Communication in Workplace - Research Paper Example

Communication in Workplace Introduction Understanding of organizational behaviour has developed to be an essential element in managing human resources and operations in organizations. Organizational behaviour refers to the study and the use of knowledge of people’s actions and responses in an organizational set up. This paper seeks to discuss the topic of communication in a workplace. The paper will explore elements of communication in a workplace – effective communication skills, roles of communication, and methods of communication. The paper will also explore communication barriers as well as avenues to overcoming culture as a barrier. The topic is of interest, because it is a fundamental element of organizational behaviour. Communication skills Communication refers to an effective transfer of information from one party or parties to another with the aim of initiating an impact on the recipient or recipients. Its scope is, therefore, important to an organization’s management at different levels for operational harmony. Effective communication is achievable from both parties, the sender of the message and the receiver. A speaker in an oral communication should “be considerate, speak clearly, stay focused on the conversation, and be brief” (Ucdmc, n.d., p. 1). The receiver should, on the other hand, control barriers to communication, pay attention to the communication process, dedicate time to the process, and apply ‘non-verbal’ skills (Ucdmc, n.d.; Rosenbaum, 2005). Another skill of the effective communication is the application of illustrative examples in a communication process to aid the demonstration of ideas. Similarly, repeating ideas and phrases after the speaker is identified to induce clarity in communication and eliminate misunderstanding. Most effective in one on one communications, repeating the sender’s idea offers an opportunity for clarifications in case of misunderstanding. Being actively involved in a communication process and developing positive attitudes also facilitates effective communication in a workplace (Hamilton, 2010). Hamilton further explains that “commitment and preparations” are fundamental skills to effective communication. Employees in a workplace must be ready to sacrifice their time when called upon for communication such as in meetings. While commitment ensures constructive contribution in a communication process, being prepared ensures valuable generated ideas and deliberation processes. Similarly, “active listening, open mindedness, and flexibility” are skills of effective communication (Hamilton, 2010, p. 263). As a result, effective communication skills ensure effective communication processes (Hamilton, 2010). Roles of communication in workplace Robbins argues that communication plays a major role in controlling workers’ behaviour and actions. This is because operation processes are planned and need to be implemented through specific strategies. Communicating such operational strategies consequently limits workers’ scope of actions to the issued directions. Similarly, communicating guidelines such as codes of conduct in a workplace directly controls workers’ behaviour. Robbins also argues that communication motivates employees by offering guidelines to operation procedures as well as understanding the scope of work. Communicating objectives of a particular work, issuance of encouraging responses to positive progress, and encouraging good behaviour and attitudes are examples of communication initiatives that motivate workers to higher productivity. Communication, both verbal and ‘non-verbal’, also helps in identification of worker’s emotional conditions towards control measures. It also aids the general transfer of information from one party to another (Robbins, 2009). Communication Process and Types of Communication According to Robbins, the communication process involves a series of activities through which a message is transmitted from the sender to the receiver followed by a feedback to the sender. He argues that the first element of the communication process is the development of the message content. An encoding process in which the sender applies necessary tools to aid understanding of the message follows this. Such tools may include oral words, symbols, or writings. The encoded message is then transmitted through a medium to the receiver who decodes it into an understanding. The receiver then reacts to the message by sending a feedback to the sender (Robbins, 2009). Formal and Informal Communication Robbins defines formal communication as officially recognized communication processes in a workplace that follows an organization’s established structures and channels. He argues that formal communications are made along authority lines and may include issuance of directions, or communication of resolutions for implementation. Informal communication on the other hand falls outside an organization’s structure and may not relate to the organizations objectives. They include social interactions among workers at personal levels (Robbins, 2009). Directional Communication Communication in a workplace, according to Robbins, can be either vertical or lateral. Vertical communication flows along an organization’s structure from one level to another. Vertical communication that flows from the top of an organizational structure to the bottom is known as downward communication and involves dissemination of orders or directions from the management to workers. The vertical approach is, however, criticised for its ineffectiveness due to provision of insufficient explanations to communicated messages, a matter that has negative impacts on employees down the organizational structure. The author also explains that upward communication involves transmission of information from the bottom to the top of an organization’s structure. It includes employees’ responses to contents of downward communications. The upward and downward communications do not, therefore, independently constitute a complete communication process. The process is completed by an integrated upward downward communication in which the downward process conveys feedback. Lateral communication, on the other hand, takes place between workers at the same level of an organization’s structure. It, for example, occurs between line managers or employees in a team (Robbins, 2009). Verbal and “Non-verbal” Communication Verbal communication involves application of words to express a message. It might be oral or written and is a major characteristic of formal communication in the workplace. ‘Non-verbal’ communication, on the other hand, involves application of visually identifiable means. Such means include wordless expressions and bodily gestures. Effective communication is, however, achieved through a combination of both verbal and ‘non-verbal’ communication (Robbins, 2009). Electronic Communication Technological developments have facilitated workplace communication through application of electronic communication methods. Electronic methods that include mobile messaging, instant messaging, e-mails, and application of social networks facilitate economical and faster communication within and outside a workplace. Electronic communication, according to Robbins, is particularly effective in downward communication as well as lateral communication among peers. Its application majorly fits informal communication. Social networking has also emerged to be a communication medium for peers in workplace (Robbins, 2009). Communication Barriers Communication in workplaces, according to Guo and Sanchez, face challenges that may hinder effectiveness. Filtering, which defines a sender’s intentional distortion of information, is one of the communication barriers in workplaces. Associated by ill will, bad attitudes, and intention, filtering occurs when the sender does not want to convey the exact message to the receiver. Longer communication channels initiated by bureaucracies worsen filtering. Attitudes, pre-emption, and emotions also adversely affect the encoding and decoding processes of communication. Similarly, differences between the communicating parties, such as language barriers, gender and cultural variance, and political differences affect attitudes to a compromised communication process (Robbins, 2009; Guo and Sanchez, 2005; Sosa et al., 2002). Achieving Effective Cross-Cultural Communication Robins argues that an organization can overcome cross-cultural barriers to communication through a facilitated understanding of organizational behaviour. Facilitating knowledge on cultural differences and effective cross-cultural communication is one of the avenues towards solving cross-cultural communication barriers. People in a workplace need to understand one another and learn to practice tolerance and accept diversity. This eliminates the perceived differences towards effective cross-cultural communication (Robbins, 2009). Conclusion Communication at a workplace is a tool for the management. Different communication methods exist to suit natural and artificial behaviours at workplaces. Barriers to communication that are majorly psychological and behavioural mean that effectiveness of a communication process relies on the organizational behaviour. An effective communication process can, therefore, be achieved through understanding of the organizational behaviour at a workplace. References Guo, K. & Sanchez, Y. (2005). Workplace communication. Retrieved from: http://healthadmin.jbpub.com/Borkowski/chapter4.pdf Hamilton, C. (2010). Communicating for Results: A Guide for Business and the Professions. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning Robbbins, S. (2009). Organisational Behaviour: Global and Southern African Perspectives. Cape Town, South Africa: Pearson South Africa Rosenbaum, T. (2005). Effective communication skills. Retrieved from: http://www.clrp.cornell.edu/workshops/pdf/communication_skills-web.pdf Sosa et al. (2002). Factors that influence technical communication in distributed product development: an empirical study in telecommunications industry. Retrieved from: http://stuff.mit.edu/people/eppinger/pdf/Sosa_IEEE_Feb2002.pdf Ucdmc. (n.d.) Communication skills. Retrieved from: http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/hr/hrdepts/asap/Documents/Communication_Skills.pdf Read More