How to Become More Effective Within the Organization - Essay Example

 Business Communication: How to Become Effective Within the Organization Executive Summary Business communication is considered critical for increased efficiency and productivity because it is the tool that creates understanding and trust within the work organization. If there is an element of uncertainty in the line of communication between management and frontline workers and among employees themselves, the risk is high for an organization to work at cross-purposes. It also inhibits the ability of management to increase employees’ participation and involvement and reach the employees in real time with vital information. This often happens in today’s business environment ushered in by technology and globalization, which is characterized by dispersed work groups that operate away from the home office. The current vogue in such a flexible working arrangement has added to the difficulty of getting business communication right. As it is, there are already enough sociological and psychological factors that prevent business communication from going around the organization in the sense that it was intended. This paper thus discussed all the perceived shortcomings in communication practices that have made businesses falter, and subsequently explored the methods by which business communication can be made more effective for the immediate and long-term benefit of the organization. Introduction People in organizations spend over 75 percent of their time in an interpersonal situation (Van Acker, online). Thus, it is no surprise to find that at the root of a large number of organizational problems is poor communications. Effective communication is an essential component of organizational success whether it is at the interpersonal, inter-group, intra-group, organizational or external levels (How-to Books, online). For human communication to be high in quality or effective, it must take into account not only the choice of language but also the movement of vocal cords, the reception of sound and its translation into neural signals, syntactic and phonological processing (Hauser, 1996). Even facial expressions and gestures influence the quality and outcome of communication (How-to Books). As for the communication message, social psychologists give it three components: content, context and treatment. Content is the essence of what one person desires to communicate to another, while context is the way the communicator presents the content of his message to his audience. As for treatment, it is how communication is arranged and conducted by the speaker, which supports the content and context of the message. In a business setting, empathy is vital in communication (Vyas, online). Lack of this element is said to be holding down the success of most organizations, where people spend 75 percent of their time in interpersonal, intra-group, inter-group, organizational and external communication. What needs to be done in these situations is to initiate communication by getting into the wavelength of your business contact first. That done, his response will be positive and he will be at ease in communicating with you. On your part, this requires a good listening skill, which will enable you to pick up areas of common ground between you quickly. The sad thing is good listeners are hard to come by since most people are far more interested in what they have to say, or what other people next to them at the business reception are saying. Poor listening ability damages the exchange (How-to Books). Bad listeners are identified by their penchant for making clever counter-arguments before the speaker is done with his piece. They like to interrupt the speaker unnecessarily and react emotionally to everything that has been said. Even when they keep to themselves, they show their poor listening ability by fidgeting in their seat or showing disinterest when the subject is dull, such as yawning or tapping their feet on the floor. As for the good listeners, the literature sets their characteristics as follow: they listen attentively and keep a comfortable level of eye contact with the speaker assuming an open and relaxed but attentive pose; they face the speaker and respond to what he says with appropriate facial expressions, such as a nod or a smile; they show self-discipline and reserve saying their piece until after the speaker is done with his; they reflect and summarize, such that when it’s time to have their say they repeat a key word or phrase from the speaker to show that all the while they have listened and understood (Guirdham, 1999). The reason everyday communication is seldom perfect is the presence of “noise” that the literature says interferes with the communication process. This noise may come in the form of language or people’s different perceptions of words. There are just no two people who would attribute exactly the same shade and meaning to the same words (Foundation Coalition). Someone who has been in the temperate countries, for example, accomplishes nothing if he communicates his thrill and excitement at skiing and romping on the snow to another person who has stayed all his life in the tropics. The other forms of noise are: unreliable and inconsistent message, receiver distortion, power struggles, self-fulfilling assumptions, cultural differences, and interpersonal relations. Communication Issues Communications is so difficult because at each step in the process there is a major potential for error. By the time a message gets from a sender to receiver there are four basic places where transmission errors can take place and at each place, there is a multitude of