Communication is the process of passing information from one person to another. Communication is important in any organization. A company should have a good communication strategy for it to succeed in the current global market. This research paper will evaluate the communication strategy of Toyota Company. Toyota is a global company that sells its vehicles in various parts of the world. For it to co ordinate its activities well, a good communication strategy is necessary.
Toyota has many branches all over the world and many employees who need to work together. There is a need to also communicate with different branches. In addition, the company needs to communicate with its customers. Currently, the company has put in place different communication strategies. First, there published materials that are usually distributed to different stakeholders. This is especially so when information is common to all. In this case, the published materials can be distributed to the various stakeholders.
Meeting briefs are also a common phenomenon in the company. The branches may call for meeting within the organization to discuss various issues. Through these meetings, messages are easily passed. In addition, Toyota Company encourages consultations. This is whereby employees can seek for clarifications about issues they are not sure of from the relevant stakeholders. For example, employees can seek for clarification about the duties assigned to them from their senior managers through consultations.
There are several means of internal communication in the organization. Face to face communication is common in the organization where people meet and discuss issues. Notices are also used to pass general information. Newsletters are used to pass information to both outsiders and people within the organization. Other means are also available to communicate to the external stakeholders. They include the use of emails and telephone calls. The organization can communicate to its customers by sending emails and also through telephone calls.
Good communication system is important in ensuring satisfied customers and employees. Work in the organization can be made easier with better communication. Effective communication should be fast, accurate and flow I both directions. Information should flow both upwards and downwards. The company should therefore take several measures to improve both internal and external communication.
Toyota Company should adopt organizational socialization as a way of facilitating communication. In this sense, any new employees should be made to know the culture in the organization regarding communication. The attitude towards different people in the organization should be positive to ensure that the workers are able to perform their duties together as well as learn from one another. Generally, the company should put in place measures that are meant to bring the workers together to enable them share information. There should be events to bring the workers together once in a while to facilitate socialization that enhances communication.
Group dynamic is another factor that should be put in place to enhance communication in Toyota Company. People from different tribes, races and religion should be put into the same group. These groups should then have leaders. The communication between members of groups becomes easy and the relationship between the workers improves. They share a lot of information together and this facilitates solving of various problems. The only problems that are passed to the higher management level are the ones that cannot be solved in the groups and are usually rare. Upward and downward communication becomes easy since the top managers pass information to the sub ordinates through the group leaders. The group leaders also communicate to the managers on behalf of the group members.
Toyota employees should be given the responsibility of ensuring complete communication with their clients. They should be able to follow the demands of their customers and ensure that they are able to give any information needed by the customers. This can only be possible if they have the authority to give any relevant information needed by the customers and also o if the means to supply the information are available. The company should avail mobile phones to the employees and also computers so that they are able to make calls to the customers and also sent emails to them. When the employees feel that they are able to satisfy the needs of the employees, they are motivated and this is what facilitates the good performance of the employees.
Conflict management is another aspect hat is important for communication processes in an organization. It should be noted that conflict resolution and conflict management are different things. Some conflicts that exist in groups are not sometimes dangerous. As a result, Toyota Company should put in place measures to ensure proper conflict management. This is whereby the negative effects of conflicts are eliminated but the positive results that facilitate learning in the organization are enhanced. Therefore proper communication can be enhanced through proper conflict management.
In conclusion, the fact that Toyota is a big company means that communication is a n important factor. Therefore the company should put measures to enhance communication especially through application of the modern technology so that the company is at the competitive end in the global market.
