It is known, the one thing that will continue to be a work in progress throughout our lives is communicating effectively. With this in mind, we have to ask ourselves can this be an obstacle that we can overcome, and the answer to that is, yes. Communication is defined as a process of circular interaction involving a sender, receiver, and message (Moran et al., 2014, p. 38). When there is a breakdown in the process, messages can be misinterpreted.
Effective communication is an extremely important piece in an organization. Not only does effective communication increase workflow, it also enhances and keeps positive morale in the workplace. If effective communication has the opposite effect it will ultimately be an anchor on production and workplace morale. Leaders who can’t communicate effectively find it difficult to lead. Workers rely on their managers to offer feedback, direction and positive reinforcement. Lacking this, job responsibilities are unclear. Poor, ineffective communication also makes it difficult for employees to work closely, collaboratively and successfully as a team.
Here is an example of how inefficient communication can be toxic in a work environment. Our mission called for us to move to a different location. However, that location had an excessive amount of entry requirements that were far stricter than the current location. At the time we had a Manager who had zero emotional intelligence. He was very unprofessional, belligerent and never wanted to hear solutions from an alternate perspective. In this specific situation the communication from upper management was very different from what this manager was delivering to the team. The manager was demanding that we sign a particular form that gave would begin the entry process to this particular country/location. However, the form asked for personal information such as bank account number, giving this country power of attorney etc. As you can imagine not one team member to include myself, felt comfortable signing this form without seeking additional council. The manager was so furious that we wouldn’t sign this form that he went on to suggest that if we did not sign the form we could not deploy therefore, we would be terminated.
This was far from the truth. Due to the inefficient coding and encoding, which is “an idea generated by one person, shaped into a message, and sent by the person to another person, who then receives the message, interprets it, and then generates his or her own idea” (Pennsylvania State University, 2020), the true message was never conveyed to the team. What upper management conveyed to our direct manager was that the forms gave the companies lawyers abroad to act on our behalf and acquire the necessary documents for entry. No bank information was necessary.
Newnan & Good explain that, “communication practices can have a significant impact on the quality of relationships developed within the workplace” (Newnan & Good, 2019). That moment proved to the team that our manager did not care for our well-being and all trust and quality of work relationship was lost. Needless to say, this particular situation led to the termination of that manager. Even though he was no longer with the program, the damage was already done and any manager that came after was going to have to do a lot of work to rebuild trust. The lesson learned is that making effective communication a focal point of your organization can lead to additional successes. When your team can trust you as a leader, they work harder and smarter and in turn drive results.
References
Moran, R. T., Abramson, N. R., & Moran, S. V. (2014). Managing cultural differences. London: Routledge.
Newnam, S., & Goode, N. (2019). Communication in the workplace: Defining the conversations of supervisors. Journal of Safety Research, 70, 19-23. doi:10.1016/j.jsr.2019.04.009
Jessica Kramer says
Nicely done Alexis! Effective communication is vital for any organization to be successful. Similarly to what you mentioned above, communication truly is a combination of receiving, sending, and understanding messages (Moran, Abramson, & Moran, 2014). Additionally, in order to have effective communication, listening behavior has to take place. This can be done by two different forms of positive listening such as information gathering or by actively listening (Moran et al., 2014). Within the communication process, there are many variables that may deter or alter one’s perception when communicating. Some of these variables include one’s attitudes, stereotypes, values, or even social norms (Moran et al., 2014). In what ways do you think organizations can promote more effective communication in the workplace?
References
Moran, R. T., Abramson, N. R., & Moran, S. V. (2014). Managing Cultural Differences (9th ed.). Oxford: Routledge.
Miranda Keefer says
Hello Alexis,
I agree that effective communication is extremely important within an organization. Do you think that certain qualities within managers (i.e. zero emotional intelligence) impacts effective communication? “Effective communications skills are a must for breaking down barriers, which promotes the collaborative atmosphere that an organization needs to thrive. … Astute managers accept this reality, but can tailor their own communication style to motivate an employee to achieve the desired result” (Heibutzki, 2018, p. 2).
Miranda
References:
Heibutzki, R. (2018). Why is effective communication important in management? Retrieved from https://work.chron.com/effective-communication-important-management-27001.html