Introduction
Communication exists as a process inherent in human nature, as a process of transmitting information or a message in a certain context and channel in which an issuer discloses information through a code, which must be encoded in a certain means to be received by a part of a receiver who must give guideline to the feedback.
This process is presented throughout our lives, although specifically in organizations, it is presented continuously and among all the members of it, plus the different ideologies and discrepancies of opinions is that there are problems at Mass, in addition to that there is no certainty that the orders given can be translated into the actions that were actually requested.
In the development of organizational communication, mention is made of the key concepts of communication, although there must be special emphasis on the barriers and restrictions that may have derived from the dynamics, hierarchy and way in which organizations exist, as well as the medium Internal and external can affect it.
It is important to mention that communication has special application in the business field, since it is central to the organizational culture and climate that have a notable influence on the specification of the values and beliefs of organizations that together help achieve the main objective that pursues the organization.
What is communication
Communication is an essential element in human nature, it is the way to express ideas and what we have to express about any topic or situation, in addition to the need for interaction, and in this way we can satisfy their affective needs and of survival make communication the means by which to express oneself.
Just as in normal life, in organizations it is essential to communicate and correctly define the channels of it in organizations. To begin with, it is necessary to define communication, for which the following definitions will be given:
Communication. (Del lat. Communicatĭo, -ōnis). 1. f. Action and effect of communicating or communicating. 2. f. Treatment, correspondence between two or more people. 3. f. Transmission of signals by means of a code common to the sender and receiver. 4. F. Written on a certain topic that the author presents to a congress or meeting of specialists for his knowledge and discussion. 5. f.Ret. Figure that consists of consulting the person who speaks the opinion of the one or those to whom it is addressed, friends or opponents, manifesting himself convinced that it cannot be different from his own. 6. f. pl. Post, telegraph, telephone, etc. (RAE, 2013)
Likewise, It is the process of transmission and reception of ideas, information and messages. The act of communicating is a complex process in which two or more people are related and, through an exchange of messages with similar codes, they try to understand each other and influence each other so that their objectives are accepted in the expected way, using a channel that acts as a support in the transmission of information. It is more a sociocultural fact than a mechanical process. (Ecured, 2013)
Now we must define what the organization is, which according to the following
Organizations are social systems designed to achieve goals and objectives through human resources or the management of human and other talent. They are composed of interrelated subsystems that serve specialized functions. Systematic agreement between people to achieve a specific purpose (Sandra de Luz, 2012)
For Ferrell, Hirt, Adriaenséns, Flores and Ramos, «organization consists of assembling and coordinating the human, financial, physical, information and other resources that are necessary to achieve the goals, and in activities that include attracting people to the organization, specify job responsibilities, group tasks into work units, direct and distribute resources and create conditions for people and things to work to achieve maximum success »(Ferrell OC, Hirt Geoffrey, Ramos Leticia, Adriaenséns Marianela y Flores Miguel Ángel, 2004)
According to the American Marketing Association (AMA) the organization "when used as a noun implies the structure within which people are assigned to positions and their work is coordinated to make plans and achieve goals" (Dictionary of Marketing Terms, 2008)
Knowing the definitions that are the subjects of study in this article, it is possible to speak of organizational communication, which is presented as a conjunction of communication applied in the organization which has been defined as:
Organizational communication is a working tool that allows the movement of information in organizations to relate their needs and interests, with those of their staff and with society. (Seleste Martínez Posadas, 2009)
Organizational communication is a working tool that allows the movement of information in organizations to relate their needs and interests, with those of their staff and with society. It allows us to get to know the human resource and evaluate its performance and productivity, through interviews and tours of the various work areas (Teresa del Jesús Alejo Hernández Grado, 2012)
Ways and means of communication
There are several ways to communicate and in organizations they are used according to the needs they need to cover, among which the following ways are distinguished
Written communication
By means of letters it is sought with messages used in a certain language and language to be clear, concise, concrete and direct so that the issuer understands the correct idea that we are transmitting, some examples of this are:
- Internal bulletin. Manages specialized information, for the interior and exterior of the organization. Memorandum. It is the most widely used medium, and helps the recipient (employee) to remember internal instructions about what to do in the organization. It is an internal means of communication, a document in which the General or Departmental Management communicates to all the staff or a part of the organization. It is a means by which the organization informs its employees, or the community, that there are vacancies for a job, or a project contest is opened. It surveys employees. The purpose of this means of communication is to know the opinions of the employees, on some aspect in question. (Pérez, L., & Candale, Z., 2010) Emails,which in a matter of seconds reach infinity of contacts.
