Organizations today need to stay updated, complying with trends and innovating in products and services, which allows their permanence in the market with the corresponding dynamism of highly effective companies; and in this way meet the demands of current markets. For that, it is necessary to commit at the corporate level that allows it to give the value that is really due to the vital communication processes of companies that allow them to achieve institutional objectives and be competitive in relation to other organizations.
Organizational communication is an important tool with a lot of labor contribution nowadays that gives rise to the transmission of information within organizations to identify the requirements and achievements of the organization and its collaborators. Organizational communication allows the knowledge of human resources, their development in the company, productivity in work departments.
The main purpose of organizational communication is essential to achieve institutional objectives; elements that together give way to organizational development and the collaborators who are preparing to achieve their best performance in the markets.
Definition of Organizational Communication
Communication when applied in organizations is called organizational communication. This communication occurs naturally in any organization, whatever its type or size and consequently it is not possible to imagine an organization without communication. From this perspective, organizational communication is the total set of messages that are exchanged between the members of an organization, and between it and its environment.
Organizational communication is the process by which members gather pertinent information about their organization and the changes that occur within it. It is also understood as a set of techniques and activities aimed at facilitating and streamlining the flow of messages that occur between the members of the organization, or between the organization and its environment; Or, to influence the opinions, attitudes and behaviors of the internal and external audiences of the organization, all with the aim of ensuring that the latter better and faster meets its objectives. (Garcia, 2012)
Benefits of Organizational Communication
The benefits of managing an efficient communication plan in the organization are:
- Allows better management of available resources Encourages relationships between people Integrates informal and formal communication Boosts corporate identity Guides employees towards the achievement of common goals ü Provides the opportunity to empower human resources Facilitates employees to express themselves with greater freedom and the imagination, intelligence and initiative of people can be used ü It allows to achieve a positive work environment (Cebrian, 2013)
Types of Organizational Communication
The types of communication in an organization are classified according to the flow of formal communication, which can be:
Downward Communication
Downward communication occurs when information is transferred from higher to lower hierarchical assumptions.
Objective:
Keeping workers informed of all those aspects that are necessary for the perfect development of their task.
Information transmitted:
About the environment in which the organization operates
On the evolution of the organization's objectives
About the activities and process that are developed
Effectiveness:
- Provides detailed information to people in relation to the activities they must carry out. It is possible to prevent erroneous interpretations and / or misunderstandings, which may lead to future conflicts due to the decisions made. It encourages respect and consideration among people, generating trust between different organizational levels.
Barriers:
o Management styles: participatory or imperative o Belief that information is power and therefore cannot be transmitted. o The size of the organization.
Tools:
- Work meetings Training and / or recycling meetings Personal interviews Procedures manuals Personal letters, mail Electronic portals (intranet, Web, etc.)
Ascending Communication
Upward communication flows from lower hierarchical positions to higher ones.
Objective:
It allows managers to know what works and what does not in the organization and maintain direct contact with their collaborators, being aware of their opinions and needs, which facilitates decision-making with more objective criteria.
Effectiveness:
- It allows to know the needs, expectations and concerns of professionals It promotes the contribution of ideas and the involvement of professionals in the development of both care and management activities It improves the rapprochement between management and their teams It serves as feedback, allowing to check and with what degree of fidelity the downward broadcast information is disseminated.
Barriers:
o Management styles: participatory or imperative o When upward communication is cut off at some level in the organization chart. o Fears of professionals to convey their opinions.
Tools:
- Periodic meetings. Improvement groups Personal interviews Surveys Suggestion systems.
Horizontal Communication
It is the communication between departments, service areas generally developing at the same hierarchical level.
Objective:
It allows to promote multidisciplinary and interdepartmental work, improving team coordination.
Effectiveness:
- It generates corporate spirit and achieves common work environments. It facilitates interdepartmental misunderstandings. It streamlines official communication by reaching the people and departments involved earlier. It facilitates understanding and the search for shared solutions. It generates trust and friendship.
Barriers:
- The technical-professional language: The importance that each Department attributes to itself and relates to the other members and areas of the organization.
