Communication Techniques
Abstract
Communication is considered as an effective means to support the flow of information within and across the departments in an organization. The prevalence of globalization has intrigued the organizations to operate in different geographical regions due to which it has become critical for the organizations to maintain the adequate flow of information to support the work processes. Communication is also considered as a building block of the organization because it supports the managerial functions related to the planning, organizing and leading in an effective manner. The current paper enlightens the scholarly literature in which the techniques of communication that are used in the internal communication of the organization are discussed with respect to their efficiency and effectiveness. It has been observed that the formal and informal means of communication is significant in making the organization inclined towards innovation and work efficiency. The technological advancements have provided with the electronic means of communication, mainly comprising of instant messaging, electronic emails and video conferencing, due to which flow of information has become efficient within and across the departments. Similarly, the increased focus on maintaining the face to face communication by means of discussions, meetings and formal presentation ensure the formal means of communication and flow of strategic information in the organization. The organizations have also understood the significance of social media and its effects on the personal communication between the employees and hence, the use of social media to develop rapport and workplace relations has been enhanced. Similarly, the technology savvy organizations have developed enterprise social media platforms that support the internal communication in an interactive manner and ensure the productivity and work efficiency in the organization.
Keywords: Internal Communication, Organizational Communication, Organizational Efficiency.Introduction
The organizations incorporate the work process that are carried out by the employees and the efficient work processes require an effective level of communication. The prevalence of effective communication is considered as a significant constitutive of the organization because it helps in the development, composition, sustainability and efficiency of the organization. The organizational objectives are required to be identified, realized and delegated by means of the effective internal communication. The extent of communication in the organization supports the prevalence of motivated employees, which eventually leads towards the organizational effectiveness.
The prevalence of globalization has also enhanced the business prospects for the organization by means of operating in different regions of the world. The organizations operating at a global level need to maintain an adequate level of communication in order to support its work processes and ensure the departmental and regional integration. It helps in ensuring the employee engagement due to the provision of adequate knowledge that motivates the employees by means of understanding their contribution in the organization.
The formal and informal means of communication is observed to prevailing in the organization, in which the information is being transmitted within and across the departments. The adequate level of communication in the organization supports the sharing of ideas, which eventually leads towards the innovation and effective problem solving. Similarly, it also reduces the level of ambiguity among the employees with respect to their role in the organization and hence, the employees remain highly inclined towards their objectives.
The effective means of communication support the managerial functions related to planning, leading, organizing and controlling. It helps in the horizontal and vertical flow of information in the organization, which helps in the effective decision making and also keeps the employees and employers well-informed about each other’s inclinations and concerns. It helps in the delegation of work objectives and reduces the extent of bottleneck procedures in the systems of the organization. In this manner, communication is considered as a significant building component of the organization because it strengthens the effectiveness of the work processes in the organization.
Internal Communication
The flow of information that takes place within and across the departments of the organization is known as the internal communication.
The information that is communicated by means of the formal processes that are followed by the adequate authentication and systematic procedures to incorporate the communication within and across the departments.
Informal Communication
The information that takes place by the informal means regardless of any authentication and systematic procedures within and across the departments.
Literature Review
According to Cameron and Webster (2005), the prevalence of globalization and increased focus on quality requires the efficient means of communication within the team members and departments. The technological advancements have resulted in the development of the numerous technological means to communicate. In this instance, instant messaging and video conferencing has played a prominent role in enhancing the efficiency in the communication because it provides the team members with the opportunity to discuss and enlighten their concerns and objectives. It also provides the on-going information about to the managers about the access of the uploaded information to the team members. It helps in identifying the team members who have been communicated effectively and have acquired the recent information. It supports the two-way communication and provides the employees with the ability to work in a collaborative manner.
The study conducted by Cameron and Webster (2005) conducted the study in which the results from the data acquired by the interviews from the employees indicated that instant messaging is an effective means of communication. Moreover, it was also observed that instant messaging is a less rich medium of communication than face to face communication, however, it is perceived as an effective means of reaching the employees. Further analysis also suggested that it helps in maintaining the informal communication in the organization and helps in efficient development of project teams due to the enhanced level of personal relation among employees due to increased informal communication.
