Ineffective Communication in an ion

Ineffective Communication in an Organisation Communication Skills

Ineffective

Communication in

an Organisation

1


Submitted to Prof Swat Makadi

For the Subject Communication

Skills

By MMS A

Hozefa Khambaty (32)

Hrishit Amlani(33)

Jamila Udaipurwala (40)

Khozema Burhanpurwala (46)

Mohammed Naeem Shaikh (58)

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A Report on Ineffective

Communication in an Organisation


Rizvi Institue of Management Studies and Research

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Preface

In today’s world, every organisation, business or non-

business, large or small, needs to communicate both within

and outside the organisation. Without communication, it would

be almost impossible to function. Effective communication is

vital to the success and survival of any organisation.

But as seen through the studies, organisations does not

have an effective communication system to link different

groups and people of the organisation so that they work

collectively to achieve desired objectives.

We are hereby thankful to Prof. Swati Mankad for giving us

an opportunity to limelight the areas concerning ineffective

communication in an organisation. We are quite confident that

this report will help our future managers to understand the

importance of communication process in an organisation.

“Communication is not an end in

itself; it is a means to achieve an

end.”

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S.No Topics Page No

1 Introduction 5

2 Communication 7

3 Organisational Communication 8

4 Causes of Ineffective Communication 9

5 Effects of Ineffective Communication 12

6Types of Communication and their

Relative Importance13

7Ways to Overcome Ineffective

Communication19

8How to Improve Superior – Subordinate

Relationship23

Index

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Introduction

Origin of the report :

Mr. Satish Agarwal is a young dynamic MBA professional in

Finance. After tough 2 years of an MBA programme, he has now

got placed in a reputed bank as a Credit Manager at AMII level

(Assistant Manager).

Mr. Satish is very excited for his first job and is continuously

performing well to make his dreams come true. As time passes

by, he realizes that he is been over loaded with the work and

his immediate reporting boss does nothing except for enjoying

free meals and chit chatting with the colleagues. Now, he starts

questioning himself that “Why he works for 10 hours inspite of

8 hours and his reporting boss works for only 6 hours?”

Mr. Satish, himself finds no answer for his question. He

approaches his colleagues but still does not find any answer, as

even his colleagues are seeking answer for the same question.

Satish and friends cannot complain about their bosses, as their

performance appraisal is in the hands of immediate bosses.

Left with no option, Mr. Satish continued working for few

months and finally changed his job.

What do you think, why Satish could not find his

answer?

Because he was not being properly communicated about

his job responsibilities.

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Because he was unaware about the grievances procedure.

Because he had no direct communication with the Boss of

his reporting boss.

Because he was never asked for feedback about his boss.

And lots more could be the reason.

In order to avoid future mangers being trapped in similar

situation as of Mr. Satish and to create awareness about the

importance of organisational communication, topic of

Ineffective Communication in an Organisation has been

selected.

Scope of the report:

The study primarily deals with the problem of Ineffective

Organisational Communication that affects the employee

morale as well as the organisation.

Sources of Data:

Primary data was collected through verbal discussion with

people. Secondary data was gathered from various books and

websites.

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Report Body

Communication

The word communication is derived from the Latin Word

Communicare which means to impart, to make common,

to share or to transmit.

Communication is an exchange of information between the

giver/sender and the receiver; between the source and

destination. At times, the source and destination are individual

persons; then such communication is called inter-personal

communication. On the other hand, if the communication is

done by one individual or by a group to larger group of people

through radio, TV, magazines, etc., then such a communication

is referred as mass communication.

Business communication makes use of both inter-personal

and mass communication. When a superior informs his

subordinates of an action to be taken, it is a case of inter-

personal communication. When an organisation informs the

people in newspapers about the introduction of its latest

product, then it is a case of mass communication.

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Organisational

Communication

Organisational Communication focuses on general

communication processes and dynamics within organizations. It

includes instruction in the development and maintenance of

interpersonal group relations within organizations; decision-

making and conflict management; the use of symbols to create

and maintain organizational images, missions, and values;

power and politics within organizations; human interaction with

computer technology; and how communications socializes and

supports employees and team members.

In addition to the usual face to face, telephone, fax or mail;

modern organisations may use technology to communicate

internally. Technology may be used for e-mails or a linked

internal communication system such as the intranet which is an

internet system designed solely for use by those working for

the organisation.

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Causes of Ineffective

Communication

Perceptual and Language Differences:

Perception is generally how each individual interprets the

world around him. All generally want to receive messages

which are significant to them. But any message which is

against their values is not accepted. A same event may be

taken differently by different individuals. For example : A

person is on leave for a month due to personal reasons (family

member being critical). The HR Manager might be in confusion

whether to retain that employee or not, the immediate

manager might think of replacement because his teams

productivity is being hampered, the family members might take

him as an emotional support.

