COMMUNICATION

Effective Communication: A Vital Element in an Organization

Communication, as defined by Encarta Dictionaries, is

the process of sharing ideas, information, and messages with others in a
particular time and place. Communication includes writing and talking, as well
as nonverbal communication (such as facial expressions, body language, or
gestures), visual communication (the use of images or pictures, such as
painting, photography, video, or film), and electronic communication (telephone
calls, electronic mail, cable television, or satellite broadcasts). Communication
is a vital part of personal life and is also important in business, education, and
any other situation where people encounter each other. Organizational
communication is important in every business. People in organizations need to
communicate to coordinate their work and to inform others outside the
business about their products and services (Lievrouw, 2008).
I learned that communication is a source of delivering messages from one
to another. Through communication people share their ideas, feelings,
thoughts and emotions. Man carries out his needs and also helps others by
knowing each other. Communication plays a vital role in the working of any
business. Organizations have to communicate to carry out their business
activities. Organizations cannot meet their goals unless they have effective
communication. In any business activity manager is a key player and the
triumph of any organization depends on the relationship between manager and
his subordinates. Communication is a ribbon, which binds the management
and its official together. It is very obligatory for the success and excellent
performance of any organization. Communication helps the organizational
members to make both personal and organizational goals. And also help them
to co-ordinate on the internal activities of the organization. To the extent the
less effective communication of any organization is the less effective its
performance will be. In this respect the job of a manager cannot be ignored,
because problems occur when directions are not clear. Every manager should
be a good communicator. Because he is one who communicates the message to
one or a group. Communication is a very important part of any organization. It
takes place among business entities, within markets, various groups of
employees, buyers and sellers, service providers and clients, sales person and
prospective buyers, and within the organization and with the press.
Communication can be Internal, External, Formal, Informal. Internal
communication is that which occurs inside of the workplace. This type of
communication can be achieved via any medium, such as email, phone, fax,
face to face, website, etc. The motive of internal communication is creating a
dialogue with employees and giving them the opportunity to have an impact on
the business through the sharing of ideas and involvement. The external form
of communication is indeed an effective way to reach outside of an
organization. It can take place through letters, internet, calls, meetings and
advertisements. Formal communication is communication, which occurs
within limits of official rules, procedures, systems, formalities. It is controlled
by chain of command. Informal communication is exchange of information
among people on the spot. Gossip, grapevine, and chit chat are example of
informal communication. Communication is one of the basic functions of
management in any organization and its importance can hardly be
overemphasized. It is a process of transmitting information, ideas, thoughts,
opinions and plans between various parts of an organization.
Communication is defined as the process by which information is
transmitted and understood between two or more parties, the communicational
aspects of an organization have become an increasingly important strategic
issue; emphasizing that communication must be effectively adjusted for the
intended target group. Communication can be described as information flows
through various channels between a sender and a receiver, including
conformation of a message and elements of disturbance in the process.
Senders and receivers of information create a picture that is labeled profile.
Senders of information may include any stakeholder, sharing information. The
communication also includes non-verbal messages such as pictures, logos and
symbols. There are a number of barriers in a communication process,
sometimes referred to as noise. Differences in perceptions, filtering, cultures,
languages, distortion in perspective and the information overload are all
examples of communication barriers (McShane & Von Glinow, 2003). Effective
communication is extremely important to the success of an organization.
Studies have shown that communication correlates positively with many
organizational outputs, such as organizational commitment, performance,
organizational citizenship behaviors, and overall job satisfaction. In contrast,
the failure of communication may lead to detested results like stress, job
dissatisfaction, low trust, the decrease in organizational commitment,
severance intention, and absence (Zhang & Agarwal, 2009). Present day
technologies and organizations have transformed communications access
which can create difficulty when attempting to master the concept of
communication within an organization. It is safe to state; however, that when
all areas of an organization or group communicate effectively, the overall
workflow, productivity and in some cases, the moral of the group or
organization are greatly improved. For effective communications, there must be
a correlation of thinking between the sender and receiver of a message that is
being communicated. Regardless of the type of communication, whether verbal
or non-verbal, communication must remain consistent. Communication can be
defined as the exchange of information, thought and emotion between
individuals of groups, in other words, communication plays a fundamental role
in balancing individual and organizational objectives (BOYACI, 1996, p. 3-5).
