Communication

Organizational Behavior

Contents

1. Definition of communication
2. Functions of communication
3. Communication process
4. Effective communication
5. Directions of communication
6. Interpersonal communication
7. Organizational communication
8. Barriers to effective communication
9. Global implication

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Definition of communication

The sharing of information between two or more individuals or groups to reach a common
understanding.

Functions of communication

 Control

Organizations have Authority, hierarchies and formal guidelines that employees are required to follow.
When Employees are required to communicate with their immediate boss to follow their job
description, or to comply with company policies communication is performing a control function. But
informal communication also controls behavior.

 Motivation
Managers use communication to motivate workers to achieve peak performance. By clarifying the
expectations of employees and providing incentives for meeting or exceeding expectations,
communication can help companies reach specific objectives.

 Emotional expression
The communication that takes place within the group is a fundamental mechanism by which members
show their frustrations and feelings of satisfaction. Communication allows employees to interact with
customers and each other. Therefore communication provides a release for the emotional expression of
feelings and for fulfillment of social needs.

 Information
The receiving or giving of information underlines all communication functions, either directly or
indirectly. The accessibility to the information brought about by communication helps in changing the
society

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Communication Process

Communication is a process of exchanging verbal and non verbal messages. It is a continuous process.
Communication is a two way process and is incomplete without a feedback from the recipient to the
sender on how well the message is understood by her/him.

The main components of communication process are as follows:

 Context
Communication is affected by the context in which it takes place. This context may be physical, social,
chronological or cultural. Every communication proceeds with context. The sender chooses the
message to communicate within a context.

 Sender / Encoder
Sender / Encoder is a person who sends the message.

 Message
Message is a key idea that the sender wants to communicate. It is a sign that elicits the response of
recipient. Communication process begins with deciding about the message to be conveyed. It must be
ensured that the main objective of the message is clear.

 Medium
Medium is a means used to exchange / transmit the message. For example - Written medium is chosen
when a message has to be conveyed to a small group of people, while an oral medium is chosen when
spontaneous feedback is required from the recipient as misunderstandings are cleared then and there.

 Recipient / Decoder
Recipient / Decoder is a person for whom the message is intended / aimed / targeted.

 Feedback
Feedback is the main component of communication process as it permits the sender to analyze the
efficacy of the message. It helps the sender in confirming the correct interpretation of message by the
decoder.

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Effective communication

Effective communication is about more than just exchanging information. Effective communication
requires to understand the emotion behind the information.

Effective communication occurs when a desired effect is the result of intentional or unintentional
information sharing, which is interpreted between multiple entities and acted on in a desired way. This
effect also ensures the message is not distorted during the communication process. Effective
communication should generate the desired effect and maintain the effect, with the potential to increase
the effect of the message.

There are 7 C’s of effective communication which are applicable to both written as well as oral
communication. These are as follows:

1. Completeness
2. Conciseness
3. Consideration
4. Clarity
5. Concreteness
6. Courtesy
7. Correctness

Directions of Communication

In an organization, communication flows in 5 main directions :-

 Downward Flow of Communication

Communication that flows from a higher level in an organization to a lower level is a downward
communication.

 Upward Flow of Communication

Communication that flows from a lower level to a higher level in an organization is called upward
communication.

 Lateral / Horizontal Communication

Communication that takes place at same levels of hierarchy in an organization is called lateral
communication.

 Diagonal Communication
Communication that takes place between a manager and employees of other workgroups is called
diagonal communication.

 External Communication
Communication that takes place between a manager and external groups such as suppliers, vendors,
banks, financial institutes etc.

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Interpersonal Communication

How group members transfer meaning between and among each other? There are 3 basic methods as
follows:
1. Oral Communication
Oral communication implies communication through mouth. It includes individuals conversing with
each other, be it direct conversation or telephonic conversation. Speeches, presentations, discussions
are all forms of oral communication.

2. Written Communication
Communication by means of written symbols or words such as letters, emails, and manuals.

3. Nonverbal communication
The process of sending and receiving messages without using words, either spoken or written.

Organizational Communication

Organizational communication is defined as

“A program that focuses on general communication processes and dynamics within organizations.
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.”
(http://orgcomm.web.mtsu.edu/)

Organizational Communication

Formal informal

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  formal communication

A formal communication can be defined as a means of communication that is normally controlled by

the managers in an organization. it has been called the main line of the organization operational
communication. this is intended the reports ,records,and other forms that flow up and down in the
system .

Formal communication networks

1) Chain
Rigidly follow the formal chain of command

2) Wheel
The wheel relies on the leader to act as the central conduit for all the group's communication

3) All channel
Network permits all group members to communicate actively with each other.

Advantages of formal communication:

(1) Maintenance of Authority of the Officers

(2) Clear and Effective Communication
(3) Orderly Flow of Information
(4) Easy Knowledge of Source of Information

Disadvantages of formal communication

(1) Overload of Work

(2) Distortion of Information
(3) Indifferent Officers

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  Informal communication

A casual form of information sharing typically used in personal conversations with friends or family
members. Within a business environment, informal communication is sometimes called the grapevine
and might be observed occurring in conversations, electronic mails, text messages and phone calls
between socializing employees.

