Business Communication In Organisations – Concepts, Barriers, Challenges and Relevance to the Governmental Sector.
Business Communication In Organisations – Concepts, Barriers, Challenges and Relevance to the Governmental Sector.
by Dinesh K Kapila, AGM NABARD Shimla
(written for a journal, yet to be published)
A. Concepts - Communication as such is inherent in all phases of managing, though it is one of the most important components of effective leadership. It can be defined as the process of transfer of information from the sender to the receiver in such a manner that the information is understood by the receiver. Any attempt at discussing the process of communication has to focus on the sender of the communication, the transmission of information itself and the receiver of the message being transmitted. The barriers to effective communication and the mode of feedback also need to be discussed in any analysis of the process of communication.
It would be quite appropriate to state at the outset that the communication function is the means to bring about a unity in organizing any activity. This leads to modification in behaviour, effects changes, ensures information is relevant, enables the goals to be achieved etc. in any form of organization. Chester I Barnard views organization as the means by which people are linked together in an organization to achieve a common purpose. This is actually the fundamental function of communication as any group activity is impossible without communication, as coordination and change can be effected by communication only. Katz and Kahn, studying communication from a sociological perspective saw social systems as ‘restricted communication networks’.
Harold Koontz, Cyril O’Donnell, Heinz Weihrich state that in its broadest sense, the purpose of communication in an enterprise is to effect change to influence action towards the welfare of the enterprise. Any business requires information about prices, competition, technology, finance, business cycle and government policies. This information or knowledge is the foundation for decisions to be taken for product lines, quality, production ratios, marketing strategy, organizational structures etc. the processing of this information and undertaking of any action in any enterprise is a complicated process in large organizations specially.
Communication is essential for the internal functioning of enterprises because it integrates the managerial functions. The need for communication is to (i) establish and disseminate the goals of an enterprise, (ii) develop plans for their achievement, (iii) organize human and other resources in the most effective and efficient manner, (iv) select, develop and appraise members of the organization, (v) lead, direct, motivate and create a climate in which people want to contribute and (vi) control performance.
Communication not only facilitates the managerial functions but also relates an enterprise to its external environment. It is only through information exchange that managers become aware of the needs of customers, the availability of suppliers, the claims and needs of stakeholders, the governmental regulations, concerns of society etc. organizations can be open and interactive with their environment only by communication.
Although organizational leaders have the major responsibility for effective communication, every employee in the organization shares this responsibility. Communication is a two way process in which everyone is both an originator and receiver. Information flows vertically along the chain of command and crosswise. Crosswise communication is the horizontal flow of information among persons on the same or similar organizational levels, without superior – subordinate relationships.
Put simply, the communication process involves the sender who transmits the message through a selected channel to the receiver. The sender has a thought or idea, which is then encoded in a manner that is understood by both the sender and receiver. The mode or channel can be oral or written but the receiver has to be receptive to the message to decode the thought. The main barriers to communication could be a noisy or confined environment which impacts the development of a clear thought, encoding may be incorrect because of ambiguous symbols, transmission may be interrupted by static in the mode of transmission, inattention may cause incorrect decoding and prejudices may cause misunderstanding. Many situational and organization factors affect the process of communication, such as educational, sociological, legal-political, economic, specially of the external environment. Geography, time, organizational structure, managerial and non managerial processes and technological issues are also vital in the process of communication.
The American Management Association brought out in 1955 itself the Ten Commandments of Good Communication which are applicable even today, these are –
1. Clarify ideas before attempting to communicate.
2. Examine the purpose of communication.
3. Understand the physical and human environment when communicating.
4. In planning communication, consult with others to obtain their support as well as facts.
5. Consider the content and overtones of the message.
6. Whenever possible, communicate something that helps or is valued by the receiver.
7. Communication, to be effective, requires follow up.
8. Communicate messages that are of short run and long run importance.
9. Actions must be congruent with communication.
10. Be a good listener.
Listening for the hard pressed executive is vital, it’s a feedback tool of immense importance. Feedback should both be given and asked for. Effective and genuine listening generates trust and confidence amongst subordinates. Keith Davis proposes ten guides to improving listening; (i) Stop talking, (ii) put the talker at ease (iii) show the talker that you want to listen (iv) remove distractions (v) empathise with the talker (vi) be patient (vii) hold your temper (viii) go easy on arguments and criticism (ix) ask questions (x) stop talking !!. Davies emphasizes the first and last are most important.
