The objective of this article is to allow the reader to have the knowledge regarding the subject of communication in organizations, commonly called organizational communication, for this important concepts are addressed, which together give meaning to the general theme of this article, so you can know the elements, types and flows of communication and problems that may arise.
Idea transmission process
Talking about the subject of communication is of vital interest in a relationship between individuals, organizations or on a larger scale, if the objective sought is coordination, establishment of agreement and fulfillment of objectives. Because a lack or inefficiency in this area, reduces the capacities of those involved, having as feasible situations, the misunderstanding of the message, the failure in the implementation of operations, rupture of relationships of different kinds, among other situations.
As man begins to create larger social groups, his communication process becomes more complex; You not only need a sender, a receiver and a message, there are other elements that are also important. The channel, the code and the communication barriers can ensure that the message is sent effectively and achieves its purpose, that is, exchange information of any kind. (Guzman Paz, 2012)
Communication Background
Communication dates back to ancient times, because an individual, no matter if it is a human being or an animal, requires establishing communication, to facilitate their tasks, meet needs, enhance their capabilities and achieve strategic agreements. Therefore, communication is not exclusive to the human being, it is present in the animal kingdom and dates back millions of years.
A first approach to the definition of communication can be made from its etymology. The word derives from the Latin communicare, which means "to share something, to put in common". Therefore, communication is a phenomenon inherent to the relationship that living beings maintain when they are in a group. Through communication, people or animals obtain information about their environment and can share it with others. (Definition DE, 2008-2018)
Concepts about
As expressed (Guzman Paz, 2012) Man, in a traditional way, has defined communication as “the exchange of feelings, opinions or any other type of information through language, writing or other types of signals. Any form of communication requires a sender, a receiver and a message ”.
The communication is a process of transmitting and receiving ideas, information, messages, making theories. It is a collective task with the other as a person, through which both are constructing their reality, thanks to a construction that the common project called society, community and organization develops. (Castaño Duque, Administrative Theory Seminar, 2004)
Development
In the case of human beings, communication is an act of psychic activity, which derives from thought, language and the development of psychosocial relational capacities. The exchange of messages (which can be verbal or non-verbal) allows the individual to influence others and in turn be influenced. (Definition DE, 2008-2018)
In figure 1 a conceptual map of the Communication concept and all that it implies is displayed, which is discussed in detail later.
Communication concept map. (Guzman Paz, 2012, p. 7)
Communication is the most important activity for human beings; Through this process the individual comes into contact with society in general and knows his environment, from the near to the distant, thus obtaining the knowledge of the world in which he lives to make transcendental decisions in his life. The communication process is so important that scientists and technologists have looked for ways to make it faster and more efficient. (Guzman Paz, 2012)
Explanatory models of communication (Guzman Paz, 2012)
The phenomenon of communication partly articulates mental activity, this allows the acquisition and transmission of knowledge. It also has a fairly important role in social or collective relationships and actions.
This adopted vision has motivated various disciplines to dedicate themselves to the study of communication. “The theoretical contributions of these disciplines have focused their explanations on the communicative phenomenon based on a theoretical model. With these models, an attempt has been made to reproduce in a schematic way the characteristic and explanatory features of the communicative acts ”.
- Linear models understand the communication process as a rectilinear sequence, in which information is transported from the sender to the receiver. In this model, the possibility of feedback between the receiver and the sender is not considered and, consequently, it does not take into account the possibility of exchange of these roles, between the sender and the receiver, in communicative acts. gather with more fidelity the main characteristics of communicative contexts. This quality of fidelity, often turns against him, and leads to unclear approaches.
Systemic communication (Guzman Paz, 2012)
The first models of communication consider systemic communication as a system of information transfer from a sender to a receiver based on a common code, and is based on several fundamental principles:
- Communication is an interactional phenomenon in which the basic unit is less in the individual than in the relationship established between individuals; that is, each intervention by a member of a system is a response to the intervention of the other, but constitutes the intervention to which the other will respond. So, communication is a circular process in which each message provokes a response from the interlocutor. Communication is not reduced to the verbal message, since all social behavior has a communicative value. In a situation of interaction "cannot not communicate", mimicry, gestures, attitudes, behaviors, transmit a message. Communication is determined by the context in which it is registered. This context concerns the relationships that unite the people who develop the communication process,and the picture in which the interaction and the situation that it allows to establish in relation to the protagonists is situated.