Grapevine

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. 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.

Advantages of informal communication

1. Informal channels carry information rapidly. As soon as an employee gets to know some
confidential information, he becomes inquisitive and passes the details then to his closest friend
who in turn passes it to other. Thus, it spreads hastily.

2. The managers get to know the reactions of their subordinates on their policies. Thus, the
feedback obtained is quick compared to formal channel of communication.

3. The grapevine creates a sense of unity among the employees who share and discuss their views
with each other. Thus, grapevine helps in developing group cohesiveness.

4. The grapevine serves as an emotional supportive value.

5. The grapevine is a supplement in those cases where formal communication does not work.

Disadvantages

1. The grapevine is not trustworthy always as it does not follows official path of communication
and is spread more by gossips and unconfirmed report.

2. The productivity of employees may be hampered as they spend more time talking rather than
working.

3. The grapevine leads to making hostility against the executives.

4. The grapevine may hamper the goodwill of the organization as it may carry false negative
information about the high level people of the organization.

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Barriers to effective communication

There exist many barriers to communication and these may occur at any stage in the communication
process. Barriers may lead to our message becoming distorted and therefore risk wasting both time and
money by causing confusion and misunderstanding. There are many barriers affect to the effective
communication and some of these are describing below.

Noise
Noise refers to distractions and interference in the environment in which communication takes place.
Various things stop a message from getting through or being heard like poor connection, background
noise, distractions and too many people speaking. There are many examples of noise;
 Physical nose – noise in surroundings
 Technical noise – failure in the channel or medium of communication
 Social noise – difference in personality, culture or outlook of the sender and receiver
 Psychological noise – excessive emotion, prejudice or nervousness
 Semantic noise – use of different language, not understandable to receiver

Physical Barrier
Physical barriers are often due to the nature of the environment. It arises when there is a geographic
distance between the sender and receiver.

Language
Language and linguistic ability may act as a barrier to communication. Different languages, vocabulary,
dialect, words having similar pronunciation but multiple meanings, badly expressed message, wrong
interpretation and unqualified assumptions represents the language barriers.
Culture
There are many cultural factors that affect to the effective flow of communication. Age, education,
gender, social status, economic position, cultural background, temperament, health, beauty, popularity,
religion, political belief, ethics, values, motives, assumptions, aspirations, rules and regulations,
standards, priorities can separate one person from another and create a barrier.

Organizational Barrier
Organizational Barriers occur because of the poor organization's culture, climate, stringent rules,
regulations, status, relationship, complexity, inadequate facilities or opportunities of growth and
improvement of the organization.

Individual Barrier
Individual Barrier may be a result of an individual's perceptual and personal discomfort. Style, selective
perception, halo effect, poor attention and retention, defensiveness, close mindedness, insufficient
filtration are considered as the individual barriers.
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Channel Barrier
Channel barrier occurs as result of the different problems in communication channel. If the length of
the communication is long, or the medium selected is inappropriate, the communication might break
up, it can also be a result of the inter-personal conflicts between the sender and receiver, lack of interest
to communicate, information sharing or access problems which can hamper the channel and affect the
clarity, accuracy and effectiveness.

Systematic Barriers
Systematic barriers to communication may exist in structures and organizations where there are
inefficient or inappropriate information systems and communication channels, or where there is a lack
of understanding of the roles and responsibilities for communication.

Global Implications
Effective communication is incredibly important in today’s business environment because companies
often operate in many countries and workforces are becoming more and more multicultural. Employees
who can effectively communicate in a global environment often find themselves being able to take on
more and more difficult and complex work assignments, travelling and working in other cultures, and
receiving promotions. Effective communication with people of different cultures is especially
challenging. Cultures provide people with ways of thinking ways of seeing, hearing, and interpreting
the world

Overcoming Cultural Barriers

 While communicating with an individual or a group, use a language they are familiar with.
 Have respect for people from other cultures and their values and beliefs.
 While communicating, do not include terms or references which are exclusively related to a
specific culture.
 Acknowledge of different cultures and traditions helps you get along with people from other
cultures.
 With regards to corporate communication, the management can arrange for cross-cultural
training sessions, which contribute to clear communication in people from different cultures.
 Be it a hobby class or workplace training, make sure the training material has an easy-to-
understand language for any group of individuals.
 Having the working knowledge of an additional language is also an effective way to reduce the
impact of cultural barriers in communication.
 Treat people from other cultures with respect; doing so will enable healthy communication
between you.

The whole idea of communication is based on transfer of information from a sender to a receiver and
communication is said to be complete only when the recipient understands what the sender had to say.
Thus, it's obvious that communication cannot take place in the presence of any kind of barriers that
hinder healthy interaction between the communicators. Cultural barriers hamper effective
communication at both personal and professional levels. Removing these barriers would certainly
encourage healthy and effective communication.