Communication
Structure for Successful Organizational Communication
The goal of
this proposal is to assist the organization to understand the importance of
using organizational concepts and skills in a communication structure, and how
they will provide successful organizational communication.
This proposal
will provide five concepts that are important for successful communication in
an organizational setting and how to implement them.
Concepts Necessary for
Successful Communication
In this high technical society it is still human communication
that is the vital part of any organization (Kreps,
2011). The interaction between two or
more people is what enables the gathering of information that assists in
achieving goals. Everyone has their own
goals and needs, so cooperation does not happen automatically, but has to be
negotiated. This negotiation requires a
person to be an effective strategic communicator. This communication is well
planned and performed in a way that encourages others to cooperate. A strategic communicator is able to
accomplish goals because they are able to communicate intelligently,
sensitively, and competently (Kreps, 2011). The concepts in this proposal are necessary
to become a strategic communicator in any organization.
Implementing the Concepts
in an Organization
In order to
implement these concepts one has to realize that organizations are constantly
changing with new needs, new employees, and new products, and require processes
to change and evolve as well (Kreps, 2011).
An effective strategic communicator recognizes that information is very
powerful in an organization. They are aware that it is important to be alert to
new sources of information so that they are able to make better decisions, which
in turn helps them know how to meet organizational demands and solve
organizational problems. All of which
strengthens organizational processes and helps achieve important goals (Kreps,
2011).
Concepts That Will Help Build an Effective Communication Structure
Examples of
the concepts that will help build an effective communication structure are
active listening, organizational culture, conflict resolution, key principles
of human communication, and leadership strategies. The following information will show how
important these concepts are in the communication process and how each one
increases the effectiveness in the communication structure of an organization.
Active
listening
The art of active
listening in the communication process is one of the most important
interpersonal communication skills. The
reason for this is that it requires a person to pay close attention to what the
information the other person is trying to communicate (Kreps, 2011). It is not about just hearing the other person,
but paying close attention to the non-verbal information being conveyed as well
as the actual verbal words being said (Kreps, 2011).
Being a good listener is more difficult than
most people think. Many times when a
person is supposed to be listening they are actually thinking in their own mind
what they are going to say next. In
doing this they miss very important information which can result in a crisis
within the organization.
It is also important to consider the other
person’s perspective when interpreting the information being sent by them. If one looks at it from their own perspective
it may be biased or misunderstood, missing what the other is inadvertently
trying to communicate (Kreps, 2011).
Other reasons active listening is so important is
it allows a person to learn from others that have different viewpoints and
experiences and encourages others to pay close attention to what
you have to say. Learning from each
other is vital for an organization to grow.
Innovation is a major factor in that growth and can only happen when
ideas are shared and being communicated effectively. The reason innovation is necessary is due to
the fact the organizational goals change requiring new organizational
activities to help reach those new goals (Kreps, 2011).
Culture in Organizations
The importance of culture
in organizations has to do with the fact that values, norms and beliefs in a
normative sense act as behavioral guidance (Hoogeryorst, Van Der Flier, &
Koop, 2004). According to Margareta Boaca (2014) the
culture that we are born into often creates interpretations and behavior
patterns that are familiar to us and represent the norm. This unfortunately can cause us to make a
negative judgment and affect our communication negatively.
There are many levels of culture that influence communication
in an organization (Kreps, 2011). Some
examples of cultural influences are ethnic, racial, socioeconomic, age, gender,
and religion.
An
example of how the age culture can affect the communication of an organization
is when the boss is a young person right out of college and a lot of the
employees are older. Most people are
raised to respect their elders so a young person may find it difficult when
they may have to discipline an older employee.
Likewise an older employee may find it difficult to accept that
discipline from a “young kid” as they may refer to them.
Gender
has been an issue for many years. It has
been proven that in some cases men get paid more for the same job that a woman
is doing. This causes most women to feel
they have to communicate in ways that they feel will get them more respect from
their male counterparts. Often feeling
like they have to dress and speak like a man in order to achieve the same
success that the men in their organization get.
Organizational cultures are similar to national cultures, where cultural norms are established and reinforced to guide the
performance of the organization members.
In the workplace there are certain rules and regulations (norms) that
are put in place such as what type of clothing to wear, when to take coffee
breaks, and what language will be spoken.
Our text states that whenever you walk into an organization there will
be a set of shared understandings that will be different depending on which organization
you are walking into (Kreps, 2011).
Managing Conflict in the Workplace
According to Cahn & Abigail (2007) conflict is defined
as a process that begins when an individual or group have differences regarding
interests, beliefs, values, or practices that matter to them.
Conflict is unavoidable and it is a
natural process that occurs at many different levels such as interpersonal,
social, and business (Mukhtar & Habib, 2010). We know that conflict occurs at many levels,
but it is through conflict we make necessary changes, and improve
relationships, which in an organizational setting is very important. Just like
the conflict that is present in our day to day lives, the conflict in our
organizational lives is needed in order to bring about those changes that help
us grow. Whether the change is for good
or bad depends on how the conflict is managed (Cahn & Abigail, 2007).
In an organization conflict often
arises because people make judgments and assumptions about what other people
say and do and they do not always see eye to eye. These differences are part of human nature
and also make it natural for conflict to arise.
It is important for the leaders of an organization to assist in
resolving such conflicts.
