communication in workplace

Organizational behavior communication in workplace























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Communication in workplace

Submitted To : Asma Sethi

O rganizational behavior

Kumar(1011137)Dhanesh Kumar(1011147)

[ ] Organizational behavior

ContentsIntroduction.................................................................................................................................................2

Problem statement..................................................................................................................................3

Study objective........................................................................................................................................3

Scope of study.........................................................................................................................................3

Literature review.........................................................................................................................................4

What matters Most?................................................................................................................................4

Difficulties in communication..................................................................................................................4

Verbal communication............................................................................................................................5

Non-verbal communication.....................................................................................................................5

Internal communication..........................................................................................................................6

Communication in Negotiation................................................................................................................7

Interpersonal and intrapersonal communication....................................................................................9

Electronic mail.........................................................................................................................................9

Face to face communication..................................................................................................................10

Use of channel in problem solving.........................................................................................................12

Importance of communication..............................................................................................................13

1


Communication in workplace

Introduction

Nowadays many organizations are facing many sorts of problems in workplace due to different

issues. One of the main issues that diminish the performance of the organization is

miscommunication or improper communication of message. The receiver ultimately does not

respond in the way sender expects. . Hardeep anant said that an idea, no matter how

innovative, it is useless until it is properly communicated to others and properly understood by

them.

I A Richard defines communication as Communication takes place when one mind acts in such

a way upon its environment that other minds are convinced, and in that other minds in such a

way that the first mind was feeling about the idea.

According to Encarta Communication is the route which comprise of sharing thoughts, data,

and messages with others. Communication comprises of writing and talking, visual

communication (images, graphs, videos) nonverbal communication (facial expressions, body

language, gestures), and electronic communication (telephone calls, electronic mail, cable

television, or satellite broadcasts, video chatting, IM chatting) as well. Communication is an

integral part of personal life and is also significant in business as well as education, and any

other situations where people meet with other people.

In 1974 Brenan said that communication is something that combines society together. Good

communication skills helps people to maintain personal relationship and the quality of

communication depend upon the understanding of both speaker and listener. According to

Denial Robert communication is a cooperative system like driving in the traffic you have to

concentrate on all the people and cars moving with you and against you.

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Problem statement

Here we wanted to discuss and find out the challenges and issues faced by organization due to

communication gap or improper communication.

Study objective

The main objective of our study was to analyze what makes the communication more effective

in workplace

How does the communication affect the performance of an organization?

What are the things should be considered while communicating with each other?

Scope of study

This study will help organization or people to know which mode of communication should be

followed in which case and what are the other factors that should be considered while

communicating a message. Which channel of communication should be used in which case?

And how communication techniques are used to motivate employees and enhance the

performance of the organization.

3


Literature review

What matters Most?

According to denial Robert the communication should not be evaluated how we think about the

message but how others are responding to our message it is of course useless if we had

properly communicated our message without any sort of mistake and distortion and the other

person is not responding the way we want . Denial Robert says that you should communicate

focusing on the listeners filters. This means that while communicating your message you should

know the level of person who is listening to you. Hardeep anant said that An idea, no matter

how innovative, it is useless until it is properly communicated to others and properly

understood by them

Difficulties in communication

In 2005 Fowler & Manktelow said that Communication obstacles can arise at every stage of the

communication method (which includes sender, message, mode, receiver, and feedback) and

can create confusion. A good communicator is one who can get his point across without

misinterpretation and confusion, goal of a good communicator should be to decrease the

number of the hindrances at each stage of the process with, concise, accurate clear, well

planned communications.

According to Brennan employees do get information other than management channels. And

management is not able to get that information. The reason of that is not flaw of employees’

network but it relays indiscriminately reasons of which include: fragments, rumors and gossips.

It is not necessary that it will be in the best interest of organization but it portray the real image

of organization for the employees

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Verbal communication

According to Amy Lucas Verbal communication includes any form of communication involving

words, spoken, written. The conversation we have with our colleague during breaks, discussing

news or the other activities page. Not only this but the text message and memos we send are a

form of verbal communication. Our skill to communicate with a language that is based on a

planned system of confrontations, rather than merely expressions and sounds, is something

that makes us different from other livings. Not only do we have verbal, but we also have the

expertise that allows us to communicate with one another no matter the physical distance.