Carl R. Rogers and F.J. Roethlisberger reiterate the above by a simple experiment, in any argument in an organisational context, a person may speak only after the ideas and feelings of the previous speaker are repeated accurately to the speaker’s satisfaction. It sounds simple but is difficult to practice as it requires listening, understanding and empathy.
B. Barriers – The main barriers to effective communication are lack of planning to communicate, i.e. think, plan and state clearly the purpose of the message. Secondly, unclarified assumptions, that is, uncommunicated assumptions that underlie messages are often a major barrier. Semantic distortions, deliberate or intentional, are a third major barrier. Fourthly, even if the sender is clear about the message, a poor choice of words, lack of coherence, poor organization of ideas etc will distort the message totally. Fifthly, as stated by R. Bellows, TQ Gilson and GS Odiorne, employees retain but 50 % of the information they receive and supervisors only 60 %. This implies the need for repetition of messages and use of multiple channels. Poor listening and premature evaluation are another major barrier alongwith an impersonal mode of communication. Seventh, distrust, fear and threat undermine communication as employees become defensive and distort feedback. Lastly, each communication must also allow time for the message to be absorbed and acted upon, any hastening of the process will only impede the process.
C. Challenges to Governmental Organisations - Now we can explore the best practices in communication among top performing organizations, this is essentially sourced from the “Secrets of Top Performers : How Companies with Highly Effective Communication Differentiate Themselves” by Bill Trahant. The study indicates there is a strong correlation between effective employee communication and superior organizational performance. Effective organisations – that is with effective organizational results and communications practice –
• Keep the customer front and centre in all employee communication programmes.
• Design communication programmes that engage employees in ‘running the business’.
• Work to continuously enhance the communication effectiveness of managers.
• Leverage the talents of internal communicators to manage change effectively.
• Measure the impact of employee communication on key business metrics.
• Maximize the employee experience brand.
These findings are equally relevant for governmental agencies that want to improve employee alignment and enhance operating effectiveness. Each aspect / finding as above can be studied in the context of applicability to the governmental sector. This holds particularly true for India, specially where the elitist services maintain a distance not only from the people they serve but also with the staff within the organizations they oversee. In addition, a mental disconnect from the organizational mission and objectives is often observed amongst the staff assigned to governmental agencies. The Central Government owned public sector units with a commercial mandate are mostly on a better platform in terms of communication processes, but the scope for improvement still exists. However, the sheer complexity of manpower in governmental organizations is also a challenge in communicating effectively, the modes and routes of recruitment, the operating environment, the patronage networks, the inherent culture of feudalism and at times unionism are always an at intricate level of interplay. There is also a rigid classification within governmental organisations, whether an official is gazetted or not gazetted, then if he is Group A, or Group B or Group C or Group D, with levels of interactions, social or official being conducted accordingly. Training on soft skills and organizational objectives is rare. Even then the scope for improving organisational culture by effective communication processes is immense and would lift not only organisational productivity but also national productivity. The main issue is that the organic link between effective communication within a governmental organization and its impact on development or administrative effectiveness for the public they serve necessitates the need for communication processes to be made effective. Each aspect as stated above maybe now examined as follows -
- Focus on the Customer - People who seek out public sector / governmental sector employment are likely to be motivated by factors other than money. Governmental agencies should accordingly focus on making their employees take pride in their work, see it as something special and contributing to nation building. The linkage with the end customer should also be established, say the contribution of customs to the national exchequer or that of Supervisors in Child Care Programmes to national nutritional standards and productivity. This builds employee motivation and engagement. Senior officials should always stress the social significance of the jobs performed on behalf of the public, be it the bus driver of a state owned corporation or a district level education officer supervising educational standards. Job significance needs to be stressed as also non task related values such as allegiance, teamwork, professionalism and determination. Employees should be able to observe the downstream benefits of their work by way of direct contact programmes, specially those deployed in Social Welfare Sectors. In addition, the value of fundamental courtesies to be extended to the citizenry needs to be imparted by training, this attribute is sorely lacking at the interface level. The communication between the staff of governmental organisations at the cutting edge with the citizenry is often bordering on imperialistic or rudeness, specially in the police, revenue or legal services. Training by effective communication can only improve this scenario.