The advantage of this type of communication is that it is to check and generate a record that can be proof that a certain communication was actually made, it is applicable to processes, and the information to be disclosed can be corrected and carefully delimited, but it has disadvantages to originate great expense in paper and that many do not feed back the communication, therefore it is not known if it was received and fully understood.
Oral communication
It is the one that is through the articulation of words in a certain channel and context, it is used in organizations, but it has drawbacks in not knowing if the receiver truly understood what was transmitted or interpreted it differently from what one wanted to give, ideas of the environment where it occurs whether formal or informal, where we can apply it in companies is in:
- Conferences. Some particular subject is exposed: Meetings and Assemblies. There is discussion on a particular topic. Videoconferences. We communicate from one department to another, which may be located in another city, in order to expose the situation in our area. Telephone service. He communicates from one area to another by means of calls, and regularly it is to request some information that is needed to solve a problem, or to complement some work. (Karla Ivette King Núñez, 2012)
Non-verbal communication
It is common in organizations, since with gestures, body language or behavior it is also possible to communicate, although it is supportive it can help us to know other different intensities. For which Pérez and Candale point out the following:
- Murals. In them motivational information for the employee is managed, these must be placed in strategic points of the organization, so that they can be observed by the employees. Notice board. Tables, graphs, etc. are placed in them, and its objective is to sensitize employees and inform them about some aspect in question. Map of the facilities, with the purpose that they know how to locate themselves, and where to go. (Pérez, L., & Candale, Z., 2010)
Communication in organizations
It has always been necessary to maintain communication in organizations, this is not something new, but if its attention has been focused in recent years, in order to go hand in hand with ideas, innovators and trends in new ways of communicating products and services that help cement its place in the market, in order to satisfy customer demand, so internally it is essential that from here the Collaborators' commitment is sought in this, giving it the importance that the precise and methodology merit to be able to communicate in companies and delimit it in a way that organizational goals can be achieved and from within become competitive supported by strong communication channels from within that achieve knowledge of Human Capital, as well as its development,work and productivity are known in the hierarchies and departments
The main function of communication at organizational levels is of utmost importance, since it reveals objectives that encompass the entire company, giving way to what is the organizational and individual development of the collaborators that in the company as they learn based on Applied knowledge and experience can achieve better performance that should translate into positive results fostered for companies.
Types of communication
Communication in the context in which it develops can be presented in two ways: internal and external.
It is said that it is internal communication when the company's activities promote the creation and maintenance of employee relationships, through the optimal use of the means of communication available to the organization, and it also results in:
- Prepare an acknowledgment of the company in an environment of cordiality, and stimulation of work activities. Be able to get to know the organization to a great extent and become familiar with them. Recognition of the performance of employees. Promote the exchange of information (communication) throughout the organization. The company is responsible for promoting a positive organizational climate for the benefit of the entire organization. The organizational climate is basically in a personal and physical environment from which business activities are carried out. (Seleste Martínez Posadas, 2009)
For its part, external communication talks about the activities carried out organizationally to maintain relationships with the external environment, and what is the image that the company projects of itself outside, for which the public relations department is in charge of doing it. For what is necessary; Receive information on the variations in the dynamics of the socio-political and economic context in which it carries out its work, in order to define its strategy and policies; and projecting on the social sphere a company image founded on information about its internal dynamics and its objective action on the social environment. The privileged interlocutors of this communication are customers, suppliers, public opinion and the government. (Eduardo Jorge Arnoletto, 2007)
There is also another way to classify communication in organizations, this attends to the presentation given to it and can be:
Formal communication
Which is a way of expressing itself that imposes on the organization by means of protocols, manuals, regulations, forms, and that activate systems with directed purposes that can be used by all the members of the organization, in order to establish models of behavior, collection and expression of the information that circulates inside. That is, it establishes the how and where the information to be communicated must be transmitted according to the place in the hierarchy that the recipient of the message has.