Any message contains two levels of significance. Not only does it convey informative content, but it also expresses anything about the relationship that unites the interlocutors.
The relationship between interlocutors is structured according to two main models: the systemic model and the complementary model.
- In the systemic model, the relationship is defined as one of equality, and the protagonists have mirror behavior; that is, there is a process of dialogue in which the subject, the context, and the language belong to the same level of symbolic exchange. This model is present because of the nullity of the hierarchy. In the complementary model, the protagonists adopt behaviors that constantly adjust to each other. A complementary relationship can be hierarchical, that is, contain in itself a high position and a low position.
Elements of communication (Guzmán Paz, 2012)
In communication, all elements are important, if any were missing, the process would be incomplete and communication would not take place; In reality, when this process is completed without problem, the human being is in a communicative situation, and when a communicative situation occurs, it is because something has been transmitted.
So, for communication to exist, you must first know what you want to transmit, that is, the message, which is the first element of communication. Now, the most logical thing is that the message that has been transmitted generates a response in turn, which makes us reflect on the other elements of communication, such as the sender, the receiver, the channel, the code, and subsequent processes.
- Issuer “The issuer, which is also known as a communication source, transmitter, encoder, encoder, communicator, among others, is the one who initiates communication; It can be a person or group of people who elaborates and sends a message. In principle, he selects the appropriate signs, signs or symbols, and in the end he sends the message to the receiver to obtain the corresponding response ”. It should be noted that the sender prints his own stamp on his message, if we consider that he has his own personality, which is influenced by various factors, such as his culture and social position, to name a few. Receiver, is the one who receives the message, is responsible for decoding if necessary, to know what the sender expresses and if necessary to resolve the request. Code,It is a system of signs with rules of use and procedures, such as the English language, the braille reading system, pictograms, flags, etc. All the signs that can constitute a code have been endowed with meaning by human beings, so for the communication process to be successful, the code must be capable of being interpreted effectively. Message is the total information that the sender has encoded to transmit through speech, gestures, writing, painting, body movements, smoke signals or flags, etc., and that will be captured by the receiver ”. Channel, “The vehicle through which the message is transmitted, received or disseminated”. When considering the formal structure of the canals, they can be classified into natural and artificial. “Natural channels are those that man innately possesses and through which he relates to the outside; This is the case of the five senses: sight, touch, taste, smell and hearing. Artificial channels, also known as media, are those that man has created to transport messages through time and space. ” Codification.- Communication takes place when the sender converts the information to be transmitted into a series of symbols. Encryption is important and necessary because information can only be transmitted from one person to another by means of symbols or representations. Since communication is the purpose of encoding, the sender tries to match the meaning with the receiver by selecting symbols. Decoding.- Decoding is the process in which the receiver interprets the message, and then translates it into meaningful or important information. It is a process composed of two phases: First, the receiver needs to perceive the message, subsequently interpreting it. Decoding “is influenced by the receiver's past experience, such as personal evaluations of the symbols and gestures used, the mutuality of meaning with the sender, and expectations. The greater the correspondence between the decoding and the message that the sender wishes to transmit, the more efficient the communication will be ”. Noise, “Is any factor that disturbs or confuses communication,” 30 managing to interfere in the communicative act. These factors can be internal or external; for example, they are internal when the receiver does not pay due attention, and external when the message is distorted by other sounds in the environment, such as rain, lightning, music, etc.
Communication process according to Shannon and Weaver (Sandoval Tellez, 2004, p. 43)
Communication process (Castaño Duque, Administrative Theory Seminar, 2004, p. 187)
Communication in organizations
Successful organizations are those that give true importance to communications and information, since they have understood that these contribute to a large extent, to improve the communication environment and the work environment, that is, it is a “dynamizer and animator of individual and collective actions in pursuit of integration and effort, to strengthen the organization. " (Castaño Duque, Communication, 2004)
When addressing the issue of communications in groups and organizations, it is important to bear in mind that all communication is carried out within the framework of human bonds and that these are expressed through the way in which people carry out their task, how they they relate and complement according to their own cultures. (Favaro, 2008)
Organizational communication is the process by which an individual, or one of the organization's subparts, contacts another individual or another subpart. This clarifies the fact that communication is an important work tool with which individuals can understand their role and can perform in accordance with the organization. Communication has an intention or purpose "the purpose of sending messages within the organization refers to why they are sent and what specific functions they serve" (Goldhaber, page 126, 1977). These messages are generally disseminated in response to the objectives and policies of the organization. (Castaño Duque, Administrative Theory Seminar, 2004)
Strategic communication plan (Sandoval Tellez, 2004)
- Analysis- Diagnosis
Audience research, both target and potential
Internal investigation, through analysis of the work environment and evaluation of the internal communication plan
External investigation, evaluation of the external image of the company Investigation of the competition, to know what we need to offer, what we have to change or what we must exploit
- Communication committee
Create a group of communication specialists who, in addition to evaluating the plan periodically, will seek to implement other strategies to make the company aware of the need for said plan and the importance of carrying it out.
