1.0 INTRODUCTION
Management is
communication. Every management function, activity or decision involves some
form of direct or indirect communication. Management decisions and
organizational policies are ineffective unless they are understood by those responsible
for enacting or implementing them. No
aspect of Human Resource Management is as
pervasive as communication. Communication provides the means of gathering and dissemination
of information in all aspects of human resource management.
2.0 OBJECTIVES
At the end of this note, you should be able to:
·
define communication
·
state models of communication
·
state and explain communication channels
·
explain various barriers to effective communication in an organization.
3.0 MAIN CONTENT 3.1 Definition Communication is a
process by which all forms of information are transferred from one person to
the other. The word communication is derived from the Latin word “Communes” which
means common. The communicator which is the sender strives to establish a
“Commune” with the receiver. This communication can be defined as the transfer
of information or transmission of information and understanding through the use
of common symbols. These common symbols maybe verbal or non-verbal.
Communication can also be perceived as a process in which a
sender and a receiver of a message interact in order to give the message a
meaning. Scott and Ordeus defined
communication as a process involving the transmission and accurate replication
of ideas reinforced by feedback, purporting to stimulate actions to accomplish
organizational goals.
Communication is important in the organization for three
reasons:
- All functions of management such as planning, organizing, leading
and controlling involve the act of communication, without which they cannot be
performed at all.
- Secondly, managers devote a major portion of their time to
the activity of the communication.
- Interpersonal
relations and group relations are maintained and developed only through the
system of communication. Communication is essential to integrate and
co-ordinate the activities of the people in the organization. Without effective
communication no organizational objectives can be realized.
3.1.1 Models of Communication
A – Sender: This
is the individual group or organization that attempts to transmit, communicate
information to another individual or group or organization
B – The
Receiver: This is the individual or group that the sender attempts to
transmit information to or wishes to communicate with the sender/receiver
relationship is to make the receiver behave or act in manners that is desirable
to the sender.
C – Encoding: This
is the translating of mental thoughts, idea or wish into a code or language
that can be understood by intended receiver. In the encoding process, words,
numbers, gestures, non-verbal elements such as facial expressions or pictures
are used.
D – The Massage: This is the output of encoding
messages may contain hidden agenda as well as trigger aggressive or emotional reaction.
Messages relay what the sender has encoded.
E – Medium: The medium is the carrier of the message.
It is the means by which the message is sent. Messages are sent to be received
in a variety of ways. These include face-to-face communication, telephone communication,
group meetings, fax, and memos. Choosing an appropriate medium depends on many
factors including the nature of the message, its intended purpose, the type of
audience, proximity to the audience, time horizon for disseminating the message
and personal preferences.
F – Decoding: For the process of communication to be
complete, the message must be decoded so that it becomes relevant to the
receiver. Decoding is the technical term for the receivers thought processes
which involve interpretation. It consists of translating verbal, oral or visual
aspects of a message into a form that can be interpreted.
G – Creating Meaning: The conduct model of
communication assumes that meaning is transferred directly from the sender to
the receiver. In contrast, the perception model is based on the belief that the
receiver creates the meaning of a message in his or her mind. A receiver’s
interpretation of a message may differ from that intended by the sender, in
him, the receivers act according to his own interpretation and not that of the
sender.
H – Feed-Back: The receiver’s response to a message
is the crux of the feedback loop. A feedback loop provides a channel for
receiver’s response that enables the communicator or sender to determine whether
the message has been received and has produced the intended response. At this
point, the receiver becomes a sender, this new message is then decoded and
interpreted, and the feedback gives the sender an idea of how accurately his
message is understood.
I – Noise: This refers to anything that interferes
with transmission and understanding of a message or all factors that distract
the intended message and these factors may occur in each of the elements of communication.
These factors include speech impairment poor telephone connection, illegible
hand writing, physical distance etc. Managers can improve communication by
reducing noise.
3.1.2
Organizational Communication Patterns What is at all true of interpersonal
communication is also true of organizational communication. Here too the
effective communication involves getting accurate message from one person to
another.
The four factors that influence the effectiveness of
organizational communication are:-
- The formal channels
of communication
- The organizations authority structure
- Job specialization
- Information ownership
The communication effectiveness is influenced by formal
channels in two ways:
(1) Formal channels
cover the unending distance that usually occurs when the organizations develop
and grows.
