Communication is essential to the success of any organization. This is a kind of "circulatory system" of any enterprise. Successful leaders, top managers and competent specialists have achieved success largely due to communication skills. How to strengthen and simultaneously develop interpersonal, group and organizational communications will be discussed in detail in our article.
Communication process - what is it?
Communication is a procedure for exchanging information, on the basis of which the manager acquires the information necessary for making effective decisions, and also brings the decisions made to the employees of the enterprise. In the case of poor communication performance, decisions may turn out to be erroneous. People will not understand well what the authorities require of them, and this is fraught with a breakdown in interpersonal relationships. The effectiveness of communication processes is often determined bythe quality of decisions and how they will be implemented in the future.
Information plays a special role in the implementation of interpersonal and organizational communications. This is the result of communication, the external manifestation of the communicative procedure. Information occupies a special place in the verbal behavior of a person. It passes from one subject to another. At the same time, individuals, groups or entire organizations can act as subjects here.
Communication can be done by conveying ideas, opinions, skills, facts, perceptions or sensations. It requires getting the desired response in response. At the same time, it should be taken into account that the system of organizational communication and information are different phenomena, although they are interconnected. Thus, communication is not only what is transmitted, but also how this "something" is transmitted. Information is only an integral part of the communication process.
Organizational Communication System
Communication is a process in which two or more people exchange certain information. The main goal of organizational communication is to achieve an understanding of the information to be exchanged. After all, the very fact of the exchange does not guarantee the success of the implemented procedure.
The organizational communication system consists of several subjects:
- sender - a person who generates an idea or selects information for transmission;
- channel - a means of transmitting a set of information;
- recipient - the person receiving the information and interpreting it;
- messages - direct information encoded in a series of specific characters.
Sender and recipient are the two main entities. During the communication process, they go through several interrelated stages. Their task is to compose a message and use a channel to transmit it in such a way that both parties interpret the original idea in the same way. This is a rather difficult task, since each further step can distort the meaning of the idea.
The four stages of interpersonal and organizational communication look like this:
- generating an idea;
- coding and selection of the desired information transmission channel;
- transmission of information;
- decoding.
A little more about each step.
Communication elements
Often, the communication procedure can take only a couple of seconds, and therefore, it is quite difficult to single out any specific stages in it. Nevertheless, sociologists have identified and analyzed four main stages of the communication process.
The first stage is called idea generation. Organizational communication is a procedure that begins with the formulation of certain information. The sender solves the problem by delivering a message. Often such attempts fail already at the first stage, as the sender does not spend enough time thinking about the idea.
Many experts emphasize the importance, even the predominantvalue of the first step. "Don't start talking before you start thinking," Jefferson Davis, a hero of the American Civil War, once said. You should always think about the idea that you want to convey to the recipient. You need to be sure of the relevance and adequacy of this idea, as well as the specific situation and purpose.
The second step is called encoding and channel selection. The organizational culture of communication requires the reformulation of the idea that the sender wants to convey into certain symbols. It can be words, gestures, intonations or something else. It is the coding that turns an idea into a complete message.
In order to convey the idea well, the sender must choose a channel that is compatible with the type of characters that are used for encoding. The best known are speech, writing, and various kinds of electronic media: video recordings, e-mail, computers, etc. Transmission of material is not possible if the channel is not suitable for the physical form of the selected characters. It should also be noted that the effectiveness of communication processes can be reduced if the channel does not match the idea developed in the first stage.
The third stage in the procedure of interpersonal, group or organizational communication is the direct transmission of information. The sender uses the channel to deliver the message - the encoded idea is physically transmitted.
Finally, the last step is called decoding. The receiver translates the received characters composed by the sender intoown thoughts. Completion of communication is connected with the formulation of the idea by the two subjects of the process.
Types of communication
Organizational communication is a broad and very voluminous process containing many different elements. According to the most common classification, the communicative procedure is divided into internal and external. The external process is the interaction between the organization and the external environment. Moreover, external factors strongly influence the activities of the organization.
Businesses use a variety of means to communicate with the components of their external environment. Existing potential consumers receive the necessary information through advertising or other means of promoting goods. Of paramount importance here is a certain image that constitutes the organizational image.
The second type of communication is called internal. These are intra-organizational links between different levels and departments. They can be formal or informal.
Formal communication links are phenomena determined by the organizational structure of the enterprise, the relationship between management levels and functional units. Informal communications are the so-called "rumor channel". Rumors are not always considered to be inaccurate information. Studies show that more than 80% of organizational rumors have a very real and well-founded event base.
Organizational communication is the widest system of informal channels. This may include the following types of information:
- changing the organizational structure;
- upcoming promotions and transfers;
- details of organizational disputes;
- upcoming production cuts;
- informal meetings, etc.
According to another classification, the structure of organizational communications is formed by levels. So, the processes of information transfer can be implemented vertically - that is, they can be descending and ascending. The descending group of information processes is the transfer of information from a higher level to a lower one - for example, when an employee is asked about tasks, priorities, desired results, etc. Upward communications are carried out in the form of proposals, reports, explanatory notes, etc.
You should also highlight the communication processes between departments, between the working group and the authorities, trade union representatives and management, etc.
Types of communication barriers
The effectiveness of an organizational culture of communication can be noticeably reduced due to so-called barriers - interpersonal barriers. At the system level, they are divided into several types.
The first barrier may be due to perceptual conditions. The job of a manager or any other representative of the governing structure is to understand the essence of perception, to determine "reality for the individual." It is known that people react not to real phenomena in their environment, but toways of perceiving these phenomena. By understanding the factors that affect perception, many barriers can be overcome.
