Face to Face

Employees Prefer Intranets to Supervisors 2 to 1

In 1992 and 2004, Angela Sinickas wrote articles refuting the common misperception—based on well publicized but highly flawed research design—that supervisors are employees’ preferred source of information on all business topics. A look at her survey database showing results for the last five years shows that supervisors are now a distant third choice behind intranets and publications.

Don’t Let Face to Face Be Eclipsed by Technology

Over the last 15 years, more and more employees have obtained online access to internal communication such as email, intranets, webcasts, and Web 2.0 social media. Is this a good thing? Perhaps not entirely, as Angela Sinickas discovered by comparing communication survey results from companies where all employees are online vs. those where numbers of employees do not.

Supervisors’ Role in Communication: Are supervisors employees’ preferred information source?

Regardless of how trustworthy immediate managers are, they’re NOT a preferred source on topics that are perceived to be beyond their area of expertise, such as company strategy and company financial results. Discover the role employees want their supervisors play in the mix of information sources on different topics.

Evaluating Your Cascade Process

Most communicators agree on the importance of face-to-face communication in changing attitudes and behaviors. But many disagree on whether the team-briefing “cascade” of information from senior management to the lowest-level employee is the most effective way to impart knowledge. The best way to find out, says Angela Sinickas, is to use research.


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