Interpersonal Communications Problems - Literature review Example

Running Head: INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATIONS PROBLEMS Interpersonal Communications Problems Name Course Institution Date Interpersonal Communications Problems Introduction Interpersonal communications is a term commonly used to describe the sending and receiving of messages between two or more people. Often times, the participants involved in interpersonal communications have close connections or relationship or in some cases persons involved have a shared history (Weisten & Lloyd et al, 2008).This form of communication incorporates communications aspects such as listening, non-verbal communication, persuasion and assertiveness among many other aspects of communication. Interpersonal communications can take place in both direct and indirect communication mediums. Direct communication mediums include face -to-face interactions whereas indirect communication mediums include telex-communication mediums such as telephones, fax and mobile phones and communications mediated by computers such as emails and chat rooms among many others. Moreover, interpersonal communications occur in different contexts, some communications can also be formal or in formal in nature. For example, interpersonal communication can take place within the workplace between the employer and the employee or in an informal social setting between friends or acquaintances (West & Turner, 2008). According to Huggins (2003), interpersonal communication is a simple yet complex subject. In the course of interpersonal communications there is bound to be problems or challenges which if not effectively addressed can result to conflicts. Interpersonal communications in the organizational context is characterized by various challenges that require special attention and the implementation effective measures. This paper seeks to examine an interpersonal communication problem I have encountered in my area of work. Foremost, this paper will identify the problem to be examined and the context in which this problem is based. Secondly, it will discuss the interpersonal communication concepts that relate to the identified problem. Subsequently, this paper will describe and analyze the problem in-depth. Lastly, this paper will provide recommendations on how this problem can be addressed. Problem statement Recurrent incidences of conflicts are among the key problems that I encountered in my work area. Conflict incidences occur amongst employees and their counterparts and among the management of the organization and its employees. In most cases these conflicts occur due to misunderstandings and wrong perceptions. Given the fact that our organization is a multicultural organization comprising of a diverse workforce with employees from different cultures, ethnic backgrounds, gender and age related differences conflicts are bound to emerge. It is alleged that the mismanagement of interpersonal interactions is one of the underlying causes of these conflicts among the members in our workforce. Interpersonal Communications concepts Interaction management can be described as the deliberate regulation and monitoring of ones behavior so as to ensure that participants in interpersonal communication are satisfied. This form of management is said to be effective especially when those involved in interpersonal communications are able to realize their relational and informational goals, engage themselves fully and exert their sense of self as they communicate to the other party (Dick, 1986). Effective interpersonal communications is one of the key aspects revolving around interaction management. According to DeVito (2007), effective interpersonal communication is built on ones holistic self-awareness as a communicator and competency in this area is often portrayed through ones authority and status in the course of interpersonal interaction. Effective interpersonal communication is an important ingredient in developing and maintaining good work relationships. Ineffective interpersonal communication can be triggered by issues such as poor impression formation and management that can further contribute to poor listening, assertion and non-verbal that can in turn contribute to misunderstandings and conflicts (West & Turner, 2007). Developing and strengthening ones competence in interpersonal communication is imperative especially for people working in an organizational context since interactions in an organization are crucial to the success of the organization. In order for one to be effective in interpersonal communications at both personal and organizational levels, it is essential to put in account issues revolving around identity practice and self perception (Pearson & Spitzberg, 1990). With regards to interpersonal communication management identity practice and self perception can be examined through frameworks of impression formation and impression management. Impression formation, encompasses around issues on how people perceive others and the kind of impressions that they form of them. When people perceive others and form impressions of others accurately and sensitively, effectiveness in interpersonal communications can be enhanced. However, when people perceive others and form impressions of others with ignorance and prejudice the effectiveness of interpersonal communications can be hindered. Most people are prone to “Perceptual accentuation”, this is a postulation where people emphasise on what they feel or what they want and need to perceive and as a result of this most people do not form correct impressions of others. For instance, most people think that people who are friendly, like them when in reality these people may not know anything about them. Similarly, some people believe that the people who smile at them are friendly when in reality these people could be insincere (DeVito, 2007). On the other hand, impression management addresses issues regarding how we manage others people’s impression of us and how we present ourselves to others. Presenting ourselves to others in a deceptive manner is living a lie since it causes us to act in a manner that we are not accustomed to. People who often present themselves to others inaccurately are often forced