Poor Communication and Leadership in the Workplace

Poor communication and leadership in the workplace derail the course of the firm in achieving its goals. They are interconnected in a way that places them among the main sources of low morale in the organizational setting. The expectancy violations theory is a viable explanation of the source of low morale in the organization. It explains the cause of low morale as the failure to fulfill the expectations of the employees of an organization. The failure of leaders to offer what the employees expect demoralizes them. Poor leadership and lack of communication lead to low morale in the workplace.

Summary of the expectations violations theory

The expectancy violations theory explains the connection between a person’s expectations and how well they are met. It explains that human beings have desires that they hope to have fulfilled. Although people have different tolerance levels, disappointments demoralize them (Zierold, & McGeeney, 2016). They feel that the people or situations from which they expected certain things should have fulfilled them without failure. To affirm this stand, the theory further explains that expectations are more desirable than their confirmations.  Human beings are positively charged toward the achievement of something. On the contrary, upon the satisfaction of their desires, they lose motivation.  Failure of confirmation has a negative impact on their level of motivation. Human beings are more geared towards positive feedback as opposed to negative ones. It is for this reason that they set targets and the goals that they feel will best satisfy their desires. Achievement of the goals and desires produces desirable results, while failure demoralizes the person from targeting more and achieving.

The expectations violations theory has been undergoing changes to attain its current level of effectiveness. Initially, the theory covered how communication affects the surroundings in which people live. It explained the silent language that people use in various cultures to express various messages that people in a culture use (Burgoon, 2015). It was part of the efforts made to remedy the issues that people face in culture due to the failure to communicate in proper manners.  The theory has, however, assumed an evolution course over several decades. It has diversified to several other issues involving behavior. It now seeks to cover both the verbal and non-verbal aspects of behavior. It is also applicable to several other contexts of human interactions.  It is for this reason that it has been adopted to organizational behavior.  The expectations violations theory now covers both the negative and negative aspects of behavior in the organizations. It explains the behavior of both the junior employees and leaders in the organizational context.

The theory has, however, been receiving criticism in different aspects.  One of the main aspects of criticism is based on arousal.  Some people feel that the theory is insufficient in coverage of human behavior under arousal. They explain that human beings are aroused by different things in nature (Burgoon, 2015). Some people do not necessarily need positive feedback for them to get the morale to pursue the dreams of both themselves and the organization.  Instead, they are well adapted to pursue the main goal despite the negative feedback that they receive in the course of so doing.  Other people criticize the theory on the differences in expectations. People have different expectations. In the scenario of an organization, for example, leaders are expected to offer viable solutions to the various problems that the organization faces. Doing otherwise, such as changing the course of the organizational goals, is unexpected. By so doing, they divert the expectations as opposed to violating them.

The relevance of the theory in the workplace

The expectancy violations theory is of immense importance in explaining the workplace. It is especially of importance in explaining the negative impacts of poor leadership and communication in the firm that upset the welfare of both the employees and the goal achievement abilities of a business (Kelly, Miller-Ott, & Duran, 2017). In communication, the theory explains the negative results that poor communication has on the morale of an organization. Communication is a key factor in organizational behavior. It helps employees to maintain confidence in the organization as well as their performance. Leaders who communicate on the performance of the employees do well in motivating them.  They offer positive feedback that entices the employees to do better in the subsequent engagements. On the contrary, leaders who offer negative feedback most of the time demoralize employees (Shaban, et al., 2017).  They pick on their weaknesses as opposed to magnifying their abilities and strengths. It is important that leaders congratulate employees on making them feel appreciated in the firm.

Lack of open and honest communication demoralizes employees. Employees need their leaders to be consistent in their communication. On the contrary, some leaders hide the issues that they are facing in managing the organization (Puni, Agyemang, & Asamoah, 2016). In some cases, they feel responsible for the issues, such as dropping budgets and increasing demands. In response, they fail to communicate accordingly to the employees, yet they are a group of people who are mandated to cater to the need of the organization. Leaders who fail to recognize the need to communicate properly often fail the rest of the firm. The results of their failure to communicate are manifest in the poor results of the firm. At the time that the organization communicates poor results, the employees feel demotivated to continue. It is better if the organizational leaders take the initiative to communicate when the organization faces negative issues as opposed to offering negative results of hard work since they demoralize employees as opposed to motivating them for the next period of action.

The theory is also relevant in explaining the role of each person in the organization. Leaders are mandated to communicate in a way that amplifies the role of each employee in the goal achievement plan of the firm (Kelly, Miller-Ott, & Duran, 2017).  Employees need to feel appreciated in a firm. It is important for leaders to show how well their role in the firm is intertwined with the goals of the organization. Employees identify with the business if they feel appreciated for they play in achieving the goals of the organization. Poor communication, however, makes them feel as if their roles in the firm are not important.  They feel demoralized as opposed to gaining the confidence to pursue the goals of the organization as well as their own within the firm. Leaders need to keep each of the employees in-tacked into the organization by making them feel like part of it.  By so doing, they build the willingness of the employees to contribute towards the achievement of organizational goals.

Application of the expectations violations theory in resolving organizational problems

The expectations violations theory is applicable to improving the welfare of an organization. Although it focuses on the negative effects of communication and leadership, it is useful in correcting both areas since they are sensitive in ensuring the welfare of the organization (Hansen, K., Steffens, Rakić, & Wiese, 2017). One of the ways in which the theory may be applied is creating an open door policy. It involves creating an environment in which the employees feel welcomed to communicate with the leadership. Leaders in an organization need to be in good communication with the employees for them to easily vent to each other. In such a situation, the employees are free to ask about the progress of the firm in the achievement of the set goals. In response, leaders feel free to communicate with the employees on the progress of the firm. By so doing, they easily gain ideas from the workers on how best to steer the firm towards success.

Conclusion

The expectations violations theory explains the loss of motivation of employees in the midst of poor communication and leadership. The theory explains that employees lose morale after negative feedback.  It explains that employees need positive feedback for them to feel appreciated in the firm and feel as significant contributors to the welfare of the firm. The theory also explains the need for open and honest communication in the business, since workers lose motivation upon the reception of negative results of the business. It explains that leaders in an organization are mandated to communicate with the employees on the progress of the firm. By so doing, they are well-positioned to steer the firm towards success in both the short and long-terms.