To Speak or Not to Speak: A Study of Upward Critical Feedback from the Perspective of Employees in Non-Managerial Positions
(2024) SKOM12 20231Department of Strategic Communication
- Abstract
- To Speak or Not to Speak: A Study of Upward Critical Feedback from the Perspective of Employees in Non-Managerial Positions. The existence of critical feedback that flows from subordinates and is directed to first-order managers constitutes an insightful source of information about potential internal issues that affect an organization’s overall outcome. Therefore, the presence of a two-way dialogue that occurs regularly and is open to managers and subordinates alike reduces the chances of an unwelcoming work environment and of high organizational turnover rates. Still, there are many reasons why employees in non-managerial positions might choose to remain silent when faced with negative emotions in the hybrid, post-pandemic era. The aim of... (More)
- To Speak or Not to Speak: A Study of Upward Critical Feedback from the Perspective of Employees in Non-Managerial Positions. The existence of critical feedback that flows from subordinates and is directed to first-order managers constitutes an insightful source of information about potential internal issues that affect an organization’s overall outcome. Therefore, the presence of a two-way dialogue that occurs regularly and is open to managers and subordinates alike reduces the chances of an unwelcoming work environment and of high organizational turnover rates. Still, there are many reasons why employees in non-managerial positions might choose to remain silent when faced with negative emotions in the hybrid, post-pandemic era. The aim of this qualitative thesis is to gain more knowledge on this contemporary issue from a critical, bottom-up approach. The empirical data that this thesis builds upon constitutes of nine semi-structured interviews to Spanish lower-level employees that were explored through Stanley Deetz’s notions of Systematic Distortion of Communication and Discursive Closure. Findings revealed that virtual communication platforms have led to an increase in managerial control that limits manager-subordinate spontaneous conversations and that makes interactions one- sided and unbalanced. They also highlighted the voluntary aspect of the feedback giving process and showcase the suitability of considering the presence of upward critical feedback as an indicator of workplace democracy, making the topic open to more qualitative and quantitative research from an ampler, less explored perspective that puts employees at the center of the debate. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9157958
- author
- Carnicero Linares, Marta LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- SKOM12 20231
- year
- 2024
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- upward critical feedback, two-way communication, critical organizational theory, remote work, strategic communication, internal communication, employee voice.
- language
- English
- id
- 9157958
- date added to LUP
- 2024-07-05 11:40:54
- date last changed
- 2024-07-05 11:40:54
@misc{9157958, abstract = {{To Speak or Not to Speak: A Study of Upward Critical Feedback from the Perspective of Employees in Non-Managerial Positions. The existence of critical feedback that flows from subordinates and is directed to first-order managers constitutes an insightful source of information about potential internal issues that affect an organization’s overall outcome. Therefore, the presence of a two-way dialogue that occurs regularly and is open to managers and subordinates alike reduces the chances of an unwelcoming work environment and of high organizational turnover rates. Still, there are many reasons why employees in non-managerial positions might choose to remain silent when faced with negative emotions in the hybrid, post-pandemic era. The aim of this qualitative thesis is to gain more knowledge on this contemporary issue from a critical, bottom-up approach. The empirical data that this thesis builds upon constitutes of nine semi-structured interviews to Spanish lower-level employees that were explored through Stanley Deetz’s notions of Systematic Distortion of Communication and Discursive Closure. Findings revealed that virtual communication platforms have led to an increase in managerial control that limits manager-subordinate spontaneous conversations and that makes interactions one- sided and unbalanced. They also highlighted the voluntary aspect of the feedback giving process and showcase the suitability of considering the presence of upward critical feedback as an indicator of workplace democracy, making the topic open to more qualitative and quantitative research from an ampler, less explored perspective that puts employees at the center of the debate.}}, author = {{Carnicero Linares, Marta}}, language = {{eng}}, note = {{Student Paper}}, title = {{To Speak or Not to Speak: A Study of Upward Critical Feedback from the Perspective of Employees in Non-Managerial Positions}}, year = {{2024}}, }