- Engage Employees in running the business - The Governmental agencies have to innovate and find methods to engage employees in contributing to running the business at the section, office, departmental, unit levels etc. this would align workers with the organisational mission. The NTPC has done this effectively as has SAIL. Staff at various levels have to be encouraged to work in more collaborative ways, maybe by redesigning employee job objectives and performance parameters. Organizations may even allow employees to participate in their own appraisal process encourages professionalism and shared values. Decision making is often too centralized now, this impedes smooth flow of work, if the work flow at a typical Deputy Commissioner’s office in a district or any government organization is observed, each file moves to the main officers table through a long chain, with a predominantly clerical workforce to process it. The processing staff is often observed to be disconnected from the entire process, thus impacting productivity. Changing mores and educational standards demand empowerment and a degree of delegation. This is particularly true with the younger Indian generation now coming of age. Creating social and virtual networks, regular interaction with seniors, aligning people around common mission goals are some modes.
- Help Mangers Communicate Effectively – Concise, consistent, frequent communication from senior executives to employees is critical in creating a climate of strong organizational alignment in governmental agencies. It has a direct bearing on employee morale and motivation and can enable organizational motivation. This would enable employees ‘to understand, embrace, and deal openly with resistance to change’. Training needs to be imparted particularly on communication starting from top executives, as the need for governance to be more effective and responsive becomes more imperative, this is the most vital aspect. This is the weakest link in most government departments, that is, the imparting of training at regular intervals.
- Manage Change effectively – A variety of modes, such as town hall meetings, top level executives meeting employees in informal groups, employee surveys, web casts, internal webs sites, etc should be used in a wide manner to send a consistent message from the senior executives. Crucial information about organization change should be shared transparently and training to frontline staff must stress how their roles relate directly to achieving the organizational mission and how the change in the focus and nature of their jobs is a necessity. HR professionals in governmental agencies must be professionals from this field and conduct workshops to articulate key values and behaviours required at work, its actually strange that HR professionals are yet to be inducted in government. This is a key challenge for our nation as it seeks to build a responsive, caring and effective administrative machinery.
- Measure the impact of Employee Communication - Highly effective organizations regularly measure the impact of communication on such business parameters as the retention of critical talent, workforce productivity, employee engagement and business performance. The governmental sector needs to identify and understand employee attitudes and concerns in the workplace and to shape employee communication efforts to drive accomplishment of mission goals or to achieve broad based transformation efforts. It is a reality that the mission or overall objectives change in the public sector or governmental organizations according to the governmental changes and their priorities, herein lies the importance of sound communication to ensure that the changes are understood and revised goals factored into plans.
- Maximise the Employee Experience – Organisations need to create an employee experience brand, particularly in the governmental sector wherein the lower category employee is normally ignored. This would help employees internalize the values of the orgainsation, make the governmental agency of organization have a reputation as an employer of choice and enable the staff to convey a consistent and coherent picture of their experiences in the organisation as also its values. Only effective communication can ensure this and enable the governmental agencies to attract talent in a competitive scenario. This would apply in the world of today even to the immediate operating environment in any government office, as staff sitting in nondescript surroundings with poor infrastructure reporting directly to a senior in comfortable surroundings will often inculcate within themselves barriers to the flow of sound communication.
It is a truism that in governmental agencies, the focus is on recruitment, but the transition from job candidate to employee can be reasonably rough for most employees except in the elitist services. Effective communication aligned with reasonable HR policies will lead to the addressing of the new employees need for information on organisational culture, its ethos, mission, the training and career issues, perquisites and accounting systems etc. the distance between governmental officers and their subordinates, specially new hires needs to be reduced by way of close interactions, mentoring, incorporating them in teams, assigning projects etc.
