Communication in the Workplace

Communication is a vital process in organizations and companies in today’s world. It has been defined as an activity that entails transmitting information through interexchange of views or messages by behavior, signals, writing, visuals, and speech. The process of communication requires a sender, the message to be sent, and a receiver. However, it is mandatory for the receiver to be aware of the sender’s intention to communicate. This means that a sender can be able to communicate with a receiver across vast distances (Wilson 2010). Normally, the communication the process is complete after it is clear that the receiver understood the message as intended by the sender. Communicative commonality is integral to effective communication between communicating parties. Effective communication is not only needed inside an organization but also when dealing with external stakeholders. It enables organization to achieve competitive edge considering the fact that it through it that an organization remains responsive to consumer needs (Jones & George 2007). On the contrary, poor communication disrupts almost everything in an organization. There are a number of barriers to effective communication (Huczynski & Buchanan 2010). This paper intends to highlight the barriers and how three organizations (Professional Sports, Bernard Mathews, and NHS trust Hospital) have been able to handle the barriers to ensure effective communication. Barriers to Effective Communication Barriers to communication are factors that might hinder effective communication between parties in the workplace. According to Antony and MacVicar (2011), this includes language barriers, cultural barriers, organizational barriers, personal barriers, and interpersonal barriers. Other barriers to effective communication include information technology and power. Professional sports organizations in Greece, Bernard Mathews, and NHS trust hospital have had to deal with at least of the barriers. The three have employed different strategies to deal with them hence their continued success (Mullins 2005). NHS Trust Hospital Poor communication has hindered hospitals to serve customers in the desired manner. There are a number of factors that have contributed to the problem. According to Smith and Preston (1996), the nature of jobs executed by doctors and nurses has contributed to poor communication. Nurses and doctors jobs are in most cases stressful leading to their informal communication among them. It is also common to find practitioners being less polite when addressing one another. Lack of understanding of one another’s role and knowledge has also contributed to the poor communication in NHS hospital (Smith & Preston 1996). Gender differences have also been a barrier to effective communication with stereotypes being the main cause. Men practitioners seem to have less respect for female practitioners hence conflicts in communication. Research has shown that professionalism and status is also a major cause of poor communication in NHS hospital. More experienced nurses and doctors seemed to have fewer problems in building relationships and communicating effectively. This is as compared to less experienced doctors and nurses who experience a lot of problems communicating. Members of the same group in the hospital also find it easy to communicate. Smith and Preston (1996) argues that this ostensibly because of similar language, sense of belonging, and similar training. NHS has tried to deal with the barriers through the application of a number of strategies. For instance, it has tried to create good relationships among practitioners. This has been done to ensure they are able to communicate with one another with ease. It has also employed training and teaching communication programs to enhance to encourage good communication among practitioners. It is clear that nurses and doctors in the organization have found it hard to get along with one another as a result of different training (Smith & Preston 1996). It has also been suggested that the organization should implement good communication systems to aid practitioners in communication. The world has been experiencing technological advancements on a daily basis. The hospital needs to capitalize on this to be able to improve communications (Smith & Preston 1996). Bernard Mathews Farms Bernard Mathews Farms is also one of the organizations that have suffered as a result of poor or ineffective communication. Noise has been one of the major barriers to the organization’s effective communication. Specifically, the organization was affected by the noise created by the media. To be more precise, press articles published negative information about the Bernard Mathews that led to the public have a negative attitude towards it. On the other hand, the organization failed to communicate to its stakeholders or respond to the allegation in a timely to be able to set the record straight. In the essence, this left the public confused on the matter leading to the organization losing its credibility. This also led to the company losing a competitive edge on the market. Employees were also demotivated seeing their company’s name being tarnished in the media. As a result, it necessitated the need for the management to come up with strong strategies on how to enhance communication with its stakeholders (Bernard Matthews 2011). The company was committed to improving its communication not only with internal stakeholders but also external ones. Internal stakeholders include directors, managers, and employees. The company has been able to communicate effectively with its internal stakeholders through the production of multilingual weekly newsletter to all employees. This has been done to ensure employees are well aware of what is happening in the organization. The same information is made available on its intranet site. Employees can also log in to be able to access new information. Similarly, the company also provides conducts face to face meeting aimed at informing managers on the progress of the company as well as new initiatives (Bernard Matthews 2011). The company has also employed different strategies to be able to communicate with external stakeholders. This includes customers, regulatory bodies, suppliers, the community, and the government. Essentially, the company was committed to winning back the trust of its stakeholders to survive the market. One way through which this was achieved is advertising. The company has been able to use the television to