What are the problems of upward communication?

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Disadvantage of Upward Communication
1. Fosters Friendly Relations
2. Provides Valuable Feedback
3. Encourages Participation
4. Two-Way Process
5. Making Suggestions
6. Introducing New Projects
7. Employee Morale
Disadvantages of Upward Communication
1. Resistance From Employees
2. Fear of Incompetence
3. Indecisive Superiors
4. Messages Not Heard
5. Unwillingness to Admit Failure

Disadvantages of Upward Communication Like other communication methods, upward communication system also has some disadvantages. The disadvantages of upward communication and Advantages of Upward Communication in Business are discussed below- Limitations of upward communication, demerits of upward communication.

Lack of Initiative: Subordinates are usually reluctant to make initiative for upward communication. The managers might keep their doors open, but they cannot force the employees to walk into their room. So, upward communication may hamper the merit-searching process of the organization. Business Communication
Fear of Adverse Effect: Employees often feel that if they communicate their problems to their superiors, it may adversely reflect on their own efficiency. If a supervisor faces some problems in getting cooperation from his works workers and points it out to the departmental manager, the latter departmental manager might feel that the supervisor himself is incompetent. If a clerk who has just jointed the office complains that the filing system of the office is in total disarray, his just joined the office complains that the filing system of the office is in total disarray, his supervisor may think that the clerk himself is to efficient enough to handle filing properly.
Risk of Distortion: Upward communication is more prone to distortion than downward communication. In downward communication, distortion is often unconscious but in upward communication, message or information is deliberately distorted. Usually employees are reluctant t send critical or unpalatable information upward.

Disadvantage of Upward Communication

By-Passing: In upward communication, there is a high risk f by-passing. A sometimes subordinate directly approaches the top most authority with their opinions or suggestions or suggestions or complains ignoring their immediate top boss. This proves harmful in two ways-the officers who have been by-passed feel slighted; while the high-ups get suspicious of the worker’s intentions. As a result the relations between the workers and their immediate supervisors get sainted that hampers the entire working situation.
Flattery: Sometimes the subordinates try to satisfy their boss with the information they desire to get. This type of flattery and misleading information hamper organizational efficiency in the long run.

In fine, it can be said that whatever the demerits are, the importance of upward communication method can never be underestimated. Thee are more information about What is Upward Communication in Business?

Advantages of upward Communication are given in the image below.

Image credits © Manoj Patil.

Advantages of upward Communication in an organization is followed:

Fosters Friendly Relations
Provides Valuable Feedback
Encourages Participation
Two-Way Process
Making Suggestions
Introducing New Projects
Employee Morale

Upward communication benefits are.

1. Fosters Friendly Relations

Upward communication helps to bring about co-operation, goodwill and understanding among employers and employees. This stimulates friendly relations.

2. Provides Valuable Feedback

Upward communication provides a valuable feedback. The superiors come to know how their plans and policies; orders and instructions are being received and executed.

3. Encourages Participation

By encouraging employees to make suggestion, upward communication helps to bring in elements of participative management in the organization.

4. Two-Way Process

Upward communication is a part of a two-way process which promotes better understanding between management and employees.

5. Making Suggestions

The employees are encouraged to make suggestions in the interest of the organization. Some of these suggestions prove useful, and the employees are suitably rewarded.

6. Introducing New Projects

Upward communication creates a healthy relationship between the management and the employees and this in turn makes it convenient for the management to introduce new schemes or projects.

7. Employee Morale

Upward communication develops and improves employer-employee relations and promotes employee morale.

Disadvantages of Upward Communication

Disadvantages of upward Communication are given in the image below.

Image credits © Manoj Patil.

Disadvantages of upward communication in an organization is followed:

Resistance From Employees
Fear of Incompetence
Indecisive Superiors
Messages Not Heard
Unwillingness to Admit Failure

Upward communication disadvantages are.

1. Resistance From Employees

Employees rarely initiate upward communication as they are afraid of being ignored. Such communication often meets with improper recognition, so they hesitate to initiate it again.

2. Fear of Incompetence

The subordinates communicating with the superiors fear that their colleagues or work may be regarded by their superior as a reflection on their own competence.

3. Indecisive Superiors

If the superiors do not take any decision in the light of upward communication, the employee's loss confidence in their superiors.

4. Messages Not Heard

Often messages do not travel upwards; they merely rest with the inactive or indifferent superior. Some managers are poor listeners, some simply 'hear' messages without taking any action.

5. Unwillingness to Admit Failure

Many employees in lower hierarchy are insecure about their jobs and uncertain about their future prospects. They, therefore, feel unwilling to discuss their on-the-job problems with their superiors.

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Disadvantages or Limitations of Upward Communication

In spite of having social benefits, upward communication is not free from limitations. Its major limitations or disadvantages are discussed below:

The first major limitation of upward communication is the slow movement of information up to the higher levels. As a result, messages may reach the intended destination when it has little or no utility. It is a significant constraint of upward communication is the long and slow association of information to the higher authority.

Sometimes top executives discourage the upward flow of information and neglect the opinions and suggestions of their subordinates. It hampers the normal flow of upward communication. If the superiors do not take any assessment in the assistance of upward communication, the employee’s loss assurance in their superiors and workflow may also hamper.

Lack of subordinate’s confidence:

In some cases, subordinates suffer from confidence and hesitate to communicate upward with their superiors. They feel shy to represent themselves to their superior. Usually subordinate is unenthusiastic to take the proposal to upward communication for a dissimilar reason.

Distortion of the message:

Distortion of message is a common problem in upward communication subordinate willingly distorts the message to convey only satisfying news to their superiors. In this system, subordinates eagerly distort the message because they fear if they tell the original fact to their bosses, they may appear some problems. In this way, subordinates try to gain their own interests and get relief from accountability.

In order to convince the superiors, subordinates can take the help of flattery. Subordinates also use upward communication as a means of flattering their superiors. They often conceal the truth and try to satisfy their bosses with imaginary and fictitious information. Most of the lower-level employees are not aware of many aspects of an organization. The decision taken on such incomplete information will be wrong to provide the organizational purpose.

By-passing the intermediary superior:

In some cases, subordinates send messages to the top-level managers by by-passing their intermediary superiors. This proves destructive in two ways. The officers who have been bypassed undergo underestimated while the top officer makes hesitation on the worker’s intentions. The relations become reduced between superiors and workers and works are damaged. This hampers the relationship between superiors and subordinates. This is harmful to any organization.

Employees often refrain from upward communication due to fear of reprisal. They think that if they communicate their problems upward, the superiors may question their positions and efficiency. The criticism placed by the subordinates may be interpreted as a sign of their personal weakness or limitation. For this reason, subordinates hesitate to transmit information in the upward channel. Many employees fear to correspond and allocate their ideas, positive suggestions and opinions with the superiors.

Unwillingness to Admit Failure

Many employees in the subordinate are anxious about their jobs and doubtful about their future prospects. Sometimes subordinates don’t send the information to their superior enthusiastically. So, the communication structure may be disrupted. They, therefore, feel unwilling to discuss their on-the-job problems with their superiors.

In upward communication, subordinates may modify their correct information. On many occasions, it is found that employees for their self-interest or to get assistance from responsibility edit the data or information before it is conceded to their superiors. Furthermore, they bear fear to be a good communicator. So, the top executive cannot take a perfect decision.

At last, we can say that in spite of having the above-stated problems in upward communication its utility cannot be denied. The panics involved in communication can easily overcome these problems through their efficiency and sincerity.