Understanding the Concept of Communication in an Organizational Setting

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Forms of organizational communication
Barriers to organizational communication
Employee motivation
Role of effective internal communication on employee motivation
Research Gaps
References

Introduction

Communication is one of the important factors that define the organizational environment in various ways. Scholars have conducted studies to help enhance understanding of the concept of communication in an organizational setting. Turner and West (2006, p. 88) define communication as “the act or process of using words, sounds, signs, or behaviors to express or exchange information or to express your ideas, thoughts, feelings, etc., to someone else.” It is a process that facilitates sharing of information and ideas between two or more people. In an organizational setting, communication is very critical. People need to share information and ideas and to give or receive instructions on how to address specific tasks to achieve a common goal. Every organization has its vision or a strategic goal that it seeks to achieve in its operations. All the activities of such an organization are often designed in a way that meets the set vision or strategic goal. It means that all the stakeholders, from the shareholders and top managers to the mid-managers and junior employees must work towards achieving the set goal. They must work in a coordinated manner as members of one team who play different roles to achieve a common goal. This can only happen when there is an effective communication system.

According to West and Turner (2011), communication goes beyond passing of a piece of information or idea from one level of authority to the other in an organizational setting. It entails having the right impact on the targeted people every time a message is passed from one person to the other. It is possible for a message to be relayed from one party to the other without having the intended impact on the target population. Cabral and Crisfield (2003) refer to such situation as communication breakdown. When designing information, one must first understand the relevance of such information and the manner in which the targeted audience will receive it. The message must be designed in a manner that will captivate the attention of the audience to achieve the desired impact. It requires a detailed understanding of the entire communication system between two or more parties. The sender, who has the primary role of encoding a given message, initiates the process of communication. Turner and West (2006) state that when encoding a message, the sender must understand the target audience in terms of their demographic factors to come up with an effective way of coining the message. People of different age, gender, religion and sometimes social background may receive information in different manner. It is in the interest of the sender to ensure that the message is designed in a way that takes into consideration all the demographic factors of the audience. The recipient of the message may sometimes be required to give a feedback. The figure below is a diagrammatic representation of a complete communication between two or more parties.

*Figure 1: Communication process. Source (Dörnyei & Ushioda 2016)*

As shown in the figure above, communication is a very complex process that requires the sender and the recipient to be capable of encoding and decoding message to get the intended meaning from the message given. Turner and West (2006) say that communication is considered complete if a feedback is given. The feedback should be a confirmation of an understanding of the message given.

Forms of organizational communication

According to Turner and West (2006), there are numerous forms of communication in an organizational setting based on a number of factors. The following is a diagrammatic summary of the various forms of communication that can exist within an organization.

On the basis of organizational structure, communication can either be formal or informal. In every organization, there is a stricture of leadership, from the top most managers to the junior employees. The top managers can make a formal communication to junior employees in form of letters or other formal communications (Turner & West 2006). In most of the cases, formal communication takes place in form of instructions to the junior employees or a report by junior employees to the top managers. Formal communication is consequential and must be treated as such both by junior employees and top managers. Informal communication may take place between top managers and junior employees or among colleagues at the same level of management. It may be a piece of advice to a junior colleague on how to handle a given task. In an informal communication, the message is often meant to prepare an individual to handle a given task better and to overcome challenges that may affect his or her productivity.

Informal communication is less consequential compared to formal communication. Based on direction, there are three different forms of communication. Downward communication occurs between the top managers and junior employees. It is a case where the top managers pass a message to the junior employees either in form of instructions, guidelines, or advice on how to handle a given task. Upward communication on the other hand is where a message comes from the junior employees to the top managers. It may be in the form of a report or a request. Horizontal communication takes place between colleagues who are at the same level in terms of management position. In this form of communication, the sender and the recipient may be in different departments but in need of close coordination to ensure that organizational goals are achieved (Dörnyei & Ushioda 2016). In terms of the form of expression, there are oral where the message is issued verbally in a phase to face interaction or over the telephone, and written communications in form of letters, memos, and e-mails among others.

