Communication in Organizations - Essay Example

It is an established company with a wide scope that involves extensive communication within the organization and with other stakeholders. Its administration is as a result characterised by a number of management meetings for ‘decision-making’. The company’s organizational structure consists of a board of directors at the top with seven directors, a chairperson, a general manager, and line managers. Decisions are made through deliberations in meetings and resolutions passed to line managers for implementation.

Communication refers to a process in which a party sends a message to another who receives the message, comprehends it, and submit a feedback to the sender. In any organizational set up, effective communication leads to successful pursuit of objectives while poor approaches to communication undermines objectives and may lead to negative impacts. Kelly however argues that people can achieve effective communication through “vigilance, perseverance, and by using their power to change course” and laid down structures (2011, p. 199). This means that success in a communication process depend on the parties capacity as well as skills towards effective communication (Kelly, pp. 199, 200). . Effective communication also means clarity in message content as well as accuracy in targeting the recipient.

The subject of communication should not be vague and should directly target the intended recipient. Similarly, effective listening skills facilitate a successful communication process through enhancing the recipient understanding of the communicated piece of information. Attitudes, as developed by either the sender or the recipient, also affect effectiveness of a communication process (Auer and Blumberg, p. 113). Theories into communication have also been used to explain the communication process.

Trait theory for instance explains that people have different characteristics that define their personality and behaviour. Such traits determine a person’s ability to demonstrate the essential elements of effective communication. A person’s characteristics will for example defines the applied level of attentiveness to the communication process as well as attitude towards the communication process. Negative traits therefore undermine effectiveness of a communication process (Littlejohn and Foss, 2007, p. 66- 68). Consistency theories, another communication theory, explain the essence of consistency among parties to a communication process.

Such consistencies are necessary with respect to the parties’ attitudes, the parties’ behaviour as well as between behaviour and attitude. The fundamental principle is that while consistency creates a favourable environment for effective communication, its absence initiates change in attitudes that may adversely affect a communication (Littlejohn and Foss, 2007, p. 78). Similarly, the theory of identity suggests that a person’s identity affects his or her