Managing Communication in Business - Essay Example

One of the Most Important Skills That Any Person Within an Organization Needs is the Ability to Communicate. Without Communication Your Other Skillsare Less Useful. Introduction One of the Most Important Skills That Any Person Within an Organization Needs is the Ability to Communicate. Without Communication Your Other Skills Are Less Useful. The above statement, while placing an enormous importance on the communications skills of a person, at the same time, de-emphasizes the role of other skills for success. This may appear to be taking an extreme stance, biased in favor of communication as opposed to other skills like leadership, interpersonal, conflict management, and technical skills among others that have been recognized as necessary for success. However, the following paper supports the statement, as on a careful evaluation of the communication process, and of the role that communication plays in organization, it can be proved that indeed communication skills are one of the most important skills, and that without communication, other skills are left stranded. The argument is developed by first elaborating on the pervasive presence of communication in the organization, and how, it becomes a central activity for an individual during his interaction with his superiors, peers, subordinates and customers. The functions that communication plays in an organization, and how effective communication, both verbal and non-verbal, can make a difference to the employee’s performance are presented with the help of suitable examples. These examples include instances in the workplace where effective communication can lead to better interpersonal relations, increase productivity and lead to an employee getting positive performance appraisal. This is followed by a discussion on the importance of the impersonal written and oral communications in an individual’s career prospects. Finally, the dependence of other key skills on communication for their effectiveness is elaborated upon. A discussion follows on the activities that go in the manifestation of the above skills, and how these activities cannot be performed in the absence of effective communication. The paper finally concludes with the establishing the verity of the above statement in the light of the previous research done on the importance of communication. One of the Most Important Skills That Any Person Within an Organization Needs is the Ability to Communicate. Without Communication Your Other Skills are Less Useful. Communication is a very important aspect of all human interactions, be it on an interpersonal level or at the organizational level. We, as individuals, spend nearly 70% of our waking hours communicating – talking, listening, reading, writing, gesturing. (Robbins, 1999, pg. 310). Though communication, on a superficial level, is assumed to flow naturally through our interactions, it is not always successful. Communication is not merely transference of a message from the source to the receiver, but it includes that the receiver successfully understands the message as intended by the sender. In an organization, communication assumes greater importance, as transference of meaning, ideas, and information forms the basis of the organization’s effectiveness. Poor communication leads to interpersonal conflicts. (Thomas K. W. and W. H. Schmidt, 1976, pg. 317) and can even be responsible for an individuals’ low performance in the organization. Development of good communication skills is essential if an employee wants to be popular, liked, and positively evaluated by others. An employee is in continuous communication with his colleagues, subordinates, boss, and at times, with customers. Considering the amount of communication that a person is involved in with others, his quality of communication greatly affects his relationship with them. (Richard Ellis, 2003). The interpersonal communication encompasses both verbal and non-verbal means of communication. Also, successful job performance requires, more often than not, that the individual be well versed in written communication, and in using the latest communication technology. Communication skills involve, listening, accurate interpretation, understanding the context of the conversation, making informed decisions based on the communicated information, and communicating the outcome to others. In the organizational context, the possession of effective communication skills, both written and oral, is considered as one of the most important requirement for success. (Job Outlook, 2005). According to W. G. Scott and T. R. Mitchell (W.G. Scott and T. R. Mitchell, 1976), communication serves four major functions within an organization – control, motivation, emotional expression and information. An individual who is well versed in communication skills is able to utilize the above functions most effectively to further his success within the organization. This is illustrated by the following examples on how good communication skills help an individual in maintaining good relationships with his subordinates, boss, peers, and customers. In his dealing with his subordinates, his communication skills will help him in better motivating them by articulating specific goals for them, giving them accurate and well worded feedback, and by communicating to them what exactly needs to be changed. Further, he will be in a better control of the subordinates if he is able to understand, interpret and translate the organizational policies into practice. He will be able to delegate, and monitor work efficiently, if he can effectively communicate his assertiveness. The individual will also be better equipped to express his emotions about the subordinates’ performance, and will come out as a balanced person. With his ability to understand