(2) The formal channels inhibit the free flow of information
between organizational levels, particularly in upward communication. The
authority structure in the organization also influences the effectiveness of
communication.
The content and accuracy of information are also affected
because of the differences in authority and status. Job specialization also affects the
effectiveness of communication.
Members who belong to the same group use the same jargon and
understand each other better, while communication between highly differentiated
groups is likely to be a problem for both. Information ownership refers to the
unique knowledge and information about their jobs possessed by an individual.
Of many individuals such information is a sort of power, which helps them
function more effectively than others.
Most people in this situation are often reluctant to share
the information with others. Hence open communication is not always possible in
the organization. Organizational communication takes place in variety of ways.
Vertically or horizontally, vertical communication can be either downward or
upward.
Downward Communication This type of communication
style starts at the top management level and goes down through all management
levels to the least worker. This is mainly used to advise, inform, direct,
instruct and evaluate subordinates. This is also used to inform the members
about organizational goals and policies.
Upward Communication Here what is happening at the
lower levels is made known to the upper levels through the upward
communication.
Fig 1.1 Communication Process Fig 1.2
Organizational Communication Lines/Models This is usually in the form of progress
reports, suggestions, explanation and particularly useful for the top
management to make their policies consistent with the attitudes of the people
below.
Horizontal Or Diagonal Communication Communication is
said to be horizontal when it takes place between two employees working at the
same level in the organizational hierarchy e.g. communication between
production and marketing manager. Horizontal communication is essential because
of the fact that the department in an organization are interdependent and the
co-ordination of their activities are necessary.
Informal Communication Or Grapevine This type of
communication arises out of social relationship. The management has no absolute
control over this type of communication. This informal channel satisfies the
communication needs of various groups in the organization. Although most of the
times the information passed on this channel is false or at least inaccurate as
each person may add to or subtract from the message as he desires. It should be
remembered that it is a part of the managers job to have a little control over
this informal communication so that he can take appropriate action to minimise
it especially the adverse effect of this channel.
3.1.3 Barriers to Effective Communication
There are
certain factors that impede the proper flow of communication. All those factors
that adversely affect the effectiveness of communication maybe called barriers
to communication.
These barriers are classified into:-
1. External
2. Emotional or Psychological
3. Organizational
4. Personal
1. External Barriers These manifest in the following
ways: -
Semantic Barriers:
This is due to linguistic barriers between the sender and the receiver.
These barriers arise at the stage of encoding or decoding in the process of
communication. - Badly Expressed Message: Here if the message is not
expressed clearly and precisely and wrong words used, they may not send the
right message.
- Faulty Translation: Managers are often required to
translate the messages into a form, suitable to their superiors or
subordinates. Unless one has good linguistic capacity, he cannot do his job well.
- Specialist Language: Technical personnel and other
experts are fond of using technical jargon which others outside their group fail
to understand.
2. Emotional or Psychological Barriers
- Premature
evaluation: Here people often jump into conclusion even before the message
is completely communicated. This discourages the sender and may even give him a
feeling of utility.
- Existence of
pre-concerned notions.
- Inattention due to
lack of interest.
- Distrust in the
communicator.
- Fears
(i) of misinterpretation
(ii) of distortion
(iii) of exposure to criticism
(iv) deliberate information hold
back
(v) Poor retention by the receiver
(vi) defensive behavior.
Employees have a tendency to become defensive when they feel
they are being threatened. In such circumstances they tend to stop listening to
the sender’s message.
3. Organizational Barriers
Here organizational policies, rules and regulations, status
relationships also affect the effectiveness of communication.
4. Personal Barriers
Personal barriers can again be classified into two types
- Barriers in
superiors
- Barriers in subordinate
Under barriers
in supervisions, attitude of supervisors matters a lot. If the superior has an
unfavorable attitude to the subordinate’s act of giving message, adequate
information cannot flow from the subordinate to the superior; lack of
confidence in subordinates, lack of awareness of importance of communication,
insistence on proper channel. Under barriers in subordinates we have:
- Unwillingness to communicate
- Lack of proper incentives.
In this note we dealt with the issue of communication which
is a management function. We were able to define communication process or
models of communication and barriers to communication.
5.0 SUMMARY
It has been seen that communication is a
management function and that no organization can function, without
communication. Communication is necessary not only in an organizational set-up
but also in the life of an individual. <<<Previous Note View Course Content Next Note>>>
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