Internal communication is that which occurs inside of the workplace. This
type of communication can be achieved via any medium, such as email, phone,
fax, face to face, website, etc. For example, some organizations have websites
that are used to communicate with “customers” outside of the organization via
the internet; however, the same organization may have an intranet that is used
within the organization and can only be seen by employees on that particular
network, internally. The intranet website at my particular organization, for
example, communicates all sorts of information pertaining to the organization
and its employees, from birthdays to information regarding benefits enrollment,
employee self- service, and more. The practice of internal communication has
evolved over time since its implementation in the 1800’s, due to the importance
of the survival and success of organizations. The motive of internal
communication is creating a dialogue with employees and giving them the
opportunity to have an impact on the business through the sharing of ideas
and involvement (Takenouchi, 2011) Organizations in the 21st Century have
begun to recognize the importance of employee engagement and the
contribution employees make toward the success of the organization. There is
research that has proven that keeping employees informed and provided with a
voice leads to higher levels of employee engagement. Yearly, within the
organization I work for, there are surveys taken by employees. These surveys
allow employees to voice their concerns, likes or dislikes about the
organization. Today there are many techniques and technologies used to
communicate within an organization. Some of those techniques are one-on-one
meetings, Staff/team meetings, emails, intranets, staff-to-staff newsletters,
corporate newsletters and annual reports. A large number of studies by both
professional management groups and professional communications bodies
consistently find that ‘communicating with employees’ is a useful and powerful
way of engendering greater ‘engagement’ – the propensity of the employee to
want to come to work and want to contribute to the success of the company
(Hopkins, 2006). External Communication- Talking to a customer, sending an
email to a potential client or making a phone call to vendors or someone
outside of the company you work for is an example of communicating
externally or external communication. A Although it is challenging to gauge the
effectiveness of all the strategies, tactics and tools that are part of today’s
external communication options, organizations have a need to continuously
adjust to a communication environment that is constantly changing (Newswire,
2011). Traditionally, the method of external communication was print, which is
still common, but of course modern technology has changed all of that.
Obviously, the internet has become a resource much more frequently utilized
in reaching new customers. The external form of communication is indeed an
effective way to reach outside of an organization but considering how the
impression of the organization is judged by the public, it is vital that those
driving the external communication procedures be aware of the image and/or
message being conveyed. There are distinct differences between formal and
informal forms of communication. Simply put, formal communication is any
correspondence that pertains to or promotes the organizations objective. It can
also be defined as the degree to which information about a job is transmitted
by an organization to its member and among the members of an organization
(Kandlousi & Abdollahi, 2010). It is formal communication within an
organization that relates to productivity, job satisfaction, costs, reduction of
conflict, trust reinforcement and overall satisfaction. Informal communication
is the exact opposite. Informal communication topics do not pertain to work
and are harmless, in most cases. The conversations that employees may have
at lunch or after a meeting about things that have nothing to do with work are
informal and take place at various times throughout the day. Although
informal communication is not related to work or the organization, it can very
well have an effect on the success of a group or environment within the
organization. Upward and downward communication refers to the flow of
communication at different levels within an organization. Upward
communication flows up to the higher levels of the organization. An example
of this would be an employee report back to his or her supervisor whom reports
back to their manager who reports to the director and so forth. Downward
communication flows down. When we consider the superior in a chain of
command, the colonel in the military for example, speaking with a subordinate,
such as a sergeant, we are recognizing downward communication. Important
elements in information flow are factors that affect the level of downward
communication, such as the relationship between superior and subordinate
(Anderson & Level, 1980). Lateral and diagonal communication is straight
forward as well. Lateral communication in an organization is the
communication that takes place between employees on the same level. The
communication one may have with a coworker in regard to job objectives would
be an example of such a flow of communication. Diagonal communication is
much like downward communication, but at an angle. A manager from a
different department of an organization may request information from a lower
level subordinate in the same organization, this would be an example of
diagonal communication. It is any interaction 2 or more hierarchical levels
apart or one hierarchical level apart but to an organizational member outside
the individual’s direct chain of command. (Wilson, 1992) Two trends have
revolutionized the workplace: the increased use of work teams and computers.
Organizations are becoming increasingly team based, and work that was once
accomplished by individuals is now delegated to teams (Goldstein, 1995). In an
organization with many employees, small groups can often give individuals a
sense of belonging; however, communication within these groups must be
effective in order for the group to be successful at accomplishing job objectives.
Non-verbal communication is a type of communication that takes posture,
eye movement, body language and even your appearance into account when
exchanging communication. Gestures such as eye contact, expressions or
attire and personal space can be powerful non-verbal cues. The lack of
communication in a group or organization can be extremely detrimental for
that group or organization. Some of the symptoms of poor communication are
conflicting goals and objectives, negative attitudes, measurable financial loss
and low morale and lack of enthusiasm.
Before I only learned that communication plays a vital role in the
working of any business because through communication people are able to
share and express their ideas and opinions. Without communication, an
organization cannot attain its goals and targets and members cannot perform
their task well. Communication can be Internal, External, Formal, or Informal.
But now, after I have done my readings online, I realize that there are a
number of barriers in a communication process other than mere noise.
