What Is Meant by Effective Managerial Communication - Essay Example

? Effective Managerial Communication Table of Contents Introduction 1. Communication 2. Managerial Communication 3 3 3 2. Body2.1. Importance of Effective Managerial Communication 2.2. Types of Managerial Communication 2.3. Barriers to Effective Communication 2.4. Overcoming Effective Managerial Communication Barriers 4 4 5 6 7 3. Conclusion 8 4. References 9 Effective Managerial Communication 1. Introduction 1.1. Communication There is no sense in information if it is not put to use or is not transferred from one individual to another. It is very important for people working in a particular organization to communicate with one another in order to remain informed and updated regarding current changes taking place within the organization. An individual cannot solve all the issues he/she faces on their own and requires help of others to solve these issues; and in order to attain help they need to communicate with others about their concerns (Alvare, 2005, p.129). This communication will provide help for an individual as others will try to solve the issue with him/her. 1.2. Managerial Communication Managerial communication is regarded to be an element which assists managers with communication with individuals working in the same hierarchical positions, with individuals who are at the top level of the hierarchy and with individuals who occupy the lower levels of the hierarchy. Managerial communication is important for managers as it assists them with performing their main role of getting things done by others. Managerial communication is said to be effective in nature when a manager is able to successfully get things done by others. Effective communication takes place when the message sent by the manager is clearly understood by the receivers of the message (Clampitt, 2010, p.260). A manager identifies that communication has taken place in an effective manner when the desired result of the message has been achieved or the feedback provided by the receiver is similar to the feedback expected by the manager. 2. Body 2.1. Importance of Effective Managerial Communication Managerial communication that is effective in nature is significant in order to exchange opinions and ideas between different employees as well as between the manager and its subordinates. Managers need to promote discussions that are healthy in nature within the organization in order to obtain effective and efficient results. Effective managerial communication helps managers with obtaining ideas from subordinates, and then these ideas are implemented as solutions into issues experienced by the organization. Effective managerial communication is essential in order to attain aims and objectives of the organizations in an effective and efficient manner. With the use of effective managerial communication, managers can help their subordinates understand the tasks they need to perform and to inform subordinates about the organization’s expectations. Effective managerial communication leads to decrease in duplication of work. When managers of different departments communicate with each other, they tend to share information regarding projects they are working on and due to this one manager will remain informed what others are working on and will work on some other aspect or objective of the organization. Effective managerial communication helps managers with motivating employees in order to attain the objective of getting work done by them. Managers who are empathetic towards their employees ensure that they are well aware of the issues experienced by the employees and these grievances can only be known if managers participate in communication in an effective manner (Dasgupta, 2013, p.180). Once the managers are aware of employee grievances, they can help them solve these grievances in order to motivate them to work hard. Effective managerial communication even assists with solving disputes among employees and among those individuals who are at the top level of management and the employees who are at the lower level of the organization (Marquis, 2009, p.385). 2.2. Types of Managerial Communication Managers do not only communicate with those who are working under them, they even communicate with those who they are working for, and both of these forms of communication take place to ensure that the organization’s level of productivity and peace are maintained. Managers communicate in three ways, their communication directions include upward communication, downward communication, and horizontal communication. The upward managerial communication takes place when lower level managers communicate with top level managers; and the downward communication occurs when managers communicate with lower level employees. The horizontal communication happens when managers at the same level of the hierarchy communicate with each other. Managerial communication takes place in some forms: written, verbal, and nonverbal. Verbal communication arises when managers and their subordinates sit with each other and discuss an issue. Written communication occurs when managers use technology for writing such as emails as well as memos to communicate with employees (Singh, 2010, p.230). Non-verbal communication takes place when facial expressions as well as body language are used to communicate. A manager is expected to be effective in non-verbal communication in order to understand the issues experienced by their subordinates. Which form of communication is the most effective is dependent on such factors as the issue that is being communicated, the speed at which communication needs to take place and the channel that is being used to communicate. 