how is communication in your organization? In general, we tend to believe that the issue of internal and external communication in the company is something that is already given or implicit in the institutions, but sometimes it is not as simple as it seems.
It is also called organizational communication. Which must be analyzed and evaluated by those who are in charge of the management of the company, there are even people specialized in these processes, so we have prepared the following article to explain in more detail about this important topic.
Key Facts
- Business communication is aimed at the different target audiences with which the organization interacts internally and externally.
- Good corporate communication contributes to risk reduction.
- It reinforces the credibility and reputation of the organization and reduces rumors, allowing the creation of an effective corporate culture.
What you should know about communication problems in the workplace
Communication in the company is the basis for creating a culture of collaboration and involvement in its projects and goals. If there is no communication, it is difficult, if not impossible, for employees to adequately know the corporate strategy, so necessary to achieve results.
What types of business communication are there?
Corporate communication is divided into the following two groups:
Internal communication
As its name indicates, it is the communication between the organization’s employees. It flows in multiple ways: by e-mail, work meetings, intranets, employees’ social networks.
Based on the frequent participation of team members in the various forms of communication mentioned above. Influences the importance of the consolidation of the company’s internal communication.
External communication
External communication is the projection that the company has towards its clients, suppliers, affiliates, governmental entities, etc. It establishes commercial ties with them and offers its products, services and corporate image.
Nowadays, with new technologies, we can get to know immediately the results of marketing campaigns. And thus identify problems, complaints, suggestions that will bring much benefit to the expansion and growth of the company.
External communication is as important as internal communication, both must be developed and attended with the same relevance.
Why is it important to detect communication problems in the company?
The importance of communication in a company or organization lies in the search for feedback. A response from the receiver from which it can learn and develop. Thus, we speak of perfect communication when the message has been well received and the desired reaction is produced in the receiver.
Communication is more than simple language and the relationship between sender and receiver. Communication has a component of culture, intersubjectivity and interrelation. And this is because the sender puts in his message a thought, which of course, will not be aseptic and cold. It will contain feelings, wills, to capture the attention of whoever is listening or receiving the message (1).
Focusing more on the concept of communication in a business culture, we can identify the following points for which we must give sufficient importance to communication in the company:
How to detect communication problems in the work team?
Mainly, if internal communication is well managed, this will be projected in a good corporate image. Which in turn means excellent external communication. For that reason, we have identified the most common causes that trigger poor internal communication:
Lack of trust
Trust in a company is vital, because where there is a lack of trust, the people who make up the institution. They will not feel comfortable expressing their opinions or being accountable.
How important is communication for a leader?
A leader is a person who develops not only technical and conceptual skills. He also strengthens his social skills to maintain and improve his relationships with others. Below is a comparative chart of the different levels of leadership with the problems that exist when there are communication problems for a leader.
| problem caused in leadership due to lack of communication | |
|---|---|
| Strategic level | *Bad relationships between leaders at different hierarchical levels hierarchical levels hinder the internal processes in an organization. *The leader does not transmit knowledge for the growth of his team team. *There is no express recognition of his team’s achievements and knowledge |
| Administrative level | *There is no flexible attitude, with the capacity to listen and and recognition of the other and the time needed to generate open communication between the different levels of the open communication between the different levels of the organization the organization, to encourage the participation of the personnel in all types of activities activities. *Does not look for spaces for team work with the people under his charge in charge |
| Operational level | *The style of the messages is rigid and not very appealing to promote good work in order to achieve the goals the style of the messages is rigid and not very attractive to promote good work in order to achieve the proposed goals. *Communication problems are not faced as a possibility for growth and learning and learning opportunities. *The existence of informal leaders affects the performance of the work teams due to dissonance teams due to the dissonance between the messages received received |
Unresolved issues
Communication is of great importance in conflict and conflict management. This is a crucial part of all stages of the disagreement and the intervention of third parties outside the problem, who participate as mediators and conciliators in search of a solution.
Thus, a large number of conflicts are caused by communication problems or lack thereof. Communication deficiencies are the most frequent causes of serious situations that arise in educational and business spheres. This is due to the fact that commonly the parties do not know how to handle the differences from the point of view of their own interests.
