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2.2 Organisational structure (Importance of effective communication (The…
2.2 Organisational structure
Communication in an organisation
Business communication
Communication is only effective if the message has been received and understood by the receiver and the sender knows that it has been understood.
Effective communication
:
the exchange of info between people or groups, with feedback
Key features of effective communication
sender (or transmitter) of the message
clear message
appropriate medium (way in which the message is sent)
receiver
feedback
to confirm receipt and udnerstanding
Feedback
- the response to a message by the receiver
Importance of effective communication
The effectiveness of internal communication can have an impact on many areas of business:
Employee motivation and labour productivity - if employees are encouraged to participate through group discussion, for example, then effective communication will aid motivation
The number and quality of ideas generated by the workforce - if employees are asked for their ideas, then this can assist with problem-solving
Speed of decision-making - the more people who have to be communicated with, the slower the decision-making systme.
Speed of response to market changes - if changes in consumer tastes take a long time to be communicated to the main decision-makers, then the business will be slow to respond with appropriate products.
reduces the risk of errors - incorrect understanding of a poorly expressed message will lead to incorrect responses. This could lead to many internal problems, such as the wrong products being made or incorrect prices being set.
Effective coordination between departments - this will be helped by good communication links between them.
Cultural differences
The challenge for multinational communication
The impact of cultural differences on communication methods is very great. Business organisations worldwide are discovering that inetrcultural communication is of increasing importance - not just because of increased globalisations, but also because domestic workforces are growing more & more diverse, ethnically and culturally.
in
sequential cultures
(like North America, UK, Germany, Sweden and Netehrlands) - business people give full attention to one agenda item after another.
In
synchronic cultures
(including S.America, S.Eurioe and Asia) - the flow of time is viewed as a sort of circle, with the past, present and future all interrelated. This viewpoint influences how organisations in those cultures approach deadlines, strategic thinking, investments and the concept of "long-term" planning
Link to technological innovation
Modern technology greatly expands a business's opportunity for growth & profitability, it does increase the chance that a lack of cultural sensitivity during communication can result in an offended client or business partner. Such examples of cultural insensitivity can lead to the loss of partnerships & contracts worth billions of dollars.
Communication breakdown
Ignoring culture in business communication can lead to problems & communication disruptions.
Internal business communicayion can be disrupted or misinterpreted if workers dont share the same understanding of goals, expectations and processes as managers.
Understanding a culture can help businesses anticipate potential challenges or barriers in the adoption of new policies or processes before efforts break down.
Innovations in communication technology
networking allows collaboration between workers on reports, programming and other document production.
Cloud computing allows businesse, such as large multinationals, to operate globally w/o sacrificing security or limiting user access.
Potential limitations
Electronic media
They may required staff to be trained, and the young are usually much more proficient in their use than older employees.
They reduce social contact & can create a sense of isolation so an important social need may go unsatisfied. Staff may use company time to send personal messages.
There are security issues with computer technology and hard copies of important messages are often kept in case of a virus.
There is increasing evidence that IT can lead to
information workload
as a result of the speed & low usage cost of these methods. Too many messages - example, the sheer volume of email messages can take some workers several hours to reply to each day - can prevent the really important communication from being noticed and acted upon.
The benefits offered by IT & other electronic methods have to be weighed against their actual cost - in terms of equipment and training - and their other potential drawbacks.
Information workload
: so much info & so many messages are received that the most important ones cannot be easily identified & quickly acted on - most likely to occur with electronic media.
Intranet
: internal computer networks built on internet technologies