We use verbal communication for different purpose to express, whether it is to express others

of our desire or to communicate knowledge. Clarification is something that makes verbal

communication different. Maybe we do not express ourselves clearly, or our words or actions

are misinterpreted. Verbal communication helps to remove misunderstandings and provides

relevant information. According to Robert M. Krauss, A human’s survival depends analytically

upon his skill to communicate efficiently. .

Non-verbal communication

According to Leslie Contreras In workplace use of non-verbal communication play a vital role to

create relationship among employees at workplace. Example of no verbal communication can

include eye contact, tone of voice pace of articulation and even the space between sender and

receiver can also come under the non-verbal communication. Employees of workplace should

be aware of the non-verbal cues and should be able to properly use them to support their

argument and position

Approximately 65 to 75 percent of all the communication done in workplace is nonverbal, says

Susanne Jones, associate Nonverbal cues give us information to make sense of how we perceive

and reflect about others, she added that People use nonverbal expressions to arrive at

decisions about how they relate to colleague or to interpret employee performance, she says.

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Understanding the non-verbal cues is not so easy like for example if an employee can perceive

that a new employee isn’t interested in what he is saying or maybe he doesn’t like him. The

other reason of that can also be if the new worker is a bit shy and is not easy with the new

people, and person is introvert rather than extrovert.

Jones says that it is always important to remember in us that friendliness and politeness play a

vital role in business interaction. A good business man know how to understand the non-verbal

expressions like when a person is increasing distance or blocking the gestures or creating any

sort of wall between speaker and listener by putting something in front of the table it expresses

that person is not interested or if the person is changing his moves instantly it also expresses

that person is not interested. Whereas if a person is trying to remove the walls boundaries

between speaker and listener it expresses a positive feedback from the listener and shows that

person is interested in the conversation. And enquiring more and more about something also

expresses that the listener is interested in the deal and conversation

Jones exclaims that it is also important How a supervisor communicates influence and

supremacy has a huge impact on job efficiency, like if a boss communicates in distant manner,

such as through email or in rude manner and calls employees into her office and let them sit far

away, this can be create a negative image for the employee. In small businesses, the

relationships among people are very much resilient than in a big large business setting which

has more formality, Jones says that it is always more productive when people know their

colleague personally. That is the reason nowadays big organizations are arranging break and

outdoor picnic so that people can get to know each other and increase the productivity of the

organization. On the other hand it can sense of ownership within the employees and can also

decrease turnover rate and absenteeism and ultimately increase productivity of the

organization.

Internal communication

As per (Black Enterprise, Clemons), Nowadays internal communication has become more

important than it was previously because the conditions of business market have become more

difficult nowadays. Marketplace is full of information that is essential for employees to

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understand. Development and implementation of a good internal communication can be

beneficial for the organization in keeping the employees motivated and engaged.

According to Phelps Internal communications do not need to be widespread to be useful. The

factor that appears important is a continuous flow of information, even if all the reactions are

not in yet-simply progress. The employees of organization are public speaker whether they are

talking with customers or suppliers; they are portraying a picture of the company and how it is

doing.

In case of communication gap it is not easy for organizations to achieve the goals effectively

and efficiently. It is the task of Customer Service Representative (CSR) to communicate the

feedback received from the customers served by organization. If the CSR does not know to

proper information about the organization they may end up having transferring the wrong or in

appropriate information to the customers and vice versa.

Communication in Negotiation

According to Ertel negotiation is also of critical importance for the success of the companies.

Employees of workplace negotiate on daily basis with different stakeholders. Exchange of

information and resource comes under the great amount of task between different

departments and divisions. The basis of managers is to fulfill the interest and needs of both

parties which is done through negotiation, which can only be done with the help of effective

communication. Hence both good negotiators along with effective communication are

considered as critical for the success of the organization.

Considering the definition given by Walton and Mckersie “the deliberate interaction of two or

more complex social units which are attempting to define or redefine the terms of their

independence” we can derive that how much importance the communication has in

negotiation. According to Chatmam, Putnam and Sondak negotiation and communication are

mutual things intention of both is to make a decision we can understand how communication is

moving around negotiation. Communication helps parties to make relationship of trust express

their values, their intentions and ideas and try to understand the interest of others and

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persuade the other party and above all convince for terms and agreements as well as to resolve

issues and dilemmas. Following are the qualities of a good negotiator:

(1) Express them in a flawless and specific manner

(2) Encourage dialog, by asking enquiry and giving responses

(3)Support with non-verbal cues and analyze others nonverbal cues

(4) Analyze others speech and improvise the message in their own language

(5) Persuade the other party of their ideas, arguments and viewpoints.

