PROBLEMS IN PRACTICE
Leading and motivating employees to perform at a level that achieves organizational objectives is primarily tied to MC. Many leaders/managers are not successful due to their authoritative leadership styles, resulting in increased communication gap with their employees. Such leaders are unable to earn the respect and loyalty of their employees, who simply follow their orders because of their authority. Accordingly, there is a greater possibility of turnover and absenteeism by the valuable workforce.
Barnard (1968) explained that the decision as to whether an order has authority or not lies with the person to whom it is addressed, and does not reside in the persons of authority. In order to arrest this trend, managers should change their authoritative mindsets and make a commitment to build strong working relationships with employees by bridging the communication gap and building an environment of trust.
This is accomplished by devising clear and concise communication policies, strategies, and processes, as evident in the literature.