Management and Communication: Communication Skills - Term Paper Example

Management and Communication of the Name of the Concerned Professor September 27, 2008 'everything a manager does involves communicating. Not some things, but everything A manager cannot make a decision without information. The information has to be communicated. Once a decision is made, communication must again take place. Otherwise no one would know that a decision has been made. The best idea, the most creative suggestion, the best plan or the most effective job redesign cannot take shape without communication.' Robbins, Stagg & Coulter (2006, p.498) With the ushering in of the IT revolution in the 21st century, effective communication at all levels is the single most important priority that can make or mar the prospects of an organization in today's ultra competitive environment. With the consumers having access to all sorts and all types of goods and services providers around the world, companies and organizations continually need to be in a learning mode so as to effectively adapt to the changes in a volatile market scenario. Effective and productive organizational communication is one aspect of management that can play a vital role in the growth and development of any learning organization. It is important for the organizations to develop and nurture communication within their set ups so as to ensure that the learning received through an exposure to rapid market changes gets percolated at all levels within them. In a market scenario that is defined by volatility and complexity, managers need to ensure that the timely shifts from the old economy oriented communication patterns to relationship oriented communication patterns are achieved within the organizations managed by them, on a priority basis (Huber, 1991, p.89). It is not a surprise that many of the organizations today have failed to appropriately respond to the nascent challenges in the domestic and world markets and have proven to be lousy learners. The fault often lies in the way organizations are administered and managed, the way job priorities are defined and allocated within them and above all the way employees are expected or taught how to think and communicate with each other (Senge, 1990). Poor communication skills on the part of the managers give way to deep rooted learning disabilities within the organizations (Benson, 1993). Thus the management approaches today are desperately interested in developing learning organizations by incorporating effective communication networks within them that penetrate deep into the organizational set up. Effective communication is the most important attribute that managers in all the learning organizations need to focus on. Only those organizations are expected to survive, which will succeed in fostering workable relationships both within and outside them and such relationships are often created and nurtured through effective communication. Strategic communication on the part of the human resource managers can bolster the organizational leadership, stimulate the employee morale and performance and can go a long way in ensuring the success of any organization (Meyer, 2002, p.1). Communication is often the most important link between a manager and the staff. Thus it is imperative for the managers to realize that communication is always a two way process that demands ample commitment and tact. Employees often desire to be continually informed about how well their team and their company is performing, otherwise they feel being ignored and isolated form the overall picture. That is why; effective managers always treat their employees as the crucial stakeholders within the organization. Productive two way communication between the managers and the employees often converts a company into a platform for learning and growth. Hence it is the primary duty of the managers to keep all the channels of communication within an organization, both at vertical and horizontal level, streamlined and intact. Such initiative gives way to an environment of openness and trust and allows for a positive acceptance of criticism and a rendering of timely feedback (Simon, 1969). The one most crucial aspect of effective organizational communication is that it develops an atmosphere of trust between the employees and the management. A non threatening atmosphere always solicits honest responses (Peters, 1984). Such an environment encourages a learning attitude amongst the managers and the employees and solicits employees' trust and participation. Effective communication on the part of a manager in an organization makes the employees willingly accept the onus for accountability and responsibility. In such a creative environment, employees freely come out with new and productive ideas and suggestions. A willingness on the part of a manager to talk to one's subordinates motivates the employees to adapt to and focus on the organizational goals and objectives. This gives them a sense of direction and purpose. It allows them to define and conceptualize the decisions being taken by the organization's management. Thus effective communication is the bedrock on which stands the framework for sound management. Infact, communication constitutes the integral part of all the aspects of any manager's duties and liabilities. As per a survey of 133 organizations, conducted by Right Management Consultants, the world's biggest organizational and career transition firm, only 40 percent of the managers were found to possess the required communication and leadership skills (Business Wire, 2004). More then 33 percent of the managers in these 133 organizations were found to be severely lacking in effective communication skills (Business Wire, 2004). Thus a great many managers in the contemporary companies and organizations do not possess the requisite level of communication skills. Though, realistically speaking, it is the single most important criteria that could have a tremendous influence on the productivity and efficiency of the managers and the employees in any organization. So far as the job market is concerned, communication skills happen to be the most sought after management trait by a majority of the employers. Effective managerial communication goes beyond the regular presentation skills to an ability to listen, understand and engage in a meaningful interaction with employees at all levels of an organization (Quinn, 1992, p.36). Ability to engage in a focused and meaningful conversation is a must to be successful as a manager. As per the same survey, the management skills that are most appreciated and expected from the managers and the executives today are: Good communication skills 47% Sense of vision 44% Honesty 32% Decisiveness 31% Good relationship with employees 26% Intelligence 23% Creativity 22% (Business Wire, 2004) Unsurprisingly, good communication skills happen to be the most coveted and sought after attribute in any successful manager. Also, other related skills like 'good relationship with employees', 'sense of vision' and 'decisiveness' are