advertise its products to ensure they stick in the minds of its customers. It has also made a follow to ascertain the impact of the advertisements. It is through this strategy that the company is able to explain to its customers the benefits of consuming its products. Ultimately, this also gives it the opportunity to address the negative publicity as it is able to inform stakeholders on what is really happening (Bernard Matthews 2011). Social media and the internet has also been used by the company to be able to reach out to its stakeholders. For example, the company has four websites that serve different audiences. This includes a corporate website, consumer sites, Foodservice site, and a campaigning site. It has been able to use the same to market its products as well as make its new initiatives known to stakeholders. The company has also used the media and public relations to communicate circuitously with its consumers (Bernard Matthews 2011). Professional Sport. Professional sport organizations have also faced many barriers that impede effective communication. Specifically, coaches have found it problematic to communicate effectively with their players during games. This can be attributed to them having limited time. Coaches find it hard to communicate with players as a result of the limited time they might have to transmit instructions. They have tried their best to handle the same. However, limited time remains a great obstacle (Athanasios 2005). Language has also created a barrier to effective communication in the company. Professional sports teams are normally composed of players from different countries. As such, coaches might find it problematic to communicate with them. Ability of perception and attitude also hinder effective communication. It is common knowledge that players might decode messages differently hence some may not be able to get the right information. The negative attitude among players has also created a great barrier to communication considering the fact this affects communication not only to their superiors but also other players (Athanasios 2005). There are also external factors that have hindered communication in professional sports in Canada. External factors are those that are not directly related to the players or their coach but still affect communication. For example, spectators, sports officials, and opponents also act as barriers to effective communications. This can be attributed to the noise they make during sports events (Athanasios 2005). Coaches try to ensure effective communication by asking their players to be calm and remain focused. They also try to minimize the negative influence created by outside factors. Coaches have also dealt with the problem of languages through naturalization of players. Equally, they have also ensured that their messages are short and clear to ensure every individual perceives or understands them in the desired manner. Team cohesion, fatigue, and team environment affect their attitude towards one another. Coaches have tried to deal with this through ensuring team members have enough rest and spend more time with one another (Athanasios 2005). Conclusion Communication is very essential for organizations. It is imperative for the management in different organizations to ensure effective communication for better performances. There are a number of barriers that hinder effective communication including personal barriers, language barriers, physical barriers, and gender barriers. Professional Sports, Bernard Mathews, and NHS trust Hospital have faced some of these barriers and have tried their level best to handle them to ensure their success. Communication in the Workplace Communication and its many assets are very important. In order to be successful in anything we need to have effective communication. Although effective communication is very important in today’s world we will have issues with ineffective communication, also known as barriers. To communicate you need to have a sender, receiver and a message. It is important to relay any message with accuracy, with errors we then begin to have barriers causing ineffective communication. Technology is another factor that can be helpful but needs to be used properly. In my organization we use autocratic, democratic, paternalistic and laissez-faire. We are all about rights as well as delegating things to the appropriate parties. In my opinion having a combination of all management styles is important and makes it easier when you need to adjust to the different situations. Every situation and work day (involving who you work with) can be different. You make need to be more of a laissez-faire or paternalistic manager when you work with someone who needs direction at work. In my work facility we share knowledge and anything we need, thoroughly through emails, verbally and our communication book; which in our communication book you can find a lot of different information with dates, times, descriptions, etc. The more through we are the more likely we have communicated effectively even though the receiver or receivers may not be there. To communicate effectively there are five main techniques that can help you to improve. First off there is brainstorming; when you brain storm you are just throwing ideas out there in order to get any ideas together. There are also workplace tours which can also be known as a form of training. By doing tours you can allow others to see how another spectrum does things and learn how to improve or find new ways of doing things. Stakeholder surveys and stakeholder meetings are ways of getting groups together to generate more ideas. Put simply there is the expression â€Å"two heads is better than one†. Lastly there is formal suggestion system which in turns means you are workings together to figure out what these ideas mean and if they will have any value to what you need currently. Even though we have effective communication you are still going to have ineffective communication. This can be a variety of things. The first one which can cause a vast variety of issues is our main demographics like; age, cultural background, race, gender and language. There is also noise barriers which can cause you to miss-understand or interpret your sender (person giving message) wrong. You could also be ignoring parts of the message you will be receiving and only hearing the parts you would like to hear. Communication through technology has many of these same factors. Technology can be both effective and ineffective with all of its aspects. First