potential sources of error. Not surprisingly, social psychologists estimate that there is usually a 40-60 percent loss of meaning in the transmission of messages from sender to receiver (Barry, online). It is critical to understand this process, and be aware of the potential sources of errors and constantly counteract these tendencies by making a conscientious effort to make sure there is a minimal loss of meaning in communication. Juholin (2006) demonstrates the common errors that occur in communication with the example of a pregnant employee who tells her boss: "I won't make it to work again tomorrow; this pregnancy keeps me nauseous and my doctor says I should probably be reduced to part time.” The manager’s response was: “This is the third day you’ve missed and your appointments keep backing up; we have to cover for you and this messing up all of us.” The female employee appears to be communicating the simple message that she could not to work that day because of nausea related to her pregnancy, but she had to translate the thoughts into words and this became the first potential source of error. She may just be trying to convey that she would be late, but she was upset because she perceived that her co-workers were not as sympathetic to her situation as they should be. Her co-workers, however, were really being pressured by her continued absences and her late calls. So they wished she would just take a leave of absence, but the woman refuses because she would have to take it without pay. Thus, what appears to be a simple communication is, in reality, quite complex. The woman is communicating far more than that she would miss work; she is conveying a number of complex emotions, complicated by her own complex feelings about pregnancy, work, and her future. She did send a message but the message is more than the words; it includes the tone, the timing of the call, and the way she expressed herself. The manager, on the other hand, goes through a complex communication process in "hearing" the message. The message that the woman sent had to be decoded and given meaning. There are many ways to decode the simple message and in this case, the boss heard far more than a simple message that the concerned employee would not be at work today. The boss "heard" hostility, indifference and lack of consideration, among other emotions. This might not be what the employee meant, but this is what the boss heard (How-to Books, online). The imperative of modern business is to respond rapidly to changing developments in order to meet customer demands and improve the bottom line. This is easier said than done because most companies find it difficult to contact key decision-makers in a timely manner, what with business communication getting more complex by the day. An example of ineffective communication that harms the bottom line is the transport of perishable good. In the transport industry, time is of the essence and any delays in product or service delivery can cost the involved firm a bundle. For this reason, the transport crew of a shipment must get in touch with management to redirect the cargo in the event it is prevented from reaching its destination according to schedule. Otherwise, the shipment of perishable goods loses its value (Juholin, 2006). Barriers to Effective Communication The sources of noise or interference that can enter into the communication process are many and varied. This can occur when people know each other very well and should understand the sources of error. In a work setting, it is even more common since interactions involve people who not only do not have years of experience with each other, but communication is complicated by the complex and often conflicting relationships that exist at work. At the workplace, the sources of noise that can distort communication make up a long list. Language – the choice of words or language in which a sender encodes a message will influence the quality of communication Defensiveness and distortions from the past Misreading of body language, tone and other non-verbal forms of communication. Noisy transmission. Receiver distortion. Power struggles. Self-fulfilling assumptions. A manager’s hesitation to be candid. Assumptions – that is, assuming that others see certain situations the same you do. Distrusted source. Perceptual biases Interpersonal relationships – how we perceive communication is affected by the past experience with the individual. Cultural differences (Foundation Coalition, online). The difficulty of communicating to a fellow employee that comes from another culture is only too familiar to American employees of Japanese companies operating in the US. One of the most noticeable workplace practices of the Japanese is their tendency to handle problems among themselves, such that they would discuss the solution to their American counterparts, but not the steps required to implement that solution. Also, the Japanese staff is likely to send the relevant report direct to Japan without showing to their American co-workers. In this work setting, a breakdown in business communication is certainly unavoidable (Deetz, et al., 2000). Oral Communication The ability to communicate effectively orally is one of the major skills that employers seek in their new hires, but when the employees are placed at work certain conditions intervene to affect the effectiveness of oral communication. Vyas (online) believes the pressures of work and responsibilities may impinge on clear communication through such psychological factors as awareness, self-regulation, empathy and listening. Awareness is about knowing one’s internal states, impulses and resources, while self-regulation