Also, in our experience, one-way communication from senior management to more junior staff often fails to generate organisational alignment. The messages are not understood, or ulterior motives are suspected. All of this leads to resistance.
The reason for these blockages is actually quite simple. Senior management spend a great deal of time thinking through the different issues that are facing the business, and make decisions based on that thinking process. More junior people seldom have that opportunity, so tend not to have the basic concepts necessary to fully understand and act on communications from senior management.
Because of this, when facilitating organisational alignment processess we use a range of interactive communication methods to ensure that everyone who matters understands an organisation's objectives, along with their own role in achieving these objectives.
In our approach, effective communication is bi-directional and multi-directional. In this way clarity and depth of understanding is assured, and true alignment is more easily achieved.
