Effective Managerial Communication in Organisation - Essay Example

Management “Managerial communication is different from other kinds of communication. Why? Because in a business or management setting, a brilliant message is not sufficient: You are successful only if your message results in your desired response from your audience” (Mary Munter, 2006, P3). Managerial communication is the element of an organization or business that helps the managers of those organizations to communicate with each other, that is if there is more than one manager, as well as with the other employees within the organization.“Managers must be efficient and effective communicators in a fast-paced highly competitive environment.” (Hynes, Geraldine E, P18).If information is not shared, then it is of no use to the organization and will bring no benefit. In order to share this information, there has to be proper communication techniques that will help the individual members of an organization stay up to date with the latest on goings, events and developments. Good communication helps ease the transfer of valuable information between members of one party to members of another, otherwise known as the sender and the receiver. Managers of an organization that are working towards a common goal, are required to smooth out the flow of information by using effective managerial techniques. Managerial communication is divided into two sub categories, namely; interpersonal communication and organizational communication. Interpersonal communication is the communication or the transfer of information that takes place between two or more individuals at a workplace, whereas organizational communication is one that occurs at all levels of an organization. “The earliest known example of managerial communication may be the record-keeping developed by Sumerian priests around 5000 BC.” “The Egyptians recognized the importance of putting requests in writing-a written code of conduct can be found circa 1750 BC with the Code of Hamurabi.” (Larry R Smeltzer, Donald J. Leonard, 1994, p5). There are numerous issues within an organization that causes problems for the production process of the organization.”Communication-the essential process that managers plan, lead, organize, and control-is not easy. Understanding of a manager’s message is based on the receiver’s perception and message interpretation” (Larry R Smeltzer, Donald J. Leonard, 1994, p27). Many of these issues are related to decision making that turn out to be controversial and not too favorable for some of the subordinates. A controversial decision will incur anxiety and resistance, especially decisions that speak about any sort of change or alteration to the structure of the organization. Changing an organization’s goals for example, will definitely create uncertainty in groups, leading eventually to anxiety and protest. Although lying or half truths are sometimes spread for the benefit of the organization, the process of doing so can destroy the trust that an employee has built with the employer. Due to this, the employee will begin to question the employer’s sincerity and most probably seek a new job where the employer is someone he/she can trust. The employee might even tend to spread the notion of the employer being insincere and this could be disastrous for the organization, potentially losing valuable employees. Another issue that arises in the management of an organization is caused when the realities of power are not recognized. If a manager is found to be really high in the organization’s hierarchal structure, it is possible for problems that occur in the organization, to reach that manager a little too late and also softened in nature so as to cause minimal blow. Every employee who passes on the problem ensures to reduce the degree of that problem. If the manager is unable to properly recognize the integrity of the situation, the problem might not be dealt with in the right way and may lead to undesirable consequences. In the same way, messages and information that have to travel down the ladder are bloated and magnified constantly. Many managers are inclined to underestimate the intelligence of their subordinates, therefore, they avoid explanations and details when reorganization is taking place or a new project is being distributed. These managers fail to realize that their employees deserve to more about the rationale of alterations that might occur. A variety of problems involving expectations, occur when the process of performing a task is confused with the outcome of the completion of that task. For both parties in an organization that are, the employers and the employees, it is fairly easy to lay judgment based on only the results of a certain task. The process of doing that task is always undermined. When a specific result that had been previously promised is not attained, there is disappointment, anger and then confrontation. It seems highly unfair that workers or employers are penalized for the wrong outcome through the correct and proper process, while others are rewarded for the right outcomes without standard procedure and process. It is important for managers to be able to adopt the correct means communication for different problems and conveying of information. Some methods of communication are appropriate to convey information of a specific nature, while the same method may not be suitable for other types of information. Emailing might be a good way of transferring information, but it does not seem appropriate to discuss emotional issues. In this situation, a phone call or a face to face conversation might be the best method. In the same way, phone calls or face to face conversation will prove inefficient to communicate information, but acceptable for delicate problems since one can quickly and easily respond to the listener’s reactions and use facial expressions, gestures and tone of voice to exemplify the message one seeks to convey. Also, the manager should have prior information about the person to whom information is being conveyed; whether that worker is a good listener or prefers written material over a conversation, this will ensure that the message is received properly without any misunderstandings. Many times, managers will have a propensity to ignore certain words or actions that they will omit from a discussion or a conversation. It may seem that omitting these will not do much