COMMUNICATION IN ORGANIZATIONS.
Introduction.
Communication refers to the exchange of feelings, thoughts, ideas or messages, as by use of signals, speech, and behavior or in writing. Communication is fundamental for any management as it plays a crucial part in coordinating employees, and various organizational departments. Every successful organization uses communication as a central pillar of growth. Organizational communication refers to the process where activities are collected and coordinated to meet individual demands, as well as organizational goals. It is the structured flow of information that happens in an organization. Employee relations are built on organizational communication, and as thus its importance can hardly be ignored (Mann, 2013). Organizational communication, however, requires effectiveness if it is to contribute to business success.
Effective communication implies the ability to express feelings, thoughts, messages, and rules in a verbal or non-verbal form. It intends to communicate on culture, values, organizational structures, and situations. It does not, however, mean that having the ability to express opinions and desires implies effective communication, but it is also inclusive of expression of fears, needs, and also seeking help and advice. Effective communications goes beyond sending and receiving of calls, emails or messages to the understanding of emotions attached to such information (Anoop, 2012). Effective communication improves employee relationships by deepening their connection to the management, improving teamwork, problem solving, and decision making. Effective communication combines sets of skills that include verbal communication, and attentive listening (Cauffman and Dierolf, 2007).
Listening is one of the significant aspects of effective communication. Successful listening does not only involve understanding but also understanding the feelings of a communicator. In an organization, active listening creates an environment where everyone feels comfortable to share ideas, feelings and opinions. This allows clarity, fosters problem solving, improves team cohesion, and leads to brainstorming that increases innovations and creativity (Cauffman and Dierolf, 2007).
Importance of organizational communication.
Effective communication is a vital component of organizational success at all levels. A significant number of employee surveys indicate that most of the problems involving employee and management relations can be traced to poor communication. This leads to increase in errors, decline in productivity, confusion, low morale, demoralization, and dissatisfaction (Mann, 2013). This implies that the benefits of communication in an organization can only be realized when it is done effectively to meet the targeted needs and objectives.
Effective communication promotes employee motivation. Through informing and clarifying the expected output and behavior to the employees, they become motivated to improve on their performance and meet their targets. Lack of communication or ineffective communication causes confusion at work place, which leads to conflicts amongst teams and management (Anoop, 2012). Through communication, employees are provided with ways and means of performance development, which does not only boost their productivity but also play a critical role in business growth.
Effective communication acts as a bridge between management and workers. It facilitates relations between various departments, teams, management and workers. Through communication, the leaders convey organizational rules, which bind all the employees together. Such rules facilitate harmony amongst the employees as all of them become equalized minimizing cases of insubordination. The workers relate with each other at the same level without discrimination (Mann, 2013). This also minimizes chances of misunderstandings, conflicts, misrepresentations, and also boosts team work and improves on productivity.
Communication is a controlling function of an organization. It acts as the central control process in managing behavior and attitude towards work. Workers are made aware of the organizational principles and guidelines, which control their thinking, attitude and behavior. It is through communication that employees get to know of policies, their job roles and expectations, and organizational guidelines. Communication also acts as a platform where employees can air their grievances or give out their opinions to the management (Anoop, 2012). This not only improves human relations but also enables the management in meeting the needs of employees, which boosts productivity.
Forms of organizational communication.
Organizational communication becomes valuable where there are several parties involved. Besides employees, various stakeholders, customers, media, among others send crucial information to each other that plays a crucial part for business development. Different methods of communication are used in meeting the needs of the various parties involved in business growth (Thompson, 2007). This enables better understanding and information conveyance so that there is coordination among all business parties.
Organization communication may be in oral, written or by use of body language. Oral communication can be said to be the most used form, which uses face to face interactions or use of phones, among others. For effective oral communication, both parties require to exercise caution to avoid misunderstandings that may result from missed or misrepresented information. This implies that oral communication requires both speaking and listening skills. Written communication, on the other hand, provides detailed information that can be used for presentation and reference. In the recent past, verbal communication has been replaced to a significant extent by emails, which are considered faster and cheaper (At work, 2012). Apart from technical hitches that may occur, written communication plays a critical part for organizational development. Although the most commonly used methods of organizational communication are written and verbal, when it comes to management techniques, the power of body language or non-verbal communication cannot be ignored.
Every form of communication plays a part in effective communication. Coordination of the different communication forms assist in effective communication and passing of the right information intended (Anoop, 2012). In an organization, the choice of the right form of communication should be established through a criterion on the target audience, expenditure on the instrument, the long run intention of the information, and the frequency of information passed (At work, 2012).
Conclusion.
Effective organizational communication is crucial as it helps the workforce in understanding and pursuing organizational goals and objectives. It boosts both individual and organizational performance as every employee has awareness on his/her expectations. Organizational communication is dependent on the style of leadership and culture applied (Thompson, 2007). It is also crucial to have a flexible system of communication in an organization as a unit system might fail the intention of effective communication. Whether horizontal or vertical communication structure, it is essential to choose the form of communication that is fast and reaches as many employees as possible. Effective communication helps in building interpersonal relationships, less conflicts, solving of problems, better understanding, and in discussions that lead to the development of new ideas, which boost organizational growth. It is also essential that organizations keep a track of communication between workers, so that information reaches the intended party and at the right time without any alterations. It is impossible for organizations to run without communication. This is because communication does not only involve words but also behavior. It is, therefore, crucial to note that keeping silent in an effort to cease communication, is a non-verbal behavior that is also a means of communication.
Reference.
Anoop, P. (2012). How to manage the Negative Communication (feedback). Advances in management, Vol. 5(12).
At work. (2012, Jun 13). Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from, http://0-serach.proquest.com.oak.indwes.edu/docview/1020040734?accountid=6363.
Cauffman, L., & Dierolf, K. (2007). The Solution Tango: Seven steps to solutions in management. Chapter 2: Words Are Magic, Solution Tango. London: Marshall Cavendish Limited.
Mann, D. (2013). Cut the Jargon. Collector, Vol. 78(11).
Thompson, S. (January, 2007). Importance of Communication in an Organization. Retrieved June 26, 2013, from http://www.articlesbase.com
