Behavioral Factors Contribute to Poor Communication in the Organizations
Annotated Bibliography
Introduction
Ineffective communication has been associated with serious organizational problems such as lack of proper coordination, control, and planning may arise. From this exploration, one can see that poor communication systems in an organization generally affects its functioning and the aspect of organization communication is crucial and has a direct impact on the performance of the organization as a whole. In considering the impact of poor communication in the organizations, it is important to distinguish between formal and informal communication. Today, the most usual form of communication in the organization is communication that takes place downward; that is, the passing of information from the top management to bottom level employees in the organizational structure. Informal communication refers to the grapevine information that a group with particular interest in the organization shares. Some factors that contributes to ineffective communication include the organization leaders, conflicts, channels of communication, employees’ perspective, and the decision made by the managers. Therefore, this paper analyzes the existing literature and giving a brief summary of the communication and factors that are leading to poor communication within the organizations. In addition, the paper gives an overview of the literature explored and offers a conclusion regarding the topic of discussion.
Bibliography
Archana Agrawal. Lack of Communication a Stumbling Block to the Development of an Organization. International Journal of Social Science & Interdisciplinary Research. 1.10, (2012): 121-130. Web
In this article, Archana carries out an investigation on factors such as communication skills, transformational changes, global crises, decision-making process, and management roles, as some of the elements that affect the concept of communication within organizations. The article argues that communication may be exposed to the crisis where the organization makes wrong decisions, does not embrace transformational changes, and when the management role is not recognized within the organization. With effective communication being considered as the keystone to many organizations, Archana notes that effective communication is maintained in the organization that makes better decisions and identifies the value of management role in the communication process and organization operations. Communication can as well fail to become effective in organizations if the manager does not use the right form of communication, such as using written communication instead of oral communication. The strength of this article is that it presents the impact of decision-making and management role to the communication and the way communication behavior can be influenced transformational changes that happen in the organizations. The article has a weakness, as it describes little about decision-making and its impact on the communication within the organization. Here, from the management perspective it is relevant to know that the decisions that a business makes can have the major influence on the communication process than the way management roles can influence communication.
David Conrad. Workplace Communication Problems: Inquiries by Employees and Applicable Solutions. Journal of Business Studies Quarterly. 5.4 (2014): 10-116. Web
In the article, David emphasizes on the fact that communication in the workplace is critical in its own ways, as without communication, the organization will not achieve its goals and objectives. The article discloses that organizational leaders take the responsibilities of ensuring that the form of communication that is set in an organization flows upward, downwards, and across the organization. The researcher identified that a leader may make communication within an organization to fail with the managers failing to know the facts behind any information they are processing to the other people, unrecognizing the critical audience, and lack of the right communication techniques. With this understanding, one can see that the major strength of this article is that it gives a clear understanding of the reasons why the leaders in an organization need maintain effective communication with their employees. The study uses supportive examples such as the way managers can learn to be persuasive on discussing the need for leaders behaving effectively when it comes to the communication within an organization. On the other hand, the article demonstrates some weaknesses within the discussion. As such, David fails to use statistical evidence to show the way leadership communication behaviors contribute to ineffective communication within the organization.
Kenan Spaho. Organizational Communication and Conflict Management. Management, 18.1 (2013): 103-118
In the article, “Organizational Communication and Conflict Management,” Kenan analyzes conflict as a key factor that contribution to the communication failure in the workplace. In other words, Kenan argues that poor communication in the organization is a result of disagreements that may arise between two or more individuals. The study findings assert that conflicts are something that is normal because within an organization individuals have a different perspective and among them there the people who cannot accept the opinion of other people under any circumstances. However, as the article posits that there is no communication without conflict in most of the modern organizations, sometimes conflicts represents huge obstacles to the organizational communication. Conflicts in the workplace eliminate human relations and this influence the effectiveness of communication between the management and the employees. The article’s main strength is that it shows clearly the relationship between communication and conflict in the place of work. Conflicts get rid of human relationship in the organization, and it affects communication, which in turn bring about negative impacts on the overall performance of the organization. Therefore, with the article evaluating the impact of conflict on the organizational communication, it has important information that can be used to elevate communication within the moder4n organizations. The main weakness of this article is clearly seen when Kenan indicates that conflicts in the workplace can have a positive impact, but for many people they can criticize this as conflict are known for the negative effects in one way or the other in the organizations.
Maurice Odine. Communication Problems in Management. Journal of Emerging Issues in Economics, Finance, and Banking (JEIEFB). 4.2, (2015): 1615-1630
In the article, “Communication Problems in Management” Odine carries out an investigation on factors that make communication in organizations be a problem to the management and employees. The article’s literature presents some of the causes of poor communication behavior within an organization, as things like the channel of communications in the organizations, low motivation, and working environment. Although the article focuses on different reasons why communication in the organization will fail, the area of major focus is on the interpersonal communication channel, in which the article reveals that it can fail due to differences in perception or viewpoint and physical disabilities. The language that the management is using to pass the information is also outlined in the article as another factor that may make interpersonal communication fail in the organization. The strength of the article is that it gives evidence that shows that communication is the center of all activity in the organization, from the top down in the chain of command and the other way round. The limitation of the article is that there is little information on the topic of the study, with the article argument relying on the qualitative methodology, in which some of the data that the researcher employed was from the study that is done by other scholars on the same topic. In fact, the review of some of the secondary sources as the method used in this article shows inadequate research on the ineffective communication within the workplace.
