Innovative Communication Strategies
Communication is a crucial aspect of any organization. The way information flows from the topmost position to the junior-most position will determine the effective functioning within the organization. For effective operation, organizations must have a swift flow of information through the established channels. In an organization like the rehab facility for the elderly that I work for, there are forms of communication that take place. Significant types of communication include interpersonal and intrapersonal communication. The problem getting discussed in this paper is poor communication strategies among co-workers. It is a pre-determined agreement that adequate communication results in higher productivity, a healthier working environment, and happier employees. We will look at the incorporation of technological advances to promote communication between workers.
Interpersonal communication is a form of communication between different people within the organization, which includes group, organizational, and intercultural communication. Within the interpersonal communication, disclosure takes place through the verbal, which is the word of mouth and the non-verbal cues that include gestures, body language, and eye-contact. Intrapersonal is a form of communication that takes place within an individual with a purpose of idea clarification and reflecting on what got discussed in a meeting. The four primary levels of communication include intrapersonal, direct intrapersonal, mass intrapersonal, and mediated intrapersonal. Don't use plagiarised sources.Get your custom essay just from $11/page
Technology has dramatically altered the type of collaboration in workplaces and has reshaped business into highly streamline and integrated. Whether a company is significant or not, technological communication is a critical factor. Through adequate communication, tasks get to run smoothly and well-performing. The incorporation of conversation in workplaces has reduced communicational issues, making them more straightforward and enabling continuous functioning with low setbacks. Through a structured communication system tailor-made to the specificity of companies, we will be able to improve barriers in this sector of businesses.
The use of smartphones, chat apps, and social network sites enable timely and efficient communication among co-workers. It is, therefore, a valuable addition too many businesses follow the example, thus creating a network of individuals directly dedicated to enterprise success. The fast nature guaranteed by communication among employees, management, and subordinates makes the workforce unified, more collaborated, and more deliberate. Sending text emails and video chats, are made easier using social networking apps, namely Skype and WhatsApp, just to mention a few. This technological advancement in communication also enables working from home in events of natural bad weather or calamities’ ensuring that work goes on.
There are numerous communication strategies incorporated in the workplace environment. The Y hierarchy is a communication strategy that allows the exchange of information within an organization without consideration of the position that the employees hold, and it influences the members of the organization. The Y hierarchy form of communication applies within the organization that I work for since it allows free communication to better the organization.
The major types of managerial communication observed in the organization are oral, written, and non-verbal communication. Verbal communication is when word of mouth gets used to giving directions to the relevant people within the organization. Unlike written communication, oral communication is not reliable since it lacks evidence of a connection, which gets otherwise documented when communication gets done through writing. Non-verbal communication uses body language, gestures, and eye-contact. The non-verbal mode of communication cannot also be relied upon like the written communication since it lacks evidence of an interaction.
Within the organization, the barriers of communication that I have observed include the cultural barriers since the organization has an employee from different cultures. Lacks of eye contact among the communicating parties when the non-verbal communication is getting used, and lack of interest and attention among the communicating parties, result in misunderstandings in the workplace. Consistent communication is essential in the organization as it helps to address the different problems. Regular contact helps in solving in transparency manner employees’ questions and complaints. All levels of management, therefore, must pass and deliver information frequently. Repetition is very crucial as it makes the employees aware of the coming changes
Virtual teams refer to a collection of individuals that are distributed in different geographic locations and rely on communication services to collaborate on a specified objective. Virtual team members communicate through electronic media and may never get the chance to meet face to face (Richard & Darleen, 2010). Companies are at liberty to enlist the services of qualified personnel without geographical restrictions being an issue. The invention of fiber optic technology has increased the scope of off-site communication among individuals in different geographic areas. Although there is a widespread increase in virtual teamwork, little focus has given to the role of virtual team leaders. Virtual teams require compelling leadership to increase functionality and efficiency
Virtual teams can be as productive and effective as traditional equivalents if they are well managed (Silvester & Claire, 2016). Productive capabilities can be in terms of understanding work style preferences and working that involve the team’s structure and processes. Being aware of different member’s cultures and avoiding any material that’s insensitive to their cultural backgrounds promotes teamwork while being accommodating to the member’s cultural quirks. Virtual teams also need to practice cultural due diligence and prepare carefully as these are the essential components of success.
