Communication in the Workplace - Coursework Example

Communication in the Workplace To be effective within any organization, there is a need to understand what the philosophy, mission and vision of thisorganization is. If the same are outlined in a proper and adequate manner, next step is to make that happen. Now the basic factor which needs emphasis in the whole ball game of business undertaking is to be effective yet useful at the same time, without making use of the resources in an abundant capacity. This means that resources stand as a problem in the wake of an organization trying to achieve its goal in the way of meeting its objectives. These objectives could both be short term as well as long term – both looking to stabilize the working capital of the organization and its different tenets. Similarly, any set of values and beliefs make up a culture. On the same pretext, an organizational culture is a set of values, morals, beliefs, traditions and norms which come from the industry specific regimes as well as that from the society under which it exists in the first place. Workforce diversity can pose a number of problems for the group members but it is the duty of the leader of the group to make the group members hailing from different cultures to feel comfortable within the group and contribute to the best capacity they can, both as an individual and in a group. (Knight, 2007) This paper talks exclusively about the British construction workers involved within heavy building material factories. These workers produce concrete blocks, roof tiles, hollow core flooring and so on and so forth. These workers require communication settings which are in line with the organizational needs as well as their own peculiar requirements. Since their work is mostly comprised of outdoor settings, these workers need effectiveness and efficiency in communicating with their peers and their bosses so that work gets done at a steady rate nonetheless. To be effective within a business communication setting of the British construction workers, there is a need to have proper and sound policies when it comes to e-mail communication within them, cross cultural exchange and lastly correct usage of diversification within the construction workers. (Hallstein, 2007) E-mails that are sent out in an organization need to be written and sent in a manner which could easily be read and understood by the right mix of construction workers that work within this organization. This means that the language used should be readable and easy to interpret. Any construction organization would dearly want to have employees who could make out from a variety of different Internet languages, which also brings to light the notion of understanding and comprehending the ‘net lingo’ – the mix of informal Internet language and the common, daily use terms like ‘hey’, ‘u’, ‘f9’ and so on. There are definitely some guidelines attached with the smooth interaction and transfer of cross-cultural issues within the construction workers but they are hard to come by and even harder to implement at the construction sites, more so if the construction workers are not that comfortable with the same. Cross cultural awareness is increased within the companies and its people through effective managers who can bridge the gap between them culturally and socially. It is adopted through extremely viable work styles, cultures and practices within the construction workers’ sites. Productive relationships between employees result in a better understanding of the business in general and amongst the cross-cultural factions in general. A successful communication system is achieved by training and assistance for the employees within their construction sites and work places. (Amason, 2007) Be a company in Calcutta, Brisbane or Hong Kong, it is necessary for the construction company owners to understand the need for a solid platform for all people within it, the ones interacting with it and all the rest to talk freely and express the ideas and share the thoughts which are so very necessary for the development of ties among different branch outlets of a company and more than that, the people within them. There is a need for a code-breaker within the business, which understands what the other person is saying and what he is trying to pass through his judgments, more so for the betterment of the construction company, in any capacity and in area of the world. (Southworth, 2005) Organizational diversity within the construction workers’ settings means what kind of organizational working a construction company usually has within its folds. This could be in the form of a centralized fashion or a company which has a decentralized approach as far as its working methodologies are concerned. The centralized diversity of an organization understands the fact that the supreme basis of instructions and commands rests with only one single party and all the other staff members encircle this post of authority. It might also be true that an organization has different departments and within those different units, there is either the provision of centralized or decentralized approach. (Cross, 2000) The decentralized form of diversity takes its basis from the rationale that more the number of staff members or construction workers within the organization, more distributed are the chain of command and authority within them. This means that there is little check and balance mechanism on their part and they are their own bosses. The organizational diversity thus stems from the ideology that the more complex the working systems of the organization, the more likely there would be problems within the whole organization and thus check and control would be less minimized. (Hopkins, 1998) Coming to the issue of diverse workforce within the construction workers of an organization where communication is a problem, one must understand that there should be a common ground on which all these people – the workforce understands the organization’s philosophies and principles. This will enable them to easily comprehend what is being said on an organizational level and what the different management hierarchies are thinking. This is possible by implementing e-mail programs which are tailored to the needs of the respective construction workers who are good at understanding one language or the other. Similarly this holds true for the workers who have problems in communication with the masses within the organization and for this anomaly it is best to devise ways and means which help them at conversing with each other. (Cappelli, 1999) Nonverbal communication within construction workers is also another strong element which is used more and more in a setting that comprises of diverse workforce. However there is a