Introduction
Communication Management is one of the most important aspects in any working setting and every formally organized institution, be it money-generating, governmental, non-governmental or even just a charitable organization. This is based on the fact that communication is one of the key elements that sustain a company’s coordination between all its departments and sections, and for this reason the company is able to run with minimal hitches which may otherwise be caused by lack of proper relaying of information or communication breakdown between one department and the other. Communication management is not entirely based on the relaying of information within a given organization’s departments, rather, it is also based on the sending and receiving of information from one organization to another, for example as in the case of business partners (O’Rourke, 2007, p. 24). With this background information therefore, communication management may be defined as the organized systematic monitoring and implementation within or between organizations or institutions founded on efficient networking as well as application of effective communication backed by information and computer technology.
The better the communication means applied by any company or institution, the more efficient the communication. It is important to note that communication is only efficient and effective when its initial relaying is carried out efficiently, for example, communication should be effective on the ground level which is therefore between the employees in the company/ organization for it to be effective within the entire institution/organization (Bell & Smith, 2010, p. 13). This paper therefore seeks to define how to implement effective communication within an organization based on both managerial and technological foundations, as well as how to avoid barriers that may hinder effective communication, as well as identify the skills that can be applied to ensure communication is efficiently carried out, both at personal and organizational levels, and how this affects organizational performance on the overall.
Communication within organizations
Effective communication within different organizations is based on various factors that in turn affect the relationship between various departments, employees/staff as well as the interaction and relations (both diplomatic and commercial) between one organization and another. It is however important to note that communication within an organization is not entirely based on the company’s management department. Rather, various other factors affect communication management within and with other organizations, the most important one being effective Information and Computer Technology. For this reason therefore, communication can be viewed from two perspectives; the managerial communication based on basic sending of information between departments within a given corporate organization and the technological aspect of sending and receiving information based on networking and effective computerized input. There are various factors that affect communication in organizations, both on the technological as well as managerial platforms. Its is however important to note that managerial communication management is more affected by various factors that affect employees since it is a part of human relations that ensures effective communication between people in various departments (O’Rourke, 2009, p. 123).
Factors affecting communication management in organizations
Some of the factors that affect communication management and effectiveness are human factors while others are organizational factors, all of these based on the relationship created over time between the two communicating parties. Culture and ethnicity is one of the greatest human factors that hinder effective communication between various parties. This is based on the people’s general perception towards specific issues based on their ethnic or cultural beliefs concerning the issue. Examples of these cultural hindrances especially in many working settings include the opinion that women are second to men. In such cases, men will try to solve an issue themselves within the organization without involving the ladies, and this might be disadvantageous to the organization since the females are just as qualified as the males, and should therefore be involved in decision-making.
Dynamics and differences between people in the organization is also another factor that can hinder effective communication based on the fact that these dynamics lead to differences in perceptions towards the same issue under discussion. Knowledge management is another factor that should be considered especially because as stated concerning dynamics, people in the same organization might have different levels of knowledge concerning a given issue under discussion based on various organizational aspects such as specialization (McJannet, 2007, p. 78).
General management of an organization also affects communication’s effectiveness, and some of the factors under general management include meeting management, for example the specific times when weekly, monthly and annual meetings are held. Timing is an important aspect to consider in communication management, and this is based on the fact that issues such as the stakeholders’ availability within a specific time might be affected, and meetings should therefore be held when all the stakeholders are available, and prior information is important because planning is an important aspect not only to the organization, but its stakeholders also.
Lastly, technology is another important aspect to consider in communication management, because as earlier stated, communication is best achieved with efficient and up to date technological application. Factors such as flow of the relayed information, defining communication strategies and preferences are all determined by the state of the technology used in the organization (Unwin, 2009, p. 116).
All the above mentioned areas are some of the most important points of preference in pursuit of establishing effective communication within an organization. For this reason therefore, the communication management team should work hand in hand with the IT department to ensure that they are all addressed effectively and as stated with reference to their needs. It is however important to note that communication management has developed in many organizations especially with the gradual global development of information technology and management within organizations (Brown & Malfas, 2009, p. 45-6).
References
Bell, A. H. & Smith, D. (2010). Management Communication. New Jersey: Wiley.
Brown, B. & Malfas, E. (2009). A Guide to Microsoft Office 2007: For Information and Communication Technologies. New York: Lawrenceville Press.
McJannet, L. (2007). Management Communication: Principles and Practice. New York: McGraw-Hill.
O’Rourke, J. (2009). Management Communication: A case analysis approach. 4th ed. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
Unwin, T. (2009). ICT4D: Information and Communication Technology for Development (Cambridge Learning). Cambridge: Cambridge University Pres.