to carryout self-monitoring strategies in order to sustain their inaccurate representations. People develop self-monitoring strategies with the aim of orienting themselves not to speak anything about themselves that might reveal the reality that they are trying to conceal. The self-orienting factors employed in such as a case portray aspects that people can manage in their interactions with others. These factors also give the indications of how people can manage the interactions of other people since they are aware of the manner in which they are forming impressions of themselves in the course of the communication process. Nevertheless, this can be influenced by the positions of power that people find themselves in as they take part in interpersonal communications in different contexts (DeVito, 2007).For example, if a person is in a power position that enables them to grant or deny the requests of others, they are in a more convenient position to manage their interactions with others. However, if the party that they are interacting with is not keen on whether or not their request is granted, the power of the other party to manage the interaction is diminished. There are various power bases that are mediated by factors such as cultural sensitivity, attitudes of flexibility, self confidence, positivity, empathy and openness. By developing and using such approaches of management, one is bound to enhance their skills in communication by becoming more effective in managing their interpersonal communications (DeVito, 2007;Pearson & Spitzberg, 1990). There are several social psychology and cognitive theories that address issues revolving around identity practice and self perception. A good example of such a theory is the Coordinated Management of Meaning theory (CMM).This theory was developed by Barnett Pearce and Vernon Cronen in the mid 70’s. In this theory, Pearson and Cronen observe that interpersonal communication create a social environment that people participate in. Before Pearson and Cronen developed this theory, most communication theories were based on a transmissional view. As a result most scholar and theorists often focused on the contents of a conversation rather than the overall effect of interpersonal interactions (Pearce, 1989). The CMM theory examines interpersonal interactions from the point of view of the participants. This theory relies on three main interaction processes, it holds that participants consciously or unconsciously encounter coherence, coordination and mystery. Each process illustrates how people create social realities as they take part in interpersonal communications. The first step coherence illustrates how people achieve meaning during conversations. (Griffin, 1997). Each time people participate in conversations they have expectations despite the fact that each conversation is unique. In this case constitutive rules are used to interpret behavior and make sense of what is going on in the conversation. Pearce and Cronen observe that people interpret communication differently depending on factors such as culture, self-concept and their relationship with the person that they are communicating with (Pearce, 1989). The second process of interpersonal communication is coordination according to Pearson and Cronen, each individual posses a set of regulative rules that influence the qualities that they allow other people to see. Lastly, the concept of mystery in the process of communication illustrates the unexplainable aspects of communication such as strong feelings of attraction, empathy, hate or like. Although these experiences are not expressed directly, they greatly influence the impacts of communication. Generally, according to the CMM theory, interpersonal communications are complex in nature and are interconnected by a series of events. Each participant affects and is affected by the party that they are communicating with (Griffin, 1997). Problem Analysis Recurrent trends of conflicts are among the key problems that I encounter in my work area. In the department I work in conflicts often arise amongst employees and their counterparts and among the management of the organization and its employees. The department that I work in has a diverse workforce with employees from different cultures, ethnic backgrounds, gender and age related differences. Most of the conflicts arise due to trends of miscommunication wrong perceptions and misunderstandings. It is evident that the diversity within our workforce and the mismanagement of interpersonal interactions are among the underlying causes of these conflicts. Members in our departments come from different cultural backgrounds, as a result cultural stereotypes have emerged over the years. Some of the evident cultural stereotypes in our organization are based on the perception that people from other cultures are superior to others. Some hold the believe that employees from other cultures are lazy and less intelligence. These cultural stereotypes have in turn heightened the mismanagement of interpersonal interactions and brought about conflicts amongst employees and the management of our organization. For example, in the course of interpersonal communications between employees, the deeply embedded cultural stereotypes enforce preconceived perceptions and impression about some employees. As a result, effective communication is hindered. An employer or an employee communicating with someone who he or she believes is from an inferior culture may fail to listen, understand or empathize with that person since they already have pre-conceived perception or impression of the other person to be either less intelligent or intelligent. On the other, an employee from a culture that is considered to be inferior may try to employ self-monitoring strategies in order to sustain a proper presentation of themselves. This in turn leads to miscommunications and misinterpretation and as a result conflicts are bound to emerge. Furthermore, the large age gap between employees in our department further contributes to the mismanagement of interpersonal interactions. Employees from the younger generation tend to perceive employees from the older generation as conservatives with backward ideas. On the other hand, employees from the older