Management Communication - Coursework Example

Management Communication Introduction In the management of the organization, communication is one of the most important aspects of the management role. Management plays many roles in the organization all which are aimed at making sure that the organization performs as required. In order to function effectively, management must be able to bring together all the parts of the organization in order to function as one. As such communication becomes one of the most important pillars of effective management as it helps to bring all the parts of the organization together to function as one system. Let us explore principles of management communication. The concept of leadership in the organization The concept of leadership is easy to recognize yet it has no boundaries and therefore difficult to define. Good managers must also act as good leaders. The leadership role that is played by the manager is one of the most important functions that have to be performed by the management. In playing the role of a leader, the manager is involved in various activities that relate to lead the organization to function in a particular direction. The management works to provide direction for the organization on various issues. Great managers are also great leaders. Therefore they play the role of leading others who are under their influence. There have been raging debates on the issue of whether leaders are born or they are made. But one of the most important thing to realize here is that the role of leadership is based on some important skills that an individual posses and some which an individual learns in the process. This is because to be a good leader one does not require one attribute but is made up of specific array of attributes. A good leader must have the confidence to stand in front of other and provide them with direction. A good leader must be able to think in the sense that they must be able to gather, sort and structures information before passing it on to others. They must be able to develop a vision for the organization. They have to see in front of their nose in order to head the organization into the future. A good leader must lead by empathy. It is also imperative for one to be a good listener. On must have endurance and strength in all aspects physically, mentally and morally. However the most important aspect of any leader is that they must be able to communication effectively with others. This has been considered as the watershed capacity in leadership. This is because the leader plays the role of informing others, convincing others, uniting others, motivating others and directing others. These things require the leader to have effective communication skill in order to show others where the organization is heading. The effectiveness of a leader lies in their power to inform and persuade others which helps them to win battles for the hearts and the minds of the employees. (Baldoni, 2007) Good leaders are effecting because they have the power to convince others. They use a variety of strategies in order to convince others to follow them. Good managers ensure that they are good listeners and they other time to express themselves. They also ensure that they don't rush to make judgments. They will also ensure that there is an effective feedback mechanism in the organization. For example a good leader will ensure that they talk directly with their workers instead of using mediators. In this way they are able to learn the mood and response of the workers. Strategic organization communication Communication in an organization is very strategic in the sense that is one of the strategic factors that determine the viability of the performance of the organization. It is one of the components of organization strategy and it helps an organization to function even in difficult situations. It is strategic in the sense that it requires to be planned in advance as a part of the overall growth strategy of the organization. It is also strategic in the sense that it will have to be changed on the process of implementing the strategic process to make sure that it fits the requirement of the organization. This means it is one of the organization strategies that can help it achieve its goals. Strategic communication not only helps the organization to achieve its goals but it also helps to improve the relationship between employees. In the workplace, communication can be seen in terms of a dyad. This is in the sense that it takes place between different people in the organization who are at different levels. There is a vertical communication between the employees and their managers that are at different level in the organization. There is also communication between employees themselves occupying one level in the organization. Therefore the communication takes place between the manager and the working staff and between the working staff themselves. This communication process is determined by the factors of the position that each one occupy in the dyad and therefore it will keep on changing in regard to where it is vertical or horizontal communication. One of the barriers to effective communication in the workplace is workplace conflicts. In this regard, there is usually escalation of conflicts in the world place which is due to various issues arising in the process. Conflict escalation resulting from communication can lead to constrained relationship and therefore underperformance especially when it is vertical communication. Workplace conflict have been shown to be one of the greatest hindrance to effective relationship between the employees and their managers and which leads to difficult for the organization to achieve its roles Resolution of conflicts in the workplace is not only necessary but it is imperative. This is because it helps to remove the hindrances in the communication process and therefore enables the organization to have effective and working relationships. Conflict resolution helps to cement the working relationship that is needed in order to have a competent workforce. Therefore leaders should not avoid the conflict hoping that it will go away but there should deal with it. While resolving conflict, a good leader should involve all the parties together to avoid taking side. This means that being neutral is an important in helping to