Putnam and Poole defines negotiation as “The activity of having or managing a conflict occurs

through communication. More specifically, communication undergirds the setting and reframing

of goals; the defining and narrowing of conflicting issues; the developing of relationships

between disputants and among constituents; the selecting and implementing of strategies and

tactics; the generating, attacking, and defending of alternative solutions; and the reaching and

Confirming of agreements.”

According to Tutzauer communication in negotiation is not limited to the exchange of proposals

only negotiator need to clarify the values viewpoints and other supporting perspectives to

persuade the other party to do what the negotiator want without compromising the important

preferences. Because of this good communication skills are considered deliberate for the

negotiator. As according to Nierenberg ability to ask questions effectively is one of the most

essential components of negotiation as it help to collect information about the position

arguments and demands of the other party on the other hand good listening power is also

crucial for a good negotiator. On the other hand Axtell said that in negotiation communication

is not limited to verbal communication only. But non-verbal cue like body language and

gestures are of equal effectiveness or even more. Shell agreed with him by saying that

capability of non-verbal cues is essential quality in managers and proper consideration should

be given to them as well. Thompson defined nonverbal cues important as they convey a series

of cues about the real feeling and intention of the other side giving relevant information to the

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other party. Series of synchronized non-verbal expressions can add value to the speaker. Some

nonverbal cues that can ultimately create distrust among the listener are: Signs of nervousness,

impatience, fidgeting, Excessive laughing, awkward smiles, and unreasonably serious tone of

voice, lack of emotion, lack of eye-to-eye contact (preventing eyes), excessively silent attitude.

On the other hand close nearness, directing, grinning, open behavior and gesticulations and

direct speech can create a source of trust among the listeners.

Interpersonal and intrapersonal communication

In 2000 Rosengren stated that communication can occur in both formal and informal way.

Intrapersonal is the simplest level which means within individual with stream consciousness.

Communication between more than two people is referred as interpersonal. Interpersonal

communication can occur among individuals, small group’s regional, national international

network, formal organization or political units and groups

Electronic mail

Electronic mail (email) has many benefits than other channels of communication: it is user

friendly, cost effective, speedy, and conveys information in written format. As a written only

channel, it can be used both ass formal as well informal ways by changing the vocabulary and

format of the content.

According to Feldman , Sproull and Kiesler Previous studies on email has focused consideration

on the ability to connect even though people are materially and temporally absent. Many of

these studies show that it accelerates communication among people who might otherwise

communicate rarely or not at all, sproul say that emails rescue organizations from the bounds

of time and space and from need on face-to-face communication. Specifically, the importance

of face-to-face communication has been attributed primarily to the need for co-presence to

perform certain tasks. According to Rice 1984, Daft and Lengel 1986, Zack 1993) Researchers

have come up to the question of the effect of electronic mail on organizations by evaluating the

skills of individuals or groups to perform specific tasks using different communication options.

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With appropriate encoding means, email can be sent in any kind of computer file, including

graphics, sounds, excels sheet word sheet. Numerous electronic mailing lists and other Internet

services are accessible by email. Email was one of the earliest and most basic resources on the

Internet and in many ways it still acts as the lowest common denominator for computer

communications. Many computers that cannot access other Internet services can still exchange

email with machines on the internet. Different from by telephone and face to face

communication, email does not require the presence of both parties at the same time so

whenever the other party feels suitable it can access internet to read and reply to the mails

received. With email it is easy to send the same information to different people simultaneously

for example; you can circulate memos, agenda. On the other hand in emails there is a proof

that you properly acknowledge the person at a specific time. In emails you can easily tell the

procedure requirement and detailed rules and regulation or if there are many things to

consider rather as in face to face communication and telephonic communication it is difficult to

remember the details and important details can be missed. Unlike the post mails there is no

proof if the recipient has received the mail or not due to advancement of technology it is easily

traceable whether mail is opened on not.