and transfer organizational information, he is able to assist his subordinates in their work – thus proving himself as a considerate and helpful boss and leader. Communication skills are also important in dealing with his superiors, as a good performance appraisal is a necessary requirement for success. By accurately understanding the organization’s policies, and effectively conveying grievances to the superiors, an employee communicates his explicit understanding of the superior’s control – and in return expects to gain positive reviews. An important way to express motivation, along with presenting results, is to communicate enthusiasm, and eagerness to excel. This again is viewed as signs of the employ’s commitment to the organizational goals. Managing emotional expression by an accurate understanding of the situation helps the individual in making an impression on his superiors. His ability to effectively understand information, interpret it, use it in decision making, and to communicate his decisions, are all dependent on his communication skills. Peer interactions are an integral part of the work environment. In an organization, working in groups and teams requires that the employee have good communication skills to understand the goals of the team, to make his contribution, and to maintain a motivated work setting. Having good communication skills helps the employee to assess the control and skill structure of the organization, a skill that helps in making intelligent decisions regarding individual interactions. A person well versed in communication skills is able to express empathy, to share his personal problems, and to create healthy relationships with his colleagues. This helps in extending help, and getting assistance in times of need. Communication becomes extremely important for those individuals whose jobs mandate that they directly deal with customers. Here, effective communication skills play an important role in establishing good customer relation, in clarifying the customer’s queries, and in effecting sales. (Dan O Hair, 1998). The communication skills can be utilized in both the verbal and non-verbal communication. In interpersonal interactions, the non-verbal communication becomes equally important, as people tend to judge others on the basis of their body-language, voice inflexions, facial expressions and other non-verbal cues. A person who is knowledgable about the techniques of effective non-verbal communication, can make a better impression on all those that he comes across. In addition to the interpersonal communication, an employee is involved in impersonal communication in the form of business writings (reports, letter writing, memos), Oral Reporting, making and delivering presentations, and participating in meetings. Skills in the above organizational communication are needed for the dissemination of information, conflict resolution, giving feedback and team working. A person who’s written communication is clear, comprehensive and conveys the message correctly, is at an advantage in a workplace that is rapidly changing with globalization and workforce diversity, as around 90% of organizational communication is basically in the written form. (Michelle Howe, 2003). Participation in teams and group discussions, delivering presentations and making speeches are some of the oral forms of communications. Excellence in these may lead to projecting the employee as a dynamic and energetic individual – aspects of personality that encourage others to evaluate him positively. The above discussion largely focused on how possessing good communication skills adds a fillip to the individual’s performance and assists him in his career ambitions. No we’ll focus on how, without communication, your other skills are undervalued. Other skills, namely, Leadership, Interpersonal Skills and Conflict Management, Negotiating, Problem Solving, Conceptual, Technical, and Time and Resource Management are considered important for an individual’s success, but in the absence of good communication skills, these other skills are lost. The following pages elaborate on how good communication skills are important for success, and how, other skills become less useful when the individual lacks the ability to successfully communicate. The task required for effective leadership include coaching, coordinating, counseling, evaluating, and supervising – these are only carried out through the communication process. (Donald Clark, 1997). In the absence of communication skills, an individual cannot possibly hope to perform any of the leadership tasks. Interpersonal skills include the ability to read and manage the emotions, motivations, and behaviors of oneself and others during social interactions or in a social-interactive context. A person cannot possess or display interpersonal skills without communication, and the better he is at communication, the better he can carry of his interpersonal interactions with peers and superiors and subordinates. By the very nature of the interpersonal interactions, communication becomes an integral part of the situation. Management of both verbal and non-verbal communication becomes extremely important in sustaining the interpersonal tasks. Similarly, Conflict Management Skills and Negotiation can only be effective if the individual resorts to effective communication. An important aspect of the conflict management process involves understanding the other’s point of view, using the information to arrive at a potential solution, and communicating the solution to the conflicting parties. As can be seen, the conflict resolution process parallels the communication process, as at all stages, effective communication is important. Similarly, to be able to successfully negotiate, understanding the demands of others, and presenting your own point