Differences in perceptions, filtering, cultures, languages, distortion in
perspective and the information overload are also considered as
communication barriers. I agree to this statement that individual differences
can be a barrier to an effective communication because in a group where
everyone has his/her own beliefs, opinions, and ideas make or will likely arise
to conflicts and disagreement. I also learned that two trends have
revolutionized the workplace: the increased use of work teams and computers.
Organizations are becoming increasingly team based, and work that was once
accomplished by individuals is now delegated to teams. In an organization with
many employees, small groups can often give individuals a sense of belonging;
however, communication within these groups must be effective in order for the
group to be successful at accomplishing job objectives. I agree to this
statement that small groups can be effective ways of helping the organization
achieve its goals because in this way members are able to voice out their ideas
and suggestions and are able to show their skills and potentials.
Communication is one of the basic functions of management in any
organization and its importance can hardly be overemphasized. It is a process
of transmitting information, ideas, thoughts, opinions and plans between
various parts of an organization. Effective communication is required at
various levels and for various aspects in an organization. Establishing and
developing an efficient communication system is very important for any
organization since it helps to communicate vital messages effectively
throughout an organization. Usually it is the responsibility of a manager to
implement a proper communication system in an organization. Effective
communication is an important and integral part of any group functioning.
Managers need to communicate effectively in order for them to perform the
basic functions of the management process. All aspects of management require
the communication between the subordinates. Communication can be Internal,
External, Formal, Informal, Upward, Downward, Lateral or Non-verbal. Teams
have to communicate effusively in order for them to be successful in the
attainment of the set goal. Therefore, communication determines the
performance of the management. It determines the success or failure of all the
teams.
This school year, as a member of an organization (school), I will try my
best not to become a barrier to the smooth flow of communication in the
workplace. I may have my own perception about situations but I will find a way
to express it appropriately to my superior and to my fellow teachers. I always
believe that with effective communication, one can maintain a good human
relation in the organization. It might be a superior-to-subordinate relation or
subordinate-subordinate relations. Effective organizational communications by
supervisors and managers is linked to higher level of employee adjustment and
more positive organizational outcomes.

References:
Anderson, J., & Level, D. A. (1980). The impact of certain types of downward
communication on job performance. The Journal of Business Communication,
17(4),51. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com/docview/195700094?accountid=27313
Boyaci, C., (1996), “Turistik İşletmelerde Haberleşme Teknikleri”, Akdeniz
Üniveritesi Basımevi, Antalya.
Facey, J., (2013) Effective Communication: Skills that make leaders stand out
from the crowd. Mercer Human Resource Consulting. Retrieved August 17th,
2013 from http://www.ceoforum.com.au/article-
detail.cfm?cid=6128&t=/JoAnne-Facey-Mercer-Human-Resource-
Consulting/Effective-communication-skills-that-make-leaders-stand-out-from-
the-crowd
Goldstein, I. L., Guzzo, R. A., Salas, E., & , (1995). Team effectiveness and
decision-making in organizations. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Hopkins, L., (2006). What is internal communication? Better Communication
Results. Retrieved August 14th, 2013 from http://www.leehopkins.net/
Husain, Z., (2013). Effective communication brings successful organizational
change. Paper presented at the, 3(2) 43-50. Retrieved frm
http://search.proquest.com/docview/1330861392
Internal and external communication insights: Effective approaches for
reaching clients and co-workers. (2011, Nov 03). PR Newswire. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com/docview/901880619?accountid=27313
Kandlousi, N. S. A. E., Ali, A. J., & Abdollahi, A. (2010). Organizational
citizenship behavior in concern of communication satisfaction: The role of the
formal and informal communication. International Journal of Business and
Management, 5(10), 51-61. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com/docview/821297357?accountid=27313
Lievrouw, Leah A. "Communication." Microsoft® Student 2009 [DVD].
Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation, 2008.
McShane, S. L. & Von Glinow, M. A. (2003), Organizational Behaviour,
Rawes, E., (2013). Types of Communication in the Workplace. eHow
Contributor. Retrieved August 14th, 2013 from
http://www.ehow.com/info_7742528_types-communication-
workplace.html#ixzz2c9CfHrc3
Takenouchi, S. (2011). The evolution of the internal communications practice
and its importance to the survival of organizations. (Order No. 1497025,
University of Southern California). ProQuest Dissertations and Theses., 92.
Retrieved August 14th, 2013 from http://search.proquest.com/docview/
Wilson, D. O. (1992). Diagonal communication links within organizations. The
Journal of Business Communication, 29(2), 129. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com/docview/195713934?accountid=27313
Zhang, H., & N. C. Agarwal (2009). The mediating roles of organizational justice
on the Relationships between HR practices and workplace outcomes: An
investigation in China.
The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 20(3), 676-693