TYPES OF UPWARD COMMUNICATION AND ORGANIZATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS IN JAPANESE FIRMS

Different types of upward communication in organizations have been examined from various points of view. However, few studies have directly discussed the difference between these types. This paper focuses on two types of upward organizational communication from middle managers to general managers in a business unit -the upward information flow of strategic ideas and the upward information flow of operational problems- and examines the impact of organizational factors on each of the upward information flows. Analysis of a questionnaire survey of 137 business units in 21 Japanese firms reveals that while the upward flow of strategic ideas tends to be affected by organic and employee-oriented factors, the upward flow of operational problems is predominantly influenced by factors related to mechanistic management systems and to a superior's power. The results suggest that a “soft” management approach toward subordinates could contribute to the activation of an organizational process of strategic formation, but might be ineffective in encouraging them to send bad news upto their superiors.