Effective communication is critical to not only personal career success but also for any employee and manager in an organization for a variety of reasons. Communication skills, particularly the ability to work effectively in a team setting, are the most important factors that enable individuals to excel in their job (Adler, Elmhorst, Maresh-Fuehrer & Lucas, 2019). Communication is a process whereby a sender encodes a message (deliberate or unintentional) and chooses a channel to deliver the message to the intended receiver, who decodes it by attaching some meaning to the verbal or nonverbal cues or behaviors of the source (Adler, Elmhorst, Maresh-Fuehrer & Lucas, 2019). Communication is considered to be successful only if the receiver interprets the transmitted message correctly (Adler, Elmhorst, Maresh-Fuehrer & Lucas, 2019). This observation implies that the targeted audience may not understand what the sender intended to communicate even if they get the message.
Noise may lead to a breakdown in downward communication by compromising the decoding process. Such organizational interaction entails top managerial staff sharing information with their subordinates. For example, a manager may explain to a lower-level employer the goal and procedure for completing a specific task at work. Communication would be fruitful if the junior employee understands clearly the message received from the top, and takes action or behave in a way that the communicator expected. Noise is basically any barrier that interferes with the successful transmission or accurate interpretation of messages at any point in the communication process. It can be environmental (e.g., an annoying ring of a colleague’s cellphone), physiological (e.g., hearing impairment or sickness), or psychological (prejudice, stereotypes, personal biases, and preoccupation) noise (Adler, Elmhorst, Maresh-Fuehrer & Lucas, 2019). The presence of any of these types of noise may inhibit effective communication.
A good example of a communication breakdown in the workplace is the implementation of an inappropriate channel to deliver a message to junior employees. Particularly, a human resource (HR) manager employed a group memo when rejecting junior employees who had applied for promotion to a senior position. The manager shared the scoring sheets of the winning and unsuccessful candidates and criticized the losers using derogatory terms. Though delivering the results would give the applicants a full picture of the promotion process, disparaging and ridiculing the candidate put the manager in a troubled situation. The misconduct created a chilly climate in the organization characterized by fear, loathing, low job engagement, and a significant drop in productivity among the called-out workers. The HR officer was fired after one of the victims filed a legal complaint against him.
In addition to the lack of professionalism, the use of the wrong medium contributed to the costly ordeal. Adler, Elmhorst, Maresh-Fuehrer and Lucas (2019) cautioned that “as a business communicator, the channel you choose to deliver your message can have a big influence on your effectiveness” (p.10). The authors recommend the need to consider how the characteristics of a given channel match up with the goals of the intended messages. Unfortunately, the HR manager in this case failed to consider the attributes of a group email such as control and richness, consequently leading to the privacy breaches. Considering that communication is irreversible, the HR personnel could not take back the derogatory statements.
In conclusion, this scenario shows that different organizational interactions are based on unique approaches of communication. Evaluating the distinct attributes of a communication channel can help both managers and junior workers to determine its appropriateness. Most importantly, every personal interaction in the workplace is impacted by principles of communication which are not always apparent. Moreover, many factors can cause poor exchange of messages whether downward, bottom-up, or lateral communication. Therefore, understanding the communication process and factors that can impede effective sharing of information can help managers and employees to make strategic choices. Such approach is necessary to overcome miscommunications and ensure all the individuals they communicate with receive and understand the messages they want them to get.
Reference
Adler, R. B., Elmhorst, J. M., Maresh-Fuehrer, M. & Lucas, K. (2019). Communicating at work: Strategies for success in business and the professions (12th ed.). McGraw-Hill.