The most common example of a perceptual barrier is a conflict between the fields of activity of the receiver and the sender. The same information can be interpreted in different ways depending on their experience. People can receive information selectively, taking into account their interests, views, requirements and emotional state.
The next organizational communication barrier is called semantic. Semantics is the science of using words and giving them meaning. Often certain words lead to misunderstandings, as they can change their meaning depending on the context.
Non-verbal barriers are the third group of communication barriers. We are talking about any characters except words. This is a smile, a tense face, furrowed brows, eye contact and more. Particularly important here is the intonation - how exactly the words are pronounced. One and the same phrase can be given a different character, an unequal emotional connotation.
Ineffective feedback is the fourth problematic factor in organizational communication. Everyone knows the value of at least some reaction to the sent message. Otherwise, one of the parties will consider the communication failed.
Problem solving in the organizational communication system
Currently, several strategies have been developed toeffectively overcome communication barriers and improve the efficiency of communication at the level of organizational employees.
Firstly, the management of the enterprise should pay attention to the development of communication skills of their employees. The most popular method of interaction between subjects is active listening. The meaning of this technique lies in the ability of the listener to help the speaker say exactly what he intended to convey initially. There are several principles of active listening:
- ask questions, but don't interrupt the speaker;
- dispose the interlocutor to you, form a friendly and warm atmosphere;
- be patient and avoid conflict during the learning phase;
- demonstrate sympathy and interest in the interlocutor;
- try to neutralize distractions, avoid outside interference.
Second, bosses need to clarify their own wishes and ideas before passing them on. It is necessary to regularly think and analyze issues and problems that need to be made objects of transmission.
Efficient organizational communication can be achieved through the use of techniques such as giving feedback, "looking from the outside", susceptibility to potential problems, etc.
Interpersonal communication
Any form of organizational communication will be considered successful only if its main elements turn out to be qualitatively formed -phenomena of interpersonal communication. How to correctly design communication between two or more subjects? To get started, there are a few principles to keep in mind:
- irreversibility of destruction of what was said or sent;
- feedback as an indispensable condition of the communication process;
- irreversibility and inevitability of interpersonal communication in society.
There are three main forms of communication. This is a well-known dialogue, monologue and polylogue. It is the latter form that plays a special role in building an organizational form of communication.
Ways to optimize communication processes
Pay special attention to feedback. It is an essential element of organizational communication. The role of this component cannot be underestimated. It is the response that makes the communication process the most qualitative and effective.
Keep in mind that feedback should be timely and clearly structured. It should contain a paraphrased original message and a number of clarifying questions. It is undesirable to evaluate the original message - both negative and positive.
The most common and reliable way to get feedback is to ask questions. Most often, they are needed to compare the incoming message with what the recipient originally wanted to hear. The same goes for the sender: he can ask additional questions to the recipient in order to compare the sent material with what was originally supposed to be formulated.
Foreffective management of organizational communications, it is necessary to try to develop employees' technical communication skills - namely writing memos, using fax, e-mail, etc.
Management systems and a culture of communication must be clearly established. Modern organizations can use "hot lines" of a corporate type - when employees can use information exchange at any time, ask clarifying questions, express their thoughts and value judgments, organize joint picnics, excursions, etc. All these are informal examples of organizational communication.
So, there are quite a few ways to improve the effectiveness of organizational communication. At the same time, one question remains relevant: why are data exchange and communication procedures necessary at all? What meaning do they have and what meaning do they carry? Let's try to figure it out further.
The importance of communication in the organizational process
The modern period in the development of communication processes allows us to evaluate this phenomenon as a product determined by the needs of social production. Traditional factors such as labor, land and capital will only work if data exchange and communication procedures are used effectively.
Communication is understood as a system of information transfer and response. This is the exchange of knowledge, intellectual property, various kinds of information, etc. The procedure for specializing managerial communication activities is highlighted ina special type of professional service, the purpose of which is the effective formation and competent development of all types of organizational capital. This goal can only be achieved through the use of special technologies, tools, methods and information transfer mechanisms.
It is known that without communication there is no communication, and without communication there can be no question of the existence of any group. Thus, communication is a defining condition for the development of the group and its life.
All communications can be divided into two groups: formal and informal. The first group includes elements of the prescribed type, that is, those that take place in the control process. Informal types of communication have a smaller share. They arise spontaneously and most often are not discussed. At the same time, each employee is aware of the fact of their existence.
A manager or other leader must master the means of communication well. His responsibilities include the correct use of the received tools in the process of communication, overcoming barriers and barriers.
The organizational behavior of communication is to convey information to managers and decisions to performers. Without communication processes, it is impossible to build an organization, as well as ensuring the coordination of human activity.
Thus, the information transfer procedure helps in everything: it allows you to provide a connection between a particular organization and the external environment, to organizeinteraction of all management functions and consistency of decisions made.
Types of communication networks
Talking about the system of organizational communication, it is necessary to single out the concept of a communication network. Two organizational units connected by a line are called a channel. At the time of information transfer, a channel can link two or more organizational units. This is how an information network is formed - a fairly common occurrence for any organization.
Networks are open and closed. Open ones have no barriers to the flow of information through the available channels. This, for example, is a "chain" - a linear connection for the transfer of information. "Chain" is effective for repetitive, routine operations, but is poorly suited to work in constantly changing conditions. A similar scheme is "Wheel". All information will sooner or later go to the employee who occupies a central position.
Closed networks are limited in how information is disseminated. They are used by organizations that keep trade secrets.
