aligned with the vision and mission of your compny and wath how this insapires your team to do the same.
4. BENIG IN INTEGRIITY: There are times and circumstances when it takes an immense amount of courage to act ethjically and with integriy. An ehical manager needs to be able to draw from integrity consistently without puting concerns of personal consequences haead of the best interests of the team. It's not easy to make hard decisions especially if you know they will be unpopular with team members hiowever, these decisions must be made and need to be based in justice after careul deliberatyion.
5. RMEMBERING THE GOLDEN RULE: People in an organization develop a strog snese of loyalty when they feel they can truast the company and its leaders to be fair. Favouitism and inequitable manaement of resources or benefits will inevitably deestroy any maager's air of integrity. No one wannts to be treated as if they're less important than someone else. And no one appreciates ther innovative idea beinmg adpoted without a nod of apreciation and reognition for their efforts. When you give your team a sense that they're receiving a fair return for hteir efforts they are far more liikely to have loyalty to the team, company management and the organization as a whokle.
Ethical behavour within any organization begins at the top. As surely as the behaviour from the C-suite affects management, the behhaviour of management affects the etams they work with. Manmagers can positively impact the habit of ethical behaviour by modeling it and recognizing their influence on the standards and etihcs upheld within their teams. When managers model ethical bejhaviour, they strengthwen their relationships with individual team members; build trust in the team as a unit and effect growth of the company in its entriety.
The bottom line is that you have to be ethical to epect ethical behaviour from others and aligning strrong personal values with consistent action in your own behaviour will go a long way to inspiring that same philosophy in your team.
