Abstract
The concept of initiating communication is constant is the present era of information technology. Shrewd professionals have mastered a way off communicating n an ethical, effective, and fast manner. Ethics in communication can take differet dimensions based on the context of communication. A salesman and a sports person will most likely have different ways of perceiving things and communicating. Certain communication procedures may only be applicable to certain situations, and other practices may be considered ethical in some situations and completely unethical in some instances. Every component of ethical communication are examined and considered depending on the station at hand and the boundaries under consideration. The purpose of this paper is to examine the differet aspects of ethical communication and its importance in the success of a business organization.
Introduction
Everything in business practices must go through some aspect of communication. In an environment where there is no ethical communication, the moral and corporate image will equally lack in the same breadth. All these factors have an impact on the morale of employees, which subsequently affect accessibility to customers and decreased revenue. Ethical behavior is a concern by the entire company; but since communication efforts acts as a good way in promoting the public face of the business organization, they mostly undergo thorough scrutiny from consumer groups, labor organizations, investors, and market regulators. Ethical communication encompasses all relevant information, is accurate by every perspective, and s not misleading in any way. A good communication goes a long way in enabling the business to become successful in its operations. Embracing an ethical communication is important in any business organization becomes it works to uphold a totally functional and cooperative business organization. In this regard, embracing proper communication makes operations to move smoothly such as making employees accomplish their tasks in time and as planned.
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Background
As stated above, communication forms part of the basic needs in the life of every individual. On the same note, ethics equally form the main components of life. In the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, social ants and security also encompasses ethics. Communication that is non-ethical has the potential of causing disasters or problems to the personal lives of individuals and the organization as a whole. For this reason, ethics and respect form an important component of communication (Mumby, 2013) . It is true that an individual with extraordinary abilities is worthless f he or she does not care about ethics while communicating. Communications without ethics brings disrespect and dishonor to the organization, which makes it difficult for an organization to operate smoothly and succeed.
Impact of ethics in Communication
In communication, ethics works in such a way that it promotes credibility and the process of decision-making between different parties. It provides the basis for dong good and wrong and enabling people to communicate in a manner that they understand what they need in life (Mayhew, 2018). Ethics plays the role of avoiding any potential harm and building trust, which enables both parties to determine what, is best for both of them on the process of running an organization. The same extent of comprehending ethics is applicable to all forms of communication, such has verbal, written, and even digital (Mayhew, 2018). Communicating ethically creates the basis for building a strong relationship in the business environments. Not communicating ethically can have a negative influence on business relationships because it connotes a lack of respect between the two parties, compromises integrity, and raises questions about the credibility of parties involved. Communication within a business setup can occur in a range of situations, such as between employees, between managers and low-level employees, between customers and employees, or between the company and the community (Mayhew, 2018). In this regard, lying or misrepresenting facts are considered as examples of unethical communication. Communication forms one of the primary functions of management in all organizational setups. It involves the transmission of information, thoughts, and opinions between various parts of an organization. It is practically impossible to have human relations in an environment where there is no communication.
Effective communication is not only vital for good human relations but also for the success of any business organization. It is required in different levels of an organization. Ethics refers to a system of principles that govern actions as well as the aspect of distinguishing between right and wrong (Mumby, 2013) . Ethics in communication is a wide discourse among media experts and development thinkers given that media currently undergo a range of controversial issues, which create never-ending debates and controversial issues as relates to what is right or wrong. In such instances, ethics go a long way in giving guidelines when it comes to taking appropriate decisions. In most cases, practicing ethical communication both at work and at home is never easy. In the current society, gossip is often the order of the day and some individuals even live their lives by lying or gossiping. Ethical communication basically means being truthful and straightforward at all times (Wrench, 2013) . For example, it is important for an employee to always sort out their differences without pretending yet things are not moving on well; such an action is considered unethical. It is important to embrace ethical communication when resolving differences at the place of work or in any other day to day interactions. An individual who advocates for ethical communication is always in support of accuracy, honesty, and truthfulness. Being dishonest only leads to more lies hence resulting into more damages (In Scott, 2017) . Lies are difficult to defend as opposed to truth that never changes over time. It is generally vital to support differences in opinion and freedom of expression in people’s lifestyle and expression of ideas.
Given the society generally reactive in nature, an individual who wishes to communicate ethically must first understand other people before responding to their opinions and ideas. Another feature of ethical communication is a type of communication that has a mutual understanding that recognizes the unique needs of different individuals. Respect is considered a paramount feature if human existence since every individual expected to be respected irrespective of their socioeconomic status, gender, or racial affiliation (In Scott, 2017) . When practicing ethics in communication, it means that one does not practice a kind of communication that undermines other people through intimidation, distortion, and violence. It involves criticizing a racial joke since ignoring it will only end up compromising free and acceptable channels of communication (In Scott, 2017) . For a person to successfully practice ethical communication, the individual must have the belief that unethical communication acts as a threat to integrity among the communicating parties. They must also appreciate that unethical communication compromises people’s wellbeing.