again to a great deal dependent on the ability of a manager to effectively engage with the people in one's organization. This speaks a lot about the relevance of communication skills for the managers. Any productive and successful organization is basically a one big cauldron holding sizzling and boiling ideas yearning for expression. Decision making is the most important task that the managers are required to perform on a regular basis. Apt decision making and forecasting can only be executed if a manager has the access to all the relevant data, employee feedback, and overall vision scattered all across an organization. Thus networking is an ability that any successful manager needs to be conversant with. Infact, various studies and surveys have discovered that the managers with good networking skills often happen to be the most successful and productive. Thus communication, be it verbal, written or digital is essential for the sharing and retrieval of data, information and suggestions required to engage in a pragmatic and realistic decision making (Zak, 1996). Most of the corporate decisions are never taken in isolation. Often a number of concerned personnel and interest groups have a stake in the overall decision ,making process in an organization. Effective and meaningful communication with all the concerned individuals and groups more then often helps a manager to quell any potential opposition to one's ideas through reason and logic and go for the decisions that are more or less unanimous and align well with the overall vision of the company. This also gives the employees a sense of participation in the overall decision making procedure and ensures their moral backing and cooperation. On the contrary, an isolated decision making is often bound to lead to horrendous oversights and mistakes that may eventually prove to be costly and disastrous (Schendler, 1992). So far as the interaction of a manager with the top management is concerned, communication constitutes an important part of all managerial presentations. Effective communication more then often enables a manager to lucidly convey one's knowledge and understanding pertaining to some issue, to one's superiors and colleagues with clarity and fluency. This makes it relatively easier for any manager to solicit the requisite support, feedback and inputs from one's colleagues and superiors. The need to communicate one's views, opinions and decisions impinges on a manager the necessity to organize and research the relevant and supporting information in an effective way so as to be able to convey them to others with clarity and precision. Successful managers always keep on honing their communication skills to keep their team members continually involved in the overall decision making process. Practically speaking, this allows for a more pragmatic and well informed decision making on the part of a manager. Infact, this amounts to extending the employees a voice in the overall decision making process in an organization. According to Caldeira, "to inspire employees, the communication champion engages people by encouraging ownership of strategies, ideas, projects and results (2006)." Many a times, the flow of communication in an organization gets obstructed by natural and man made barriers that impede the free exchange of ideas, data, views and opinions. The main thrust of an effective manager involved in a decision making process is to shatter these barriers to communication existing at all levels in an organization, so as to allow for a free flow of information, ideas and opinions. Often their exist multiple channels of communication within the organizations that allow for an ongoing exchange of information: downward, upward, horizontal and informal. Downward communications from supervisors to customers or employees tends to flow in one direction, discouraging response, whereas information sent upwards from subordinates to superiors encourages feedback. Sharing information horizontally across department lines or among peers can help eliminate duplication and teamwork (Caldeira, 2006). Beyond the scope of formal communication, the informal communication between the managers and the employees in the form of social interaction and social gatherings gives way to an aura of warmth between the manager-employees relationships and may also prove to be a vital source for gathering the information that has not found its way to the formal channels of communication (Caldeira, 2006). Once a decision has been taken by a management team, it becomes the duty of the managers to ensure that the quintessence, expectations and ramifications pertaining to that decision are clearly conveyed to the employees working at all the levels in their organization. The unawareness of the employees pertaining to any important decision taken by a manager can severely jeopardize the entire strategy of an organization. That is why in many of the successful companies, the managers spend a big chunk of their time communicating with the staff, their seniors and the clients. It is important for a manager to see to it that one communicates with one's juniors, with the same care and attention as is shown while communicating with the higher officials in an organization (Rotler, 1980). Informing the employees by resorting to conventional procedures like official circulars and emails has become a thing of the past. The real communication often involves a one to one interaction between a manager and an employee, in which the concerned manager and the employee consider themselves to be a vital constituent of the entire decision making process. This gives way to an atmosphere of inclusion within an organization, where all the employees feel free to express themselves without being bothered by any sort of intimidating influence or insecurity. It is the duty of any management to build vehicles and mechanisms for facilitating free communication within an organization (Schermerhorn, Hunt and Osborn, 1994). However, it is sad to acknowledge that even today their exists a wide gulf between the way managers are expected to communicate within an organization and the actual communication abilities of the managers. There exists a definite correlation between the communication skills of the managers and the quality of corporate planning within an organization (Anderson, Sharpe, White, Galvan and Siesta, 2007). Clear and focused information on the part of the managers is imperative to the success of any planning procedure (Goetz and Bagwell, 2006). Good communication allows for the fostering of positive and productive relationships between the managers, employees and their clients. Managers should be well aware of the goals and expectations of their organizations, so as to maintain a clear picture of the objectives and possible outcomes of any sort of organizational planning. The managers and the employees within an organization should be able to communicate as a team with their prospective clients, so as to make the task of composing workable and pragmatic plans relatively smooth and effective. In