Communication

Contents Methods Motivation and communication Effective communication Barriers to effective communication How to improve communication Difficulties with larger organisations

Communication Transferring information from one part of the business to another that leads to some outcome, changed behaviour or changed practice Formal Communication – established and agreed procedures Informal Communication – channels not formally recognised – ‘the grapevine’

Communication Process: Sender or Instigator Channel Medium Receiver Change in payment systems Finance Dept Feedback

Communication Methods: –Verbal – face to face –Written –Electronic –Visual –Audio –Group meetings –Notice boards –Text

Communication and Motivation Better communication increases motivation as workers respond from attention (Mayo) In Maslow’s hierarchy of needs communication is key to achieving the higher level needs Employee empowerment needs good communication so workers know what they are doing Teams need to be able to communicate to work effectively together

Motivation and Communication If employees are well motivated can impact communication as they are more likely to speak to senior employees Poor levels of motivation are likely to have a negative impact on communication Communication and motivation are related – if one increases it is likely to have a positive impact on the other

Effective communication Effective communication has the following benefits: –It makes change easier – this is particularly important to businesses who are in industries which are changing rapidly –It increases commitment from employees –It increases coordination –It helps ensure that all employees are working towards the same objectives

Communication Barriers to Successful Communication –Ability of the sender – how much the sender understands of the message they are trying to send –Content – including technicalities and jargon –Method of communication – including style and body language where appropriate! –Skills and attitude of the receiver –Organisational factors – complexity of the organisation, scope of the organisation –Cultural attitudes –Perceptions, prejudices and stereotypes –Inappropriate target for the message –Technical capabilities – ICT

How to improve communication Communication can be improved by: –Staff training in communication skills –Keeping information to a minimum –Increasing awareness of cultural and linguistic differences

Difficulties for larger organisations As organisations grow they often experience problems with communication which can lead to diseconomies of scale These may be caused by: –Communication overload –Too many levels in the hierarchy –Decentralisation

Difficulties for larger organisations Larger organisations need to manage communication to ensure it is effective They can use ICT to speed up communication throughout the business Clear messages need to be communicated down the chain of command

Summary Communication is the passing of information between parties Communication can be classified as formal and planned or informal There are many methods of communication including written, verbal, audio etc Motivation and communication – In businesses where there is good communication levels of motivation tend to increase If workers are motivated they tend to communicate better Effective communication brings many benefits to the business including increasing flexibility of the business and providing direction Barriers to effective communication mean that communication can fail to meet its purpose Communication can be improved with staff training, keeping information to a minimum and increasing awareness of linguistic and cultural difficulties Larger organisations often experience problems with communication causing diseconomies of scale