Communication is a vital component in all facets of a business. It is, therefore, very important to have effective communication in an organization. This is because effective communication is very important for the development of an organization. More specifically, it helps organizational leaders, such as managers, to perform the basic functions of management, such as planning and organizing. According to Robbins and Coulter (2012), effective communication tends to inspire employees to align themselves with the organizational goals. More to this is that it helps control employee performance as well as help determine what needs to be done to improve employee or organizational performance.
Communication plays a significant role in the development of an organization. In addition, it plays a vital role in customer relations and employee management. In fact, communication plays a role in virtually every facet of a business's operations. Therefore, in order to be successful, companies ought to put in place comprehensive policies and strategies for communicating with their customers, workers, and stakeholders. It is necessary to have effective communication within an organization as it facilitates proper transfers of an organization’s goals and messages.
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There are numerous forms of communication. Some of these forms include verbal communication, non-verbal communication, formal communications, informal communication, and numerous other forms. In this paper, I will be proposing a good communication structure for my organization. More specifically, this paper will explore five communication concepts that are vital for positive communication within an organizational setting. The communication concepts that will be discussed in this proposal are formal and informal communication, effective listening, organization culture, leadership strategies, and conflict resolution. In this proposal, I will discuss the concepts and state why they are essential for effective communication. I will also discuss how organizations can implement these concepts.
Communication Concepts, their Importance, and Implementation
Effective Listening
Listening is an integral aspect of the communication process. According to Dr. Ralph Nicholas, who is a researcher, “The most basic of all human needs is the need to understand and be understood. The best way to understand people is to listen to them” (Krizan, Merrier, Logan, & Williams, 2008). Listening is a dynamic process. For information to be retained, listeners ought to listen effectively. To achieve this, there is a need to pay attention and interest during the communication process. Listening suggests decoding, as it involves translating symbols and interpreting messages during the process of communication.
To ensure organizational success, listening is very important. If an individual fails to listen carefully, he or she may misinterpret or misunderstand the message communicated. A leader or manager ought to have effective listening skills in order to be successful. It is vital to note that individuals who listen actively tend to raise the flow of new information and ideas (Krizan, Merrier, Logan, & Williams, 2008). It is also worth to note that businesses or companies that track principles of effective tend to be successful in the sense that they will continuously be informed timely as well as be updated with changes.
Listen is very critical in the workplace as it impacts many facets of a business, and the benefits of effective listening are endless. With regard to the management role, listening provides the foundation that enables managers to align the employees of an organization with the organizational goals (Krizan, Merrier, Logan, & Williams, 2008). More to this is that it provides the foundation that enables managers to resolve conflicts or conflicting viewpoints within the organization and set a clear vision and direction (Flynn, Valikoski, & Grau, 2008). Effective listening helps in product developments and managing employee performance (Flynn, Valikoski, & Grau, 2008). It also encourages organizational relationships.
Raft measures should be taken to ensure effective listening in an organization. Organizations need to put in place measures and strategies to ensure the organizations' leaders and employees listen to understand rather than to respond. Employees should also be encouraged to be good listeners. Through this, an organization would be able to foster trust, reduce conflict, as well as increase the level of commitment in the workplace.
Formal and Informal Communication
As stated earlier, communication is very vital for the success of a business, company, or organization. The type of communication used in an organization usually depends on the circumstance and organizational needs. There are different forms of communication, but in this section, formal and information communication will be covered. Formal communication takes place through official or formal channels along a chain of command, such as between managers and employees of the same cadre (Saleem, 2015). On the other hand, informal communication does not follow formal lines of communication. To ensure effective communication in an organization, there ought to be a decent balance between these two forms of communication.
In the organizational setting, both formal and informal communication should exist. With regard to formal communication, the matters discussed or debated are authorized and to the point. It is vital to note that there are rules and procedures to be followed in this type of communication. Examples of formal communications include conferences, departmental meetings, publications, and interviews that are designed for business purposes (Saleem, 2015).
With regard to informal communication, communication does not take place along a chain of command. In the organizational setting, informal communication usually takes place between employees (Saleem, 2015). In most cases, employees communicate through informal means to share their views. Forms of informal communication include rumors and gossips. It is vital to note that informal communication spread very fast and may create confusion in an organization (Saleem, 2015). Informal communication is very helpful sometimes, especially when organizational leaders want to spread information very fast.
