Reaching and Changing Frontline Employees
Larkin, T.J., & Larkin, S. (1996). Harvard Business Review.
It is argued that senior managers - and most communication consultants - have refused to
hear what frontline workers have been trying to tell them: When you need to communicate
a major change, stop communicating values, communicate face-to-face, and spend most of
your time, money and effort on frontline supervisors. Despite research showing that
frontline employees prefer to receive information from their supervisor - the person
to whom they are closest - companies continue to depend on charismatic executives to
inspire the troops. This does not work because frontline supervisors are the real
opinion leaders in any company. Communication between frontline supervisors and employees
counts the most toward changed behavior where it matters the most - at the front
line.