The knowledge of this aspect is of great importance, since it can help to define the problem that originates the conflict. Thus, if the conciliator establishes that the differences between the parties are caused by communication problems, he/she will use specific and pertinent actions to reestablish communicative interaction (2).
Unfavorable work environment
When workers do not have the right to express themselves or feel listened to by their bosses, they promote negativity, rumors, gossip, incoherence, apathy within the company. As well as a not so favorable work environment among all workers, triggering poor internal communication.
It is essential that those who are in charge of the direction or management of projects and work teams, promote trust by example. Also rewarding when people are honest and sincere within the company.
Ignorance of the company’s organization chart
Not knowing the people in charge of each department and the assigned responsibilities, causes that there is no fluidity in the daily activities and at the same time a bad communication with efficiency.
On the other hand, corporate reputation and communication have become key elements in managers’ strategic plans. The design of a strategic communication that is part of the organizational strategy of an organization is key to the benefit and increase of capital.
How to avoid miscommunication at work?
Communication in the social and business spheres is established according to the following percentages: 7% are words. That is to say, what type of words should I use so that the communication has a success in the receivers. The tone of voice plays a role in 38%. That is, if we feel relaxed, we have a natural voice, not forced. Non-verbal language accounts for 55%. That is, how we place our hands, arms, legs, how we move our eyes, lower lip or even what clothes we wear (1).
It is advisable to promote strategic communication in institutions. This means a set of processes that are raised in different areas, especially in the informative, allowing to obtain a competitive advantage in the industry. That is to say, it allows you to obtain part of the monopoly of information and action. What strategic communication needs is also a figure, a person who carries with him or her a greater empathy, foresight and intuition than other people (1).
Nine principles of strategic communication
- Leadership-Driven: i.e. strategic direction. Leaders have to drive the orientation towards strategic targets. Strategic communication is successful when the main elements such as words and images are combined with a clear intention.
- Credibility: there must be trust and respect between the parties. Credibility and consistency are the fundamental bases.
- Comprehension: the message must be understood. For this reason, it is necessary to know the deepest parts of the society in which and for which the message is emitted, so that the structures that create the whole environment, give an appropriate resonance.
- Dialogue: never one-way. A clear game of proposal, response, feedback is needed.
- The deeper the message goes, the more it raises its roots.
- Generate a union of efforts to cause horizontal and vertical integration.
- Results-based, the SC or CE must be a guide to lead to the final results.
- Responsive, meaning that the message must be the right message, at the right time, in the right place.
- Evolutionary, it must always be ready to adjust to changes (1).
Is it worth investing in organizational communication?
We can start from the premise that if a company wants to implement a new organizational communication process, it must be willing to maintain it.
Let us expand this concept in the following way: traditionally, communication in companies has been seen with a simplistic approach and it is believed that “anyone can do it”. Thus, many organizations have administrators, human resources specialists, trainers, designers, philosophers and writers, empiricists, recruiters and selectors, industrial engineers, psychologists, etc., performing the communicative function within the company (3).
Ideally, every company should have a specialist in organizational communication, but not all of them have reached that stage of maturity yet, who would establish a strategic communication plan, considering the communication function as a whole (as are the administrative, operational and sales functions, to which no company has reservations as to its importance, necessity and usefulness), so that such a plan would manage and exercise the communication function systematically in the organization.
Conclusion
Communication within organizations is often affected by multiple factors, where hierarchical levels can be disturbed in different ways. These communication disruptions are related to aspects such as: different frames of reference, selective perceptions, value judgments, etc. (4).
It is advisable to take the necessary actions so that internal and external communication flows organically among the members of the organization. In order to focus on the objectives and goals of the company.
References
1. cambria A. The importance of strategic communication. bie3: IEEE Bulletin. 2016 [cited 2022 Nov 21: 475-87: https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=5998262
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2. Lugo Consuegra, Y. Importance of communication in conflict management. 2003 [cited 2022 Nov 21]; https://bonga.unisimon.edu.co/handle/20.500.12442/7523
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3. 13. risklossperu.com. [cited November 21, 2022]. http://www.risklossperu.com/revista_n2/Comunicaci%C3%B3nOrganizacional_7.pdf
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4. 14. Cabezas Buriticá MJ, Torres Silva LF. Manual for the management of internal communication problems based on emotionally intelligent leaders. Pontificia Universidad Javeriana; 2011.
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