The Essay On Workplace Communication's Significance Is Crucial. (70 Characters)

Experience of poor communication in a work-based setting

Question:

Discuss about the Organisational Dialogue for Theory and Practice.

In nearly all aspects of life, communication has proven to be momentous as a conduit to success and happiness (Shrivastava, 2012). The quality of an organization’s internal communication can say a lot about business. This means that if an organization is characterized by poor communication, then the organization is likely to fall. Effective verbal and nonverbal communication skills are significant in any workplace. Many organization spent a lot in training their employees in effective communication (Holá, 2012).  My thinking about business communication has evolved since I am able to denote that effective communication skills go beyond conversation, but it is important that those in business should know how to communicate in written reports. This paper focuses on the issues and the significance related to communication, especially in the workplace.

Describe an experience or ‘critical incident’ you have experienced or witnessed in a work- based setting, involving an aspect of poor communication. You may draw on experiences you have had as an employee, as a customer or simply as an observer of organisational life. How did you feel about the incident? Given your insights from the subject’s learning materials – why was the communication so poor and how could it have been improved?

One major experience about poor communication in an organization was during my holiday where I volunteered as part of a project management team in a construction company. I witness a manager who came up with new plans and asked the architectural team to design a structural model that would attract large customers. The plan was devoid of any consultation with the concerned departments. After few weeks, the manager realized the project was not financially viable and canceled the plan while still underway. The manager used a subordinate to communicate the message to the architects who were working on the project. With an adequate knowledge of communication, this incident made me feel frustrated as I would see the confusion that the receivers of the message portrayed.

The communication was poor because of the ambiguity. The manager did not give any reasons whatsoever why the project had to be canceled. Besides, the project did not have clear goals it had come from the manger without going through the proper channels which could have helped in formulating goals. Listening is a very important virtue in communication skills (Dutta, 2013).  The use of a subordinate to communicate such as a momentous information was a poor sign of communication. This is because the team would have a hard time to believe whether the communication is authentic since it is not a formal way of communication. The communication was poor because the manager did not consult any department so as to have an overview of what to expect from the project. The canceling of the project due to poor communication led to a wastage of resources and employees valuable time.

The communication could have been improved by the manager consulting different departments on his project. This could have helped to have an expert analysis the viability of the project. The use of formal means of communication would have helped. The employees needed a letter to inform them that the project has been canceled so as to avoid confusion. Leaders should create a favorable and open environment that will encourage the employees to air their views (Sehgal, 2008).

Causes and impacts of poor communication

 How does dialogic communication differ from what you have experienced in the past, for example in previous or current workplaces, university, social life, your home country, etc.? Drawing from the subject’s learning materials, reflect on why it may be important to promote dialogue in an organisational context from a business perspective.

Globalization has made the business and social environment to consist of people with different cultural and ethnic backgrounds. For this reason, communication becomes an extremely important aspect that can enable people to understand each other better without any party feeling assumed. Dialogic communication is a theory that was developed so as to ensure that an environment that exists where peoples perspectives are considered during communication (Eremeeva, and Baranova, 2016). Dialogic communication is a combination of two words, dialogue, and logic. This implies that it is a communication that involves two or more parties. Consequently, it also means that it is a communication that is inclusive of logic. This means that during communication one must think clearly what one is talking about. Dialogic communication is a communication that is considerate of the party feelings and how the communication would affect another party.

However, the fact that Dialogic communication is important in the way people interact with others, it is not practiced in day to day communication (Paula Matos, and Esposito,  2014). Case in point, in my experience in the workplace, employees are usually selfish, and they would not like their fellow employees to be accorded special treatment even if it is regarding communication. An employee who comes from an Arab country would not be spared with any filter of words as fellow employees can suggest that people from the background of such an employee are extremists. In the social context, dialogic communication holds no importance as people are not aware how much communication is important to people. Very few individual in the social sphere are aware the importance of considering the point of view of a receiver of a message

Managing today’s diversity in business remains a challenge to many organizations (Dwyer, 2012). Since there is increasingly international labor markets, organizations are now faced with the problem of having a growing number of multicultural teams (Gibson, 2002). Organizations work in teams to ensure that the desired outcomes are achieved. However, the deep cultural and human differences that constitute the makeup of teams in an organization, need an effective communication mechanism such as dialogic communication. With dialogic communication, it is possible for members of an organization to acknowledge that both the speaker and listener have different point of views and that it is imperative to engage in a logical discussion to reach an equilibrium. When logic is applied in communication among members of an organization, differences in age, cultural, ethnicity, educational background and marital status become a normal thing which will help in improvement of a performance of an organization.