is managing these elements. In many instances, people could not control their impulses, resources and internal states, causing interference in oral communication. For example, one employee who dislikes the smoking habit of another employee is likely to misunderstand the message that the latter may be conveying to the former. Communication, the exchange of ideas and information, is the essence of how people interface with one another on the need to share ideas and to work effectively together. When one employee learns to communicate effectively with his superiors and co-employees, this enhances the opportunity for successful team working. In fact, over 90 percent of the perceived conflicts in a corporate setting are attributed to faulty oral communication between sender and receiver. In face-to-face encounters, the key to success is getting onto the wavelength of one’s business contacts as soon as possible. By thus putting yourself in the other’s shoes, you demonstrate an ability to empathize with him. Oral communication then becomes easy and will show positive responses. For oral communication to be high in quality or effective, it must take into account not only the choice of language but also the movement of vocal cords, the reception of sound and its translation into neural signals, syntactic and phonological processing (Hauser, 1996). Even facial expressions and gestures influence the quality and outcome of such communication (How-to Books). Non-Verbal Communication The literature postulates that as much as 76 percent of the message we give to another person during conversations is conveyed by non-verbal or para-verbal communication (Van Acker, 1997). Van Acker believes that the tone, volume, rhythm or cadence of voice is critical, even the blending and pacing of the conversation. In fact, 90 percent of the meaning people derive from communication comes from non-verbal cues that the other person gives (Foundation Coalition). Because of these non-language cues, like body gestures and vocal intonations, the message that a person intends to convey often acquires another meaning when it is communicated. What happens is that when the signal is mixed, the receiver is forced to choose between verbal and non-verbal aspects of the message. In most cases, the receiver chooses the non-verbal aspects and this creates tension and distrust because the receiver senses that the communicator is hiding something or being less than candid. All in all, the non-verbal cues in communication are used for purposes of repetition, contradiction, substitution, complementing and accenting. They can be visual (facial expressions and gestures), tactile (touching to emphasize meaning), vocal (voice tones that imply doubt, anger, etc.) and may involve the use of time, space and image. Use of time in communication has to do with one’s perception of his own power and status in relation to others, such that in a scheduled meeting with his employer, he needs to be there on time. Non-verbal cues are an integral part of communication, such that the non-verbal part actually means more than the verbal part of the message (Guirdham, 1999). These cues include the ability to listen not only to what the other person is saying but also to what he is not saying (Van Acker, 1997). In other words, use of silence is one way of making communication effective. Techniques of Transmission People have been communicating with each other since infancy, but the process of transmitting information from one individual to another is a very complex process such that miscommunication is an everyday occurrence. Social psychologists agree that 40 to 60 percent of the meaning in every message gets lost in transmission from sender to receiver. (Foundation Coalition) What happens is that in most situations, the actual message loses its way in transmission or the receiver heard a message different from the one intended. This is commonplace not only among people with cross-cultural backgrounds but also among people of the same culture. To get communication right, the literature suggests practical techniques of transmission that start with focusing the discussion on the information needed. Once that breakthrough is made, the communicator can then expand the discussion by asking open-ended questions or prompting the receiver for specifics by posing close-ended questions. For example, a member of your work team who had done well before now turns in delayed and ill-prepared reports. The communicator, instead of telling the subject right away that he has turned into a liability to the team, may complement him first for the excellent job he has done before and then ask why the change. Another tack is to ask the subject if he has any problem at home or at work that distracts his attention. Throughout the entire process, it is suggested that the communicator encourage dialogue through eye contact and body expressions, state his understanding of what the other is saying, and summarize the key points as the conversation goes along (Barry, online). Bridges of Communication Effective feedback is essential to organizational effectiveness because it enables people to know where they are and where to go next in terms of expectations and goals. Feedback taps basic human needs, which are to improve, to compete and to be accurate. Feedback can be reinforcing and, if given properly, it is almost always appreciated and motivates people to improve. For many company people, however, daily work is like bowling with a curtain placed between them and the pins in the sense that they receive little information from the top (Hauser, 1996). For communication to be effective within the organization, management