generation perceive employees from the younger generation as inexperienced and unstable characters. Therefore, when these age groups interact or are involved in interpersonal communications, they have preconceived perception about each other. As a result, communication processes between these two groups may fail to realize its informational and relational objectives since there is a lack of coherence and coordination of information amongst the participants. In addition, as a result of the preconceived ideas that come as a result of cultural and age related stereotypes, the concept of mystery as purported by Pearson and Cronen in the Coordinated Management of Meaning theory is often encountered. In the course of interpersonal communications, employees often experience unexplainable aspects of communication such as strong feelings of hate or dis-like. Although these experiences may not be expressed directly, they greatly influence the impacts of communication and cause conflict (Pearce, 1989; Griffin, 1997). Recommendations Based on the issues highlighted in the above section, it is evident that the recurrent incidences of conflicts experienced in our organization are largely due to the diversity in our workforce which in turn contributes to the mismanagement of interpersonal interactions. This section is thus dedicated towards providing recommendations that can be implemented in order to avert the problems in our organization that revolve around the mismanagement of interpersonal interactions. According to Wilkinson & Cheng (1999), organizations are steadily becoming multicultural due to the increasing trends of migrant population and globalisation. Effective management of workforce diversity can be a positive aspect in an organization since it brings about a unique talent pool and can help to promote innovativeness in the organization. Therefore the success of modern organization is dependent on the ability of the organization to effectively manage the diversity within the organization. Improving interpersonal communications within the organization is a key aspect of effectively managing workforce diversity (Hart, 1997). Furthermore, in order to improve interpersonal communications within the organization, management of interpersonal interactions is imperative. In order to realize effective interpersonal relationships and avert occurrences of conflicts, it is essential for the management of our organization to institute regular training programs that will train employees at all levels how to effectively manage interpersonal interactions. These training programs should be geared towards training employees how they can effectively manage their interactions with their counterparts and the management of the organization such that they form the right impressions of others and present themselves appropriately in the course of the communication process (DeVito, 2007). Moreover, these training programs should be tailored in a manner that addresses the training needs of the organization with regards to skills in interpersonal communications. For example, these training programs should train employees in our organization on how to improve their listening skills, assertion skills and how to overcome communication barriers. Moreover, in order to address issues related to cultural and age related stereotypes in the course of interpersonal communications, it is essential for the management of the organization to introduce team building programs that will help to dispel these stereotypes and help to improve interpersonal communications. For example, the management should introduce outdoor activities such as employee retreats, hiking and other sporting activities these activities will help employees interact with each other in more relax setting thus helping them to understand and accept each other. Conclusion Interpersonal communications can be described as the sending and receiving of messages between two or more people. Recurrent incidences of conflicts are among the key problems that I encountered in my work area. In most cases these conflicts occur due to misunderstandings and wrong perceptions. Given the fact that our organization is a multicultural organization comprising of a diverse workforce with employees from different cultures, ethnic backgrounds, gender and age related differences conflicts are bound to emerge. It is alleged that the mismanagement of interpersonal interactions is one of the underlying causes of these conflicts among the members in our workforce. In order to realize effective interpersonal relationships and avert occurrences of conflicts, it is essential for the management of our organization to institute regular training programs that will train employees at all levels how to effectively manage interpersonal interactions. Moreover, so as to address issues related to cultural and age related stereotypes in the course of interpersonal communications, it is important for the management of the organization to introduce team building programs that will help to dispel these stereotypes and help to improve interpersonal communications. . References Devito, J. (2007). The interpersonal communication book. New York: Pearson. Dick, B. (1986). Learning to communicate. Brisbane: Interchange and the University of Queensland. Griffin, M. (1997). A First Look at Communication Theory. New York: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Hart, A. (1997). Managing diversity for sustained competitiveness. New York: The Conference Board. Huggins, D. (2003). Communicating with intent. New York: Macmillan Pearce, B. (1989). Communication and the Human Condition. Southern Illinois University, Carbondale: Ill. Pearson, C., & Spitzberg, H. (1990). Interpersonal communication: Concepts, components, and contexts. 2nd Ed. Dubuque, IA: W C Brown Publishers. Weisten, W. & Lloyd, M. et al, 2008, Psychology applied to modern life: Adjustment in the 21st Century. Connecticut: Cengage Learning. West, R. & Turner, L., 2008, Understanding interpersonal communication: making choices in changing times. Connecticut: Cengage Learning. Wilkinson, I. & Cheung, C. (1999). “Multicultural marketing in Australia: Synergy in diversity”’, Journal of International Marketing, vol. 7, no. 3, pp. 106–25. Read More