LEADERSHIP, MANAGEMENT AND COMMUNICATION: A SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIP
Although Leadership, Communication and Management Communication have different definitions, they
must work symbiotically to achieve the outcomes of the vision and goals of the business.
Leadership Communication is fed by the leadership’s character and the organisation’s values. It sets
the emotional climate of an organisation and is an expression of its work culture. Leadership
communication involves itself with setting the vision and mission by letting people know where the
organisation is headed and what it stands for. It drives innovation by making people comfortable with
doing things differently. It defines a pathway to success for people to follow. It places people within the
mission, culture and values of the organisation.
Management Communication has been defined as ‘purpose-directed, in that it directs everyone’s
attention towards the vision, values and desired goals of the team or organisation and influences to act
in a way to achieve those goals. (Samson, Donnet & Daft 2018, p. 703; Samson & Daft 2015, p. 687)
Management Communication involves the implementation of the vision of an organisation as expressed
through its mission statement and strategy plan by the practical application of negotiating and
transacting communication skills. It involves relationship and network building as instruments to benefit
the organisation, workers and other stakeholders.
Leadership Communication and Management Communication by definition must inform each other to
be effective. If the vision is unachievable or the transactions to achieve it are unworkable, the
organisation is headed for turbulent times. Clear, consistent communication is the best way to ensure
the success of an organisation.
It sounds simple enough but many managers find it daunting. Dealing with embedded work cultures,
difficult leadership and management styles, the politics of power, a lack of established networks, poor
morale, poor or out-dated policies and work practice and the inevitable fear of change – all go to make
management communication the biggest challenge facing managers today in our global marketplace in
our turbulent times.
1.6 APPLYING KEY COMMUNICATION THEMES
At the end of each week, we will regularly return to the key management and communication themes in
order to discuss them in the context of the week’s topic. This week we are setting up the base -line
information about these key communication themes.
1.6.1 CULTURAL ETHOS
Every organisation, whether a business enterprise or a Not for Profit (NFP), establishes a corporate
identity or more simply, a public face, in order to position itself within the relevant sector of its chosen
field of operation. This public face is built from the first basic decisions which become the foundational
building blocks of the organisation. These include, but are not limited to, the selection of a business
name, the product or services the organisation will provide, the extent of its operation (local, national or
transnational), the number and type of staff required, its suppliers and target market.
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The style of management and the nature of relationships across internal and external stakeholders will
often emerge from the constant processes of negotiation and exchange that characterised or governed
the organisation’s early struggles to become a viable business or reputable service.
According to the economist John Kay, there are several main sources of distinctive capabilities that help
us understand the positioning and operations of a company: its architecture, reputation, innovation and
the ability to exploit strategic assets (Kay 1993, p. 65). This architecture is based on its operational
structure, its internal culture and the special knowledge that have been built through past and present
activities, its personnel, products and business practice.
This structural identity is also expressed in a series of networks of internal and external relationships,
between companies, government and social institutions, and also between individual players (staff,
clients, collaborators) that create long-term value (Galligan 2007, pp. 34-5).
Across every level of an organisation’s structure, complex communication initiatives and negotiations
are required and an organisation cannot succeed, will not build a recognised niche for itself or its
products and/or services, if effective communication strategies are not employed. This is such a basic
truism that it is too often neglected in Management and Business theory.
Since it is essential for an organisation to manage its operations and this requires relaying and
responding to information of various orders of complexity, it is expected that staff know the best way of
doing this. This can be a dangerous assumption.
However, the first step in understanding management communication processes is in understanding
how the organization speaks or communicates about itself. This dialectic of the organization, which
might at first glance seem straight forward, can combine quite complex elements of business,
professional, aesthetic and economic objectives.
The language an organisation adopts to speak its position becomes embedded in its history and its own
organisational culture. A legal firm such as Clewitt, Whithall and Associates aims to present a
professional, prestigious service to its public, whereas a litigation law firm such as Trilby Misso or Shine
Lawyers positions itself to assist a more financially challenged clientele. Bob Jane TMart, with the
smiling, capable but approachable face of the proprietor sends a message of reliability and reassurance.
The choice of a name, symbol, logo or colour can immediately communicate a powerful message which
is reinforced or adapted as the history of that organization unfolds.
These languages can become a powerful mechanism to build a reputation, legitimacy and professional
credibility for the organization and for its products. It will also impact the internal dialogue and daily
routines affecting the behaviour and conversations between management and staff, between peers
and colleagues. It helps to build the cultural ethos of an organization which, over time, can become a
major strategic asset of the company (Kay 1993, p. 65; Galligan 2007, p. 35).
An expressive organisation takes advantage of its corporate language to engage its stakeholders, and
here we will focus on the internal network, in an ongoing conversation. Mobilising the specific histories
and stories of people and events, challenges and triumphs is an incredibly creative way of engaging
staff as players in the unfolding organisational operations. It can inspire and motivate, establish or
redefine boundaries, instil pride and workplace security.
The Mission Statement, Annual Report or company newsletter provides an opportunity for an
organisation to express its story, its vision, goals and aspirations. The choice of language in these
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statements or narratives needs to be carefully selected because key words and phrases can form a
long term dialogue among staff and across its multiple publics. It is a major building block of an
organisational culture which infuses its behaviour, relationships and dialogue (stories, symbols,
languages), policies and procedures.