must seek ways to overcome the innate reasons why people are hesitant to give feedback. These reasons include fear of causing embarrassment, discomfort, fear of an emotional reaction, and inability to handle the reaction. It is crucial for all people in an organization to recognize the importance of a positive feedback system. Withholding constructive feedback is like sending people out on a dangerous hike without a compass, which is especially true in today's fast changing and demanding workplace (Vyas, online). Survey For this paper, we surveyed the communication system of a medium-sized company from the perspective of a mid-level executive, who describes his position as deputy director for IT and head of technical services. The interviewee is responsible for his company’s IT-related communications to end-users, as well as for ensuring internal communications within the IT division. The purpose of the survey is to determine how the theories on business communication apply to the actual workplace. As expected, the company selected for this survey was not doing very well in its business communication, whose effectiveness was described by the source as “medium.” The source was requested to choose his answer among very good, good, medium and very poor. The reason communication is only moderately effective is because official communication from top management to the staff is supposedly rigid and centralized and is based on memos, office instructions and e-mail. Use of the Intranet does not help since this medium is static and use of instant messaging is also limited. Management is aware of this deficiency and the firm’s IT division is now experimenting with Web 2.0 type technologies, such as Wiki pages, that would help create informal communities and foster peer-to-peer communications and collaboration. In terms of oral communications, the company is also encouraging its IT staff to make short presentations about their projects or other new areas of interest. The way the interviewee sees it, the main barrier to effective communication in his organization is a culture of "official" communications linked with formal authorization processes for the text being prepared. Moreover, the employees are provided little training on effective communication. Nonetheless, the company has set certain standards for business communication, which dictate that general message to all the staff must be coursed through the Service Desk. This section harmonizes the information and tries to avoid “spamming” or sending anything to everybody. Information is disseminated to employees through meetings, project work documents, ideas and suggestions and a notification list is maintained for changes in company activities such as work schedules. The general problem for technical information is that we have a lot of documentation in general, but it is difficult to find it or to know about it. For non-technical type information, there is also a lot of corridor talks and rumours. On cross-cultural communication, the source indicates that the company has no clear policy on this subject, taking it for granted that everyone can co-exist with people from other nationalities. Thus, the interviewee admits that misunderstanding often occurs due to different interpretation of attitudes and language. The formalized structure of business communication in the company was adjudged to be its strength in this process, but this appears to be outweighed by a weakness related to the lack of a collaborative-type of communication that could enhance creativity, productivity and efficiency. Written Communication In business communication, written materials often come in the form of policies and other internal communication pieces are available only in English at 62 percent of the surveyed organizations. In a 2003 survey, Watson Wyatt Communication examined the relationships between business communication and financial performance through 267 communication professionals across the US. The study found that some 90 percent of business communication is conveyed through the written form. Nearly 30 percent of the surveyed organizations also translate their policies and communication into local languages, while less than 10 percent develop culture specific communication in local languages. The communicators’ role at the surveyed organizations is more often to use the professional discipline of communication to meet strategic business objectives. The organizations that communicate effectively handle major changes more effectively than other organizations, and that these organizations involve internal communication professionals earlier in the process. These organizations proactively develop a communication strategy to help manage change and also make more effective use of written communication, including targeted communication in various media to explain the reasons behind major changes to all employees. These organizations also are more likely to introduce communication practices designed to help employees recover from the changes, thereby accelerating their return to full productivity (Luss & Nyce, 2004). Solution Delays in decision-making caused by flexible working, in which more employees work away from the corporate headquarters than those stationary, can be addressed by a unified system of business communication (Forester Research, 2005). Placing the responsibility of communication in the hands of a single overarching unit is guaranteed to provide new flexibility and manageability across all modes of application, thereby enabling a company to disseminate information to the dispersed workforce. Such a unified system can break through the known communication