The linguistic differences also lead to communication

breakdown. Same word may mean different to different

individuals. For example: consider a word “value”.

a. What is the value of this Laptop?

b. I value our relation?

c. What is the value of learning technical skills?

“Value” means different in different sentences.

Communication breakdown occurs if there is wrong perception

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by the receiver.

Information Overload:

Managers are surrounded with a pool of information. It is

essential to control this information flow else the information is

likely to be misinterpreted or forgotten or overlooked. As a

result communication is less effective.

Inattention:

At times we just not listen, but only hear. For example a

traveler may pay attention to one “NO PARKING” sign, but if

such sign is put all over the city, he no longer listens to it. Thus,

repetitive messages should be ignored for effective

communication. Similarly if a superior is engrossed in his paper

work and his subordinate explains him his problem, the

superior may not get what he is saying and it leads to

disappointment of subordinate.

Time Pressures:

Often in organization the targets have to be achieved within

a specified time period, the failure of which has adverse

consequences. In a haste to meet deadlines, the formal

channels of communication are shortened, or messages are

partially given, i.e., not completely transferred. Thus sufficient

time should be given for effective communication.

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Distraction/Noise:

Communication is also affected a lot by noise to distractions.

Physical distractions are also there such as, poor lightning,

uncomfortable sitting, unhygienic room also affects

communication in a meeting. Similarly use of loud speakers

interferes with communication.

Emotions:

Emotional state at a particular point of time also affects

communication. If the receiver feels that communicator is

angry he interprets that the information being sent is very bad.

While he takes it differently if the communicator is happy and

jovial (in that case the message is interpreted to be good and

interesting).

Complexity in Organizational Structure:

Greater the hierarchy in an organization (i.e. more the

number of managerial levels), more is the chances of

communication getting destroyed. Only the people at the top

level can see the overall picture while the people at low level

just have knowledge about their own area and a little

knowledge about other areas.

Poor retention:

Human memory cannot function beyond a limit. One cant

always retain what is being told specially if he is not interested

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or not attentive. This leads to communication breakdown.

Effects of Ineffective

Communication

Short-term impact

Spread of misinformation. Delay in transmission of information. Erosion of employee trust and confidence. Conflicts between employees and management. Misinformed employees can make wrong decisions. Internal brand image suffers.

Long-term impact

Dissatisfaction among employees leads to higher attrition. Lack of coherent and shared vision. Low employee morale results in lower productivity. Impact on company's stocks. Organisation's external brand value suffers High employee turnover.

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Types of Organisational Communication and their

Relative Importance

Formal Communications

Formal communication is defined as communication which

occurs through the official organisational channels or is

undertaken by an employee to do their job. For example official

meetings, letters and a manager asking an employee to carry

out a particular task. Further, it is categorized to :

Upward and Downward Communications

Downward communication is communication created by

directors and managers and passed down the hierarchy of

workers in the organisation. In traditional organisations this

is the preferred method of communication ie Managers

decide what the systems, rules and procedures will be and

then they pass these down to employees they manage and

supervise. Downward Communication can increase efficiency

by synchronising organisational procedures and can ensure

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that everybody is working towards the same overall aims

and objectives. Types of downward communication include

job descriptions, appraisals/evaluations, organisational

policy, and organisational systems.

Although there are advantages to downward communication

organisations have began to encourage upward

communication. This is communication which originates at

the lower level of the employment hierarchy and is then

communicated up through the line. Organisations

encouraging upward communication believe that everybody

is capable of generating thoughts and ideas which may help

the organisation to progress, particularly when they are

working closely in the area that the idea applies to. Upward

communication may increase motivation and make

employees feel valued and respected whilst enabling

managers to understand how employees are feeling.

Furthermore if problems occur at they are more likely to be

identified earlier by those working closely in the area that

they occur. Types of upward communications include

suggestion schemes, feedback forums/surveys, grievance

procedures and employee-manager discussions.

Lateral Communication

This is communication that occurs between employees on

the same level in the organisation. As this can involve

decision making it can create efficiency as employees do not

have to wait for managerial approval. On the other hand if

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the manager is not kept informed or if the manager fails to

set boundaries there is potential for conflict.

Diagonal Communication

This occurs when communication occurs between workers in

a different section of the organisation and where one of the

workers involved is on a higher level in the organisation. For

example in a bank diagonal communication will occur when a

department manager in head office converses with a cashier

in a branch of the bank based on the high street.

Informal Communication

Informal communication is that which occurs outside the

recognised communication networks such as talking in the

lunchroom or hallways between employees. Informal

communication can be productive or negative. It has the

potential to build teams, improve working relationships and

generate ideas as employees are in a relaxed environment.

