Is asking your employee redundantly, nagging?

You may know that asking a kid again and again works. For example, as a parent you may know that when you tell your child to brush once they will not do it, if you ask them twice they might listen but will still ignore however, the third time when you say do it now its works. Well research shows that applying the same logic of redundancy with an escalating sense of urgency works in the same manner with employees. It sounds like you are nagging which might be a waste of time but regardless it gets the work done. The message can be sent using different media so that it is not boring when the employees receive it. For example, you can send an email, the next time you can say it face to face the third time you can maybe text it.

There are two types of managers, one with direct power and the other with no –direct power. Both of them used the redundancy method of communication. However, the noticed difference is that the direct power managers did not create the same sense of urgency and persuasiveness in their follow up as the managers with no direct power. According to Neeley, “Those without power were much more strategic, much more thoughtful about greasing the wheel” to get buy-in and to reinforce the urgency of the previous communication.” (Silverstein, 2011) Since they are not direct they allowed others to feel the sense of urgency themselves instead of pressuring them. Often people tend to rebel when they are consistently told to do something. Research showed that managers with no direct power were successful at getting the work done faster.

Do you feel like you are being nagged at your workplace by your manager? Well guess what you are getting the work done which is why your manager is communicating the same message to you repeatedly.

Neeley, Kim. (2011, April 18). It’s not nagging: why persistent, redundant communication works. Retrieved from http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/6629.html