Report Overview - Coursework Example

Colleagues/ Staff Lack of Communication Overview Granted the competitive nature that exists in the business world today, organisations face the numerous challenges especially when it comes to decision making. In order to overcome this issue, good communication skills are no doubt one of the key skills any manager should be endowed with. Furthermore, the situation even gets worse when the manager is expected to communicate with the staff in the organisation as well as the external individuals with some form of stake in the organisation. This consequently makes it necessary for the managers in the organisation to be adequately informed and trained on knowledge management. Introduction Communication can only be successful and effective, it has to be two way. Therefore, this implies that a good manager should not only be a good orator but also a good listener. This means that it is not only the managers who would be the cause of communication breakdown in the organisation but the employees as well. Employees need to have the confidence to share any concerns they may have concerning the running of the organisation since in the end they also have some stake in the performance of the organisation. The aim of this report was to identify the possible causes of lack of communication in the organization, and from these propose possible recommendations that could ensure better management, and greater and better communication between managers and the staff. Causes of Lack of Communication There are six main causes can result in poor communication in the organisation. These include fear, lack of commitment, stress, difference in perceptions and distractions. 1. Fear. Fear makes the staff feel the urge to protect them. In such a case, they are likely not to be open to sharing any interests or thoughts pertaining to their work in the organisation. Consequently, this will result in subdued communication in the organisation. This makes it hard for the staff in the organisation to work towards attaining the goals and objectives of the organisation. Inevitably, the organisation will suffer and lose its competitive edge in the overly competitive market. According to the egalitarian theories of leadership, everyone at the place of work are equal and need to be treated like so. This will ensure that the employees feel free enough to easily share their views. 2. Lack of Commitment In an instance where the members of the organisation lack any form of commitment to the achievement of the goals and objectives, they tend to slack. They will not have the drive to perform well or do their assigned work to the best of their abilities. The staff will barely focus on what it takes in order for the organisation to success. The result of this is normally lack of communication. According to Douglas McGregor’s Theory Y of management styles, people will always exercise self-direction as long as they are committed to the objectives 3. Difference in Perceptions How the staff relates and views each other often determines how well they can work together and how good the communication is in the organisation. If the manager and employees having opposing views on a certain perspective of the business, it becomes hard for them to work together. In addition, if some of the employees feel that others are being favoured they are likely to have difficulty in working together. Diversity is to be expected in any organisation. If managers expect the diversity not to be a liability, it is important that employees and managers learn to respect each other’s differing views and perspectives. 4. Distractions Distractions such as loud traffic and poor lighting in the organisation will make the employees lose focus on their work hence act as hindrance to good communication at the workplace. The lack of attention due to the surroundings will lead to misunderstood messages, forgotten messages which will easily be lost in the scuffle. 5. Stress A stressful and emotionally charged environment can result in the communication between the employees in the organisation to be a little strained. It does not matter whether the stress is on a personal level or is caused by the work itself. The pressure and high level of emotion will result in many arguments and hence lack of communication between the employees. Recommendations Employees are one of the most essential assets for any organisation given the fact that they determine the organisations success in the long run. Therefore, they need to feel appreciated and that their work is valued. This will in turn give them the motivation that they requires to perform their assigned tasks to the best of their ability and inevitably guarantee the organisations long terms success and survival. For instance, the managers can take the initiative to applaud the good work by the employees by offering some form of reward for the good work they do. It does not have to be in monetary terms, the other ways in which to show promotion can be in terms of promotion, holiday perks and the likes. In addition, managers need to create some form of trust between them and their employees. This will ensure that the employees have the confidence to share any views and opinions they may have without holding back in any way. This freedom will create an ambience of sharing which ultimately benefits not only the managers, but also the organisations overall performance in the end. Trust can be developed by the manager ensuring that they actually do what they promise, and by actually doing their part of what it takes for the employees to success in their work. It takes everyone in the organisation working together to ensure that the organisations goals and objectives are achieved in the end. Expected Outcome High motivation and morale among the employees to work together with the management towards achieving the goals and objectives of the organization. Increased overall productivity of the organization. Crisis within the organization can be handled on time before it blows out of proportion. Conclusion In conclusion, communication is vital in the growth and prosperity of any organisation. The impact of lack of communication is it will lower the customer’s confidence and in general it will reduce the level of growth in the organisation. It is therefore important that managers learn how to communicate effectively with their employees at the right time and in the right time and vice versa. In addition, managers need to further take into consideration the audience to which they are communication with. Communication is crucial for any organisation because it ensures that the employees in the organisation effectively perform their task and duties assigned to them. In addition, effective communication within the organisation is beneficial in employee motivation since the employees are well informed and have clarity on what exactly is expected of them. The sooner the management takes the initiative to fix the communication problem in the organisation, the sooner they can collaborate with the employees in the organisations towards achieving the goals and objectives of the organisations. It is imperative that managers realise that overlooking a problem will not make it go away. Read More