According to Turner and West (2006), when looking at the forms of organizational communication, it is important to look at the culture of communication that is embraced. Many firms use structured communication system where junior employees are strictly expected to follow the command chain when communicating within the firm. In such structured form of communication, junior employees are not expected to talk directly to the top managers. Any information that they want to pass to the top managers must pass through their immediate supervisors who will then determine if it is appropriate to pass the message to the top managers. It is important to appreciate that this form of communication has a number of advantages, top of which is the fact that top managers are allowed more time to concentrate on development of strategic goals. The fact that they do not constantly interact with junior employees means that they do not have to waste a lot of time on issues that can be addressed by their junior employees. However, this form of communication also has a number of short-comings that make it an undesirable form of communication in an environment that requires dynamism. That makes it necessary to look at its alternative, which is known as open-door communication system.

According to Hogeveen and Lam (2011), open-door policy is a communication culture where junior employees can easily interact with top managers at any time and without any restriction as long as they have a justifiable reason for the meeting. Some scholars have criticized this method of communication, arguing that it is time consuming for the top managers (Rajhans 2012). They argue that sometimes junior employees may go to the top managers with issues that can be addressed by other officers, and that may lead to time wastage. However, Korzynsk (2013) says that this is the best form of communication in the modern society where creativity and innovation is the only way to achieve success in the current competitive business environment. The need for the employees and their top managers to closely interact has become very critical in the modern society because of the numerous challenges in the external environment. Open-door policy creates an enabling environment where top managers and junior employees can interact and find a common solution to problems affecting an organization.

Barriers to organizational communication

According to Turner and West (2006), ineffective communication may have adverse effect on employees within a firm. In an organizational setting, there are a number of factors that may negatively affect communication. The following are some of the common factors that may affect communication within an organization.

Emotional barriers

Emotional barriers are known to significantly affect communication between two or more parties. Korzynsk (2013) says that emotions are known to cloud judgment of a person. The process of communication requires a sense of soberness among both the sender and the receiver of the message. When one is emotional, the process of encoding and decoding the message may be done in a very poor manner. Turner and West (2006) say that it is possible to misconstrue a message when one is emotional because of the impaired judgment. This is a common problem in the workplace, especially in cases where there are disagreements between the two parties communicating with each other.

Perceptions and attitude

Perception and attitude that one has towards another or towards a given issue may affect the communication process. According to Jorfi, Yaccob and Shah (2011), perception or attitude may be developed due to differences among the employees within an organization. They may also be created by issues such as stereotypes among the workforce. For instance, there is often the perception that the less educated junior employees can offer little or no advice to the top managers who are highly education. The top managers may thus develop a perception that the junior employees have no capacity to advise them on what to do. With such a perception, it is almost impossible for these top managers to pay attention to the advice given by the junior employees. They often develop what Juba (2011) describes as mental closure where the mind fails to process the information presented to them.

Cultural barriers

Cultural barrier is another common factor that may affect communication within an organizational setting, especially in a firm that is highly diversified. People of different cultures may find it challenging to use signs and symbols to communicate. For instance, the color red among the Chinese means happiness and celebration, while among the East African community it is a sign of warning (Rajhans 2012). It means that when the same color is used to people from these two backgrounds, there will be two different meanings and that may give rise to confusion.

Language barrier

Language barrier is not a common problem in an organizational setting because it is one of the qualification factors that one must pass before getting hired within a firm. However, Turner and West (2006) say that problems may arise when the level of understanding of a given language differs between two parties. For instance, English as second language users may not be as good in their spoken and written English as the native speakers. It may create problems in an organizational setting, especially on the issue of misinterpretations.