Tools:
- Work meetings between departments, services, areas, etc. oo Communiqués (Olamendi, Types of organizational communication, 2006)
Internal Communication Plan
In order to have effective internal communication plans in the organization, it is necessary to develop a strategic communication plan inserted in the culture of the organization that allows, through the appropriate means and channels, to cover the communication needs presented by individuals and groups that make up the organization.
This communication strategy necessarily goes through several stages:
- Senior management commitment.
Without the support or with insufficient support from the top management, it is impossible to introduce any kind of change in the organization.
- Diagnosis of the communication situation in the organization.
Communication plans should be based on a communication audit and not on the intuition or tastes of the management team.
The audit must detect the communication flows, what are their weak points and where the problems occur, know the needs and expectations of the people involved with the new communication plan and project a vision of the desirable future state for the company.
3. Plan Design
Definition of objectives, selection of means, planning of actions, timing, establishment of mechanisms and procedures for monitoring during and at the end of implementation.
For an adequate choice of means, it is convenient to take into account the purpose that the communicated message is trying to achieve (motivate or integrate, transmit questions related to work, inform, etc.) and the type of information that you want to communicate (facts controversial or sensitive objectives, feelings, topics).
However, the implementation of these supports does not ensure the effectiveness of communication flows if the change of values and organizational culture is not simultaneously provided. Therefore, the following point is essential in the communication plan.
- Communication, awareness and negotiation strategy.
It is necessary to sensitize, educate and train employees at all levels in communication so that they become aware of its importance.
- Implementation and monitoring.
The implementation must be accompanied by a constant monitoring and feedback system (through questionnaires on the work environment and interviews with managers) to identify deviations from the objectives and their causes and to be able to design corrective actions. (Olamendi, Phases of an internal communication plan, 2006)
Barriers to Organizational Communication
Many administrators consider one of their biggest problems to solve the failures and inconveniences in the communication of the organization. But an administrator who really knows her company, as it should be, can realize that many communication problems originate as a consequence of stronger problems.
An example of what is established above is when in an organization planning is deficient and generates uncertainty in the direction and path of the company, just as if an organization does not have an adequate structure it can limit or negatively alter the relationship organizational and therefore communication. The barriers that arise in the transmission of information can originate in the sender, the message, the receiver of the message, or in the feedback of the information that is received.
The main communication barriers specifically in the case of organizations are:
Lack or absence of planning
This barrier occurs very frequently within organizations, so that organizational communication is adequate and meets its objectives, it must arise as a consequence of planning, both analysis and formulation of the message to be transmitted, as well as its origin and objectivity; In addition, the person to be communicated must choose the most convenient communication channel as well as the time frame indicated for the transmission of the information, and thus stop resistance to change.
Confusing assumptions or facts
Many times in the transmission of information, certain situations are taken for granted or understood, and therefore they do not communicate with the rest of the information that is transmitted, an example of this occurs when a client sends a notice to one of their suppliers on a visit to the company's facilities, the assumption that is intended to be reflected is the fact that the client can assume that the supplier will organize his arrival, from the point of transportation, such as accommodation and also prepares a reception and review program within its facilities. As for the provider, he can believe and assume that the client's visit to the city may be due to personal reasons, which is why he will visit the organization's facilities but as part of a routine activity.It is in this example where it is understood that the assumptions or facts that are not clarified between the parties involved can generate confusion and sometimes larger problems.
Distortion of the context of the message and / or semantics
To speak of distortion of context or semantics of the message is to refer to one of the main barriers in communication. To give an example, you can consider the fact that the company places an advertisement in one of its points of sale that says "Sale for less", this is an ambiguity for those who receive this message, the main question they will ask is the fact of Less in what or what? And an endless number of reactions can be generated when receiving this information. Another example that can be considered in this classification is the conceptualization of a concept, depending on the message or the situation of each organization; In the case of the word government, it can be considered a bureaucratic activity with little credibility, but for another sector it can mean support, equality or justice.
Poorly expressed information
Another common communication barrier arises when, despite the fact that the originator of the information clearly shows the ideas and bases of the information, he may have chosen the wrong words, it may have been inconsistent to take some terms for granted or to incorrectly structure the information. This can be very costly for the organization, which is why it is important that the sender take special care in encoding the message to be transmitted.
Barriers to the international context
When the communication process has as obstacles the existence of different and varied cultures, language and action rules, it further complicates the transmission of information.