Importance of Ethics in Business
When employees behave in an unethical manner or without integrity, the existing customers will begin to lose trust and confidence in the goods and services offered by the organization. When leaders operate in unethical way, it will be possible for employees to lose trust and confidence in the services of the organization. Unethical behavior or acting without integrity has a negative impact on return on investment. Companies often operate on the concept that whole is better components (In Scott, 2017) . In this sense, working in unison brings about results for the whole that are more than the results of every individual working separately. The secret to success of an organization is the synergy, which relates to a combined force rather than individual efforts of those involved. Synergy also encompasses a range of simple actions relating to ethics and integrity. In an organizational setup, every employee is expected to do the right thing to enhance the synergy aspect. Ethics s often implemented through trial and error by correcting behaviors that are perceived to be wrong. On the same note, behaviors that are perceived to be right are supported and reinforced (Adeel, 2012). The lessons learned from the moral code under which synergistic behaviors are integrated in the organizational performance. Problems often arise when people strive to maximize their personal desires by engaging in behaviors that are in violation of the existing organizational ethics.
To prevent violations of the prevailing moral codes, the managers within the organization should take the fiduciary responsibility of embracing the synergistic traits necessary for an organizational sustainability. Integrity describes the wholeness and objectivity within an organization (In Scott, 2017) . In the event that the ethical foundation alongside the moral code is effectively laced within an organization, the individuals will obviously have trust and assurance in the company. Wholeness is attained by the doing what is right while objectivity involves accomplishing activities in the right manner. Organizational performance and sustainability are as a result of individual commitment and collective synergies that are grounded on ethical moral code (Adeel, 2012). If the prevailing moral codes of are in support of corruption, which benefits a few people at the expense of everybody, then people will lack trust and confidence in the company together with its products and services. Doing one wrong thing has the potential of destroying the whole given that it compromises objectivity. Ethics and integrity forms the foundation of performance and sustainability.
Reflection
After discussing communication, ethics in communication, and organizational ethics, it is important to reflect on how these components can be combined in an organization. It should be noted that communication forms one of the vital components of an organization although communication that has no ethics makes no sense. For this reason, it is vital to embraced organizational communication s as to maximize output (Adeel, 2012). Ethical communication not only concerns internal communication within an organization but external communication as well, which includes marketing and pubic dealing. The integrity of communication must entail truthfulness ad honesty. The other attributes include accepting diversity of opinion, tolerance of dissent, and freedom of expression. Before responding to other people’s opinion, it is important to first understand and respect the different opinions. Individuals should also criticize communications that degrade others such as intimidation, violence, and intolerance (Adeel, 2012). Unethical communications often undermine the quality of communication and subsequently affecting the well-being of others and the society as a whole. As much as there are many other factors contributing to the success of a business organization, the role played by ethical communication can never be underestimated.
Conclusion
With the existence of human culture, the extent of human needs and necessities are equally expanding. In this regard, ethical communication forms one of the primary needs in life. Any environment that does not have proper ethics will definitely lead to disasters in the society. To comprehend the importance and impact of ethical communication, it is important to first understand the concept of organizational culture ad structure. The mode of communication within an organization is influenced by organizational structure. In the same way, ethical communication influences the motivation and productivity of employees. There are several ways by which an organization can practice ethical communication. It demands that people should always be honest, accurate, and sincere while communicating.
References
Adeel A., (2012). Ethical Communication in an Organization. Retrieved from https://www.academia.edu/2188577/Ethical_Communication_in_an_Organization
In Scott, C. R. (2017). The international encyclopedia of organizational communication . Chichester, West Sussex Malden, MA Wiley-Blackwell. https://books.google.co.ke/books?id=4XHQDQAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=organizational+communication&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjAuu6Mn83hAhUsxoUKHeWGC3gQ6AEILjAB#v=onepage&q=organizational%20communication&f=false
Mayhew R. (2018). What are Key Principles of Ethical Communication? Retrieved from https://bizfluent.com/info-8406730-key-principles-ethical-communication.html
Mumby, D. K. (2013). Organizational communication: A critical approach . Thousand Oaks: SAGE. https://books.google.co.ke/books?id=n-Qo0sZJC2oC&printsec=frontcover&dq=organizational+communication&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjAuu6Mn83hAhUsxoUKHeWGC3gQ6AEIKDAA#v=onepage&q=organizational%20communication&f=false
Wrench, J. S. (2013). Workplace communication for the 21st century: Tools and strategies that impact the bottom line . Santa Barbara, Calif: Praeger. https://books.google.co.ke/books?id=xtg672jRCfAC&pg=PA52&dq=The+impact+and+importance+of+ethics+in+communication&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiCm7DLns3hAhUMqxoKHVblBrgQ6AEINjAC#v=onepage&q=The%20impact%20and%20importance%20of%20ethics%20in%20communication&f=false
