Allocated Management Practitioner - Essay Example

Introduction The intent of this paper is to discuss the importance of communication as a part of organizational behaviour drawing closely from the existing theories of communication and applying them to the article provided. This way, the theoretical claims presented background information on OB can be tested and applied against the articles real life scenario. The article is titled “How to improve staff communication”, it was written by Rebecca Clarke and its point of departure is a study carried out by CIPD which revealed that although most employees acquiesced to being aware of the going-ons in their firms, they did not trust the management. These findings, according to the writer are evidence of how critical it is for management to ensure they improve communication strategy by making it a vital part of their HR practice and strategy. To facilitate this, the writer makes several recommendations towards what they think should be done, this include; having a shared purpose, convincing the leaders, engaging the staff, taking the existing channels of communication to account, maintain a personal touch, working in collaboration with the stakeholders and finally measuring and evaluating the results. In summary, the writer can be seen as trying to assert the importance of communication for its own sake and also the importance of letting the staff and other stakeholders appreciate and understand the benefits of communication. Literature Review For a long time, managers and researchers have agreed that organizational success is not separable from smoothness in the communication process, in every organization; the most effective employees are those that have open communication with their manager and leaders (Snyder and Morris, 1984). This is because communication helps them build health working relationship which serve, among other things to improve their organizational identification and thus boost their performance making it more effective (Gray & Laidlaw, 2004). In addition, when there are major organizational changes involving mergers or layoffs, in a firm where employees have open communication to management, it will be relatively easy to deal with such (Gopinath & Becker, 2000; Schweiger & DeNisi, 1991). When there is a culture of communication whether vertical or horizontal, managers and employees are better able to deal with job stressors, which would otherwise negatively affect performance. The Organizational support theory proposes that with time, employees come to form global beliefs, which are founded on the manner in which they are treated by their employers especially in regard to positive valuation. Various studies have concluded that effectiveness in management communication in which management embodies openness; high frequency and accuracy in information sharing as well as performance feedback have a positive impact on organizations performance. Nevertheless, it has been suggested by several researches that the process underlying, or what contribute to this performances are not as understood as they should (Tsai, Chuang & Hsieh, 2009). However, despite it being common knowledge that communication is vital for organizations to function well, the factors that comprise this end are not as obvious. Based on the organizational support theory, among these include, POS (Perceived Organizational Support) (Eisenberger & Stinglhamber, 2011), this refers to the perception of the employees concerning their employer interest in their wellbeing. One of the main ways in which this can be encouraged is managements endeavouring to maintaining openness and creating forums and opportunities through which employees’ voices can he heard and their issues addressed (Smidts, Pruyn and Van, 2001) For effective implementation of any organization’s strategy, there are two avenue of communication that should be taken to account, the first is upward communication; under this, employees have a means through which to point out their internal issues and contradictions that they face in work to the management (Tepper et al., 2007). When employees have the ability and are encouraged to do this, they are more likely to be motivated and the firm will have fewer problems related to miscommunication and confusion of instructions (Tourish, 2005). Downward communication on the other hand is when information emanates from the management to the subordinates; this is the part of communication that provides instructions and directive as well as feedback to employees (Dennis, 2012). The social exchange theory holds that individual get their motivation primarily from the returns they bring or are expected to bring to others, in regard to this communication can increase reciprocity if employees perceive their firm to have positive expectations of them (John, 2003). Therefore, through downward communication, management can increase the POS since by providing requisite information on timely basis; they appear to be concerned about the employees by helping them get better at their job (Tourish, Craig and Amernic, 2010). Downward communication is essential in lessening uncertainty and anxiety especially about changes in the organizations since the staff will always have up to date data thus eliminating speculation that often leads to paranoia, panic and sometimes-negative sentiment negatively affecting the POS. In the absence of an open two-way communication, management may end up being out of touch with the staff and they may end up missing and/or misunderstanding their needs (Eisenberger & Stinglhamber, 2011). Sometimes, employers issue instructions to their juniors and the latter fail to comprehend them; however, they may be reluctant to speak out in fear of appearing ignorant and try to