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Running head: ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION 1

Organizational Communication

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ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION 2

Organizational Communication

Communication is an essential tool for the success of any organization. Effective

communication is vital for successful management of an organization. A company should

establish communication policies and approaches with its employees, stakeholders, and

neighboring community to effect the communication. Since these groups of people are from

different cultures and backgrounds, it is imperative that proper communication networks are

instituted in an organization to address possible challenges. Hence, appropriate media of

communication necessary for various settings should be adopted. This paper will explore the

various organizational communication techniques.

The needs of an organization vary and may change with time. Consequently, the form of

communication should also change to fit the changing needs of the institutions. An organization

may experience various situations that require different communication methods. Some of the

possible conditions include business updates, changes in employees’ benefits, bankruptcy,

operational procedures, downsizing, emergencies, outsourcing, and during merging or acquiring

some property (Jablin & Putnam, 2000). These situations will all require different modes of

communication so that concerned individuals well understand the message.

When dealing with daily operational procedures and policies, a one-on-one method of

communication would be appropriate. As a result, a staff meeting can be called so that all the

changes are effectively communicated to the workers. The strategies will allow the workers to

ask for clarification and gain confidence in the process. Orientation can also be done to the

employees to make them familiar with well-arranged operational procedures. General updates

about the company's business do not require the one-on-one form of communication since

ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION 3

feedback or discussion is needed (Jones, Watson, Gardner, & Gallois, 2004). Consequently,

media such as emails and newsletters may be used to deliver the message to persons concerned.

Delivering bad news about downsizing, sacking an employee, and bankruptcy in an

organization will need a face-to-face method of communication. The person providing these

kinds of information should be sensitive to avoid conflicts. Right timing and setting should be

appropriate to ease the communication process. It may require more than one part to be involved.

A meeting with the affected persons and detailed information should be availed.

Emergencies such as violent employee behavior, fire, natural catastrophes, and terrorist

attack within an organization require fast action plan. According to Jablin and Putnam (2000),

the media of communication should be one that would convey information to all employees as

quickly as possible. Alarms and alert emails can be useful in delivering the message. However,

every organization should have strategies and plans on how to communicate and handle

calamities at the workplace.

The human resource should communicate changes in the organization such as acquisition

or merging with other companies to all the workers. He should communicate about changes in

the benefit plans, operational procedures, and organizational cultures. These subjects should be

discussed in detail to ensure they are well understood by the employees and other stakeholders.

Meetings or videoconferences can be used in cases where distance is a barrier. According to

Jones et al. (2004), outsourcing of new personnel should be communicated through meetings or

letters to explain the changes to the affected parties. The mode and media of communication

used are vital in ensuring proper delivery of information hence organizational success.

There are two theories of communication that relate to communication challenges that

can be faced in an organization. Challenges may arise because of misunderstanding of

ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION 4

personality differences among the employees and other stakeholders. Transactional model theory

and constructivist model theory explain why there could be communicational challenges in an

organization.

Jesse Delia developed the constructivist theory as a tool to explain why some people are

better communicators than the rest. The theory states that people interpret information depending

on their experiences. The constructivist theory allows communicators to listen and understand

each other with the aim of reaching a common goal (Applegate & Sypher, 1988). Organizations

that apply this model of communication can minimize their communication challenges and solve

their problems objectively. The constructivist model gives room for reasoning, critical thinking,

reflection, and understanding. The model may also lead to conflicts in a workplace because

individuals interpret the information they get depending on their experiences. Moreover, factors

such as culture, religion, morals, values, and beliefs play a role in how a person interprets

information. Conflict may arise because every individual is unique and he or she has different

experiences and beliefs. However, since the aim of communication in parties has an

understanding, the conflicts may be many but will be solved in the end.

According to transactional theory, the sender and the receiver of information play the

same role of sending and receiving information. Their roles change during the communication

process. This style of communication should be used in interpersonal communication like when

the managers are communicating with the employees (Miller, 2004). It involves exchanging of

information face-to-face that implies both verbal and non-verbal cues are used. The transactional

model theory allows individuals to receive immediate and simultaneous feedback and both

communicators are on the same level.

ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION 5

However, this model encourages non-verbal kind of communication, which may

negatively influence an organization. Use of non-verbal cues may be misinterpreted easily, and

employees may not be open about issues. Additionally, when this model of communication is

used, there would be noise since both parties are talking at the same time. As a result, conflict is

likely to rise because communicators do not take time to reflect and understand what the other

person is trying to say. This theory explains why there could be communication challenges in

organizations where this model is used.

The culture among individuals in the workplace is diverse. Culture influences how

individuals understand and interpret information. These differences may lead to conflict in an

organization. Since a company can have workers and stakeholders from various cultural

backgrounds, it is important that communication strategies and rules be established to enable

people to interact at a common ground. However, communication challenges may still be

experienced even when such strategy is applied because individuals may sometime communicate

differently depending on their setting and subject in question. For example, employees can joke

during break time, and in the process, a misunderstanding occurs due to cultural differences.

Each culture has rules on acceptable behavior that affects verbal and non-verbal modes of

communication. The rules will determine whether communicators will keep eye contact or not,

how close they will stand or sit when communicating, and whether they will directly discuss the

issue, or whether parables and sayings will be used to put a point across. All these will influence

communication. The emotional constraint is another factor that depends on culture. Some

cultures allow people to express their emotions and have a strong attachment to subjects of

discussions while others do not (Miller, 2004). Individuals from such a culture are likely to be

aggressive hence easily angered.

ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION 6

Cultural dimensions also explain why differences exist in business. Individual differences

exist in various aspects, such as individualism versus collectivism, femininity versus masculinity,

monochromic verses polychromic, and uncertainty avoidance. In some cultures, individuals are

free to touch while communicating and some cultures do not allow that. Additionally, people

from certain cultures are more expressive than others. Low-context cultures such as English

speaking countries believe in communicating directly through written or spoken words.

Information is only interpreted using the data given. According to Kim, Pan, and Park (1998),

high-context cultures use both expressed words and non-verbal communication cues to interpret

the information given. Sequential cultures handle one issue at a given time whereas synchronic

cultures view issues to be a continuation of the past into the future. People from synchronic

cultures will tend to make decisions based on long-term viewpoint. Some cultures do not allow

women to communicate in certain ways while men are allowed. Acceptance and appreciation of

differences in culture when communicating can be an essential tool in reducing conflicts among

individuals when interacting.

In retrospect, communication is crucial in the workplace as well as among individuals

interacting at personal levels. However, interaction can impose many challenges between the

parties involved. It is important that individuals understand the causes of possible difficulties and

know how to handle the problems both at the workplace and in personal relations.

ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION 7

References

Applegate, J. L., & Sypher, H. E. (1988). A constructivist theory of communication and

culture. Theories in Intercultural Communication, 41(65), 35-38.

Jablin, F. M., & Putnam, L. L. (Eds.). (2000). The new handbook of organizational

communication: Advances, in theory, research, and methods. London: Sage Publications.

Jones, E., Watson, B., Gardner, J., & Gallois, C. (2004). Organizational communication:

Challenges for the new century. Journal of Communication, 54(4), 722-750.

Kim, D., Pan, Y., & Park, H. S. (1998). High‐versus low‐context culture: A comparison of

Chinese, Korean, and American Cultures. Psychology & Marketing, 15(6), 507-521.

Miller, K. (2004). Communication theories: Perspectives, processes, and contexts. New York,

NY: McGraw-Hill Humanities.

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