Physical barriers

Physical environment may also be a barrier to effective communication. According to Rollnick, Miller and Butler (2008), noise, disturbances, and the closeness between the communicating parties may affect smooth flow of information from one party to the other. This problem is common in the industrial workplace where employees operate heavy equipment. Miscommunication in such settings may be very dangerous. One may be giving a warning to the other party and an immediate action may spare one’s life. However, the noise may impair the ability of the recipient to get the warning. Some firms have developed advanced systems of communication to help overcome such challenges as one way of protecting their employees.

Interpersonal barriers

Interpersonal barrier to communication is a common problem in an organizational setting that may hinder smooth flow of message. When may have a problem expressing self to others. Such people find it very difficult to let others know what is in their mind, especially at times of crisis when urgent decisions ought to be made (Hogeveen & Lam 2011). They easily panic and their flow of ideas in their minds get distorted. If they are in positions where their decision is significant, then it is possible for them to fail to offer guidance when it is needed the most.

Gender barrier

Gender barrier is another issue that may have negative impact on communication. There are specific words which are often considered gender sensitive and the manner in which men may construe their meaning may be different from what women may understand. Schuman (2010) says that there are cases where communication between people of different gender may completely breakdown because of the issue of misinterpretation.

Employee motivation

Hogeveen and Lam (2011, p. 85) define employee motivation as “the level of energy, commitment, and creativity that a company’s workers bring to their jobs.” It is their level of willingness to go an extra mile to achieve better results in an organizational setting. Employee motivation is very critical in enhancing success of a firm. As shown in the above definition, one of the most important aspects of employee motivation is creativity. Firms find themselves operating in highly competitive market with a number of external obstacles they have to overcome to achieve success in the market. They have to defend their market share while at the same time try to attack the market share of the rival firms. The only way of achieving success under such challenging scenarios is to have a team of highly creative employees. The employees must be capable of coming up with unique solutions to the problems that emerge. Creativity among the employees largely depends on their motivation levels. Highly motivated workforce is capable of developing unique solutions in very challenging business environment. Korzynsk (2013) says that when employees are motivated, they are capable of going beyond what is expected of them in their job description just to ensure that their firm achieves success.

According to Morreale, Spitzberg and Barge (2007), there are two approaches of promoting motivation among the employees within an organizational setting. The first approach is the use of incentives. Many firms are currently using a number of incentives to motivate their employees. Juba (2011) says that some firms such as Apple Inc and Google are paying their employees attractive salaries as a way of motivating them. Paying attractive salaries is a way of showing employees that they are highly appreciated. It is a sign of rewarding their hard work. One of the best ways of showing employees that their work is appreciated is to give them attractive salaries. Good salaries often have ripple effect that enhances employees’ satisfaction. Employees will be comfortable while at the workplace because all their financial problems will be solved. Jack (2013) says that good salaries often help employees in addressing some of the issues they might have in their social life. Making them comfortable through good salaries makes it easy for these employees to concentrate on their work. The idea of looking for better employment opportunities is also eliminated among these people because of the comfort created in their current workplace. Swanepoel and De (2006) warn that when using this strategy, it is important to avoid cases where employees attach their output to their salaries. They must understand that the good remuneration offered to them is just but an appreciation of their good work. In this paper, the focus is not on financial benefits offered to the employees as a way of motivating them but on immaterial incentives.

Companies are also using numerous non-financial incentives to ensure that their employees remain motivated in their workplace. Webb (2011) says that employee empowerment is one of the best ways of ensuring that workers remain highly motivated when they are in the workplace. Empowering employees may take different approaches. One of the best approaches that one can use to empower employees is to create an enabling environment where communication can freely flow from top managers to the junior employees and back. Sometimes employees get frustrated at work just because their views cannot be heard by the top management. The idea of creating a strict channel of communication where information must follow a given pattern may pose a number of challenges. In most of the cases, complaints of the junior employees do not reach the top management unit where solution may come from because of the rigid communication channels. When workers are assured that top managers are always willing to listen to them and address their concerns, they feel that they are valued.