An example is presented when trying to translate company slogans or publicize work concepts that can vary considerably from one culture to another and in some cases even be offensive if not handled properly.
Loss of information due to limited retention
This mishap happens when the information that is shared from one individual to another, loses precision throughout the transmissions, and this is one of the main causes of a severe communication problem. In this type of cases it is important to carry out protection actions such as information backup, data repetition and the use of several channels simultaneously.
Information with limited listening and advance evaluation of it
Not all people are used to listening appropriately, many can maintain a communication without there being a real connection with the subject matter, in addition to many people tend to judge the content of an information hastily many times without objectively analyzing the information received.
Impersonal communication
The use of communication means in the company can hinder the transmission of information with collaborators, communication is mostly efficient when there is personal contact (face to face) with the recipients of the message in the organization, since in this way there will be greater level of confidence and understanding, as well as it is more easily presented in the feedback of the information.
Mistrust or fear in communication
The relationship that is maintained between superiors and collaborators allows the conditions in the flow of information to improve or worsen considerably, when the boss or superior has not taken pains to maintain a favorable organizational climate, trust and the work environment is too hostile or threatening, can generate mistrust and a fearful attitude that blocks communication.
Insufficient time before changes
In the organizations within the multiple information exchanges that are presented, many are related to substantial organizational changes of great importance and influence on the company's employees. Many of the collaborators do not respond to changes in the same way, some take longer to adapt to them and this lack of time can cause complications in communication with repercussions in the company.
Excess information
When the flow of information is too large, its understanding can often be limited, and the company's employees weigh the informative value in relation to their beliefs and points of view, in some cases downplaying data that the issuer considers important, also it is the case where the data overload can generate conflicts and errors when trying to process the information. That is why it is necessary to take care of the content of the information so that it is transmitted in a concise and precise way so that there are no filters that subtract value and content from the information communicated by the company or vice versa.
Other barriers in communication
In addition to the barriers or obstacles in communication previously mentioned in this work, other more than the innumerable that can be presented in the organization can be mentioned, such as:
- Partial or selective perception Hierarchical difference between senders and receivers of information Problems of attitude, concentration or disposition, among many others. (King, 2013)
Internal Communication Tools
Employee manual / portal
You will find the information necessary for the employee to achieve an excellent performance in their functions, as well as the conditions and regulations of the organization.
Written communications
Memoranda (or writings that must be remembered) are a useful means of transmitting changes that occur in the different policies and procedures of the organization.
newsletter
Publication with defined periodicity where you can find information on important events of meetings and changes in jobs or news of the organization.
Intranet
It allows infinite possibilities, such as interdepartmental information exchange, training through the network, among others.
Meetings
They facilitate dialogue and foster personal relationships, especially between employees who do not usually interact with each other, often because they are separated.
Poorly planned meetings can become a waste of time, resulting in reduced company productivity.
Appeal procedures
They allow employees to respond to management actions and discuss management decisions.
The least regulated is the open door program, the common denominator of this type of program is that employees have direct access to any director or manager of the company. It has two important advantages: it makes employees feel more secure and confident with the company and that directors act with less arbitrariness.
Suggestions mailbox
It is designed in order to solicit, value the valuable ideas of the employees. Directors must follow the following three guidelines to design the suggestion system:
- Have a Suggestion Evaluation Committee in order to objectively evaluate the suggested ideas Apply accepted suggestions and thank the person who made them Establish the value of the reward for the benefit that the suggestion represents for the company.
conclusion
Organizational communication is generally considered as a process that occurs between members of a social community. Being a process, communication within organizations consists of a dynamic activity, in a certain way in constant flux, but which maintains a certain degree of structure identification. However, it should be considered that this structure is not static but changing, and that it adjusts according to the development of the organization.
Communication is vital for the proper functioning of an organization. Since a lack of this can destabilize the development of a company and lead it to failure. On the other hand, those organizations that have good communication in their structure have great benefits and greater chances of success.
References
Cebrian, V. (2013). Importance of Organizational Communication. Retrieved from
García, M. (2012). Organizational Communication. Obtained from
King, K. (2013). Organizational Communication. Obtained from
Olamendi, G. (2006). Phases of an internal communication plan. Obtained from
Olamendi, G. (2006). Types of organizational communication. Obtained from
Download the original file