we have speed which with online communication and cell phones you receive the date almost instantly. Accessibility in today’s world with the internet and our vast variety of resources we can find just about anything we would like. In health care accessibility can become an issue if information is accessed by an unauthorized individual which is a violation of HIPPA. When a breach becomes known you are required by law to notify the correct officials and take the necessary steps to correct the problem. Efficiency has a lot to do with speed. You can send something as simple as an email or text to get your message to the receiver. Written communication means there is a â€Å"hard copy† of the given information you can access. As for the news it can be accessed online or via the T. V. giving you more information. In health care we need to be able to keep up with the change and communication is vital. One simple mistake can make a world of difference especially in a hospital setting. You want to take the appropriate steps to improving and ways to alter or avoid having issues with ineffective communication. As you can see communication and management are vital in today’s success. You want to communicate effectively and work on improving and getting rid of any ineffective communication issues you may have. Make sure you are using the appropriate management style for the given situations and communicate your message thoroughly to your receiver. ReferencesMcManus, K. (1998). A project management system for innovation. Journal for Quality and participation, 21(5), 60. Management Study Guide. Roles of Communication barriers in ineffective communication. Retrieved from: www.managementstudyguide.com/role-of-communication-barriers-in-ineffective-communication.htm Nelson, L. (2012). Ehow Learning. How Technology Impact Communication in the Workplace Communication and its many assets are very important. In order to be successful in anything we need to have effective communication. Although effective communication is very important in today’s world we will have issues with ineffective communication, also known as barriers. To communicate you need to have a sender, receiver and a message. It is important to relay any message with accuracy, with errors we then begin to have barriers causing ineffective communication. Technology is another factor that can be helpful but needs to be used properly. In my organization we use autocratic, democratic, paternalistic and laissez-faire. We are all about rights as well as delegating things to the appropriate parties. In my opinion having a combination of all management styles is important and makes it easier when you need to adjust to the different situations. Every situation and work day (involving who you work with) can be different. You make need to be more of a laissez-faire or paternalistic manager when you work with someone who needs direction at work. In my work facility we share knowledge and anything we need, thoroughly through emails, verbally and our communication book; which in our communication book you can find a lot of different information with dates, times, descriptions, etc. The more through we are the more likely we have communicated effectively even though the receiver or receivers may not be there. To communicate effectively there are five main techniques that can help you to improve. First off there is brainstorming; when you brain storm you are just throwing ideas out there in order to get any ideas together. There are also workplace tours which can also be known as a form of training. By doing tours you can allow others to see how another spectrum does things and learn how to improve or find new ways of doing things. Stakeholder surveys and stakeholder meetings are ways of getting groups together to generate more ideas. Put simply there is the expression â€Å"two heads is better than one†. Lastly there is formal suggestion system which in turns means you are workings together to figure out what these ideas mean and if they will have any value to what you need currently. Even though we have effective communication you are still going to have ineffective communication. This can be a variety of things. The first one which can cause a vast variety of issues is our main demographics like; age, cultural background, race, gender and language. There is also noise barriers which can cause you to miss-understand or interpret your sender (person giving message) wrong. You could also be ignoring parts of the message you will be receiving and only hearing the parts you would like to hear. Communication through technology has many of these same factors. Technology can be both effective and ineffective with all of its aspects. First we have speed which with online communication and cell phones you receive the date almost instantly. Accessibility in today’s world with the internet and our vast variety of resources we can find just about anything we would like. In health care accessibility can become an issue if information is accessed by an unauthorized individual which is a violation of HIPPA. When a breach becomes known you are required by law to notify the correct officials and take the necessary steps to correct the problem. Efficiency has a lot to do with speed. You can send something as simple as an email or text to get your message to the receiver. Written communication means there is a â€Å"hard copy† of the given information you can access. As for the news it can be accessed online or via the T. V. giving you more information. In health care we need to be able to keep up with the change and communication is vital. One simple mistake can make a world of difference especially in a hospital setting. You want to take the appropriate steps to improving and ways to alter or avoid having issues with ineffective communication. As you can see communication and management are vital in today’s success. You want to communicate effectively and work on improving and getting rid of any ineffective communication issues you may have. Make sure you are using the appropriate management style for the given situations and communicate your message thoroughly to your receiver. ReferencesMcManus, K. (1998). A project management system for innovation. Journal for Quality and participation, 21(5), 60. Management Study Guide. Roles of Communication barriers in ineffective communication. Retrieved from: www.managementstudyguide.com/role-of-communication-barriers-in-ineffective-communication.htm Nelson, L. (2012). Ehow Learning. How Technology Impact