Within the organization set up, formal communication can take different forms, such as downward, upward, horizontal, and diagonal communication. With regard to downward communication, information flows from the highest level in a chain of command to the lowest level. With regard to upward communication, information flows from subordinate levels to senior levels. With regard to horizontal communication, information flows between individuals with the same level but from different departments or areas of responsibility in an organization. Lastly, diagonal communication occurs between employees from different levels and different departments.
Raft measures should be taken to ensure a decent balance of formal and informal communication. While managers are required to share information as well as make a decision in an organizational setting, they need to act on feedback from subordinates. In other words, in organizational setup, the information should flow downwards, upwards, horizontal, and diagonal.
Organizational Culture
Organizational structure has been defined as the unique values and behaviors that have been formed by corporate heads and practiced by the employees and which helps to set the organization apart from other organizations (Diaz-Sooga, 2019). A positive organizational structure is essential for successful communication in an organization because of the different roles that organizational culture plays in an organization.
Organizational culture helps to create a sense of belonging among the employees. The employees share in the organization’s ideals. Consequently, employees become motivated to achieve the organization's goals and vision. The shared values among the employees and the management create an emotional attachment to the organization. The employees and management alike are thus united and committed to achieving the vision. Successful and effective communication is possible amongst organizational members that are united. A healthy organizational culture also breeds loyalty among the employees to the organization's leaders. Loyal employees are more likely to communicate with the management on different crucial areas in the organization directed towards achieving the goals.
Good organizational cultures also enhance cohesiveness amongst the employees. Healthy relationships amongst coworkers help not only achieve healthy competition but successful communication too. Successful communication is possible in such an organization since the employees can easily interact, and none of the employees harbors malice towards each other (Hassan and Islam, 2015). Organizational culture also helps to define the guidelines and policies adhered to while working for the organization. The policies and guidelines provide employees with a sense of direction. Each employee clearly understands his roles and responsibilities. The employees also understand how to go about their tasks. An organization with such clearly defined roles encourages successful communication in the organization. Employees are aware of the stations that they report to and who their supervisors are. Thus, if an employee wants to seek guidance or submit reports, they know the individuals that they should seek it from. Such a culture in an organization helps to obtain the very best from the employees. Successful communication is enhanced since both vertical and horizontal communication is possible.
Raft of measures should be taken to implement a healthy organizational culture in an organization. It has been found out that organizations that strive to mentor and induct new employees help encourage effective communication. Thus, it is my recommendation that the organization creates a well-defined mentoring program. New employees should be allocated a mentor who helps induct them into the organization's culture. Mentoring and induction will help the employees to acclimatize to the organization's culture quickly. Successful communication is only possible amongst employees who know about the operations of the organization.
An open communication policy also needs to be implemented to ensure successful communication. The organization should form a culture whereby it consults and values the views and opinions of the employees. Not only will the different aspects bring different ideas but encourage constructive criticism too. Open communication helps to create trust among the employees and management (Cottrill et al., 2014). Employees are privy to some of the details that can better an organization and can quite easily communicate to the leaders when a culture of openness is cultivated.
Additionally, the organization should encourage collaboration and team playing, which helps achieve maximum productivity in the organization. As part of enhancing collaboration, the organization should include the employees when planning for the organization. This can be done by scheduling meetings whereby the employees are allowed to discuss the different agenda. This encourages successful communication, and employees feel valued, thus committed to achieving the organization's goals.
Leadership Strategies
A communication structure within an organization may fail to be successful if leadership strategies are not incorporated. Leaders are quite influential in an organization since they are the vision bearers of the organization. How best they synchronize the energies of the staff determines the level of success of the organization. Effective leadership strategies help ensure successful communication in an organization and hence the achievement of the organization's goals.
Successful organizations choose a leadership approach that communicates the goals, mission, and vision of the organization to the staff. This helps to get the staff on board and in support of the achievement of the goals. Another essential leadership strategy, usually cited, is a collaboration (Cottrill et al., 2014). Leaders seek to have the staff support the organization's objectives. Consequently, they involve them right from the planning and decision-making stages. The ability of leaders to delegate duties is also a crucial determinant of an organization's success. Delegation of responsibilities to different teams helps develop trust and a sense of responsibility within the organization.
Developing a culture of openness within an organization is an effective leadership strategy. Leaders should aspire to encourage their employees to express their views freely. Open communication within an organization helps promotes differences in ideas intended to grow the organization (Men, 2014). An open communication strategy also helps an organization to effectively maneuver crisis since all members are alert and communicating the different ways of solving the crisis.