Informal Communication
It is one that has influence within the organization without the need for delimited channels and arises in the Collaborators in the need to express themselves. It has high credibility and regularly refers to matters of a personal or internal team nature. It is also known as rumors and is useful to the upper levels of the hierarchy so that they have sensitivity to the conditions and organizational climate, as well as personal and organizational contexts.
Something important is that those who establish ways of communicating in the organization such as the aforementioned experience growth as they contemplate solution factors for their collaborators, which are addressed through objectives, goals and policies that seek to decrease behavior by giving ways to communicate and so we can drive growth.
The scenarios of communication in organizations
When talking about the communicative scenarios we refer to where it is projected and can be done in the following three
- Physical scenario. Within this scenario, the internal and external can be considered, and all the decorative elements of the organization and also the informative calls are considered, for example: the symbols of "do not pass", "only authorized personnel", etc. Social scene. This scenario includes all the factors that are related to people and in addition to the interaction between them, as an example of this scenario, the use of roles of each member within a work meeting can be considered. Institutional scenario. It relates the messages that the organization emits to its members, suppliers, clients, and other people involved; Examples of this type of communication in this scenario are basically: memos, blackboard notices, advertising, among many more. (Andrade, H., 2005)
Communication systems
It is also important to highlight that communication uses three systems that are classified according to what they seek to cover.
- Operational, when talking about the tasks or operations that are carried out detailing their regulatory procedures, orders and instructions, which may be in the organizations or operational manuals Maintenance in the departments that handle both internal and external relations, such as: public relations, recruitment and advertising.
Communication flow in the organization
It is important for organizations and companies to ensure that there is constant and fluid communication in them from the top to the bottom and vice versa, which will lead to improvements, limit problems and be better understood, so in reality communication goes from top to bottom, that is to say, from high command to lower down, forgetting others. In addition to that it must start from the organizational structure and to the participation and flow of information and decisions within it. These conditions of communication flow will be detailed below
Organizational communication
Top-down communication
At the highest levels of hierarchy aimed at the lower command in a centralized and authoritative way, translating as mandates, guidelines, meetings or by radio or telephone verbally and in writing with; Memorandum, Letters, manual reports, Brochures, reports, notices and emails.
It must be pointed out that as it descends until it reaches low levels, it can be confused or dispersed, in addition to the fact that knowing and learning something does not guarantee the execution, development and fulfillment of what is manifested thanks to actions such as lack of discipline, failure and misrepresentation of communication, unforeseen events and situations that alter it, which is why it is advisable to ask for a response or feedback on what is stipulated.
Upward communication
It is presented when the collaborators transmit the communication to the leader or under whom they are in command, which would be understood from the bottom up, it presents the restriction that it is not guaranteed to reach high levels as expressed since the message of agreement to the impact and the receivers, but when it comes to things that are not so favorable that they can generate conflict, which casts doubt on whether the information presented to high command is true. And it manifests itself in organizations where they give themselves the task of listening to collaborators, since their environment and processes allow it, since they have democracy policies. To carry out the most common tools, they are: Periodic meeting, Personalized interview, quality circle, Telephone call, surveys Complaints and suggestions system (Mailboxes,letters and messages to administration and by email
Cross communication
It is here when the flow of communication is horizontal, that is, at levels of similar hierarchy and diagonally when the process intervenes in those who are at different hierarchical levels and have no dependence on it. This communication seeks to increase the speed in which information is transmitted, improving the understanding and coordination of efforts to meet organizational objectives, which is why it is very common, since the routes indicated in the organization charts are not followed and is used orally and written in order to perfect vertical information flows, but it is appropriate to protect the information against problems and restrictions in the process that cause inconveniences that will affect this communication, internally and externally; what can be
- The use of communication must be presented when the needs of the company so require. It is essential that employees refrain from exceeding the limits of authority allowed. Employees must keep abreast, in terms of information, to their managers or superior command of high importance cross tasks. (Karla Ivette King Núñez, 2012)
Horizontal communication
It is the communication that occurs between the same levels of hierarchy, as groups or departments and does not have the participation of the authority so they are fast, and is achieved through meetings, dialogues, reports, debates, notes, communications, work in technological media team, email and dialogue from the front. It is used to coordinate activities of collaborators from other company departments, respond to departmental problems and make decisions
Oblique communication
It is the one that is between departmental managers that have to do with marketing and collaborators that have to do with the finance part of the company, so it is sought to be coordinated that they already need each other with quick answers and analyzes of each other.