Ultimately, all communication processes need to be audited, at the level of communication network objectives, communication policies, communication activities and goal related behaviour, ofcourse within the overall umbrella of organizational goals. This would pave the way for effective communication processes to be developed.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(These are the personal views of the author and do not reflect in any way the views of his employer)
-------------------------------------
by Dinesh K Kapila, AGM NABARD Shimla
(written for a journal, yet to be published)
A. Concepts - Communication as such is inherent in all phases of managing, though it is one of the most important components of effective leadership. It can be defined as the process of transfer of information from the sender to the receiver in such a manner that the information is understood by the receiver. Any attempt at discussing the process of communication has to focus on the sender of the communication, the transmission of information itself and the receiver of the message being transmitted. The barriers to effective communication and the mode of feedback also need to be discussed in any analysis of the process of communication.
It would be quite appropriate to state at the outset that the communication function is the means to bring about a unity in organizing any activity. This leads to modification in behaviour, effects changes, ensures information is relevant, enables the goals to be achieved etc. in any form of organization. Chester I Barnard views organization as the means by which people are linked together in an organization to achieve a common purpose. This is actually the fundamental function of communication as any group activity is impossible without communication, as coordination and change can be effected by communication only. Katz and Kahn, studying communication from a sociological perspective saw social systems as ‘restricted communication networks’.
Harold Koontz, Cyril O’Donnell, Heinz Weihrich state that in its broadest sense, the purpose of communication in an enterprise is to effect change to influence action towards the welfare of the enterprise. Any business requires information about prices, competition, technology, finance, business cycle and government policies. This information or knowledge is the foundation for decisions to be taken for product lines, quality, production ratios, marketing strategy, organizational structures etc. the processing of this information and undertaking of any action in any enterprise is a complicated process in large organizations specially.
Communication is essential for the internal functioning of enterprises because it integrates the managerial functions. The need for communication is to (i) establish and disseminate the goals of an enterprise, (ii) develop plans for their achievement, (iii) organize human and other resources in the most effective and efficient manner, (iv) select, develop and appraise members of the organization, (v) lead, direct, motivate and create a climate in which people want to contribute and (vi) control performance.
Communication not only facilitates the managerial functions but also relates an enterprise to its external environment. It is only through information exchange that managers become aware of the needs of customers, the availability of suppliers, the claims and needs of stakeholders, the governmental regulations, concerns of society etc. organizations can be open and interactive with their environment only by communication.
Although organizational leaders have the major responsibility for effective communication, every employee in the organization shares this responsibility. Communication is a two way process in which everyone is both an originator and receiver. Information flows vertically along the chain of command and crosswise. Crosswise communication is the horizontal flow of information among persons on the same or similar organizational levels, without superior – subordinate relationships.
Put simply, the communication process involves the sender who transmits the message through a selected channel to the receiver. The sender has a thought or idea, which is then encoded in a manner that is understood by both the sender and receiver. The mode or channel can be oral or written but the receiver has to be receptive to the message to decode the thought. The main barriers to communication could be a noisy or confined environment which impacts the development of a clear thought, encoding may be incorrect because of ambiguous symbols, transmission may be interrupted by static in the mode of transmission, inattention may cause incorrect decoding and prejudices may cause misunderstanding. Many situational and organization factors affect the process of communication, such as educational, sociological, legal-political, economic, specially of the external environment. Geography, time, organizational structure, managerial and non managerial processes and technological issues are also vital in the process of communication.
The American Management Association brought out in 1955 itself the Ten Commandments of Good Communication which are applicable even today, these are –
1. Clarify ideas before attempting to communicate.
2. Examine the purpose of communication.
3. Understand the physical and human environment when communicating.
4. In planning communication, consult with others to obtain their support as well as facts.
5. Consider the content and overtones of the message.
6. Whenever possible, communicate something that helps or is valued by the receiver.
7. Communication, to be effective, requires follow up.
8. Communicate messages that are of short run and long run importance.
9. Actions must be congruent with communication.
10. Be a good listener.
Listening for the hard pressed executive is vital, it’s a feedback tool of immense importance. Feedback should both be given and asked for. Effective and genuine listening generates trust and confidence amongst subordinates. Keith Davis proposes ten guides to improving listening; (i) Stop talking, (ii) put the talker at ease (iii) show the talker that you want to listen (iv) remove distractions (v) empathise with the talker (vi) be patient (vii) hold your temper (viii) go easy on arguments and criticism (ix) ask questions (x) stop talking !!. Davies emphasizes the first and last are most important.
