Inconsistent messages (Ch 15)

The authors emphasize how important it is to not focus on one single message when trying to understand organization communication. It is true that we all get exposed to multiple messages and it is almost up to us to figure out what the real message is. I noticed however that the higher the number of messages the more inconsistent the messages are. Inconsistent messages make it more difficult for the recipient to "decode" and understand that is really being communicated. For example, I receive many messages from my direct manager and more often than not his messages are not consistent or aligned with the messages I receive from his management. As the recipient of both messages, it is not easy to figure out what I should really do. One specific situations occurred not long ago when my direct manager wanted me to focus on a specific projects and gave me a deadline and his management sent a memo asking us (me included) to work on project that would allow a specific team to be "more scalable". In other words, my direct manager wanted me to be reactive and his management wanted me to be proactive. When I asked for clarification, I received a very vague answer.