Introduction
Communication is an important aspect of socialization, business organizations, teams and even marketing or communicating to the public. Communication is an important part of creating relationships and networks. Communication in teams in an organization helps in the process of effective instructions as well as strategy formation (Pearce, 2009). Communication plays an extremely important role in almost every field and so it is important that there be effective usage of accuracy and power to control in case of communication as this can help in ensuring effective communication (de Valenzuela, 1992). In present times of globalization mass communication is crucial and it cannot be disregarded as a form of communication because it leads to dissemination of information which is the most crucial part of communication. This leads to a different aspect of power to control in terms of producer of the message and the interpreter of the message as well as the various levels of control that they possess (Baudrillard, 1994).
Communication and power to control
Power is an extremely important element in leadership, management of organizations as well as conflict resolution. Power helps give authority to various instrumental people in the organization, especially in case of decision making (Pearce, 2009). But in case of communication, the power to control refers to the power to control accuracy in communication. In this way it is possible for them to impact the interpretation of a message. Information and communication in today’s world of business creates opportunities and provides competitive edge. Timeliness and accuracy of information are very essential to ensure high levels of accuracy in communication at all points of time. This is possible through control over the interpretation of the message or its accuracy (Baudrillard, 1994)
There are several functions and factors that impact power to control in communication. The successful cross cultural business approach depends to some extent on the effective oral & written communication. Though more communication in global arena is oral, written communication also contributes so much for understanding the oral communications (Gerbner, et.al., 1986). The great deal of the information is communicated orally. Oral communication may be face to face meeting of individuals (Mervin, 2005). The oral communication may provide for the speedy inter-change with the quick feedback. English plays vital role in the international written messages, this is required for us for making messages as clear as possible. To understand business communication practices of various cultures can help us for communicating effectively. Tone of the voice is the means by which speaker implies his attitude to message. This is also the means by which he can seek reaction from hearer. In this way the power to control the accuracy in communication lies with the producer of the message as well as the interpreter. In this way the context in which it is said should be known and also it is extremely important that these factors be understood and providing a balanced level of power to both the producer of message as well as the interpreter of the message (Baudrillard, 2005).
Power held by producer of message
Power status plays an extremely important role in communication and excessive power difference is capable of leading to distorted communication or communication gaps which can be harmful to the effectiveness and efficiency of communication in an organization. It is extremely essential that the producer of the message is able to understand the impact of the message and control the tone or the language or even the grammar used in the message to avoid any conflicting message in the process. “Communication between a supervisor and a subordinate in an organization can be distorted because of unequal power status” (Gerbner, et.al., 1986). Communication is an essential aspect of every organization. Communication in today’s world of business creates opportunities and provides competitive edge. Timeliness and accuracy of information are very essential to a business. The present business scenario is well developed and well equipped with sophisticated technology to handle bulks of information. But the most important task is the filtering of useful and critical information. This makes information management a very important function and a criterion to achieve operational efficiency (McCombs, et.al., 1972).
Power held by interpreter of the message
The culture generally concerned with the beliefs & values on base of which the persons interpret experience & behave in groups & individually. Similar people may belong to many cultures which depend on their nationality, birth-place, family status, ethnicity, age, gender, language, physical condition, education, profession, religion, place of work & the corporate culture. In international scene, identifying & knowing cultural differences may make big difference between the successful business’s negotiation & mortifying the rejection (Samovar, et.al. 2009). This leads to differences and communication gaps in case of communication and interpretation. The intercultural communication process may be referred as any of the inter-personal interaction between the person belongs to variant cultural, which varies from one the other because of the diverse background, communications & linguistic behaviours, communication’s interpretation, word meaning & communication style (Samovar, et.al. 2009). The intercultural communications interaction includes verbal & non-verbal messages. The intercultural communication process is dynamic because of always evolving & changing.
The successful cross cultural business approach depends to some extent on the effective oral & written communication (Flatley, et.al., 2012). Though more communication in global arena is oral, written communication also contributes so much for understanding the oral communications. The great deal of the information is communicated orally. Oral communication may be face to face meeting of individuals. The oral communication may provide for the speedy inter-change with the quick feedback. English plays vital role in the international written messages, this is required for us for making messages as clear as possible (Anand, 2010). To understand business communication practices of various cultures can help us for communicating effectively. Tone of the voice is the means by which speaker implies his attitude to message. This is also the means by which he can seek reaction from hearer.
In this way the power distance leads to causing of ineffectiveness in communication as there is no scope for them to communicate without structural barriers (Flatley, et.al., 2012). These structural barriers which are caused due to the wide gap in the power distance are of huge importance and are to be used in a positive manner. It becomes very important to bridge the gap in the power status of superiors and subordinates as it leads to effective communication. In case of the power distance being reduced and open communication begin formulated, it becomes possible for people in an organization to freely exchange ideas and thoughts which is extremely useful a resource to the organization (Flatley, et.al., 2012). Communication, when effective, can help in the process of sharing of critical information which can lead to obtaining of a competitive advantage to the firm. This is useful to the firm in several ways including in innovation and implementation of change (Gerbner, et.al., 1986).
When we compare mass communication to personalized communication, then we can clearly spot several differences. This includes the main difference that we find in case of allocating the message to the receiver and spotting the sender (Shannon & Weaver, 1949). This difference causes a huge gap between mass communication and personalized communication (Baluska, et.al., 2006). It becomes important that there be effective bridging of this gap through mass customization which can help cater to the needs of different sections of people in the society. This also impacts communication and its interpretation to a great extent (Noelle-Neumann, 1994).
Conclusion
Communication plays an extremely important role in an organization. Effective communication in an organization helps in the process of effective instructions as well as strategy formation. Communication between a superior and a subordinate is a crucial element of business communication, the reason being that they operate at two different levels of business operations and this causes the need for them to co-ordinate effectively in order to channel their efforts towards the overall objectives and strategic objectives of the organization (Armstrong, 1980). In this way, communication as well as its accuracy are extremely important elements that should be maintained in case of managing communication in all situations and power to control lies between both the producer of the message as well as the interpreter of the message.
References
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Higher Education
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