of view in a clear and direct manner, are important – and hence the need for communication. Conceptual and Problem Solving skills are again restricted by a person’s understanding and usage of language. The more the individual is adept in understanding various concepts and using communication tools, the better he will be at conceptual and problem solving skills. Technical skills and job specific skills are developed by an individual’s ability to understand both the written and the oral communications. The person who is better equipped to understand and interpret written manuals, journals etc., and who is better at listening and responding to oral communications, will be in a better position to utilize any on-job training. In contrast, people who lack in communication skills will find it difficult to develop and adapt to the technical skill level required by their jobs. Currently, with the advent of the information technology, the scope of the communication skills in influencing an employee’s performance has expanded. Those individuals who have quickly adapted to the new means of communication like SMS, email, video-conferencing, electronic publishing, using the Internet to surf for information etc., are better able to manage their time and resources. Thus it can be seen that communication plays an important role in organizational activities. Individuals who understand the relevance of effective communication, and who have developed good communication skills, are in an advantageous position. Such individuals are better able to capitalize on their other skills like leadership and interpersonal skills, based on the competence at communication. Conclusion Communication is an important activity that individuals indulge in, both at the individual level and at the organizational level. Effective communication involves transference of a message from the source to the receiver, and the successful understanding of the message by the receiver as intended by the sender. In an organization, communication takes on added importance as almost all of the working time is spent in communicating – oral, written and non-verbal, and both interpersonal and impersonal. Effective communication skills include listening, accurate interpretation, understanding the context of the conversation, making informed decisions based on the communicated information, and communicating the outcome to others. Possession of effective communication skills is cited as one of the most important skills required for success at work. An individual who is well versed in communication skills is able to utilize the functions of control, motivation, emotional expression and information most effectively to further his success within the organization. This way, he is able to make a major impact in all his interpersonal interactions with his superiors, subordinates, peers and customers. In interpersonal interactions, the non-verbal communication becomes equally important as the verbal interactions. A person who is knowledgable about the techniques of effective non-verbal communication involving body-language, voice inflexions, facial expressions and other non-verbal cues, can make a better impression on all those that he comes across. Organizations also require an employee to be involved in impersonal communication in the form of business writings (reports, letter writing, memos), Oral Reporting, making and delivering presentations, and participating in meetings. Those employees, who excel in these communication skills, are seen as dynamic and energetic individual and get positive evaluations and appraisals. Though, other skills like Leadership, Interpersonal Skills and Conflict Management, Negotiating, Problem Solving, Conceptual, Technical, and Time and Resource Management are considered important for an individual’s success, they are not effective in the absence of good communication skills. This is because the activities that are involved in the performance of these skills depend heavily on their manifestation through the communication process. In addition to the traditional means of communication, the advent of communication technology has placed additional tools at the disposal of individuals to expand their communication skills. The above discussion has brought to light the importance of communication in organizations, while at the same time establishing that “One of the Most Important Skills That Any Person Within an Organization Needs is the Ability to Communicate.” It has further presented an argument to prove that “Without Communication Your Other Skills are Less Useful.” References 1. Robbins P. Stephen, 1999, ‘Communication’, Organizational Behavior, pg. 310, Prentice-Hall of India, India. 2. Thomas K. W. and W. H. Schmidt, June1976, A Survey of Managerial Interests With Respect to Conflicts, Academy of Management Journal, pg 317. 3. Richard Ellis, 2003, Introduction, Communication Skills, pg 1, Intellect Books, UK 4. Job Outlook, 2005, National Association of Colleges and Employers, available online at http://www.naceweb.org/press/display.asp?year=&prid=207, updated on 20th Jan 2006, accessed on 29th April 2006 5. W. G. Scott and T. R. Mitchell, 1976, Organizational Theory: A Stuctural and Behavioral Analysis, Homewood, Ill.:  Richard D. Irwin 6. Dan OHair, 1990, quoting Alessandra et al, 1988, in Applied Communication Theory and Research, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, NJ. 7. Michelle Howe, 2003, Riverside Business Journal, CA, extracts available online at http://www.howewriteyouare.com/articles/communicationskills_0103.html, accessed on 29th March 2006. 8. Donald Clark, 1997, Communication and Leadership, available online at http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/leader/leadcom.html, Last update - July 17, 2005, accessed on 29th March 2006. Read More