Grapevine Communication ( Informal Communication)

Grapevine is an informal channel of business

communication. It is called so because it stretches throughout

the organization in all directions irrespective of the authority

levels. Man as we know is a social animal. Despite existence of

formal channels in an organization, the informal channels tend

to develop when he interacts with other people in organization.

It exists more at lower levels of organization.

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Grapevine generally develops due to various reasons. One

of them is that when an organization is facing recession, the

employees sense uncertainty. Also, at times employees do not

have self-confidence due to which they form unions. Sometimes

the managers show preferential treatment and favour some

employees giving a segregated feeling to other employees.

Thus, when employees sense a need to exchange their

views ,they go for grapevine network as they cannot use the

formal channel of communication in that case. Generally during

breaks in cafeteria,the subordinates talk about their superior’s

attitude and behaviour and exchange views with their peers.

They discuss rumours about promotion and transfer of other

employees. Thus, grapevine spreads like fire and it is not easy

to trace the cause of such communication at times.

Examples of Grapevine Network of Communication

1. Suppose the profit amount of a company is known.

Rumour is spread that this much profit is there and on that

basis bonus is declared.

2. CEO may be in relation to the Production Manager. They

may have friendly relations with each other.

Feedback Communication

Receivers are not just passive absorbers of messages; they

receive the message and respond to them. This response of a

receiver to sender’s message is called Feedback. Sometimes a

feedback could be a non-verbal smiles, sighs etc. Sometimes it

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is oral, as when you react to a colleague’s ideas with questions

or comments. Feedback can also be written like - replying to an

e-mail, etc.

Feedback is your audience’s response; it enables you to

evaluate the effectiveness of your message. If your audience

doesn’t understand what you mean, you can tell by the

response and then refine the message accordingly.

Giving your audience a chance to provide feedback is crucial

for maintaining an open communication climate. The manager

must create an environment that encourages feedback. For

example after explaining the job to the subordinated he must

ask them whether they have understood it or not. He should

ask questions like “Do you understand?”, “Do you have any

doubts?” etc. At the same time he must allow his subordinated

to express their views also.

Feedback is essential in communication so as to know

whether the recipient has understood the message in the same

terms as intended by the sender and whether he agrees to that

message or not.

There are lot of ways in which company takes feedback from

their employees, such as : Employee surveys, memos, emails,

open-door policies, company news letter etc. Employees are

not always willing to provide feedback. The organization has to

work a lot to get the accurate feedback. The managers

encourage feedback by asking specific questions, allowing their

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employees to express general views, etc. The organization

should be receptive to their employee’s feedback.

A manger should ensure that a feedback should:

1. Focus on a particular behaviour - It should be specific

rather than being general.

2. Impersonal - Feedback should be job related, the manager

should not criticize anyone personally.

3. Goal oriented - If we have something negative to say

about the person, we should always direct it to the

recipients goal.

4. Well timed - Feedback is most effective when there is a

short gap between the recipients behaviour and the

receipt of that feedback.

5. Use “I” statements - Manager should make use of

statements with the words like “I”, “However” etc. For

example instead of saying”You were absent from work

yesterday”, manager should say”I was annoyed when you

missed your work yesterday”.

6. Ensure understanding - For feedback to be effective, the

manager should make sure that the recipients

understands the feedback properly.

While giving negative feedback to the recipient, the manager

should not mention the factors which are not in control of the

recipient.

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Recommendations

Ways to Overcome Ineffective

Communication

As, in the previous section we have discussed the major

causes of ineffective communication. Let’s talk about how to

overcome these barriers of communication

Eliminating differences in perception: The organization

should ensure that it is recruiting right individuals on the job.

It’s the responsibility of the interviewer to ensure that the

interviewee has command over the written and spoken

language. There should be proper Induction program so that

the policies of the company are clear to all the employees.

There should be proper trainings conducted for required

employees (for eg: Voice and Accent training).

Use of Simple Language: Use of simple and clear words

should be emphasized. Use of ambiguous words and jargons

should be avoided.

Reduction and elimination of noise levels: Noise is the

main communication barrier which must be overcome on

priority basis. It is essential to identify the source of noise

and then eliminate that source.

Active Listening: Listen attentively and carefully. There is a

difference between “listening” and “hearing”. Active

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listening means hearing with proper understanding of the

message that is heard. By asking questions the speaker can

ensure whether his/her message is understood or not by the

receiver in the same terms as intended by the speaker.

Emotional State: During communication one should make

effective use of body language. He/she should not show their

emotions while communication as the receiver might

misinterpret the message being delivered. For example, if

the conveyer of the message is in a bad mood then the

receiver might think that the information being delivered is

not good.