The organization's leadership can also bring on board the team members to ensure that they craft effective communication guidelines. The team should craft guidelines that promote the growth of the organization. The involvement of staff members in the planning and decision making in an organization helps to create a shared sense of belonging (Men, 2014). Employees consequently become committed to the organization. Leaders should also strive to seek and give feedback. Thus, the organization should implement a feedback collection mechanism whereby the staff can freely provide honest feedback about the running of the organization. The implementation can be done through the use of questionnaires and reports. Leaders should also give their feedback to the staff on different matters in the organization. Effective leadership strategies will help ensure that the organization achieves effective communication that aids in the success of the organization.
Conflict Resolution
Conflicts had, for a long time, been viewed as destructive. However, a more in-depth analysis has found out that proper conflict management steers an organization to a successful path. If not managed or resolved, conflicts cripple an organization's communication, which can ultimately interfere with the operations and success of the organization (Ivanov, 2019). Thus, conflict resolution is quite a crucial concept in an organization’s communication structure.
Conflicts have been broadly classified as either constructive or destructive (Abiodun, 2014). Constructive conflicts help to support the attainment of the organization's goals and consequently improve the productivity in the organization. Destructive conflicts, on the other hand, are conflicts that tear apart relationships in an organization, thus curtailing the achievement of the team's goals.
Different reasons are cited as sources of conflict within organizations. Some of the causes include the dependency on the execution of tasks, specialization, and incompatibility of various departments and employees' awarding system (Spaho, 2013). Unclear lines of authority lines are also cited as causes of conflicts within organizations. Causes of conflicts are analyzed to stem from reasons such as the difference in ideas, lack of information, and poor or inadequate information.
Destructive effects of conflicts when not well handled include job dissatisfaction and lack of interest in a job (Men, 2014). However, when resolved, conflicts can result in some benefits for an organization, such as motivation to excel in the workplace and helps encourage innovation and creativity in the organization. Conflicts also enhance better communication in an organization (Ivanov, 2019). Through the learning of the differences between the opinions and communication styles amongst themselves, employees can become more bonded and committed to achieving the organization's goals (Abiodun, 2014). Employees become aware that they are all focused on delivering the organization's goals, and only opinion differences occur between them. Conflict resolution also equips employees with the tools to efficiently resolve conflicts in the future. Conflict resolution is, therefore, necessary to achieve successful communication in an organization.
Conflict resolution calls for the use of different values. The values include respect for all individuals in an organization, cooperation, and empowerment, respect for diversity in views and opinions, justice, and the use of non-violence methods (Abiodun, 2014). Conflict resolution requires the use of different strategies. Quinn et al. (2015) cite three different strategies that are effective in conflict t resolution. The strategies are non-confrontational, solution-oriented, and control strategies. The different strategies are effective in conflict resolution in different scenarios. The solution-oriented strategy is cited as the most effective strategy to use in an organization. The strategy incorporates the views of various parties in conflict, thus useful in enhancing innovation and creativity. Individuals are also more likely to effectively communicate and cooperate when the solution-oriented strategy is used.
To implement effective conflict resolution strategies in the organization, different measures require to be implemented. The foundational principle in solving conflicts is avoiding conflicts altogether (Abiodun, 2014). In an organizational setting, this can be achieved by ensuring that there are well-designated lines of authority. Clear lines of authority help encourage downward, upward, and horizontal communication (Spaho, 2013). Clear lines of authority help to avoid conflicts since members are aware of their roles. It also promotes cooperation. Adequate staff remuneration and welfare programs are also useful in harnessing the synergy of the team. An effective information dissemination system should also be established. This will help avoid untrue, inadequate information, thus avoiding conflicts altogether (Men, 2014). A conflict resolution mechanism that is participatory and solution-oriented should be adopted to help resolve conflicts when they occur. Successful conflict resolution will help ensure successful communication within the organization.
Conclusion
Conclusively, organizations ought to implement a good communication structure. This is because communication structure tend to influence an organizations performance and productivity. Effective communication help managers perform their managerial duties as well as aligns employees to organizational goals. In my opinion, an organization ought to implement the five concepts discussed above.
All the five concepts are important, but the formal and informal communication concept is the most important. This is because it facilitates the flow of information in the workplace. Through this, employees share information and knowledge among themselves. It also helps managers work on the feedback from employees and customers. The proposed communication structure, if implemented, will meet an organization’s communication needs. More specifically, the communication structure will ensure the organization strives in different aspects, including effective listening, formal and informal communication, organizational culture, leadership, and conflict management.
References
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