figure out the information themselves. Because of this deficiency in the communication network, the task assigned may fail to be carried out properly and the firm’s productiveness is in the end eroded. However when the two-way system of communication is functional and both management and employees are willing and able to openly discourse on issues, such mistakes can easily be avoided (Tourish, 2005). Eisenberger and Neves (n.d) came up with a four-way technique through which communication could be assessed; they areas they zeroed in on were represented in a scale that showed included various items that tested on both upward and downward communication. These were; the openness and honesty of upper management, whether it acts on their ideas and requests, if it communicates in advance about changes and if there exist a framework through which ideas can be communicated to them easily. Upper management is open and honest in good understanding of communication behaviour in organizations is critical especially to managers running big with a complex hierarchy; this is because with a lot of employees and managers everyone needs to know to whom they should report (Atwater & Waldman, 2008). When there is no clear framework, an organization may end up being inefficient and the profitability could easily reduce, as information would not get to the right people at the right time. Every manager appreciates the need for cooperation between employees; it follows then that they must take cognizant the role that communication plays in facilitating and enabling this. When employees fail to communicate effectively, there could be several negative results, for one, people may end up duplicating effort that is wasteful and reduces organizational harmony and effectiveness. However, a strong communication culture allows employees to work alongside, not against each other and this ultimately contributes results in the development of effective teams. Analysis The first recommendation in the article is the creation of a shared sense of purpose that is important as it helps people understand their collective goals and effectively work on them. This recommendation resonates with the prior theoretical discussion on communication in organizations for several reasons; communication, it has been confirmed is the main avenue through which the upper and the lower echelons interact. Through effective downward communication, the managers will not only issue instructions but also impress their importance upon the staff, this way, all the members of the organization will feel they are working towards the same goal as opposed to the “us vs. them” attitude that juniors sometimes adapt in respect to their superiors. The second recommendation is that the firm should convince leaders who are then sent to the subordinates, this is because instructions might be given form above but the junior managers if they lack communication skills might end up failing to convey the message effectively. From this, there emerges the need for effective training of management, in their various not only professional disciplines but HR and communications skills. At the core of the process of in communication especially downward, there should be people with an in-depth understanding of the social and political factors in the organizations and take them to account when delivering information. According to CIPD, the three key drivers of employee’s engagement are: the opportunity to send ones view up the hierarchy, a feeling of having sufficient information, and the belief that one’s manager is committed to their organization. As discussed above, one of the most crucial elements of organizational success an d harmony is the employees sense of POS; employees will want to feel that their organization cares about their welfare this care is normally evidenced by how management regards them. As mentioned in the theoretical discussion above, upward communication is one half of the tow their process of communication that is critical for a smooth flow of information. Therefore, it goes without saying that as long as the staff has an effective means through which to send information upwards, they will help keep the management well informed and thus better suited to make decisions concerning them and the organization in question (Rockmann and Northcraft, 2008). The fifth recommendation proposes that employers should maintain personal touch with their staff, to this end; management should learn how to hold meaningful conversations going two ways and respecting the input of their staff. Whenever, for example someone performs well in a task, their superiors should commend them personally if possible so that they feel they are appreciated and valued. As aforementioned, the Perception of support is a vital determinant in employee dedication and productivity, along with promotions and salary increments; personal recognition by ones superiors for a job well done serves as a major morale boost and motivator. According to the report, although either the HR or a specialist communication team should hold the responsibility for communication with the firm, there should be joint efforts and sharing of both skills and resources. This way there will be no duplication of effort and those tasked with handling communication will exploit al the resources availed to them to maximize on efficiency. Finally, it is critical that employers and managers carry out frequent surveys and assessments of the effectiveness of the communication process. This way, the can come up with measurable estimates of the degree to which the firms communication network is effective and from there take efforts to improve or institute new developments either by raising awareness staff training or any other method they deem