2.3. Barriers to Effective Communication There are various barriers due to which managers fail to communicate in an effective manner. The two main barriers include politics as well as prejudice. Managers tend to have a biased attitude towards their subordinates, they favor certain subordinates and this leads to differences between managers and subordinates. When managers become biased they fail to communicate in an effective manner, they end up communicating with those who favor them and have a “yes sir” attitude towards them. Due to this a gap of communication arises between managers and subordinates. This leads to an increase in misunderstandings between subordinates and managers. Another obstacle in the effective communication is politics. Due to the existence of politics, managers fail to see the clear picture of the issue and start believing what might not be true (Bambacas, 2009, p.111). Managers experience work overload and they have to ensure that decisions are made in a timely manner. Due to this they do not carefully listen to the ideas presented by the subordinates and they tend to jump on to making decisions without participating in an effective decision making process. The effective managerial communication even fails to take place because managers end up conducting the task of micro managing. While micro managing, managers believe that they know better than their subordinates and due to this they do not listen to what employees have to say and make decisions without taking any input from their subordinates. Today organizations have people coming from different backgrounds. Due to this diversity the need for the personalized communication has increased. One of the main barriers faced by today’s managers while communicating is their failure to communicate with different people coming from different cultural backgrounds (Koontz, 2007, p.358). Managers even fail to communicate in an effective manner because of their perception regarding the recipient of the message. Managers tend to have certain perception about the knowledge their subordinates have and while communicating, they tend to create messages in compliance with their perception. If managers perceive that the recipient has an ample amount of knowledge regarding a subject, he/she may try to cut down on the message while expecting that the receiver is already aware of what needs to be done. Due to which the necessary message does not reaches the recipient, and the desired outcome is not achieved. 2.4. Overcoming Effective Managerial Communication Barriers One of the barriers experienced by managers is the difference in perception while they are trying to communicate in an effective manner. To overcome this barrier managers need to understand the recipient well and the same task in relation to their managers should be performed by the subordinates. Managers even need to know the cultural background of the recipient and the family as well as the educational level of the communicator in order to ensure that the message is understood as expected by the manager (Aquinas, 2006, p.227). Managers should ensure that the messages they are sending are concise and created in a considerate manner. They should even ensure that the messages do not lack information that is essential for understanding and interpreting the message. The message created by the manager should be clear and made in a courteous manner in order to avoid several barriers of effective managerial communication. Another major barrier in the effective communication is the organizational structure. Structures that involve several hierarchies experience communication issues as in such hierarchies message travels through several mediums before finally reaching the recipient; and by the time the message reaches the recipient, it is either too late or the meaning of the message changes (Gokpinar, 2010, p.470). Thus, these steps of sending and receiving of information should be eliminated. In order to avoid misunderstanding and differences between managers and the subordinates, managers need to ensure that they do not operate in a biased manner. 3. Conclusion Effective managerial communication is regarded to be the process of communication among individuals at the same level of the hierarchy as well as communication that takes place between the lower levels and the upper levels of the organization. Effective managerial communication occurs when managers are able to get the work done by others. Effective managerial communication helps with solving conflicts, it decreases the duplication of work, motivates employees and helps subordinates understand what is expected of them. There are several forms of managerial communication: verbal, written as well as non-verbal. Barriers to effective managerial communication include psychological and cultural issues. References Alvare, S. (2005). Nursing Assistant Care. Albuquerque, N.M., Hartman Pub. Aquinas, P. G. (2006). Organizational Behaviour: Concepts Realities Applications and Challenges. New Delhi, Excel Books. Bambacas, M., & Patrickson, M. (February 06, 2009). ‘Assessment of Communication Skills in Manager Selection: Some Evidence from Australia’. Journal of Management Development, 28, 2, pp 109-120. Clampitt, P. G. (2010). Communicating for Managerial Effectiveness: Problems, Strategies, Solutions, 4th edition, Los Angeles, Sage. Dasgupta, S. A., Suar, D., & Singh, S. (January 01, 2013). ‘Impact of Managerial Communication Styles on Employees' Attitudes and Behaviours’. Employee Relations, 35, 2, pp 173-199. Gokpinar, B., Hopp, W. J., & Iravani, S. M. R. (March 12, 2010). ‘The Impact of Misalignment of Organizational Structure and Product Architecture on Quality in Complex Product Development’. Management Science, 56, 3, pp 468-484. Koontz, H., & Weihrich, H. (2007, 2010). Essentials of Management: An International Perspective, 7th edition, New Delhi, Tata McGraw-Hill. Marquis, B. L., & Huston, C. J. (2009). Leadership Roles and Management Functions in Nursing: Theory and Application, 6th edition, Philadelphia, Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Singh, K. (2010). Organizational Behaviour: Text and Cases. Chandigarh, Pearson. Read More