Carl R. Rogers and F.J. Roethlisberger reiterate the above by a simple experiment, in any argument in an organisational context, a person may speak only after the ideas and feelings of the previous speaker are repeated accurately to the speaker’s satisfaction. It sounds simple but is difficult to practice as it requires listening, understanding and empathy.
B. Barriers – The main barriers to effective communication are lack of planning to communicate, i.e. think, plan and state clearly the purpose of the message. Secondly, unclarified assumptions, that is, uncommunicated assumptions that underlie messages are often a major barrier. Semantic distortions, deliberate or intentional, are a third major barrier. Fourthly, even if the sender is clear about the message, a poor choice of words, lack of coherence, poor organization of ideas etc will distort the message totally. Fifthly, as stated by R. Bellows, TQ Gilson and GS Odiorne, employees retain but 50 % of the information they receive and supervisors only 60 %. This implies the need for repetition of messages and use of multiple channels. Poor listening and premature evaluation are another major barrier alongwith an impersonal mode of communication. Seventh, distrust, fear and threat undermine communication as employees become defensive and distort feedback. Lastly, each communication must also allow time for the message to be absorbed and acted upon, any hastening of the process will only impede the process.
C. Challenges to Governmental Organisations - Now we can explore the best practices in communication among top performing organizations, this is essentially sourced from the “Secrets of Top Performers : How Companies with Highly Effective Communication Differentiate Themselves” by Bill Trahant. The study indicates there is a strong correlation between effective employee communication and superior organizational performance. Effective organisations – that is with effective organizational results and communications practice –
• Keep the customer front and centre in all employee communication programmes.
• Design communication programmes that engage employees in ‘running the business’.
• Work to continuously enhance the communication effectiveness of managers.
• Leverage the talents of internal communicators to manage change effectively.
• Measure the impact of employee communication on key business metrics.
• Maximize the employee experience brand.
These findings are equally relevant for governmental agencies that want to improve employee alignment and enhance operating effectiveness. Each aspect / finding as above can be studied in the context of applicability to the governmental sector. This holds particularly true for India, specially where the elitist services maintain a distance not only from the people they serve but also with the staff within the organizations they oversee. In addition, a mental disconnect from the organizational mission and objectives is often observed amongst the staff assigned to governmental agencies. The Central Government owned public sector units with a commercial mandate are mostly on a better platform in terms of communication processes, but the scope for improvement still exists. However, the sheer complexity of manpower in governmental organizations is also a challenge in communicating effectively, the modes and routes of recruitment, the operating environment, the patronage networks, the inherent culture of feudalism and at times unionism are always an at intricate level of interplay. There is also a rigid classification within governmental organisations, whether an official is gazetted or not gazetted, then if he is Group A, or Group B or Group C or Group D, with levels of interactions, social or official being conducted accordingly. Training on soft skills and organizational objectives is rare. Even then the scope for improving organisational culture by effective communication processes is immense and would lift not only organisational productivity but also national productivity. The main issue is that the organic link between effective communication within a governmental organization and its impact on development or administrative effectiveness for the public they serve necessitates the need for communication processes to be made effective. Each aspect as stated above maybe now examined as follows -
- Focus on the Customer - People who seek out public sector / governmental sector employment are likely to be motivated by factors other than money. Governmental agencies should accordingly focus on making their employees take pride in their work, see it as something special and contributing to nation building. The linkage with the end customer should also be established, say the contribution of customs to the national exchequer or that of Supervisors in Child Care Programmes to national nutritional standards and productivity. This builds employee motivation and engagement. Senior officials should always stress the social significance of the jobs performed on behalf of the public, be it the bus driver of a state owned corporation or a district level education officer supervising educational standards. Job significance needs to be stressed as also non task related values such as allegiance, teamwork, professionalism and determination. Employees should be able to observe the downstream benefits of their work by way of direct contact programmes, specially those deployed in Social Welfare Sectors. In addition, the value of fundamental courtesies to be extended to the citizenry needs to be imparted by training, this attribute is sorely lacking at the interface level. The communication between the staff of governmental organisations at the cutting edge with the citizenry is often bordering on imperialistic or rudeness, specially in the police, revenue or legal services. Training by effective communication can only improve this scenario.
