Kaleche, a dedicated logistics officer at a Nairobi-based shipping firm, sensed that operational inefficiencies plagued the team. Usually in operational meetings, he would directly state his recommendations on what to do or what needs to be done. But his track record for successful change management proved dismal.
So, instead of directly confronting his boss, Musalia, a dominant authoritative company vice president, he decided to frame his concerns as questions during the weekly team meeting.
"Have we ever considered re-routing the Mombasa deliveries for better time management?" and "Would it be better to provide dedicated customer services pairing sales representatives to specific clients?" he inquired. Colleagues took notice and found Kaleche's approach less arrogant and less confrontational than usual.
Musalia also internalised the questions instead of outrightly rejecting them and later pondered over them. Within weeks, the team implemented the changes, significantly boosting performance and morale.
Interestingly, Kaleche's strategic method of voice inquiry resonates with recent studies that change conventional wisdom around leadership communication. Framing suggestions in the form of questions really works better than just blurting out or pushing for ideas.
A brand-new study by Chak Lam, Alexander Romney, Daniel Newton, and Wen Wu delves into the phenomenon termed voice inquiry. Voice inquiry means expressing improvement-oriented suggestions or concerns in question form to secure an endorsement from organisational leaders.
Grounded on dominance complementarity theory, the research argues that voice inquiry enhances an executive's sense of power, especially among more dominant top-down style leaders. The researchers utilised a multi-wave field study involving 373 employees and 178 leaders, and a vignette experiment to validate and test the theory.
The implications for employees lie in the strategic use of voice inquiry. Especially in more polite, less confrontational cultures as we have in Kenya, it provides us with a middle ground, allowing employees to voice concerns without directly challenging authority or facing potential backlash.
It also helps avoid any unintended consequences such as increased workload or diminished standing in the eyes of their bosses. Essentially, employees can now use a method to speak up without risking negative repercussions.
Managers also stand to benefit from understanding this nuanced approach. They can create an environment that encourages voice inquiry as a form of constructive feedback. Recognising the value in these subtly framed questions, they can derive meaningful insights and solutions without feeling undermined.
It becomes especially critical when dealing with dominant managerial styles that often stifle open communication.
Organisations must, therefore, especially companies struggling with psychological safety in the workplace, incorporate the research understanding into their communication training programmes. Workshops focused on effective communication strategies, including the use of voice inquiry question positing, can form a crucial part of employee development initiatives.
Training sessions would equip team members with the skills to navigate complex interpersonal dynamics effectively.
Here are four different examples of declarative idea statements that should not be used: "We should explore diversifying our product line to tap into emerging markets." "Implementing a flexible work schedule could improve overall employee satisfaction."
"Revamping our customer feedback system to include real-time responses might be beneficial." "Automating certain repetitive tasks could reduce operational costs".
Instead, turn them into voice inquiry questions to reduce offence and significantly increase the likelihood of acceptance: "Have we explored diversifying our product line to tap into emerging markets?" "Would implementing a flexible work schedule improve overall employee satisfaction?" "What if we revamped our customer feedback system to include real-time responses?" "Could we reduce operational costs by automating certain repetitive tasks?"
In conclusion, the art of subtle speech takes centre stage in redefining leadership and organisational communication. Kaleche's simple questions at a team meeting illustrate a nuanced tactic that not only catalysed operational efficiency but also empowered a dominant originally top-down leader to finally take meaningful action that was generated from the bottom-up.
As businesses grapple with ever-changing work environments, mastering the technique of voice inquiry assists firms in unlocking better leadership and greater productivity.
Have a management or leadership issue, question, or challenge? Reach out to Dr Scott through @ScottProfessor on Twitter or on email at [email protected].
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