CHAPTER 8: COMMUNICATION

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT II

INTRODUCTION
Communication is a process by which all forms of
information are transferred from one person to another
Dale S. Beach has defined communication as the
transfer of information and understanding from person
to person.
According to McFarland communication is a process
of meaningful interaction among human beings. More
specifically it is the process by which meanings are
perceived and understandings are reached among
human beings
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PURPOSES OF COMMUNICATION
It is needed to exchange ideas, opinions, etc
Employee orientation and socialization programmes
become possible mostly through communication
It is needed for designing jobs and Human resource
planning, Recruitment, Selection and Performance
evaluation functions
Collective bargaining process is mostly carried out
through communication
Participative management is successful through
effective communication process
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IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNICATION
Communication is important in the organization for three
reasons
All the functions of management involve the act of communication
without which they cannot be performed
Managers devote a major portion of their time to the activity of
communication
interpersonal relations and group relations are maintained and
developed only through the systems of communication
It acts as a basis for action
It facilitates planning
It helps in decision-making
It improves relationship, motivation and morale
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FUNDAMENTALS OF COMMUNICATION
Since the effectiveness of a managers management
largely depends on communication, it is important that he
knows the fundamentals of communication.
Words do not have meanings in themselves. Though a
word represents a thing, an action or a feeling, the
meaning of words actually depends on the way they are
interpreted.
Sometimes the emotional state of a person also affects
understanding and for this reason the manager may also
have to learn the emotional state of a person before he
communicates
Contd.
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FUNDAMENTALS OF COMMUNICATION
Facts must be distinguished from opinions.
Communication is said to be complete when the receiver
has understood it in the same sense the sender has
conveyed it
it is up to the sender to find out whether the receiver has
understood the true meaning of the message
So a constant feedback becomes an essential
component of the communication process
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FUNCTIONS OF COMMUNICATION
Information and knowledge are transmitted from one person to
another
People are motivated and directed only with the help of
communication
Peoples attitude and beliefs are moulded and their behaviour
is influenced positively with the help of communication
It also performs the function of entertainment and the
maintenance of social relations among them
Since the manager continuously interacts with other people in
the organization, his job mainly involves communication and to
do this better he is required to be skilful in speaking, listening,
reading and writing
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PROCESS OF COMMUNICATION
Information and knowledge are transmitted from one
person to another and there are seven basic elements of
communication
Sender
Encoding
Message
Channel
Decoding
Receiver
Feedback
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MIS AND IT
Management Information System (MIS) is a formal
method of making available to management accurate
and timely information necessary to facilitate the
decision-making process and enable the organizations
planning, control and operational functions to be carried
out effectively
An information system is a set of organized procedures
which when executed provides information to support
decision-making
Computers and telecommunication closely interact with
each other and make the communication fast, direct and
cheap
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ORAL COMMUNICATION
It is also called verbal communication.
It is considered to be the earliest common
medium of communication
Principles of effective oral communication
include: clarity of the message, brevity of the
message, choosing precise and most
appropriate words, sequence of the message,
avoiding use of jargon etc.
Contd.
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Techniques of oral communication include:
maintenance of friendly atmosphere, showing
appreciation, showing personal interest etc.
Advantages of oral communication include: it
saves time and cost, it is effective media, it can
be used in emergency situations, it involves
accuracy and speed, proper control and
supervision
Oral communication suffers from various
disadvantages like: it can be disturbed by noise,
involvement of problem of language, problem of
record and evidence, sometimes it is costly
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WRITTEN COMMUNICATION
The primary important category of communication is
written communication
The process of communication involves sending
message by written words
The essentials of written communication include:
Unity of writing the message (implies a condition of
being one), Coherence (Most essential for good
communication), Clarity, Completeness, Conciseness
Contd.
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The Objectives of written communication include:
To improve organizational efficiency, To reduce
mistakes and errors based on earlier records To
meet the legal requirements
The advantages include: influence of self-interest
and attitude is minimum, written communication is
more reliable and one can trust it, capacity of
being stored, useful where documentary work is
involved, it will not carry rumour or gossip, this
method is useful when
Contd.
