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Managing Up

When John Doe’s commanding officer ordered him to deploy, he knew he had no recourse other than legal action. He couldn’t just go to his superior and say, “Look, I really want to spend more time with my family, so can you please rescind your order?” Those of us in civilian jobs, however, typically have more leeway. Persuading superiors to support our work-related needs and wants is achieved through upward communication—communication from subordinates to superiors—and is conducted with an eye toward achieving influence. People feel more satisfied with their work lives when they believe that their supervisors listen and are responsive to their concerns (Eisenberg & Goodall, 2004).

Organizational communication scholar Eric Eisenberg argues that the most effective form of upward communication is advocacy (Eisenberg & Goodall, 2004). Through advocacy, you learn your superior’s communication preferences and how to design messages in ways that will appeal to your superior. Advocacy is based on six principles. First, plan before you pitch. Most spontaneous appeals to supervisors (“Can I have a raise?” “Can you sign me up for that software course?”) are rejected. To avoid this, take time to craft your request before you pitch it.

Second, know why your supervisor should agree with you. Your supervisor has the power to make decisions, so the burden is on you to present a compelling case. In your message, connect your goals to something your supervisor thinks is important. For example, “If you sign me up for this course, I’ll be able to maintain our new database.”

Third, tailor your message. Think about successful and unsuccessful attempts to influence your supervisor. Compare the different approaches you and other people have used, and consider their efficacy. Does your supervisor respond more favorably to statistics or to an anecdote? To details or to generalities? Based on your supervisor’s preferences, tailor your evidence and appeal accordingly.

Fourth, know your supervisor’s knowledge. Many attempts at upward communication fail because subordinates present information at an inappropriate level. For example, they present their request in overly abstract terms, wrongly assuming that their supervisor is familiar with the subject. Or they present their appeal in a simplistic form, inadvertently coming across as condescending. To avoid this, know your supervisor’s knowledge of the subject before you broach it. You can find this out by talking to other workers who are familiar with your supervisor.

Fifth, create coalitions before communicating. Most arguments made by one person are unconvincing, particularly when presented by a subordinate to a supervisor. Try to strengthen your argument with support from others in your organization. Remember to present such information as a helpful and personal observation (“Just to make sure I wasn’t completely off about the situation, I checked with Joan, Denise, and Erika, and they all agreed”) rather than as a threat to your supervisor’s authority (“For your information, three other people feel the same way I do!”). Be sure to get approval beforehand from the people whose opinions you plan to cite. Some may not want their viewpoints referenced, and to use their sentiments as support for your arguments without their approval is highly unethical.

Finally, competently articulate your message. You can plan and tailor a message all you want, but if you’re unable to articulate it, your supervisor probably won’t take it seriously. Before you talk with your supervisor, revisit the information on competent interpersonal communication described in Chapters 1 and 6 to brush up on your skills.