necessary. Reflection In some organizations, the OB behaviour is rarely given weight especially in respect to communication with the upper echelons often assuming an autocratic attitude, which involves the issuing of orders expecting prompt obedience. The input of the staff sometimes tend to be ignored and even when it is listened to little is done to address the issue they raise or encourage them to be more open, consequently they prefer to keep their opinions to themselves. When organizations are run in this manner, employees cannot feel as a part of the firm, they view the firm as a very different entity from themselves and this erodes their motivation. Consider for instance an organization that is run in a purely autocratic style with focus on downward communication at the expense of upward intercourse between the management and staff. In Such a scenario, the firm may end up being successful in the short run since theirs little time spent in wide consultations and the orders are promptly given and executed without question. Nevertheless, this is not a sustainable system, it assume that employees are robots who just need information to crank away without their opinions of feedback being taken to account. With time the system is likely to slowly crumble form the inside since the employees will end up feeling unappreciated and used especially since there is no “unnecessary” feedback except of course for recriminations when they do the wrong thing. At the end of the day, they staff may feel antagonized by their working conditions and even if they are compensated handsomely, they will lack a sense of personal connection with their firm. As a result, they will be more likely to leave if they find better options and even if they stay their motivation will only be extrinsic, for the financial rewards but not for the good of the company. In such a case there will be little innovation creativity with employees simply going through the motions since they fear deviating from the rigid goals. Conclusion Before researching on communication as a part of organizational behaviour, I must admit I had only limited understanding of how deep it goes in determining the performance of an organization. Like most people, I did not appreciate the impact of poor communication on business performance and I imagined that particular aspect of organizational behaviour to be minor compared to more “serious” ones such as specialist skills and HR. However, I must concede that in as much as other skills appear superior to communication, they cannot in fact function effectively unless there are open channels through which the information that concerns them is passed. A HR manager is only as good as his/her ability to communicate effectively with the staff and if they fail at this, they will have a very difficult time retaining their employees who are without doubt the most important asset in any organization. At the end of the day, a study of organization behaviour is important for managers and leaders in every organization especially concerning communication, above all other things; communication is at the core of internal and external interaction in which the firm engages. References Atwater, L.E. & Waldman, D. 2008. Leadership, feedback, and the open communication gap. New York, NY: Taylor & Francis. Dennis K. M. 2012. Internationalizing Organizational Communication: Linda Putnam’s Legacy. Management Communication Quarterly, August 2012; vol. 26, 3: pp. 498-504. Eisenberger, R., & Stinglhamber, F. 2011. Perceived organizational support: Fostering enthusiastic and productive employees. Washington, DC: APA. Gopinath, C., & Becker, T.E. 2000. Communication, procedural justice and employee attitudes: Relationships under conditions of divestiture. Journal of Management, 26, 63-83 Gray, J., & Laidlaw, H. 2004. Improving the measurement of communication satisfaction. Management Communication Quarterly, 17, 425-448. John, B, M. 2003. The Rated Importance, Scientific Validity, and Practical Usefulness of Organizational Behavior Theories: A Quantitative Review .Academy of Management Learning & Education; Vol. 2, No. 3; pp. 250-268 Neves, P, Eisenberger R. n.d. Communication, POS and performance. Nova School of Business and Economics. University of Houston. Rockmann, K.W., & Northcraft, G.B. 2008. To be or not to be trusted: The influence of media richness on defection and deception. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 107, 106-122. Schweiger, D. M., & DeNisi, A. S. 1991. Communication with employees following a merger: A longitudinal field experiment. Academy of Management Journal, 34, 110–135. Smidts, A., Pruyn, A.T.H., & van Riel, C.B.M. 2001. The impact of employee communication and perceived external prestige on organizational identification. Academy of Management Journal, 49, 1051-1062 Snyder, R, A and Morris, J, H. Aug 1984. Organizational communication and performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol 69(3), 461-465. doi: 10.1037/0021-9010.69.3.461 Tepper, B.J., Moss, S.E., Lockhart, D.E., & Carr, J.C. 2007. Abusive supervision, upward maintenance communication, and subordinates’ psychological distress. Academy of Management Journal, 50, 1169-1180 Tourish, D. 2005. Critical upward communication: Ten commandments for improving strategy and decision making. Long Range Planning, 38, 485-503. Tourish, D., Craig, R., Amernic, J. 2010. Transformational leadership education and agency perspectives in business school pedagogy: A marriage of inconvenience? British Journal of Management. Volume 21, Issue Supplement s1, pages s40–s59. Tsai, M., Chuang, S. & Hsieh, W. (2009). An integrated process model of communication satisfaction and organizational outcomes. Social Behavior and Personality, 37, 825-834. Read More