need to properly devise the nonverbal signs and symbols and to align the same from a perspective which is free from racial or gender bias and is in line with the societal norms and ethical behaviors. After the same has been devised, there is a need to send it to all the construction workers so that they get at the same level as far as the understanding of the rules and nonverbal communication symbols are concerned. When this process has taken place, one could easily witness communication to ease up within the organization which consists of a diverse workforce amongst the construction workers. (Dipboye, 2005) One should believe that the cultural and ethnic backgrounds of construction workers need not come in the way of effectiveness and productivity levels of the workers and staff and thus nonverbal and verbal communication mechanisms would mean success at the end of the day. Thus the organizations need to realize their due roles in the related setting and tailor their communication mechanisms in line with the very same. In essence, workplace works wonders for construction workers who call the construction sites their home and stay within the realms of the same for as long as they could. These workers like to engage in jobs which ask of them to stay back till the late hours of the night. More than that, they are the first ones to get to the job each day. Then there are the construction workers who do not enjoy the work-oriented environment which the site presents. These workers rely more on getting the job done and leaving at the designated times. Everyone has his own personal preferences and justifications are provided to suggest that the work at the end of the day was completed without any hiccups, no matter how interested or disinterested the employee indeed was during that very day. (Levinson, 1999) The emphasis is on understanding the aspect of emotional intelligence which could work wonders for the employees and thus leave a lasting impression on their individual performances. The complaints which are made within a construction site could range from top to bottom, bottom to top or amongst peers. (West, 2003) What this means is the fact that at a certain point in time, grudges do arise between construction workers and they complain about the lack of camaraderie between them. At times, there are complaints of the bosses being too harsh, however the same are backed up with no names at the ends of the complaints to suggest anonymity. The top management has a complaint against the subordinates that they are always lazy and dissatisfied with work, no matter how organized and productive they are at the end of the day. (Schreiber, 1996) There seems to be a market going on of complaints shooting from one corner to another. Thus the aspect of emotionally stable individuals within the workplace environment suggests that they understand the task at hand that needs to be completed rather than remaining susceptible to emotionally charged provocations, grudges and hatred creeping in within the realms of the workplace. (Brotherton, 2000) At times, the top management takes notice of these problems which arise in the wake of a lack of generally low level of emotionally stable environment but the shortcomings are not plugged immediately and there is a lot to be desired of the same. The best practices are surely coming from the domains of the generally accepted norms within the construction industry and the same need to be followed in line with the organizational communication settings and requirements. The fabric of these best practices would ensure that the organizations are able to deliver when it matters the most and thus not give into pressure at any moment in time. (Edens, 2001) Workforce depends a great deal on the way in which construction workers perform their duties and remain committed to the growth potentials of the work under discussion. It does not really matter if the workers are full time construction workers or contingent and part time ones. What is needed and looked upon is the manner in which construction workers work towards attaining the goals and objectives of the business and provide benefits to the eventual position of the construction company. (Kikoski, 1999) This is the single most quintessential basis for the workforce to identify with and no other aspect is deemed in the same vein when it comes to the amount of significance that workforce could exhibit on any given day. If the organization has a major share of temporary construction workers within its fold, it is of paramount essence that the organization’s own culture is strong and there are no apprehensions in this basis whatsoever. (Buttner, 2006) This is because organization’s culture lays the foundation stone for their devotion and work place performance levels to a higher magnitude. It is definitive to understand that not all the deeds of an organization are remarked as clean and fair – instead some of these are hidden from the common knowledge of even the construction workers working towards their motivational levels. Professionalism must remain the buzzword within such ethical domains. Thus it is in line with the office level hierarchy and the same must remain as the case since there is no alternative for workplace discipline and ethics. The different communication styles can only work to the advantage of everyone when there is a genuine effort on the part of the managers to make their workers feel at ease with the changing trends, rising pressure regimes and so on and so forth. (Johnson & Johnson, 1975) In essence, it is the need of the hour to communicate one-on-one with the construction workers so that their problems could be manifested and issues see the light of the day as far as their solutions are concerned. It will facilitate the cause of the construction company as well as the construction workers who are giving in their best with each passing day. The efforts on both the sides must be equal and fair. Bibliography AMASON, Allen. (2007). Examining the Impact of Organizational Value Dissimilarity in Top Management Teams. Journal of Managerial Issues, Vol. 19 BROTHERTON, Phaedra. (2000). HR Efficiency without the Hassles. Black Enterprise, Vol. 31, September BUTTNER, E. Holly. (2006). The Influence of Organizational Diversity Orientation and Leader Attitude on Diversity Activities. Journal of Managerial Issues, Vol. 18 CAPPELLI, Peter. (1999). Employment Practices and Business Strategy. Oxford University Press CROSS, Elsie Y. (2000). Managing Diversity – The Courage to Lead. Quorum Books DIPBOYE, Robert. (2005). Discrimination at Work: The Psychological and Organizational Bases. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates EDENS, Eleana. (2001). 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