The effect of
conflict depends on how a person handles an interaction, how individuals
perceive that situation and the method which an individual chooses to manage or
resolve the conflict. (Mukhtar & Habib, 2010).
Conflict management is the communication behavior that a person uses based
on how they perceive the conflict situation and it involves different ways of
dealing with the conflict. They either
use techniques to resolve it or just avoid it (Cahn & Abigail, 2007).
Four
Key Principles of Human Communication
The most important principle, that communication is a process, means that communication does not start and stop but is continuous (Kreps, 2011). Communication is all around us, we are
constantly creating meanings to the messages and information we hear and see
(Kreps, 2011). There is always some form
of communication being used especially in an organizational environment. At times information overload becomes a
barrier to effective communication, as a person is unable to keep up with it
all and begins to overlook important information (Kreps, 2011).
The fact that
communication is irreversible means that once we say something we cannot take
it back (Kreps, 2011). This is the most
dangerous of all in the workplace environment, where saying the wrong words can
cause you to be perceived in a bad light to your employer or even worse be
fired. This can also cause employees to
lose respect for their employer if they do not speak appropriately, such as
words that could be construed as sexual harassment.
Communication is transactional as the transactional nature of human communication causes members of organizations to take great care when
communicating due to its complex nature (Kreps, 2011). In order to have transactional communication
we have to be able to analyze the situation both as sender and receiver of a
message. Taking into account the setting
that it occurs in, the people involved, the amount of messages exchanged, and
the previous meanings and expectations that those people bring to the table
(Kreps, 2011). This type
of communication can cause precarious situations with employees depending how
the employees or supervisors perceive the information after taking all of the
different variables into account.
There are both content and relationship dimensions to communication (Kreps, 2011). When we talk about the content aspects of
human communication we are referring to the information we are sharing with
others. The relationship aspect of human
communication is the meaning we give to that information, making it more
implied and symbolic (Kreps, 2011).
There will always be a relationship message due to the fact we all
interpret messages according to our relationship with the person sending the
message (Kreps, 2011).
Effective Leadership Strategies Make Good Leaders
Key
models of leadership show leaders how they can best serve their organizations. The important qualities
of an effective leader is one who has a vision that brings everything into focus,
and is able to inspire others to action. There are different models of leadership such
as the trait-based model.
This model believes
that certain traits lead to effective leadership. Meaning that the physical features of an
individual, such as large physical stature, attractive facial features and
strong speaking voice would be considered key attributes of a good leader
(Kreps, 2011). We often hear people say
that that person looks like a natural born leader. This theory does not always hold true as
there are many great leaders who are not attractive such as Bill Gates and
Ghandi for example.
Another approach is the
cognitive features approach. It too is
derived from the trait-based concept of leadership. It suggests that a person’s intellectual
abilities are what make them a good leader (Kreps, 2011). Even though many leaders are very intelligent
that is not always what makes them a great leader.
There is also the
personality factor which means that people that are friendly and outgoing make
good leaders. It is true that our
personalities are indicators of how we will communicate but does not make us
natural born leaders (Kreps, 2011).
The truth is that good leadership skills are
learned over time as one learns how to be a good strategic communicator. When someone talks about a person being a
natural born leader, they really mean that that person has the skills needed to
influence and encourage others to cooperate (Kreps, 2011). One of the most important lessons to learn as a
strategic communicator is to adapt their communication behaviors
to their various social situations. In
order to be a good leade, one must be able to adapt their communication
strategies to the specific demands of those they are interacting as well as any
situation they may encounter in their organization (Kreps, 2011).
The reason effective leadership is
so import to an organization is because it depends on those leaders to provide
direction to the organizational members on how to accomplish the necessary
tasks to achieve organizational goals. They also assist others in problem
solving and lead the way establishing a clear sense of direction for how their
organization will address present and future challenges (Kreps, 2011).
In Conclusion
This proposal provided five concepts that are important for
successful communication in an organizational setting and how to implement
them. Those concepts are active
listening, organizational culture, conflict resolution, key principles of human
communication, and leadership strategies. An understanding of the importance of using
organizational concepts and skills in a communication structure, provides
successful organizational communication.
An
organization that has effective organizational communication as well as
leadership skills that bring organization members together, will be a
successful organization. By implementing
these concepts into the communication structure of an organization, one will
have all of those skills necessary to have a stable and innovative organization
as well.
References
Boaca, Margareta (2014) Overcoming Stumbling blocks in Intercultural Communication, The International Annual Scientific Session Strategies XXI 2:
197-206. Bucharest: "Carol I" National Defense University. Retrieved
from: http://search.proquest.com.proxy-library.ashford.edu/docview/1528149122/fulltext/99A11CFE4DCA4308PQ/7?accountid=3252
Cahn, D.D., & Abigail, R.A. (2007).
Managing conflict through communication
(4th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson
Education, Inc.
Hoogervorst,
J., VanDer Flier, H.,Koopman, P., (2004) Implicit
communication in organizations: The
impact of culture, structure and management practices on employee behavior.
Journal of managerial Psychology, retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.proxylibrary.ashford.edu/advanced?accountid=32521#
Mukhtar, S., & Habib, M. N. (2010). Private sector
managers approach to conflict
management: A study of relationships between conflict
management styles and personality type.
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