harm, however, not saying these words or carrying out these actions, has as profound an effect on the employees as the words and actions being conveyed do. Unsaid things will incur feelings of disloyalty, lack of trust, lack of appreciation and other negative emotions. These problems are a few of the basic ones that arise and threaten the integrity of an organization and it’s hierarchal structure. There are ways to counter these issues and deal with them effectively so as to cause minimal damage and possible complete annihilation of the problem itself. But for that be ascertained, the very structure of the organization and how processes take place has to be changed to meet the need of every unique issue. Managerial communication constitutesthe use of techniques and strategies that can handle the combined nature of problems that involves conveying certain information. The theory suggests methods of utilization of a wide variety of elements of communication, for example the use of technology, the use of paper and pen, and also the use of conversations that have a psychological effect on the listener, eventually leading to mutual agreement. Addressing the issues that have been discussed above, methods of effective managerial communication will be presented to counter the given situations. Controversial statements or announcements tend to create feelings of anxiety and acts of resistance, particularly those that speak about change. To reduce all anxiety and fear, open dialogue with the listener and state the problem. If the listener shows uncertainty about the future, share what the future changes hold and address any problem that springs up for the listener because of those changes. Use of positive body language and gestures is suggested. Lying gives way to reduction of trust and loyalty. Instead of lying, try to respond to any arguments that one would otherwise lie about. Subtle approaches should be used that suggest the removal of only that information which is better suited to be confidential. The hierarchal structure of an organization is able to reduce or elevate the degree of significance that a rumor or any piece of information that has to reach a destination. This can be avoided by using simple language that does not leave any doubts or any misunderstandings that may allow rumors to form. Also, the manager may choose to make him/herself more approachable and available so that nervousness is reduced, thus keeping the degree of significance that a piece of information should be awarded. Underestimating the knowledge of one’s employees proves ignorant on the part of manager. To deal with this, instead of avoiding extra details and problems, the manager should ask his/her employees for suggestions and use their skills to come up with solutions. Every problem has to be dealt with in a different way; using inappropriate methods of communication can lead to undesirable effects. Some people are listeners while some people prefer reading a message or any piece of information. Listeners do not tend to focus much on written memos and emails or letters, while a reader might like the idea reading a letter. Using the correct method of delivering information to the appropriate person will ensure that the message you are trying to send, reaches without misconceptions. Feelings of lack of appreciation are created when managers omit some information in a speech or lecture. To avoid this, the manager should face his/her audience and ask them if the omissions tend to affect their morale at all. Take steps to address the reactions obtained from this question and avoid future omissions of information. The theory of managerial communication proves beneficial in some areas, however, there may be situations where it fails to solve an issue or possibly make it worse. Through high-quality communication, the manager is able to successfully acquire specific knowledge related to every different situation that is created in the organization; this type of communication aids the management in assessing the performances of individual employees and also effects on performance that have resulted due to changes in the organization. Implementation of innovative ideas and techniques is made easier for the managerial section of an organization because of communication. These ideas are usually generated by employees found towards the lower part of the hierarchal structure. This also helps keep the workers enthusiastic since they feel like an essential part of the organization that is influencing decisions coming from up top. Managerial communication will help clarify rules, policies and regulations that come from the management, which in turn will aid them in achieving their goals more efficiently. The employees will also gain the support of the management. Managerial communication may have a tendency to lag behind in some situations. At some points, employees may not want to communicate certain information to their managers, solely due to fear of being labeled incompetent. If the information or problem is insignificant to the organization, precious time of the managers may be wasted in listening to the information. Frequent occurrence of such a situation where the information is useless will force the manager to become less concerned about the problems of his/her employees and will only listen to what they want to hear, ignoring everything else. A lack of knowledge on the part of the employee may lead to misinterpretations and errors that could create conflicts between the manager and the employee. Such events will cause future information transfer to become inaccurate and distorted due to the lack of trust that was created. Effective managerial communication is an essential element of every organization. It works under an efficient management and leadership. Barriers to communication do exist in every organizational structure, but these can be dealt with and removed by enhancing the process of communication. Works Cited Hynes, Geraldine E. Managerial Communication. McGraw Hill, 2011. Print. Linda. Managerial Communication. Glenview, Ill: Scott, Foresman, 1984. Print. Mary Munter. Guide to Managerial Communication, 7/e. Pearson Education. 2006. Smeltzer, Larry R, and Donald J. Leonard. Managerial Communication: Strategies and Applications. Burr Ridge, Ill: Irwin, 1994. Print. Taneja, Vijay K. Managerial Communication. Delhi: Pacific Publication, 2009. Print. Read More