- Communication objectives
Establish the goals that you want to achieve through the plan
- Strategies
According to the results obtained from each diagnosis and according to the proposed objectives, propose strategies that help achieve them. What has been said, also studying the strengths and weaknesses of each strategy, as well as its opportunities for success and threats.
- Establishment of concrete actions
Know what you want to do, how, when, where, why, through what, etc. That is, establishing in addition to the strategies, circumstances, resources, areas involved and expected results.
- Calendar and budget
Set dates for the actions to be carried out, and make known how much they will cost.
- Control tools
After a certain time, implement mechanisms for evaluation and control of results.
Types of organizational communication
Business communication is defined as the exchange of information inside and outside a company with a previously planned purpose; It is used to structure the different communication processes of companies and institutions. (Guzman Paz, 2012)
External communication.- External communication "is the set of messages issued by any organization to its different external audiences (shareholders, suppliers, customers, distributors, government authorities, the media, etc.), aimed at maintaining or improving its relations with them, to project a favorable image, or to promote their products or services ”(Guzman Paz, 2012)
Internal communication.- Internal communication is the “set of activities carried out by any organization, for the creation and maintenance of good relations with and among its members, through the use of different means of communication that keep them informed, integrated and motivated, to contribute with their work to the achievement of the organizational objectives ”. (Guzman Paz, 2012)
Formal: it is the communication whose content is related to institutional aspects. In general, writing is used as a medium (such as releases, memos). The speed is slow because you have to fulfill all the established formalities. (Favaro, 2008)
Informal: it is the type of communication that contains institutional aspects, but uses unofficial channels (for example, the meeting around the water bottle, meetings in the corridors). It is faster than the formal one. (Favaro, 2008)
Rumors: This is the informal communication that runs through the institution without respecting channels and very quickly. Generally, versions or interpretations of reality are built based on partial information and from different sources. They are caused by the absence of complete and credible information from the corresponding channels. They are also called "balls", "radio bemba" or "hall radio". (Favaro, 2008)
Communication flow in organizations (Guzman Paz, 2012)
Organizations are made up of individuals who occupy certain positions or represent certain roles. The flow of messages between these people, follows certain paths that are called communication networks, which will exist whether it includes two people or all
the organization. Quite a few factors influence the nature and downward extension of the communication network.
Descending.- The downward communication involves all messages flowing direction toward employees. Smith, et al., "Consider downward communication to be the most frequently studied dimension of formal channels." 92 Prestige, authority, and tradition are demonstrated in downward communication; Those in senior positions in the organization are naturally interested in effective communications for their employees.
In most downstream communications, “tasks or maintenance messages flow, relating to guidelines, objectives, discipline, orders, questions, and policies.” 93 Katz and Kahn identify five types of downstream communication:
- Work instructions. Guidelines that explain a specific task Reasoned presentation of the works. Messages that indicate how certain tasks are related to other tasks in the organization. Procedures and practices. Messages that relate to the policies, rules, regulations, benefits, etc., of the organization Messages that praise the individual work of an employee Indoctrination of objectives. Messages that are designed to motivate employees, and that explain the overall mission of the organization, and how it relates to these goal systems.
Ascending.- Upward communication is defined as messages that flow from employees to superiors, generally with the intention of asking questions, providing feedback, and making suggestions. Upward communication results in improved employee morale and attitudes, thus messages that upstream networks follow are classified as integrative or human.
