Which type of communication occurs between employees working at the same level?
Organizational communication is the process by which groups of people convey company goals and the way to reach them. Organizational communication is an integral part of effective management practices within the workplace: productive and thoughtful dialogue can make or break an organization and the relationships within it. Show
Part 1 Types of Organizational CommunicationTo understand the far-reaching impact organizational communication has on companies, it is important to understand the various types that take place within companies:
Both groups of communications address more specific interactions between employees, managers, and upper management. Even a basic understanding of these is critical for anyone looking to increase the communication flow in the organization. Part 2 Communication’s Link to CollaborationIf organizations represent buildings, departments are the building blocks and communication is the substance that binds them together. Marketing, human resources, finance, accounting, operations, and management all have to collaborate with one another to reach departmental and company goals. Effective communication positively contributes to organizational collaboration that needs to occur. Valuable collaboration is synonymous with efficient communication. However, the structure of today’s workplace, a penchant for silos, and generational gaps have contributed to a landscape that is not always conducive to satisfactory communication practices. Here are some statistics that reveal the state of today’s workplace collaboration culture:
These statistics from this survey conducted by the Queens University of Charlotte show the complicated relationship between communication and collaboration. Executives and business leaders desire employees to have communication skills already, but once they arrive at the organization, there are not a lot of opportunities for them to further the develop the skills they do have or learn new ones. This has a negative impact on how communication flows throughout an organization. Part 3 How Does Organizational Communication Impact Productivity?So much can become lost in translation. Different personalities create diversity in learning and listening styles. People communicate the way they were taught, and as individuals grow into adulthood the way people explain themselves and the way they listen to others becomes even more solidified. This makes it difficult for people to take on new communication skills, but statistics show that being flexible and open to new ways of communicating are essential. According to a survey of 4,000 employees by HR Magazine, almost half were unsure of what was being asked of them by managers who gave them a task to do. What was even more troubling is that 36 percent felt this uncertainty between one and three times in the workday. This reveals that managers think they are saying one thing while workers feel they mean something entirely different. This can have detrimental effects on company productivity. An employee can get halfway through a project and find out they misheard the directions. This impacts time and money spent for the worker to finish the project. Communication contributes to the overall bottom line, so leaders should recognize its connection to productivity, and create strategies to improve lapses in communication. Part 4 Challenges to Organizational CommunicationThe key to creating an environment of effective communication is building a comprehensive organizational communication plan. Business leaders and employees who participate in creating this plan need to prepare for communication challenges that come into play in modern workplaces.
Is there a uniform approach that everyone should adhere to or is there no one right way for everyone? If policies are changed to favour one style over another, what is the backlash? Should that even be the right approach in the first place? Part 5 Organizational Communication Plan Best PracticesThere are many ways leaders can address the challenges faced when creating a comprehensive communication plan that enhances the flow:
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