the absence of such an initiative, even the best of the plans are vulnerable to failure, at the alter of competitive market scenarios. The manager's and the employees' personal values and expectations do play a crucial role in the shaping of most of the plans in any organization. At the same time, any effective manager is expected to cater to the requirements and expectations of the clients while drafting a viable plan. Thus their definitely exists an emotional element in any sort of corporate planning. A manager needs to be well aware of all such goals, desires, motivations and intentions before embarking on any sort of planning endeavour. A good manager is always aware of this fact that the processes and objectives of organizational planning are closely intertwined with the emotional aspects of the employees' and the clients' personalities. Thereby, open channels of communication ensure a holistic approach towards corporate planning. Effective communication on the part of a manager ensures the development of positive links between the organizational plans and the employees' commitment and interest. For any business to be successful, it is necessary that the communication strategies of its managers hit the right targets (Sclafani, 2007). Thereby managers aspiring to be successful need to ensure that they communicate with their employees and the clients on a regular basis. This keeps the haphazard and random flow of ideas and opinions within the organizations, highly organized and accessible. Even seemingly small initiatives on the part of the employees do need to be recognized and appreciated by the managers. Effective communication is not only an indispensable ingredient of the overall personality of any leader, but also plays a crucial role in all the aspects of management, be it decision making, planning, administration or organization. Even the best of the plans and decisions sometimes fizzle out, in the absence of apt cooperation and commitment on the part of the employees. One of the most common complaint made by the employees in various organizations is that their managers are seldom accessible in the hour of need. With the digitization of the communication networks, managers often prefer to communicate with their employees using fax, email or instant messaging. Some managers believe that it gets easier to convey the tough decision to the employees by hiding behind the digital networks. Managers need to remember that the handling of the sensitive and delicate issues within and without the organizations necessitates a direct contact with the employees and the clients (Holmes, 2008). It is vital for the managers to be aware of the character, values and emotional needs of the employees one is expected to manage. In this context, the excessive use of digital media by a manager creates undesirable barriers to communication. Relying on the digital media for interpersonal communication deprives it of all the emotional content and warmth. It is crucial for the managers to be aware of the major barriers to communication, existing within the organizations and to take appropriate steps to avoid any dilution of meaning while communicating with employees and clients. Cultural differences are the single most important barrier to communication existing within Australian organizations. To meet the challenges created by cultural diversity, managers need to be aware of the basic cultural values and the aspirations of the employees working with them (Jenkins, 2007). Stereotyping also creates barriers to communication, unless managers do not take cognizance of the individual personality traits of all their employees (Jenkins, 2007). The differences in the perception of the managers and the employees pertaining to crucial issues may often distort the meaning of the message being conveyed. Petty power struggles and office politics also vitiates the climate within organizations. Thus the managers need to be neutral and unbiased in their approach towards their employees. Managers and employees do need to be cautious about their choice of words while communicating with each other. A misunderstood or faulty encoding of messages may create serious problems in the organizations (Jenkins, 2007). Another important factor that can go a long way in defining the communication by a manager is one's sensitivity and approach towards the non verbal methods of communication like body language (Jenkins, 2007). Managers should pay due attention to the body language of their employees while interacting with them. They should never ignore the non verbal aspects of organizational communication and must incorporate the messages conveyed by them in their decision making procedures (Jenkins, 2007). Distrust between the management and the employees is bound to create misunderstandings. Ensuring effective and open communication is the only viable panacea for building an environment of sincerity and trust within the organizations. Value judgements and defensiveness do give way to a vicious spiral when tagged with faulty and inapt communication mechanisms. Managers do need to keep in mind that selective hearing always acts as a double edged sword. On one side it may save a manager from irrelevant information and content, but on the other side it may severely jeopardize the moral of an employee. Thus a manager needs to be careful about the amount of attention that a particular interaction demands. A manager needs to be a good listener and must know how to interact with the employees and the clients with an open mind. Managers should never shy away from asking relevant questions from their superiors, employees and clients. They should prefer to ask open ended questions so as to successfully initiate a meaningful dialogue with the employees. At the same time, managers should take care to give ample time to the employees and the clients to respond appropriately to their queries. Ultimately while performing managerial duties, the thing to be kept in mind is that listening is also as important as talking. A sound managerial interaction is always open minded and flexible. Good communication skills are vital for all the managers in the 21st century. All the managerial functions such as decision making, planning, organising and leadership rely heavily on effective communication sills. Good communication culture within the organizations builds an environment of trust and confidence, which motivates the employees to openly come out with their opinions and ideas. This ensures that the employees consider themselves to be an integral part of the organization and effortlessly solicits their cooperation and support. This also furnishes the managers with the relevant data and new ideas that go a long way in ensuring the success of the organizations. Managers need to actively look for the barriers to communication existing within the organizations and must take appropriate steps to remove them. Ultimately it is the cardinal duty of a manager to bring out the best out of one's employees. 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