Organizational Communication

Good leadership is about communicating "why." What do these (what, how, and why) add...?

On the Outside Looking in ...Organizational Communication (Dr. Claude H. A. Simpson)

What do these (what, how, and why) add to the communication equation for producing understanding?

Leadership is about communication. The 'what,' 'how,' and 'why' are critical elements in touch to produce understanding. A good leader needs to be able to articulate 'why' in any discourse. A keen look at the details: 'what,' 'how,' and 'why' shows their use as key descriptors for effective communication. 'What' determines specificity by understanding the objects involved in the discourse. 'How' communicates how goals and objectives will be accomplished by informing the steps to be taken, with a focus on methods or processes. 'Why' informs the purpose, substantiates reasons for taking actions, and helps understand the context and clarify goals.

Communication is more than sending and receiving information; it drives understanding.
Whatever information is imparted; it should seek to generate understanding between or among parties. It is incumbent upon leaders to consider the three elements - 'what,' 'how,' and 'why' - to create effective communication that fosters information, instruction, and purpose so that all team members will better understand the task at hand and work towards a successful outcome.

Exploring the concepts of confirmation bias, cognitive dissonance, and critical thinking:

The concept of confirmation bias shows up in almost every facet of life. The innate tendency of humans is to select positive information that will align with and support their ideas and beliefs. In comparing two quantities, there will inevitably be a confirmation bias as a popular choice will be considered more favorable. An option with a positive connotation would also be considered better. A viable example is a marketing company with two similar products with the same brand name: Type A and Type B. Both products are promoted; they have identical contents and matching color packages, but Type B costs a little more because it is newer. It was found that more customers buy Type B because they claim and believe that more recent is better.

Everyone must make a choice in life; we face choices daily, so we must dig deep and satisfy our ego as we sort information that resonates with our viewpoint. As a communicator, it is incumbent that you are fair in decision-making, wrong or right. If a mistake is made, you must be open-minded enough to make necessary corrections readily. There will be disagreements, errors, and misunderstandings. As we seek to process information even if it is inconsistent with our beliefs, we should accept truths and facts over bias and misrepresentation if it's the right thing.

The concept of cognitive dissonance holds firm on the saying, “You’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t.” A kind of uncomfortable mental state with much inconsistency in thoughts, beliefs, and behavioral decisions. Man is a thinking creature. Man has a brain that allows the mind to drive mental activities. Man can act, that is, do things; see, observe/behold; identify and interpret; hear, that is, listen actively and understand. As a communicator in leadership, you would seek to address inconsistencies relating to decision-making in your company at all levels. Actions by managers, supervisors, coworkers, and peer groups may conflict with inconsistent attitudes and general behavior; therefore, the leader would have to quell any disagreement or variance.

Critical thinking is rooted in the theory of objective analysis and evaluation to make a judgment call. Information analysis would involve breaking down the information into bits to generate a better understanding. The leader should encourage team members to develop critical thinking skills to foster better collaboration, problem-solving, effective communication, group/team dynamics, and decision-making. The leader decides which set of workers to do specific tasks, which person to put in charge, and what jobs to do in what order, all of which take critical thinking skills that rely heavily on effective communication.