Evidently, for a couple of years, managers have tried incorporating business process transformation to improve organizational structure performance. These processes are directly affected by corporate politics, and their outcomes have yet to be thoroughly analyzed. The methodology to get used is that of a pluralist as the case study aims at dividing itself into four distinct segments. The change helps in the application of diverse perspectives that help in the development of detailed accounts of how each section is affected by the transformative initiative.
The organization should always applaud their employees for their participation at any given point. They should not wait for changes to take effect. There is a need to celebrate their achievements as it provides them morale and makes the employees feel valued. Poor communication comes when the managers fail to establish a connection at an appropriate time or no making communication at all. Alternatively, sometimes, it may be poorly received as some people may feel are targeted.
We need to understand that diversity means more than just race or ethnicity. Diversity means that a company can accept and keep an open mind to new ideas and trends. The world is changing, and a diverse workforce ensures high productivity as well as promoting diversity worldwide. By measuring the performance and potential of employees, one can identify the type of strategy and the intensity required to diversify the workplace, after all a company only spends when it is guaranteed a positive return right. The world is changing, and we, as the workforce and inhabitants need to co-relate well is success and profitability is to get achieved.
Global competition rise offers entrepreneurial opportunities from a more significant and diverse pool of people while increasing innovation importance. Firms get challenged to find and utilize the talents of innovative individuals to survive (Harvey et al., 2010). The free market’s ability to function without interference gets linked with government distrust. The philosophy is not agreed upon by the economist Keynes, but the free market gets viewed to be winning that battle. There always entrepreneurs and innovators that eventually lose in their endeavors. Firms that cannot adjust to changes during destruction to rebuilding end up completely dying. Having significant firm innovations does not necessarily result in incremental growth.
Institutionalized large firms face difficulties in the development of entrepreneurial environments due to core rigidities and communication capabilities. Newer firms are flexible and have adequate co-dependent skills that aid them in rapid innovations. The competition between large firms and small, more modern firms lies with the development of innovative communication capabilities. The introduction of new products and services contradictory to institutional norms characterize creative entrepreneurs. Economists, according to Schumpeter, have embarked on studying other aspects of learning like law, sociology, history, and even literature with the intent of broadening economic discourse scope. Considerable research continues based on the findings by Joseph Schumpeter in the exploration of these phenomena.
Issues Affecting Communication
| Communication Concept | Scenario Illustrating Ineffective Communication | Solution for Effective Communication
| |
| 1 | Failure to listen | As meetings progress, employees become detracted and can fail to pay attention to what the speaker has to say. Employees sometimes start discussing what they will say when their turn arises, and they, therefore, fail to be attentive. | The solution to this is to stress the importance of maintaining attention throughout the session. Also, employees get reminded before the course begins to the significance of listening so that they can learn different approaches to a problem. |
| 2 | Distance between speaker and audience | Globalization has led to people in different places increasingly working together to achieve a common good. However, the long distances between the audience and the speaker can contribute to misunderstandings, and this can delay a project. | To beat this obstacle, team members meet regularly. After the meetings have ended, the team members are required to summarize the contents of the conferences and upload them where members can view it. Another strategy is to use video conferencing instead of relying on emails. |
| 3 | Differences in culture | In an increasingly globalized world, you will find people of different cultures working in one office. These people tend to associate with people of the same religion as themselves. It creates cultural and communication barriers for employees. | This communication barrier can get broken by separating the seating arrangements of employees |
| 4 | Attitude and ego | Many teams fail because there is a self-absorbed person in the group. Egocentric people refuse to accept that they are wrong and therefore pull down the group. | Chand (n.d) says that attitudes and egos are managed by sticking to the program of the team, hence no time for egos. |
| 5 | Authority | Many employees don’t like discussing issues they have with their managers. | It evolved by the manager having a face-to-face conversation with each employee and ensuring that the conversation remains confidential. |
| 6 | Errors in written communications | Errors sometimes arise when having conversations with other offices. The errors can be grammatical or syntactical and can lead to misunderstandings. | These errors get solved by ensuring the documents are proofread before printing and distributing. Also, there are software’s which are purposely for proofreading, which can get used to achieving zero errors. |