Face to face communication

In 1994 Whittaker et al. stated that in modern workplace digital communication is considered

the most important form of communication but still face to face communication is more used

for information exchange, socialization and gossiping. In 1996 Supporting face to face

communication Csikszentmihalyi stated that valuable information is passed through verbal

interaction and non-verbal cues transmit important correction and norms of culture as well as

the intention of the speaker and listener which can ultimately create a source of trust among

each other. According to Meherbian there is a less chance of misinterpretation as compared to

other form of social relation since the message transferred through body language facial

expression and tone of voice work far better than the verbal message. Supporting that Koskinen

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et al stated that face to face interaction is the richest mode of communicating knowledge as it

allows the immediate response of feedback from the person receiving the knowledge. And

understanding can be checked and misconception can be easily corrected.

In 1989 barons researched that manager spends 20% of their time for negotiating which

ultimately affect the 80% performance of the employees. After that Mintzberg said that it

should be the negotiation skills along with communications skills that should decide the

position status and responsibility of employees.

Many people believe that face to face communication is better than any other type of

communication including letter emails telephone calls IM chat and video chat. But Satish Rana

disagrees with that. He has supported his point of view with many reasons he says that in the

world we are living pace of life of is very fast and people are unable to give proper time to

communication in between their other tasks to be done. he supports his argument by saying

that due to the advancement of like telephone emails and other we can anytime communicate

our message to any person anytime we want in our leisure time without caring for the time free

time of the receiver. For this we don’t need to take any sort of appointment where as you can

also get your response in proper time with proper understanding. Arguing with the face to face

communication he gives another argument that for face to face communication it is very costly

to go and talk to a person living far away; we can use telephone to talk to them and

communicate our message with the advancement of technology you can communicate with to

the person living in any corner of the world. Arguing with face to face communication harshant

anant says that for some people it is very difficult to articulate proper words and can create a

sort of misunderstanding in receivers mind. Whereas during phone calls those people who

cannot properly convey their message due to shyness are also comfortable to convey their

message properly.

Face to face communication has been the most important method of communication from the

beginning of the time. In fact for decades, face-to-face communication was the only way used.

As time passed new means came along with the use of letters, telephone calls, and emails. Even

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with these developments in communication, nothing has been able to switch the face-to-face

method.

One reason that face-to-face communication is better than other methods is that it allows one

person to analyze the facial expressions of one another. When a person is talking about good

news they usually smile and their eyes light up. Or when a person is having a serious

conversation, their eyebrows are usually lower and they keep a straight face on while talking.

Sometimes facial expression can be supportive to the argument or verbal communication or

other times it can be misleading because of inappropriate nonverbal cues.

In face-to-face communication it is easy to analyze whether the person is telling the truth or

lying by evaluating the nonverbal cues. Whereas communicating through an email or other

ways of communication it is impossible to confirm when a person is lying. But when it comes to

personal communication it is not as easy to get away with a lie. Many people in business prefer

face-to-face method because it helps to analyze whether person is honest enough to go into

business with.

.

Use of channel in problem solving

According to (Hirokawa & Pace, 1983) the efficiency of group problem solving is largely

calculated by how well the team members interact with each other. Because group members

communicate to affect one another, group communication processes or group dynamic forces

are among the most important factors that impact the success and productivity of any group

decisions or problem solutions. Supporting that hirokawa in 1992 said that In order to examine

how groups solve problems, it is essential to analyze the communication patterns used by the

group or team. According to Mason and Kaye Computer conferencing (CC) has been used as a

means for enhancing communication and cooperation because team members participate and

cooperate more in those environments than in interpersonal communication(F2F)

environments supporting that harasim said that it group people who are not working together

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due to distance. On the other hand Walter said that lack of face to face to presence lead to less

emotional communication. it can also increase the productivity as only task oriented

communication is done rather than other out of task things.

According to (Jonassen, 1997) In workplaces & everyday situations, most problems that are

solved are vague of nature and require to think out of the box, while most problems

encountered in schools and universities are structured problems does not need to go beyond

the limitations. Structured problems have a well-defined set of solutions, a known goal state,

and a controlled set of logical workers. Structured problems classically include all essentials of

the problem; engage a limited number of directions and values that are prearranged in an

analytical and narrow preparation; own correct, convergent responses; and have a favored,

agreed solution process whereas according to (Jonassen, 1997) Unstructured problems, on the

other hand are encountered in everyday practice, so they are typically evolving. Unstructured

problems have ambiguously defined or uncertain tasks and unstated limitations; have many

solutions, or no solutions at all, have many criteria for assessing solutions; require beginners to

express personal feelings or beliefs about the problem, so unstructured problems need

exclusively human interpersonal activities..

