Importance of listening
Listening is an active procedure that involves the focus on what is said. Furthermore, the listener must not allow other thoughts to permeate into the process. For this reason, proper listening requires a lot of focus and a strong ability to comprehend. It is only then that proper communication can occur between individuals or a group of people. Good communication enhances teamwork and reduces the chances of conflicts.
Entrepreneurs and small business owners need to employ serious listening skills. Moreover, they need to foster the same ability to the other employees. When people within an organization can communicate properly, all process will proceed smoothly. The flawless running of the business will go a long way in generating business growth as well as enhanced profitability. The primary goal of any business or organization is to achieve its maximum potential.
When there is good listening in an organizational setting, the productivity of employee’s increases. The reason behind this phenomenon is that there will be less misunderstanding between workers and management. Instructions will get followed to the latter and fewer mistakes committed. With fewer errors, the company will now proceed faster towards its set goals.
People can work on their listening skills through training themselves to focus completely on the words being said. They also need to learn how to avoid any distractions that will interfere with the listening process. Leaders need to illustrate a caring attitude towards other employees, especially the juniors. Studies have shown that employees respond to open-door policies. They feel more free in environments where they can raise their complaints. They also desire to express their opinions without fear of judgment or discrimination.
An open environment raises trust between leaders and workers. For a leader to guide his or her followers effectively, proper communication needs to get enhanced. The openness of the leaders makes the employees more willing to cooperate and work with the manager. Domineering and inconsiderate leaders generally face a low rate of cooperation. Workers also report a high rate of dissatisfaction with the work environment (Harrison & Doerfel, 2006).
Proper listening skills will reduce performance problems. A faster work rate will get achieved because people will listen to each other on how to best accomplish tasks. The work thus proceeds at a faster rate. A Proper comprehension of instructions leads to fewer accidents as a result of mistakes caused by judgment and poor understanding.
Supportive Work Environment
A supportive climate is a group atmosphere that enhances team effectiveness. The main patterns of a positive work environment include; description, problem orientation, spontaneity, empathy, equality, and professionalism. To become more descriptive users need to use the "I" language. Their descriptions must be accurate, and they also need to eliminate editorial comments. Supportive environments typically focus on the issue and not the person. They try to become cooperative.
These environments breed more honesty and straightforwardness. Being straightforward implies that an individual has no any hidden agendas. This process goes a long way in enhancing the trust and cohesiveness in team members. Other benefits are that people respect each other. Furthermore, they do not set each other up for failure. This action is a sign of malice. For example, in a firm where people try to undermine each other, rivalries develop. People then aggregate into small groups. These individual groups perceive each other as rivals, and it becomes difficult to get them to work together.
Supportive work environments encourage the acknowledgment of mistakes. Through admitting errors, employees get the opportunity to learn from their lessons. They get shown the right way to correct their failures. Showing concern for each other enhances the bond of friendship among both staff and management. Finally, empathy is the ability of an individual to think and feel what they perceive another to be thinking and feeling. All leaders and workers must communicate concern and involvement for other group members and group tasks (Cook, 2009).
Defensive Work Environments
Defensive climates are group atmospheres that impede team effectiveness. Patterns of defensive environments include control, evaluation, strategy, neutrality, superiority, and certainty. When people get a feeling that they are getting constant monitoring, they tend to become self-conscious. Furthermore, people also react negatively when it appears like people are judging them. This situation leads to misunderstanding since people are not free with each other.
Employees do not like people who try to control or dominate them. When they perceive such a person, they tend to avoid working with them. Deep down, they will also not have respect for that individual and are less likely to cooperate with that person. Regarding strategy, most people hate being manipulated. Manipulation makes them feel used, and this brings a feeling of inferiority. The sense of inferiority lead to lower self-esteem and this will affect the passion for work and the ambition of the individual. Lack of ambition leads to lower productivity.
When other people feel superior to others, they risk alienating themselves from the rest of the team. Most individuals dislike individuals who possess superior attitudes. This situation leads to lack of cohesiveness which will hinder team spirit. Workers also do not like dogmatic leaders. They prefer leaders who let others speak. They also prefer people who can acknowledge their faults. In this case, provisional language is very important. Indifference to group members makes people defensive. It further enhances any rifts that might have earlier formed within the group (Ashforth & Lee, 2010).
References
Ashforth, B. E., & Lee, R. T. (2010). Defensive behavior in organizations: A preliminary model. Human Relations, 43(7), 621-648.
Cook, A. (2009). Connecting work–family policies to supportive work environments. Group & Organization Management.
Harrison, T. R., & Doerfel, M. L. (2006). Competitive and cooperative conflict communication climates The influence of ombuds processes on trust and commitment to the organization. International Journal of Conflict Management, 17(2), 129-153.