bottlenecks, tie together IT applications with a simple user interface and support close collaboration across the enterprise. It is also expected to give competitive advantage by enabling employees to reach others more quickly and thus eliminate unnecessary delays caused by the difficulty of reaching key decision-makers in real time. To unify the communication system, all business information is coursed through a single address, using one telephone number or Internet address instead of the usual multiple addresses. Included in this system are collaboration and communication technologies like e-mail, instant messaging and scheduling through as devices as telephone, voice messaging and video (Forrester Research, online). The expected benefits from a unified communication process include: 1) Flexible work groups for faster problem solution, 2) Better valuation from existing internal applications, 3) Improved access to information and to a firm’s pool of experts, 4) Faster response to customer requests, 5) Avoids project delays due to communication silos, and 6) Greater control over work schedules and timeline adherence. Conclusion Business communication when effective has been shown to drive productivity and promote efficiency. The Watson Wyatt Communication survey, for example, associates an improvement in communication effectiveness with a 29.5 percent increase in the firm’s market value. Firms with better organizational communication earned shareholder returns nearly 50 percent higher than firms that communicated less effectively. If you communicate effectively, you’re 50 percent more likely to report employee turnover rates below or significantly below those of your industry peers. Effective communication across the company drives superior performance because employees then feel connected to the business and understand how their actions can support its mission. It even gives new employees solid connections to the corporate culture, starting from their initial days on the job. Communication also quickly connects employees to changing business challenges, facilitating faster adjustments to fluctuating market conditions. Management, on the other hand, effectively connects with employees through strong leadership during times of organizational change. Effective communication improves business performance by: Building a strong foundation of formal communication structure and processes, which rely on employee feedback and effectively use technology to connect with employees. Dealing directly with the strategic issues of change, continuous improvement and business strategy integration and alignment. Changing employee behavior by inducing changes in managers’ and supervisors’ behavior and by creating a line of sight between employees and customers In the sections that follow, we discuss the methodology used to determine the relationship between communication effectiveness and increases in market value.1 Communication is no longer a “soft” function. It affects business performance and is a key contributor to organizational success The results of the 2003 Watson Wyatt Communication ROI Survey clearly illustrate that “effective” communication programs do make a difference. Organizations that communicate effectively earn significantly higher shareholder returns and are associated with lower rates of turnover than other organizations. This can become a key differentiator in today’s highly competitive business environment. Bibliography 1. Barry, D. “The Importance of Effective Communication.” Available online at: http://web.cba.neu.edu/~ewertheim/interper/commun. 2. Deetz, S., Tracy, S. & Simpson, J. (2000). “Leading Organizations Through Transition.” Thousand Oaks: Sage. 3. Forrester Research Inc. (2005). “Unified Communications Transform Business Communication.” Available online at: www.forrester.com 4. Foundation Coalition. “Effective Interpersonal and Intra-team Communication.” Available at: http://www.foundationcoalition.org 5. Guirdham, M. (1999). “Communicating across Cultures.” Macmillan Business, Basingstoke. 6. Hauser, M. (1996). “The Evolution of Communication.” MIT Press, Cambridge MA. 7. How-to Books. “Improving Communication Skills.” Available online at: http://www. howtobooks.co.uk/business/networking/communication-skills.asp 8. Juholin, E. (2006). “Searching Paradigms for Communication of Work Organizations.” Department of Communication, University of Helshinki. 9. Luss, R. & Nyce, S. (2004). “Connecting Organizational Communication to Financial Performance.” Watson Wyatt Worldwide. 10. Van Acker, V. (1997). “Skills Related to Effective Interpersonal Communication.” University of Illinois, Chicago. 11. Vyas, K. “Business Communication.” Potentials Unlimited, Mumbai, India. Appendix Questionnaire: 1. What are your communication responsibilities in your organization? 2. How would you rate the effectiveness of the current communication system in your organization? 3. How can you improve the communication processes in the organization? 4. What do perceive as the main barriers to effective communication in your organization? 5. Do you receive any kind of in-house communication training? If so, what kind? 6. Does your organization set any official standard for business communication? 7. How is business communication disseminated in your organization? 8. What kind of communication issues and problems do you experience? 9. Is there any system for cross-cultural communication in your organization? 10. What do you see as the strengths and weaknesses of the communication system being observed in your organization? 11. What actions or solutions do you suggest to improve inter-office communication in your organization? Read More