Barriers and failures in organizational communication
It is normal that when there is communication, this may not be encoded or understood by the receiver as the issuer would like it to be, which is why there are communication failures and barriers that are a challenge for the administration and management of the company to solve and that these are derived from stronger and deeper ones such as errors from the same planning when not defining the mission, vision, values and policies correctly and not giving them direction or how to achieve them in the company, also if they do not have an adequate organizational structure, because it itself could limit and restrict organizational relationships and therefore constant communication within it.When mentioning the organizational impediments, it is noteworthy that they may originate from the different elements of the speech circuit, that is; sender, receiver, channel, context, coding and feedback of the same in the organization and can be:
Lack or absence of planning:
Which originates from when things are planned within the organization and for it to be adequate and able to cover the objectives, it must be a consequence of planning, analysis and the way in which the message to be communicated is formulated, as well as where arises and the objective that it pursues, so the sender of the message must select the best communication channel and time in which to transmit the message.
Confusing assumptions or facts
When transmitting the information, many consider obvious reactions and actions originated from receiving the information, since it can be emitted with an intention and the receiver can understand something very different or they are poorly specified when giving the message, so there are confusions and they can cause problems.
Distortion of message context and / or semantics
The context and semantics that the messages have, can represent a limitation when communicating since it can be understood in another way depending on the concept, message itself or the situation, although it also greatly affects whether the issuing person has credibility or not.
Poorly expressed information
It appears when whoever issues the message to communicate, although to make it as clear and understandable as possible, use words that are not appropriate and are even incongruous due to the terminology and structure used, which implies high costs in the organization by having to correct the errors, for which you must carefully take care of what will be said and if it can be coded so that the message is clear
Barriers to the international context
When there are restrictions derived from the different ideologies, culture, language and different ways of action that make it difficult for the message to be transmitted; such as translations, specialized concepts or different meanings from one culture to another
Loss of information due to limited retention
It occurs when the information between individuals is imprecise as it is given. In organizations that are serious, actions must be taken to support information, data repetition, and the use of multiple channels to communicate simultaneously.
Information with limited listening and advance evaluation of it
Since not all of us know how to listen and when communicating, they avoid the speech circuit for the same reason, in addition to making hasty judgment of the information, rushing and not analyzing the message.
Impersonal communication
It is the use of means of communication that can restrict information between collaborators, since it is not directly with whom the message is transmitted, so it hinders trust, understanding and correct feedback.
Mistrust or fear in communication
The relationship between the high hierarchy and the other levels makes the communication flow can either improve or weaken, also as a consequence of not taking care of the positive, trustworthy and favorable organizational climate and the work environment is tense and complicated by what there is. uncertainty and alert so that communication is blocked.
Insufficient time before changes
Due to the information flows, the significant and important organizational changes in the collaborators not reacting in the same way, but it takes more than expected to adapt and this delay generates communication problems throughout the organization.
Excess information
It is when the information and the flow of the same exceeds the magnitude and if it understood it is restricted by what lends itself to questioning it due to the mentality, beliefs and own thoughts, so that some important data is seen as a low priority for those who issues the message, or when there is excess data, there may be exceptions and errors when processing the message; reason for which the content of what is reported must be presided over so that it is direct and understandable to avoid filters that reduce its importance.