In engaging with the subject’s learning materials, what insights did you gain for the development of your own intercultural communication skills in work-based settings? How can these insights inform the way you communicate with people from different cultures in the future?

How communication can be improved

Intercultural communication is important in today’s globalized environment. It is a culture that anyone in the business sector needs to learn since business activities have shifted to operate from country to country (Griffith, and Harvey, 2001). From the insights, I have been able to gain a lot regarding developing my skills in intercultural communication.  I have been able to respect people’s way of doing things because different countries have different cultures. This has helped in breaking the assumption that I had regarding different communities. I also learned that the use of technology in communicating with people from different cultures is imperative since technology create a sense of unity. Though cultures can never be the same, it is important to ensure that people are treated equality at the workplace regales of one’s culture (Morrison, 2008). For instance, promotion and delegation of tasks should be fair regardless of one’s culture. I learned that maturity is important when communicating with people of different cultures in the workplace. Maturity in communication is important as one can analyze one body languages and also nonverbal cues when communicating with people.

These insights have helped me ensuring that I get rid of insensitive behavior when communicating with people from different cultures in future. The insensitive behavior ranges from language and also use some nonverbal cues that might have a negative effect on an individual with a different culture from mine. The insights have ensured that am equipped with the knowledge of empathizing with individuals from different cultures during communication in future. This means it is important that I put myself in the position of the people of other cultures while communicating and try to think in their way. When has the knowledge of another culture in mind, it is easy for a person to be able to make comparisons and also identify the things can create a discourse during communication. Consequently, when one puts oneself in the shoes of another person, it is possible to understand and know where to change especially in communication.

Conclusion

In conclusion, communication in the workplace ranges from verbal and non-verbal exchange such through emails and text messages.  To establish a strong business relationship, it is important to ensure that proper communication practices are established.  Good relationship among members of an organization will assist in improving work output of the employees whereas poor communication will lead to poor relationship thus poor work out put. With the knowledge from insights, my future professional practice will be characterized by acknowledging the importance of different people with different cultures. Moreover, my improved intercultural communication skills will assist me in having a serene relationship will all my workmates.

References

Dutta, S. (2013). Business Communication. 1st ed. PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd, p.227.

Dwyer, J. (2012). Communication for Business and the Professions: Strategie s and Skills. 1st ed. Pearson Higher Education AU, p.206.

Eremeeva, G.R. & Baranova, A.R. 2016, "Dialogization Of Professional Communication Between Students And Lecturers", Journal of Organizational Culture, Communications             and Conflict, vol. 20, pp. 129.

Gibson, R. (2002). Intercultural Business Communication: An Introduction to the Theory and Practice of Intercultural Business Communication for Teachers, Language Trainers, and Business People.. 1st ed. OUP Oxford, p.3.

Griffith, D.A. & Harvey, M.G. 2001, "Executive insights: An intercultural communication model for use in global interorganizational networks", Journal of International Marketing, vol.           9, no. 3, pp. 89.

Holá, J. 2012, "Internal Communication In The Small And Medium Sized Enterprises", E+M Ekonomie a Management , no. 3, pp. 32.

Morrison, J. (2008). International Business: Challenges in a Changing World. 1st ed. Palgrave Macmillan, p.151.

Paula Matos, M.S. & Esposito, M. 2014, "Improving change management: how communication nature influences resistance to change", The Journal of Management Development, vol.       33, no. 4, pp. 330.

Sehgal, M. (2008). Business Communication. 1st ed. Excel Books India, p.34.

Shrivastava, S. 2012, "Identifying the Major Components of Business Communication and Their   Relevance: A Conceptual Framework", IUP Journal of Soft Skills, vol. 6, no. 4, pp. 55.