- Engage Employees in running the business - The Governmental agencies have to innovate and find methods to engage employees in contributing to running the business at the section, office, departmental, unit levels etc. this would align workers with the organisational mission. The NTPC has done this effectively as has SAIL. Staff at various levels have to be encouraged to work in more collaborative ways, maybe by redesigning employee job objectives and performance parameters. Organizations may even allow employees to participate in their own appraisal process encourages professionalism and shared values. Decision making is often too centralized now, this impedes smooth flow of work, if the work flow at a typical Deputy Commissioner’s office in a district or any government organization is observed, each file moves to the main officers table through a long chain, with a predominantly clerical workforce to process it. The processing staff is often observed to be disconnected from the entire process, thus impacting productivity. Changing mores and educational standards demand empowerment and a degree of delegation. This is particularly true with the younger Indian generation now coming of age. Creating social and virtual networks, regular interaction with seniors, aligning people around common mission goals are some modes.
- Help Mangers Communicate Effectively – Concise, consistent, frequent communication from senior executives to employees is critical in creating a climate of strong organizational alignment in governmental agencies. It has a direct bearing on employee morale and motivation and can enable organizational motivation. This would enable employees ‘to understand, embrace, and deal openly with resistance to change’. Training needs to be imparted particularly on communication starting from top executives, as the need for governance to be more effective and responsive becomes more imperative, this is the most vital aspect. This is the weakest link in most government departments, that is, the imparting of training at regular intervals.
- Manage Change effectively – A variety of modes, such as town hall meetings, top level executives meeting employees in informal groups, employee surveys, web casts, internal webs sites, etc should be used in a wide manner to send a consistent message from the senior executives. Crucial information about organization change should be shared transparently and training to frontline staff must stress how their roles relate directly to achieving the organizational mission and how the change in the focus and nature of their jobs is a necessity. HR professionals in governmental agencies must be professionals from this field and conduct workshops to articulate key values and behaviours required at work, its actually strange that HR professionals are yet to be inducted in government. This is a key challenge for our nation as it seeks to build a responsive, caring and effective administrative machinery.
- Measure the impact of Employee Communication - Highly effective organizations regularly measure the impact of communication on such business parameters as the retention of critical talent, workforce productivity, employee engagement and business performance. The governmental sector needs to identify and understand employee attitudes and concerns in the workplace and to shape employee communication efforts to drive accomplishment of mission goals or to achieve broad based transformation efforts. It is a reality that the mission or overall objectives change in the public sector or governmental organizations according to the governmental changes and their priorities, herein lies the importance of sound communication to ensure that the changes are understood and revised goals factored into plans.
- Maximise the Employee Experience – Organisations need to create an employee experience brand, particularly in the governmental sector wherein the lower category employee is normally ignored. This would help employees internalize the values of the orgainsation, make the governmental agency of organization have a reputation as an employer of choice and enable the staff to convey a consistent and coherent picture of their experiences in the organisation as also its values. Only effective communication can ensure this and enable the governmental agencies to attract talent in a competitive scenario. This would apply in the world of today even to the immediate operating environment in any government office, as staff sitting in nondescript surroundings with poor infrastructure reporting directly to a senior in comfortable surroundings will often inculcate within themselves barriers to the flow of sound communication.
It is a truism that in governmental agencies, the focus is on recruitment, but the transition from job candidate to employee can be reasonably rough for most employees except in the elitist services. Effective communication aligned with reasonable HR policies will lead to the addressing of the new employees need for information on organisational culture, its ethos, mission, the training and career issues, perquisites and accounting systems etc. the distance between governmental officers and their subordinates, specially new hires needs to be reduced by way of close interactions, mentoring, incorporating them in teams, assigning projects etc.
Ultimately, all communication processes need to be audited, at the level of communication network objectives, communication policies, communication activities and goal related behaviour, ofcourse within the overall umbrella of organizational goals. This would pave the way for effective communication processes to be developed.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(These are the personal views of the author and do not reflect in any way the views of his employer)
-------------------------------------
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