Ngueviuta Patoko and Rashad Yazdanifard. The Impact of Using Many Jargon Words, while Communicating with the Organization Employees. American Journal of Industrial and Business Management. 14.4, (2014): 556-572. http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/ajibm.2014.410061
The article analyzes the use of communication jargons, employees, and the organizations in relation to the choices of words that are used during the communication process. Ngueviuta and Yazdanifard say that for an organization to make sure that it runs things smoothly, it should maintain a solid communication between the management and employees at all levels. the article investigates the use of jargons by the management when communicating with the employees, and through the research findings, it is important for the managers for an organization to use less jargon words so that the employees does not misunderstand or misinterpret the message they receive. The use of words jargons in an organization hampers communication process, which may at the same time, makes the employees get demoralized and seek to work in the organization where communication is effective. The article has strengths as it shows significant findings on the impact of using many jargon words, while delivering a precise message with the organization employees. The findings can be used as a point of reference by other businesses that have a problem with the use of communication jargons. On the other hand, the article weakness is on the methodology of the study. The researcher uses secondary data in this article, but since the topic of communication is broad, it would have been better if the study uses both primary and secondary data.
Summary and Conclusion
In essence, with great research about communication in the workplace, it is evident that communication has some pivotal roles that determine the success and failure of the modern organizations. As the aspect that is characterized by the transfer of information from one person who is the sender, to another person (receiver), it is essential for the individuals communicating within the organization to understand some of the faulty factors that may make communication fail and that can affect organizations negatively. Organizations see communication as an integral part of its operation, which is influenced by some common behaviors that relates to the employees and management. For example, when one looks at the Odine’s research, it is evident that communication channels are one of the hindrances to effective communication in the modern organizations. Today, most of the organizations depend on two-channels of communication that is the verbal and written channel of communication.
Verbal communication is generally the simplest channel of communication, as it is face-to-face communication. Through the channel, the managers and employees communicating in the organization communicate effectively, in which the message delivered is interpreted directly and give the employees an opportunity to share their experience with the management. On the other hand, written communication intends to offer information in the most accurate way, but it may sometimes make communication ineffective especially when one does not understand the message conveyed. Therefore, basing it on the understanding from the article “Communication Problems in Management,” the choice inappropriate media or channel of communication causes unnecessary mistakes within the communication process in an organization (Odine). In addition, word jargons are another factor that tends to influence the effectiveness of communication within an organization (Ngueviuta and Yazdanifard). Poor communication in organizations can at some time be caused by the choice of words that the management is using, particularly when communicating to the employees at different levels. As jargons are words that do not have a meaning or meaningless words or writing that employee does not understand within the workplace, this may make the process of exchanging information and knowledge to delay and make the employees fail to understand the meaning of the message that the management is communicating to them (Ngueviuta and Yazdanifard). In simple terms, this means that the use of word jargons in face-to-face communication or written communication is likely to influence the communication in a negative manner.
Poor communication is also caused by the unnecessary conflicts that may arise within the workplace due to a disagreement between the employees or management. Kenan argues that if conflict and hostility within the organizations are managed poorly, this will invent ably cause poor communication. Some of the conflicts that may occur in the organizations include escalation of personal interest between the managers and employees in the organization. The fight of power between employees and managers can also create conflicts in the organizations. Here, the consequence of power disagreement is internal hostility where people will have different thoughts and viewpoints regarding the organization’s operation. As such, conflicts decrease the aspect of people sharing the same ideas and thoughts in the organization, which in turn influence the effectiveness of communication in the same organizations. Furthermore, in the understanding of studies that has been done concerning communication in the workplace, it is said that decision-makings and transformational changes can as well be blocking factors to effective communication (Archana). In the present organizations, for a manager to have efficient decisions, one needs to have good communication skills and vice versa. This is to say to say that managers have to play a number of roles when it comes to the effectiveness of communication in the workplace, especially the role of making decisions. When decisions in an organization are not made strategically, there is the likeliness of the organizations encountering poor communication. Besides, transformational changes are another factor that influences the effectiveness of communication in the organization. When an organization changes its management communication may change as well and since the change of the directorate means new rules and regulation in the organization, communication tends to change the way employees communicate with the managers. At the same time, some of the transformational changes may demotivate the employees within the workplace, which will also lead to inappropriate or faulty communication. Finally, the organizational leaders directly influence the aspect of communication in the organization. According to David, it is the responsibility of the leaders and managers to come up with the appropriate form and media of communication within an organization. For example, when a leader in the organization wants to communicate a change, he or she has to use either written or verbal channel of communication. The organizational leaders make communication fail when they use the wrong channel of communication, selecting the wrong wordings that do not show the facts of the message that is delivered and wrong choice of audiences
Bibliography
Archana Agrawal. Lack of Communication a Stumbling Block to the Development of an Organization. International Journal of Social Science & Interdisciplinary Research. 1.10, (2012): 121-130. Web
David Conrad. Workplace Communication Problems: Inquiries by Employees and Applicable Solutions. Journal of Business Studies Quarterly. 5.4 (2014): 10-116. Web
Kenan Spaho. Organizational Communication and Conflict Management. Management, 18.1 (2013): 103-118
Maurice Odine. Communication Problems in Management. Journal of Emerging Issues in Economics, Finance, and Banking (JEIEFB). 4.2, (2015): 1615-1630
Ngueviuta Patoko and Rashad Yazdanifard. The Impact of Using Many Jargon Words, while Communicating with the Organization Employees. American Journal of Industrial and Business Management. 14.4, (2014): 556-572. http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/ajibm.2014.410061