A study by Apple, Silva and Fellner (2013) shows that employees motivation may also be influenced by the management if they are assigned roles that requires them to make decisions. In most firms, important decisions are often made by the top managers. However, when mid-managers and junior employees are also allowed to make important decisions in their respective areas of jurisdiction, they tend to feel valued. Management must make the junior employees feel that they are responsible for what happens in their areas of jurisdiction. Instead of having a policy where all decisions are made at the top, a firm can create a culture where employees can make decisions on their own, always making consultations whenever it is necessary to do so (Bromme, Hesse & Spada 2005).

Role of effective internal communication on employee motivation

According to Anjali, Petri and Daniel (2014), effective internal communication plays a critical role in motivating employees at workplace. In an organizational setting, employees often find themselves in a situation where they have to regularly communicate with one another and with those in superior positions in terms of leadership. Effective communication creates an enabling environment where issues are easily addressed. Vanita (2003) talks of cases peer-to-peer communication in the workplace. An employee may have a problem that needs attention of fellow employee to find a solution. This is common among new employees who have just been hired. They might need assistance to know how to operate a machine or address any other task within the workplace. Having an effective communication means that such employees can consult their peers to assist them address a given task. Instead of reporting to their supervisors that they are unable to address a given task, they only have to reach out to their colleagues to get the assistance they need. In such an environment, motivation of employees is likely to be high because stressors are eliminated. Employees feel that they are not alone when undertaking various duties within the firm. They know that they are always covered by their colleagues whenever issues may arise within the firm. The team spirit is high in such organizations and everyone is often prepared to defend their colleagues whenever it is necessary.

Effective internal communication between junior employees and top managers is also critical in improving motivation of the employees. Peng (2014) says that in an organizational setting, employees often face a number of factors that affect their level of moral at work. The stressors at workplace may be constant breakdown of the machines, regular complaints of the clients or any other difficulty that complicates the work of the employees. At first, Müller says that (2010) that these employees may try to find solutions amongst themselves. They may consult their colleagues to see if they can get a solution to their problem. However, issues about repairs and maintenance or customer satisfaction issues may require financial solutions. Such problems require attention of the top management unit. The employees will need to communicate to the superior authorities and express their frustrations to them so that a solution can be found (D’Errico et al. 2015).

When there is an effective communication system within the organization, these employees will be able to contact the top managers and a solution can be identified. The top managers can advise the junior employees on what to do to address the problem. In case the problem requires a heavy financial investment and the firm lacks the capacity to make such investment, close communication between the managers and junior employees may make it possible for a solution to be obtained. The top managers and junior employees can come together and find an alternative way of addressing the problem as they wait for a permanent solution at a given date. According to Holli, Calabrese, and Maillet (2003), when there is no proper communication between the junior employees and top managers, it becomes almost impossible to address major issues affecting employees. Frustration may emerge among employees, significantly affecting their morale and ability to achieve success in the workplace.

A study by Cabral and Crisfield (2003) looked at how to create a communication system that promotes employee motivation in the workplace. In their study, it was established that communication is one of the most important factors that define employee motivation. In an environment where there is poor communication between the top managers and junior employees, it is not possible to address challenges that may hinder normal operations of the firm. When the employees cannot communicate amongst themselves, it also becomes difficult to address issues that affect them because they cannot share ideas on how to handle challenges that they face.

Research Gaps

The existing bodies of knowledge have extensively looked at the issue of communication and how it helps in achieving success in an organizational setting. Studies have also looked at the issue of motivation and its relevance in terms of improving the output of employees. However, these studies have not extensively looked at the link between employee motivation and effective internal communication within an organization. Although some scholars have identified how employee’s morale is affected by communication system employed by a firm, it is not yet clear how effective communication can improve employees’ motivation in an organizational setting. That is why it is necessary to find out the effects of positive communication on employee motivation in a company. Noor Clothing Company was selected as the company under study. The next chapter will focus on analysis of the methods used in collecting and analyzing primary data from the respondents.

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