Planty and Machaver say there are four reasons why management should value upward communication:
- Indicates the receptivity of the environment for downward communication Facilitates acceptance of decisions made, encouraging employees to participate in the decision-making process Provides feedback on the understanding, by employees, of downward communication. Encourage submission of valuable ideas.
Lateral or horizontal.- Horizontal communication is defined as the lateral exchange of messages between individuals who are at the same level of authority within the organization.
"The investigations of Burns, David, Simpson, Walton, Massie, Anzies, Katz and Kahn, identified several purposes of horizontal communication" 96 within the framework of the organization:
- Coordination of the task. The department heads can meet each month to discuss the contribution of each department to the achievement of the objectives of the system. Problem solving. Members of each department can meet to discuss how to deal with a probable cut in the budget; Perhaps they will solve it using the technique of seeking suggestions. Participation in the information. Members of a department can meet with representatives of other departments to provide them with new information. Conflict resolution. The members of a department can meet to discuss a conflict specific to their department, or to several departments.
Diagonal.- Diagonal communication occurs between individuals or departments that are not at the same level of hierarchy.
Informal in nature, and frequently used between groups of staff and peer functions, as well as in project organizations, it is another facet of multi-directional communication, common when communications flow in all directions at the same time. Diagonal communications allow individuals with diverse information to participate in problem solving with people at other levels within the organization.
Organizational communication problems (Guzman Paz, 2012)
Within organizations, the communication process is more dynamic and practical, and this can generate various problems, among the most important are those of a technical, semantic and influence level. As well as those of language, filtration and perception, which are perceived in the same way in any organization.
Technical.- In general, communication problems can occur at three different levels: technical, semantic and influence. Technical problems especially affect the fidelity with which information is transmitted from sender to receiver. These problems can occur in all forms of communication, whether for example, in written language (discrete symbols), in telephone to radio transmission (variable signal), or on television (variable two-dimensional image).
Semantics.- Semantic problems refer to the interpretation of meaning by the receiver, compared to the meaning that the sender wanted to give to his message. It is a far-reaching and very complicated situation, even if we limit it to simple spoken language problems, this difficulty can be reduced to reasonable limits through explanations, but it will never go away completely.
Effectiveness.- The problems of influence or effectiveness lie in the measure in which the meaning transmitted to the receiver gives rise to the behavior that we want from him. At first glance, it may seem very limited to claim that the sole purpose of communication is to influence the behavior of the recipient; But if we adopt a reasonably broad definition of conduct, we will see clearly that communication either affects conduct or lacks any measurable or discernible effect.
Filtering.- It refers to the modification of messages as they pass through each link in an ascending chain of transmitters, so that they conform to what the recipients are believed to wish to perceive. When information must go through several hierarchical levels up to the general manager, in each one some nuance or cut can be introduced so that the message is not so crude or so negative, and the consequences do not severely affect those who occupy the command structure by the circulating.
Selective perception and defense.- Selective perception is related to the difficulty or even inability to see reality outside of one's own antecedents, interests and experiences. A company can sink due to the "myopia" of its leaders to detect the environmental conditions and the requirements they impose for its success in the new times.
Language.- Two factors that influence the language used by each person, and the interpretation given to words, are cultural background and education, for this reason, words have a different meaning for each person.
Conclusions
Knowing all the elements that are a fundamental part of the communication process in an organization allows their identification, likewise allows the study and to know if an adequate communication process is taking place or is being affected by some particular issues, thus allowing it to be treated and resolved so that the main objective is fulfilled, the efficient transmission of ideas.
Thesis topic: Study and analysis of the current communication process in Fricongelados.
Objective: To know the variables that affect the communication process, with the objective of making administrative and operational processes efficient, for the fulfillment of goals by senior management.
Bibliography
- Ahumada Figueroa, L. (2001). Theory and change in organizations. Chile: Catholic University of Valparaiso Castaño Duque, GA (2004). Communication. Colombia: National University of Colombia Castaño Duque, GA (2004). Administrative Theory Seminar. Retrieved on November 12, 2015, from the National Directorate for Academic Innovation: http://www.virtual.unal.edu.co/cursos/sedes/manizales/4010014/index.html Favaro, D. (2008). Organizational Communication. Buenos Aires: Creas.Guzman Paz, V. (2012). Organizational Communication. Mexico: Red Tercer Milenio, Sandoval Tellez, MJ (2004). Organizational learning as a response to change. Puebla: University of the Americas Puebla.
