Power of follow up , for managers sans formal power

 APRIL 25, 2011 Monday . 

Managerial Communication Tip : 

Redundant Communication Pays Off ! 

The Research & Sample Size : 

A study of six companies shows that 21% of managers WITHOUT  formal power send redundant messages ! 

For example, an email message after a face-to-face meeting . 

Where as  just 12% of managers WITH  formal power send a follow up note / email / WhatsApp message, post meeting. 

Result : 

 The  " powerless "  managers get tasks done faster and with fewer hiccups ! Compared to managers with power or rank. 

Possible Reason ? 

 Managers with formal power appear to assume that employees will follow their requests, with verbal intruction just once . 

Research , courtesy : Tsedal Neeley of Harvard Business School and Paul Leonardi of Northwestern University, interviewed for the "Defend Your Research" feature in the May 2011 issue of Harvard Business Review.

Source: Defend Your Research: Effective Managers Say the Same Thing Twice (or More)