Importance of communication

In 1996 Daedalus believed that Good communication is also attributing of the good leaders.

When leaders are better at communicating their message they are cherished and followed.

In 1993 Alessandra Honaker In this word people are totally interdependent on each other for

each and every tiny task; people need help from others for security comfort friendship and love

.The environment we are working in, we need each other to achieve our goals and objectives

properly. Those goals cannot be achieved without communication. Communication work as a

basic thread to connects us together. Through communication we express our wants, needs

ideas and our feelings. The more effective we are with communication the better the hope to

get response from others.

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According to Encarta People of different societies have established different spoken and written

languages as a mode of sharing the messages and meanings. The one which is widely used and

is the most effective mode of communication is interpersonal or face to face communication in

which people are able to see the gestures and body language of the sender. In interpersonal

communication sender can easily analyze the response of the receiver weather one is

interested or not.

According to Charles, black enterprise communication is like the soul of a business and the most

important of all the intellectual skills. As it is already known that the future of the business is

dependent on the quality of relationship it has with the stakeholders. Good communication

skills help both clients and the workforce.

Personal relationship

According the Brennan Organizations are constantly focusing on personal relationships.

Regardless of the size or vision of the organization it works through people who ultimately work

by communication.

According to Janice Bayer Communication is the most important contributing factor to the

growth of any business. Entrepreneur spends their days utilizing various forms of

communication in order to build business relationships. Whether it’s trying to obtain new

clients or contacts, or to stay in touch with those currently significance so much, everything say

and do is a reflection of ourselves and our businesses.

Advertising; your website; courtesy calls; and networking both on the Internet and locally, are

all forms of communicating your message to your contacts and prospective clients. By simply

talking about your business, you have the opportunity to put the idea and concept of your

business in the minds of those whom you will do business with or who will pass on your

information.

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And communicating the right message in the right way can be the key to building successful

relationships, either with clients or with associates. By being friendly and helpful, employees

are letting their clients and contacts know that they are there for them and that their

relationship is something that they can both use to improve your businesses.

Successful relationships with stakeholders are not the only relationships that enhance the life of

a business. But the way of working and communicating with contacts and associates can have a

great influence on organizations success.

Findings and conclusion

While communicating a message the most important thing that should be considered is the understandings and caliber of the listener. We should use the words and channel of communication as per the understanding of the recipient of information.

Verbal communication should be used when there is chance of misinterpretation and corrections are needed at the time of anyone misinterpret the information

Electronic mail should be used when the information or message being sent is of critical importance and detailed with rules procedure and regulations.

Face to face communication should be used in case of persuasion and so than people can improvise the message as per the demand of the listener.

Face to face communication is of most important as through it we can easily and immediately get feedbacks from the recipient of the information

Good communication skills are needed in each and every task of organization And communication skills can also be used to determine the status position and caliber of

the employee In negotiation communication skills are of critical importance What should be considered while communicating outside the organization Communication is important for relationship building as well

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Recommendation:

There should be flow of communication from upper management to lower

management. When upper management plans a strategy of the organization and for the

execution of that strategy they should inform the middle and lower management

employees so that employees will know how to do that particular task.

An organization should give feedback to the employees through particular channel of

communication like face to face communication because an email or call will not show

that expression.

As there is culture diversity in the organization people came from different culture and

from different background so organization will follow a single particular language for

communication which is understood by everyone that will reduce misunderstanding and

conflict between the employees.

When manager divides the task he or she will tell the employee about the task because

this will reduce the communication gap. Mostly task are not been done because of

communication gap between employee and manager.

Manager should know the importance of the task which task is done to earlier and

which task is done after that. According to the importance of the task he or she should

use the channel of communication. E.g. if task is urgent and important then manager

should call the employee in the office and give direction for that task.

An organization should develop such environment in which employees feel free to ask

any question from their supervisor so this will decrease the chance of

miscommunication between employees.

An organization should follow vertically, horizontally and diagonal modes of

communication like 360 degree feedback. Every employee can communicate with other

employee without any hindrance.

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