Other barriers in communication
These additional to the previous ones are some of the many communicational restrictions that may appear at certain times in organizations and citing some of them, these are:
- Partial or selective perception Hierarchical difference between senders and receivers of information Problems of attitude, concentration or disposition, among many others. (Karla Ivette King Núñez, 2012)
Organizational culture and climate
As communication is a vital part of organizations, it uses communication so that through it it can achieve its objectives, since it must facilitate and streamline the flow of messages, direct them, or modify and redefine them to reinforce attitudes. and behaviors, since the same company has the duty to promote the work environment that manages to satisfy the needs of the community, that is, of each and every one of the members of the organization for collective benefits. For which there are three aspects to to consider:
- Work environment: being the work environment where their conditions are perceptible and can have repercussions on its development. It is given as the environment in which it carries out the daily work that have an impact on: The satisfaction and, therefore, the productivity of individuals in the organization. It is related to the human sense of managers and behavior of people, The disposition that an employee has towards an organization depends on the attitude, which is nothing more than the feelings regarding his environment. Attitude is a key piece for the optimal performance of the member and, consequently, of the organization The way of working and relating (interaction with the company, with the machines used and with the activity of each individual) (Wikipedia, 2013)
In the same way, the organizational climate is linked to the organizational culture, although the culture arises and the climate is a product between communication, living daily in the organization, so the task of each Collaborator is a core part of the team, since the Actions are already a shared responsibility in the positive and negative.
For its part, Organizational culture is the set of perceptions, feelings, attitudes, habits, beliefs, values, traditions and forms of interaction within and between the existing groups in all organizations. (Manuel Groos, 2008).
Also elements of organizational culture can be considered these:
Set of essential values and beliefs: because the values support the right and wrong in organizations, as well as the belief that is the perception of employees regarding the actions and the consequences thereof, they are established by means of emphasizing the desired behavior
The shared culture: complementing with values and beliefs, this must be grounded in most of the members of the organization
Integrated image: as an organizational identity, and gives guidelines even if there are various ideas and specifications outside it that make employees wear the shirt internally
Persistent phenomenon: as resistant to change, and has positive or negative repercussions that make it evolve
Internal communication
Reviewing the flows of information through strict sending and receiving of communication, in addition to paying special attention to how it is received, perceived and responded to, through strategies such as acting and the impact communication has on the organization. Which is reflected is more production, more adequate information, clear messages, agreement measure, elimination of rumors, and improvement in teamwork.
Analysis
This is supported by two factors, which are: analysis that consists of reviewing the internal structure, is questioning from the top management, collaborators and clients about the processes, production and attention, and the second stage as a plan of action based in the analysis of the above and the lines of action for the improvement proposal and considering the scope of the desired benefits.
Communication audit
In order to make a judgment that the communication given throughout the organization and this is efficient despite those barriers that exist for it and there is not a concise reception, coding and feedback and to be able to continuously improve there are alternatives to be able to do it every time more effective and evaluate what is being done: for which reason information auditing is a tool that evaluates skills, communication channels, transmission of information, policies, processes, means and procedures to communicate based on the objectives of the organization. Where the relationship of the organizations is based on the organizational goals, objectives in communication networks, communication policies and standards, communication tasks and attitude and commitment to the objectives.
Organizational communication
In the administrative operation approach, the important communications networks to consider in the audit are:
- The regulatory network or referring to the activities, policies, processes, regulations and relationships between bosses and employees. Innovative network, which includes solutions to problems and alternatives to new developments. Network that leads to integration through recognitions, bonuses, labor promotions that relate the objectives of the company with the individual ones. Network (informative-instructive) that contains announcements, publications, thus forming an own information network of the company.
According to the elements of the auditable networks, communication processes related to organizational activities can be analyzed, in order to resolve the restrictions and prevent them from having an impact again, for which actions such as questionnaires, interviews are proposed in the audit and evaluation of the documentation of the written communication that will allow us to know what the information is like and based on the activity records if it was really captured in the way it was intended.
conclusion
Organizational communication is an essential element that must exist in every company or organization, so that in this way it is properly managed and you can use communication as a tool for the correct transmission of objects, instructions and processes to achieve organizational goals.
It is necessary to pay attention to the way it is carried out in organizations, because some alteration in it or its processes can cause confusion, misunderstandings or erroneous orders that can mean errors that cost the organization a lot, which is why It is necessary for all those involved in the organization to have sensitivity to the codes, communication channels to be able to encode the information, for which they can use the different means of communication that can be formal, informal, direct, oral and written, but these they must arise from the collaborators of lower levels and also and mainly from those who are in upper management, where everyone must take care that this information to be communicated is given in the best way to avoid future problems,likewise the processes carried out for this are auditable, this in order to improve.
References
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