resolve conflict in the workplace. The best way to solve a conflict in the work place will therefore be sitting down with all the concerned parties and talking direct with them with a degree of impartiality and neutrality. Changing people One of the greatest challenge that managers faces is in the introduction of change to the people. No one likes to change and the status quo is defended by all means. As Wilson Woodrow put it "If you want to make enemies, tell people they have to change". This is because there is a great resistance to change not only in the workplace but also in our real life. All of us find it difficult to adapt to new ways and we like living in the way that we have been doing things. Therefore there is need to come up with a strategic way of introducing change to the people in a way that there will be minimum resistance to the change that we are trying to introduce. For one to introduce change effectively to the people there must be a strategic plan which will define all the steps that will be followed to introduce that particular change. In this regard there will be needed to come up with an integrating strategy that will involve the people in planning of the change. In order to act as a change agent, I would follow the following steps. I would first recognize the areas where there is need to introduce a change. In this sense I would study the present condition and propose many ways that can help improve the condition. This would involve analyzing the process and coming up with a list of changes that can be implemented. Then I would choose the best way to change the process. The next step will be reviewing the opinions of the employees on the areas that they think needs to be changed which will make there work process comfortable. I would then compare my best way with the opinions to the employees and try to integrate the two. Then I would consult the employees on the way that the process should be implemented. This would serve the purpose of inform them that there is an implementing change in the process and will also help to collect a data that can show how they are likely to react to the impending change. (Argenti, 2007) After understanding the reaction that is likely to come from the change, then there will be the need to make some modifications in order to minimize the areas of conflict. This again will involve consulting them in order to get the best way that they can prose to implement the change. Then there will be the process of implementing the change in collaboration with the employees. In this regard I will look at participating with them physically in the new process. This will help in understanding the change in the position of the employees. One of the most important aspects of the whole process would be constant communication with those who are going to implement the change in order to help them to own the change. This means that as a change agent, I would work to facilitate the change but the initiatives should be from those who are implementing the change. Use of technology and communication process One of the recent changes that have taken place in the world has been the evolution for new technology. There has been increased use of modern technology in all spheres of life. This has been due to increased globalization which has resulted to reduced distance in the world. Through increased use of communication and information technology, the world has been reduced to a global village in the sense that we can talk to any one at any place. The rise of modern technology has not only been practiced in real life but it has also found a place in the management of the organization. In this sense there has been increased use of communication technology devices liker e-mail, cell phones, voice mail, page, blackberry, internet, computers, and other devices. This has been seen as a revolution in communication in the world and particularly in organization. The increased use of these devices has led to increased communication with one another. Not at annoy one time in the world has the communication process been so efficient and effective than it is now. This is because it has become easy for us to communication with other from others continents regardless for the place they are in and regardless of the time. This has been one of the most important aspects of communication that has enabled people all over the world to get closer to one another and learn more One of the most important that modern technology has enabled is easy access to all kinds of information that we need in the organization. This has increased our understanding of other people which has been one of the most important aspects of workplace management. Understanding other people has been one of the key pillars of intercultural human resource management which has enabled to improve workplace condition. Sharing of information with other organization has helped us to compare the way we run our organization with the way others run their organization in order to come up with the best way to manage our organization. Unlike in the earlier times when trunk calls were the order to the day, the modern use of cell phones and the internet has enabled us to share information and date from any part of the world. A manager will not have to sit all day in the office waiting for trunk calls but they can be engaged in other activities around the organization while the giving instruction and share data using the modern communication device like blackberry. This has increased efficacy of the communication process and data sharing process. Time have elapsed when postal corporation weighed heavy on the budget of organization to send letters and other business document as these can be easily and convince them over the internet. This becomes one the most efficient and very fast method of sending and resigning documents. The use of modern technology has been the key pillar in the increased raise of internet trade and e-commerce. It has made the process of communication faster and effective. (Michael and McJannet, 2007) Reference Argenti, P. (2007). Corporate communication; Journal of Business communication, Vol. 44(3): 236-257 Baldoni, J. (2007). Great communication secrets of Great Leaders; MacGraw-Hill Companies Michael, E. & McJannet, L. (2007): Principle and Practices. New York: McGraw-hill Read More