Cooren et al. (2011) has indicated the prevalence of internal communication as challenging and important to be maintained in the organization. It is implied that it supports the core functions of the organization and is found to be consistent across the departments. the employees are observed to be actively engaged in the grapevine or water-cooler conversations, which was traditionally considered as an unproductive act. However, recent studies have provided the evidence in which it is considered as an effective means of informal communication.
The literary analysis conducted by Cooren et al. (2011) indicated that managers have been using the prevalence of grapevine in the organization in a strategic manner. In this instance, the information is delegated to the employees, whereas their attitudes and inclinations are also observed by their communication via grapevine. Similarly, it is used to rotate the information about the environmental change and the organization’s need to evolve, which eventually makes the employees to develop a sense of belongingness with the organization. It also helps the managers to determine the employees’ reaction towards specific policies, whereas it also helps the employees to come across with the innovative solutions to enhance the productivity and problem solving.
The social interaction among the individuals has been the increased due to the technological advancements and the availability of social media platforms have enhanced the inclination of individuals towards social interaction. The prevalence of social media in the maintaining the communication has been observed to be effective in the daily life of individuals. However, the study conducted by Skeels and Grudin (2009) was focused on determining its effectiveness in the workplace communication. The scholars have argued that the increased inclination towards using social media platforms like Facebook and Linkedin at workplace can reduce the employee productivity.
The study conducted by Skeels and Grudin (2009) incorporated surveys from the technology savvy organizations and the results of the study indicated the effectiveness of social media platforms in the organization. However, the results also indicated that the employee productivity in accordance with the use of social media was also dependent on the employees’ age. Moreover, the employees that are highly inclined towards the achievement of organizational objectives and are engaged in their job were found to use the social media platforms to communicate rather than being unproductive. In this manner, the social media platforms are observed to be effective in recruiting employees, building rapport and work relationships among the employees.
The formal means of communication is also considered essential in circulating the strategic information throughout the departments of the organization. The prevalence of oral communication has been increased in order to ensure that the meetings and formal presentations in the organization remain effective. In this instance, oral communication has been included as a prerequisite in the academics of the graduates and managerial professionals to ensure the effective participation in teams and meetings. The effective oral communication via presentations and meetings support the prevalence of innovation and responsiveness towards the changing external environment for the organization (Crosling & Ward, 2002).
The study conducted by Crosling and Ward (2002) indicated that the organizational efficiency is highly dependent on the process innovations, which requires the cross departmental integration. Similarly, the decisions related to the quality improvement and process innovations needs the effective presentation of the ideas and critical information that is required to be communicated among the stake holders and key personnel of the organization. In this instance, meetings and formal presentations play a prominent role in the circulation of ideas and hierarchical flow of information throughout the organization.
The internal communication in the organization is considered significant and has been mentioned via memos and electronic mails in this decade. It supports the formal communication in the global business environment by means of circulating the formal information in an effective manner. However, the effectiveness of formal communication via memos and electronic mails have been questioned due to the richness of this medium. It is implied that it lacks the potential of communicating the situational cues to its audience and lacks the efficient means of face to face communication (Hewitt, 2006).
The study conducted by Hewitt (2006) was focused on determining the effectiveness of the electronic mail in the internal communication. The online survey was incorporated and the results of the study indicated that it has been used most commonly in the organization and is considered effective by the audience. It supports the managers and supervisors to direct their subordinates, however, it is not considered effective in reducing the prevalence of ambiguity. The electronic mails are considered effective is enhancing the awareness among the employees, whereas it is considered ineffective in directing the employees with the work processes and assigned objectives.
The organizations need to adapt in accordance with the changing external environment, due to which employees are also required to adapt in accordance with the organization’s inclinations towards the external environment. However, the prevalence of change in the organization is often resisted by the employees due to the lack of clarity of their contribution and effectiveness of change mechanism. In this instance, communication plays a prominent role in enlightening the employees to adapt in accordance with the external environment so that organization can remain sustainable in the long-term (Elving, 2005).