| 7 | Gender bias | Employees can fight over petty issues such as the gender, which as excellent leadership skills in the office. It can lead to the separation of employees along gender lines. | It can get overcome by speaking your mind without apologies. Also, a speaker should maintain eye contact with the employees throughout the presentation. |
| 8 | Focus issues | Failure by employees to focus leads to communication challenges. It gets caused by the gap between employees in the workplace, among other topics. | Focus issues are subdued by breaking down concepts so that all employees can easily understand what you are talking about. |
| 9 | Lack of knowledge | Where team members lack knowledge about specific issues, communication becomes a problem. | It is solved by having a question and answer session with the employees. |
| 10 | Friendships | Employees can group themselves in groups while in the workplace. These friendships are good, but if they don’t have direction, then they pull the team down. | Stress the importance of friendships in reducing differences and increasing cooperation within the workplace. |
| 11 | Assumptions | Most of the time, people make assumptions about what a speaker is going to say. This way, employees fail to get the information a speaker is trying to convey. | Assumptions get overcome by stressing on the need of employees to honor the speaker and the need to be curious throughout the session to reap from the speakers. |
| 12 | Emotions are dictating our responses | itis whereby people react emotionally to situations. Emotional reactions make people say what they did not intend to say. | Emphasis should be on the need to separate emotions from our responses. |
| 13 | Being indirect | involves the use of words with hidden meanings. A person who uses this kind of communication expects the audience to be able to read their minds. It is, however, not possible since people interpret words differently. | It gets solved by conveying information directly to the audience since not everybody can decipher hidden details. |
| 14 | Attacking character rather than behavior | happens when one is not pleased with a person who has done an instead of rebuking the indecent behavior, and a speaker rebukes the person who did the action. | It gets solved by stressing the difference between character and behavior. |
| 15 | Talking a lot | When people speak before thinking, they tend to overshare information. It can lead to the disclosure of confidential information, and the results of such behavior can be disastrous. | According to McQuerrey (2019), this can get stopped by holding meetings where sensitive information in closed rooms and ensuring the information gets kept discretely. |
| 16 | Means of communication | Not all means of communication are appropriate for every occasion. | The solution to this issue is to analyze the context before deciding on a communication channel carefully. |
| 17 | Inability to communicate fully | Quick replies usually dominate the workplace, and therefore, communication can be lost or misunderstood. | It gets solved by ensuring that an answer is well answered and articulate before sending it. |
| 18 | Upward communication | When managers fail to reply to a discussion from their juniors, upward communication becomes a challenge (Ahmed, 2019) | It gets solved by ensuring that managers promptly respond to communications from their juniors. |
| 19 | Filtering | There are instances in the workplace when employees ‘filter’ information and gives the leaders information they want to hear. | Emphasize the need to deliver original information at the workplace. |
| 20 | Poor retention | There are employees in the workplace who are not good at retaining information. | There is a need to use more than one means of communication and also to repeat information to increase the rate at which people remember information. |
Conclusion
Developing a business needs one to be well aware of all the factors and elements that can make or break the business. Understanding these changes make it possible for an organization to develop a management plan that fits into the confinements of the company. Promoting behaviors that will spark change in the organization is vital. This strategy is one of the most influential factors of influencing change. Beginning by creating a good relationship with people with the company and creating forums of interaction with customers and potential customers will create a receptive and innovative environment for the consumers. It will only be successful through emphasis and consistency. Furthermore, showcasing professional skills is also promoting good behavior and showcasing other departments the need for facilitating for relevant individuals, according to Fernandez & Rainey (2017). Promoting good practices is a mechanism of- directional change, which is useful in influencing change.
References
Ahmed, A. (2019). Barriers to Upward Communication. Retrieved 30 July 2019, from https://bizfluent.com/list-6698401-barriers-upward-communication.html
Chand, S. Barriers to Communication: 16 Barriers to Communication within a Business Organization. Retrieved 30 July 2019, from http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/business-communication/barriers-to-communication-16-barriers-to-communication-within-a-business-organization/28010
McQuerrey, L. (2019). Examples of Communication Problems in the Workplace. Retrieved 30 July 2019, from https://smallbusiness.chron.com/examples-communication-problems-workplace-11243.html
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Lewis, L. (2019). Organizational change: Creating change through strategic communication.John Wiley & Sons.