Simple Organizational Structure: The organizational

structure should not be complex. The number of hierarchical

levels should be optimum. There should be a ideal span of

control within the organization. Simpler the organizational

structure, more effective will be the communication.

Avoid Information Overload: The managers should know

how to prioritize their work. They should not overload

themselves with the work. They should spend quality time

with their subordinates and should listen to their problems

and feedbacks actively.

Give Constructive Feedback: Avoid giving negative

feedback. The contents of the feedback might be negative,

but it should be delivered constructively. Constructive

feedback will lead to effective communication between the

superior and subordinate.

Proper Media Selection: The managers should properly

select the medium of communication. Simple messages

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should be conveyed orally, like: face to face interaction or

meetings. Use of written means of communication should be

encouraged for delivering complex messages. For significant

messages reminders can be given by using written means of

communication such as : Memos, Notices etc.

Flexibility in meeting the targets: For effective

communication in an organization the managers should

ensure that the individuals are meeting their targets timely

without skipping the formal channels of communication.

There should not be much pressure on employees to meet

their targets.

Clarity of Purpose: The message to be delivered must be

clear in the mind of sender. The person to whom it is

targeted and the aim of the message should be clear in the

mind of the sender.

Completeness: The message delivered should not be

incomplete. It should be supported by facts and

observations. It should be well planned and organized. No

assumptions should be made by the receiver.

Conciseness: The message should be concise. It should not

include any unnecessary details. It should be short and

complete.

Modify the message according to the audience: The

information requirement by different people in the

organization differs according to their needs. What is

relevant to the middle level management might not be

relevant to the top level of management. Use of jargons

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should be minimized because it might lead to

misunderstanding and misinterpretations. The message

should be modified according to the needs and requirements

of the targeted audience.

Multiple Channels of communication: For effective

communication multiple channels should be used as it

increases the chances of clarity of message. The message is

reinforced by using different channels and there are less

chances of deformation of message.

Make effective use of Grapevine (informal channel of

communication): The employees and managers should not

always discourage grapevine. They should make effective

use of grapevine. The managers can use grapevine to deliver

formal messages and for identification of issues which are

significant for the employees. The managers can get to know

the problems faced by the employees and can work upon it.

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Ho w to Improve Superior – Subordinate CommunicationCommunication between managers and employees is an

important issue in any organization. Employees want guidelines

from their supervisors, and the management wants input from

the entire team. Most companies have little trouble

communicating downward, but getting information to flow

upward is more of a challenge. When employees stay quiet

about what they need, the negative results can include missed

opportunities, delayed projects, and failed initiatives.

The key to getting employees to communicate better and to

keeping the company’s progress on track is to build a quality

interaction between the employee group and the management

team. Breaking through the barriers and getting employees and

managers working together helps everyone advance a strategic

vision and attain goals. This process includes four elements.

Communicate needs: Communication is a two-way

process. Employees have as much responsibility as the

management team for speaking up, setting expectations

and requirements, and communicating barriers and

opportunities. Encouraging employees to communicate

with the senior team helps each group understand the

other’s duties and what can be done given the budget and

expectations.

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Ask employees to proactively tell the management

team what they are struggling with and how managers

can help. Reinforce the company’s vision and state how

current objectives contribute to it, then explain that the

employees’ input is needed to make attaining the vision a

reality.

Share skills and knowledge: While most people are

knowledgeable about and skilled in their own job duties,

many managers are unaware of their employees’ daily

activities. Ask employees to explain what goes into each

project by listing the activities, costs, and time spent on

each. This dialogue can include reviewing survey results,

client satisfaction ratings, safety metrics, or other factual

data. Questions can spur employees to offer suggestions.

Discussing “what if” scenarios based on suggestions

offered enables employees to see their impact on the

bottom line and will prompt employees to participate in

the process.

Create a motivation cycle: Management input plays a

large part in motivating employees to communicate about

and work toward goals. To make communicating with

management easier, arrange a group conference call so

employees can share their ideas about a particular project

or strategic plan. Set aside a half day to conduct

roundtable discussions with employees that address their

concerns. Offer short one-on-one sessions between

managers and employees to discuss employee issues.

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Establish empowerment expectations: An effective

work team must document its common understanding.

Like Ken Blanchard’s One Minute Manager, write a one-

minute goal and its requirements in 400 words or less.

Discuss the goals and parameters with everyone involved

before assigning tasks so that the entire team recognizes

and makes any tradeoffs needed to ensure success.

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Bibliography Books referred:

Organisational Behaviour by Michael VazCommnication Barriers in an Organisation by Himanshu Juneja

Website visited:www.ezinearticles.comwww.learnmanagement2.comwww.google.com

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Ineffective Communication in an ion