The planned change in the organization is developed strategically by the key personnel of the organization, however, it requires the acceptance of employees in order to execute the change strategies. In this manner, personal communication in the organization is considered effective in enlightening the employees with the need of change. Similarly, it can also help the employees to understand that their acceptance of change will make the organization sustainable. It will also help the employees to understand their contribution in the organization, which will eventually motivate them to utilize their full potential and support the strategic direction of the organization (Elving, 2005).
According to Jackson and Lichtenstein (2011), electronic mails are observed to enhance the organizational performance, however, they are also considered challenging for the employees due to their lack of ability to manage the electronic mails. It incorporates ineffectiveness and unproductivity because these electronic mails are not read in an efficient manner. In this instance, the study conducted by Jackson and Lichtenstein (2011) was focused on enhancing the effectiveness of the electronic mails in the organization. In this instance, an experimental study was conducted, in which the employees were provided with the adequate trainings to manage message in an effective manner and afterwards, their performance was measured.
The seminar based training and computer based training, in which the timely management of inbox and organization of messages in inbox was incorporated. The results of the study indicated that when employees were able to manage the electronic mails in their accounts, then they were able to utilize the acquired information from emails in an effective manner. It ensured the effectiveness of electronic mails in the organization, enhanced the productivity and reduced the cost of communication within the organization (Jackson & Lichtenstein, 2011).
The prevalence of social media in the organization is considered effective due to the organizations have enhanced their emphasis towards the development of the enterprise social media platforms in order to support the informal internal communication. In this instance, enterprise social media ensures the provision of a platform where the employees can interact like the external social media websites, however, these platforms are maintained internally which ensures that the internal information can be remained classified within the organization (Leonardi et al., 2013).
The study conducted by Leonardi et al. (2013) indicated that the enterprise social media enhances the extent of communication and helps the organization to determine the prevalence of grapevine. It also helps the organization to determine the influential employees in the organization and can direct the employers to select the potential leaders. Similarly, the close group discussions can enhance the project efficiency and support the formal and informal communication within the teams. Moreover, it helps in the development of a friendly environment in the organization due to which employees develop a sense of belongingness with the organization.
Conclusion
The prevalence of communication has been remained significant in the organization in order to enhance the efficiency in work processes. The employees are considered to carry out the work procedures due to which it is required that they remain intrigued and engaged in their work related tasks. In this instance, communication plays a prominent role in keeping the employees engaged by means of providing them with the adequate level of information to keep them motivated. Communication is also considered as a strategic tool to support organizational change, promote innovation and healthy workplace environment in the organization. It also helps the mangers to determine the attitude of the employees and keep them satisfied by means of addressing their needs that are identified during the informal communication. The technological advancements have resulted in the development of electronic means of communication which are considered as rich mediums of communication and are considered close to the face to face communication. The prevalence of instant messaging, electronic e-mails, formal meetings, presentations, social media, enterprise social media and video conferencing has provided the effective means of communication that are considered effective and efficient in supporting the horizontal and vertical flow of information in the organization.References
Cameron, A. F., & Webster, J. (2005). Unintended consequences of emerging communication technologies: Instant messaging in the workplace. Computers in Human behavior, 21(1), 85-103.
Cooren, F., Kuhn, T., Cornelissen, J. P., & Clark, T. (2011). Communication, organizing and organization: An overview and introduction to the special issue. Organization Studies, 32(9), 1149-1170.
Crosling, G., & Ward, I. (2002). Oral communication: The workplace needs and uses of business graduate employees. English for Specific Purposes,21(1), 41-57.
Elving, W. J. (2005). The role of communication in organisational change. Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 10(2), 129-138.
Hewitt, P. (2006). Electronic mail and internal communication: A three-factor model. Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 11(1), 78-92.
Jackson, T. W., & Lichtenstein, S. (2011). Optimising e-mail communication: the impact of seminar-and computer-based training. International Journal of Internet and Enterprise Management, 7(2), 197-216.
Leonardi, P. Huysman, M., & Steinfield, C. (2013). Enterprise Social Media: Definition, History, and Prospects for the Study of Social Technologies in Organizations. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 19(1), 1-19.
Skeels, M. M., & Grudin, J. (2009, May). When social networks cross boundaries: a case study of workplace use of facebook and linkedin. In Proceedings of the ACM 2009 international conference on Supporting group work, 95-104.
