It is important so as to analyze the best technique that should be used to provide maximum profit to the company in terms of human resource management. Having talked about general human resource management in the previous section, it is now time to look at managing communication as a resource to the organization to ensure the company benefits from its information resource and what it can acquire from outside. This section is dedicated to tips and ways of managing communication through information flow from one level to another including to and from the organization.
Managing communications
In any organization, communication is an important aspect as it makes the management know the issues and what is happening in the lower on what needs to be level (Wood, 2009, June 22). On the same time, employees can tell the management done to improve productivity of the company. It is always important follow steps in some aspects of management since there should be right flow of information from senior management to the employee level. In this case, the clerks should not just go to the managing director to tell them of issues that would be solved by middle level management. In managing communication between employees, there are three aspects involved that include telling them in advance, giving enough information and ensuring messages are congruent. After the three aspects, we will also talk about tips that will help employers, and subordinates manage business communications. All these are the practices of human resource management that can be used in managing communication in the post bureaucratic era.
Aspects of managing communication
Telling them in advance
Communication starts as earlier as placing a job advert telling potential employees what they are expected to do. In this manner, they need to be told their expectations and skills they require to do their job that they will be assigned. When they join the organization, they are given induction training and that forms part of the advance information on what they will do. Human resource involves planning and scheduling what should be done (Townley, 1999). In the plans, employees should be involved in formulating them since they are the ones who will be more affected and be executing the same. Hence, they need information in advance so that they ensure the work is done perfectly. Every start of project employees should also be informed and told what they will do so that they follow that. Lastly, many organizations have come up with schedules of meeting every week or day to brief employees of what they will do before another meeting is set. This will help them manage their work and do the right thing always.
Giving enough information
There is always a problem when people are given scanty information to work on. This happens when instructors try to rush and think they have communicated well with employees. The result of such communication is poor performance, and things will be done without clear guidelines. In business, information and communication are very important, and scanty information is as useless and no information has been given. Better leave employees ignorant than giving them too little that will make things work in the opposite direction than the one expected.
In fact, many organizations have adopted open book management philosophy where common information can be assessed. In this case, there are notes and handouts of what is expected and employees are expected to consult the same in their normal work operations. However, it is important not to share every information with employees. That’s why there are different levels of authentication with information systems to ensure that authorized people access their given information. Provide just enough information needed in each level to ensure people are reading from the same page, and if conclusions were to be drawn by different people in the organization, it would be similar.
Ensure congruency of the message
This pertains to actions done by management while they tell employees what to do. Always practice what you feel is best as you preach the same to employees. This is important because actions speak louder than words and people have been misunderstood when they do contrary to what they say. The MD who tells people on working hours, should always try to come earlier and be with the employees instead of spending most of his time in gold and other social activities at the expense of office hours. This will give morale and encourgament to those who work under him or her (Beckerb& Huselid, 2006).
Tips for managing business communication
Employees are different, and each organization has different ways of dealing with communication issues. As per Pitsis (2012), there are four tips that can be used effectively as discussed in this section. The first tip is give and take where the employer should give information to his/her employees and be ready to listen and get their feedback. Sometimes those in the lower level might come up with information that is vital to the organization and giving them a chance will be beneficial. It is also motivating when an employee is given a chance to talk his/her views and especially when they are implemented. This calls for multidirectional communication in any meeting. Such chances have seen employees contribute to great decision making even if they are not in the senior management level of decision making. This will always encourage them to always participate in company affairs and come up with the best.
The second tip proposed by Pitsis (2012) is where employers are told to show that they care to employees, and their contribution is of importance to the organization. In any communication, the management should also show and acknowledge the values employees bring to the organization. Help them advance and make them get required information to do their work. Thirdly always be aware of data smog. This is a principle where too much information can be challenging. Define what should be asked and times of meetings. Discourage some people from entering to the data center as they might expose the company information to unwanted party. As long as employees might be trusted, don’t trust them with all your information. However, be consistent in organizing meeting between employees and management.
The last tip in this case is balancing internal and external communications. The way people should communicate with customers should not be necessarily the way the communicate with other workers. Try to control overlap between external and internal communication. In some cases, making decisions can involve three-way communication between employee, management and customers since they will be affected by the decision passed. However, this calls for trust and universal respect. There are those trusted customers who are likely to give the company information that they need in moving to the next level. It is important to invest in employee training program so that they are equipped with knowledge and skills that will make them handle the company information carefully and help the company get that vital information they need to gain competitive advantage. Invest in quality information system that controls information flow and ensures people get the right information they desire. Information protection is important by coming up with firewalls to keep away intruders and other competitors who might use the information in your database for their advantage to let you fall. Billions of dollars are spent in protecting company information since it forms essential part of the organization management and running.
In conclusion, to manage communication is as easier making employees feel the message and breath it wherever they are as they will always follow it. This is achieved by telling them in advance so that they know what is next in the schedule and try to do what they can to achieve company desired goals and objects. The second way we talked of is telling employees why they need to know, or the importance of the message being delivered. Good explanations and providing enough information help in making employees aware of what should do. This is achieved by making information freely available through available information systems. Give just enough and not everything because there should be a restriction on what each level of employee should know. Lastly, we talked of being congruent and doing what you are communicating so that subordinates follow you as an example and emulate what you are doing. We talked of tips that can help in managing communication in an organization where we talked of allowing feedback from employees, showing that you care, keeping away smog and managing external and internal communication flow.
References
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