IMPROVING JOB SATISFACTION AND MORAL THROUGH EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION - Essay Example

? BMGT 391 – Section # Research Topic Topic Introduction Improving job satisfaction and morale through effective communication is probably one of the most crucial discussion subjects these days. Employees are not happy with their job on average. After the financial crunch of 2008, this situation has worsened. Millions of people have lost their livelihood across the globe, as a result they settled for whatever was available to them; low paid jobs, unhelpful career line and obviously, the bosses they don’t really like to work under. From one angle this might seem brutal to an average employee, on the other hand corporate leaders and stakeholders are not enjoying the perks they did when there were better financial times. Business is not doing good, as a result, they had to cut lose a lot of departments, managers and even key people. They could only hold people that were absolutely necessary for the corporate. Relevance These hard times demand from employers to make arrangements with what whatever is available. Which is why effective communication, better work environment and attending to employee’s need becomes vital for better business and preventing from high turnover. This requires positive communication and avoiding conflicts. Resolving conflicts as soon as they arise is also relevant as conflicts are bound to occur where people work together. Employers and managers need to keep the morale of the workforce high. They need concrete hope to be able to out the fuel in their work. Only then they can push forward their company ahead of the competition. Otherwise, employees will arrive at 9 a.m. and leave at 5 in the evening without any regard for how the company is doing in terms of performance, productivity or beating the competition. Research Results Effective communication has been proven as one key managerial tool that boosts the efforts to achieve organizational outcomes like employee participation, involvement and even job performance (Dirks & Ferrin, 2001). A channel through which job satisfaction can improve is worker motivation. In Taylor-ism threat of being fired or a bonus come under worker motivation (Taylor, 1911), which is an old way of motivating employees. In today’s corporate world, giving benefits based on output is very difficult as the kind of jobs employees do make it hard to quantify for the managers (Kohn, 1993). Extrinsic motivators don’t do much in this regard that is why intrinsic motivators like satisfaction. Employees rate pleasant working conditions like a gift from the firm (Organ, 1988). In a study conducted by Burke and Wilcox (1969) it was found that a clear effect was attributable to openness in communication between superior and a subordinate; the greater openness of either superior or subordinate (or even both), the greater satisfaction of subordinate regarding five variables that directly depend on satisfaction. These comprise of “(1) Satisfaction with the Company, (2) Satisfaction with the Job, (3) Satisfaction with Performance Appraisal and Development Interview (climate for growth), (4) presence of a "Helping Relationship," and (5) Satisfaction with Supervisor” (Burke & Wilcox, 1969). This openness is more effective when initiated by the superior. When a superior initiates openness in conversation and behavior, the subordinate responds accordingly. The openness doesn’t respond to any causal relationship (Burke & Wilcox, 1969). Communication is inevitable and absolutely essential for healthy functioning of an organization (Burke & Wilcox, 1969). Degree of openness in communication process is the key element that decides its effectiveness (Burke & Wilcox, 1969). An organization can cash in dividends by fostering effective communication and overcoming barriers to it (Burke & Wilcox, 1969). Summary Various studies have been conducted on recognizing patterns regarding job satisfaction. Obvious factors like personal preferences and the nature of job also play their part for an employee, but that is solely on employee’s discretion. However, research has shown great improvement in job satisfaction with effective communication between employer and employee. Effective communication doesn’t need to be rigid and formal, in fact researches emphasize on the openness of communication and how it generates comfort level between superior and subordinate. Gone are the days of threatening an employee with firing unless certain benchmarks are met. These days the nature of work has changed dramatically, it is not possible anymore to impose rigid measuring frames to ‘qualify/quantify’ and employee’s performance. So under this added complexity at work, how employers cope with job frustration and boredom from employees? They bring in the motivational language. The more positive neurolinguistic programming (NLP) is done on the employees by employers, the better their satisfaction with the job. Most often the mere fact that job satisfaction improves organizational results is overlooked. Job satisfaction increases productivity, the more the workforce considers themselves a part of the corporate the more they contribute. Now the question remains as what qualifies as a positive motivator and what constitutes as a failure. Incentives and perks has their importance as well as effective communication. Everyone wants to work in a friendly environment; nobody likes to work under Hitler. Communication in an organization is essential, without communication an organization will become dysfunctional. Moreover, communication needs to be effective in order to fulfill its purpose. The level openness in a talk between superiors and subordinates can achieve this effectiveness. This openness can also create job satisfaction for employees. This openness needs to be initiated by the superiors, as subordinates respond to this openness in a desired way. Such rapport creates comfort level at job. The easier the work environment becomes the low the job turnover will be. Job satisfaction is also related with employee participation in corporate dynamics. The more the employees involve in work place affairs, the greater is job satisfaction as well as performance. More participation by employees can significantly increase productivity for the organization. The degree of openness in communication decides its effectiveness and is a key element for effective management. An organization can achieve great success by incorporating openness in its communication and overcoming barriers that prevent it. References Burke, R. J. & Wilcox, D. S. (1969) Effects of different patterns and degrees of openness in superior-subordinate coordination on subordinate job satisfaction. Academy of Management Journal., 319-26 Dirks, K. T. & Ferrin, D. L. (2001). The role of trust in organizational settings. Organization Science, 12(4), 450-467. Kohn, A. (1993). Why incentive plans cannot work. Harvard Business Review, 71, 54-64. Organ, D. W. (1988). Organizational citizenship behavior: The good soldier syndrome. Lexington, MA: Lexington Books Taylor, F. (1911). The principles of scientific management. New York: Harper & Brothers. Read More