How can middle managers improve all user emails?

It's common knowledge that for internal communications to be successful you need the buy in from the CEO and executive and have them willing to share information.

But what about the middle managers and their role in disseminating messages from above? They either receive information direct and may want to keep the knowledge as power, or they receive it the same time as everyone else in an 'all user email' and feel undermined and as if they have no need to take ownership of the message.

 

Middle managers are the crucial link to ensure all user emails have any hope of success

For all user emails from the CEO to have any hope of real success though, it is the line managers and direct supervisors of employees who are the crucial link. If managers don't take the time to read the email themselves and interpret what it might mean for their team or department, then the email from the CEO might as well as been sky writing for the impact it will have with the individual employees. 

 

If you look at just about any employee satisfaction or internal communication survey the source that employees trust the most for delivering a key message is their direct manager, often in face to face communication. If the CEO has sent an all user email, the impact of that communication is already diminished by the sheer fact that, if your organisation is any larger than say 100 people, there is no way the CEO will be able to talk to every one directly and know their personal situations. 

 

Only middle managers can interpret that information, assess what it means for their team and check with higher management if necessary. Middle managers are the lynch-pin to ensuring that all user emails are able to become specific enough to be relevant for each team or department.

 

So should all user emails come with instructions for employees to ask their manager what this means for you? And do middle managers need to be instructed to interpret this information and say 'this is what we know, and this is what I think it means for us...'? 

As communicators and managers, do people grasp too strongly to the belief that 'knowledge is power' and something not to be shared lightly? It's as if knowledge is a physical entity and if I give my knowledge to you, it might mean I am left with nothing. Sadly knowledge isn't something commonly viewed as improved by sharing. 

 

JH