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secrecy or confidentiality of matters is involved
Written communication also suffers from some
limitations like: confusion and misinterpretation,
absence of personal touch, absence of two-
way communication, absence of grapevine,
slow movement, absence of scope for
interpretation, absence of immediate feedback
etc.
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NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION
Acts speak louder than words
Communication can never be complete and effective
without non-verbal communication
Even before verbal communication was established,
communication was on non-verbal
Visual aids are always considered better than audio
aids
Non-verbal communication includes body language,
mode of dressing, physical distance
Contd.
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maintained etc.
Body movements are labelled as Kinesicswhich
include gestures, facial configurations and other
movements
Non-verbal communication can be improved through
the following means:
Look at what is happening in the situation
Consider discrepancies between non-verbal
behaviour and verbal statements
Watch for subtleties in the non-verbal
behaviour
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COMMUNICATION CHANNEL AND NETWORK
Communication flows through various channels
These channels include downward, upward,
horizontal and cross-wise
Downwards communication
It flows from higher level to lower level in
the organizational hierarchy
Contd.
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The basic purpose of communication are
To provide specific task directives or instructions
To provide information about task relationships
To provide feedback about subordinates
performance
To let the people know the pride of being relatively
well informed
Contd.
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The advantages of downward communication are
It helps to inform the employees about policies,
objectives etc.
To execute and implement various programmes
It facilitates to improve quality of response
The disadvantages of downward communication
It causes delay and time consuming process
Contd.
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It is only one way process
There is no provision for feedback
It provides for rigid communication network
There is no scope for subordinates to express
their views
The traditional style of downward communication
(Print and Media) has been changed significantly
The traditional downward communication include,
print and oral media Contd.
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The written media include letters, manuals,
handbooks, reports, posters and like
The oral media in downward communication
include face-to-face orders, instructions, telephonic
orders, speeches, meetings and the like
The developments in telecommunication in
downward communication include: video-
conferences, LAN, WAN, Fax etc.
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UPWARD COMMUNICATION
Upward communication flows from lower level to upper
level in organizational hierarchy
Upward communication is necessary to offer
suggestions, to lodge complaints, ventilate grievances, exit
interviews etc.
Managers should encourage upward communication
with a view to:
Create receptiveness of communication
Contd.
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Create a feeling of belongingness through a
shared meeting
Evaluate communication and
Demonstrate a concern for the ideas and views
of lower level employees
Advantages of upward communication include
It provides scope for two-way communication
Possibility for immediate feedback; and
To provide scope for employee satisfaction
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METHODS OF IMPROVING EFFECTIVENESS
OF UPWARD COMMUNICATION
Managing by Walking Around
The Open-door Policy
The Ombudsman Position
An Empowerment Strategy
Participative Management
Counselling, Attitude Surveys and exit interviews
Contd.
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The Grievance Procedure
E-mail
Vertical communication is often incomplete and
thus Horizontal communication is used to bring
about task coordination among peers, to strengthen
relationships among peers and to allow the flow of
information faster
Communication Networks include: Formal and
Informal
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INTER-PERSONAL COMMUNICATION
The major emphasis in inter-personal
communication is on transferring information from
one person to another
The purpose of interpersonal communication is to
effect behavioural change by incorporating
psychological processes (perception learning and
motivation)
Getting feedback and providing feed forward are
most important in inter-personal communication
Contd.
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Both formal and informal networks should be used for effective
feedback.
It makes communication two way process
Some characteristics of effective and ineffective feedback are
Specific
Intention
Descriptive
Usefulness
Timeliness
Readiness
Validity
Clarity
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LISTENING
Listening is very important aspect in the process
of communication
Listening is different from hearing
Effective listening must be active but not passive
The four essential requirements of active listening
are
Intensity
Contd.
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Empathy
Acceptance
A willingness to take responsibility for
completeness
Developing Effective/Active Listening Skills
Paraphrase
Ask questions
Avoid distracting
Actions
Make eye contact
Exhibit affirmative head nods and Facial
expressions
Make smooth transitions
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ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION
What all is true of interpersonal communication
is also true of organizational communication
Raymond V. Leslikar has described four factors
that influence the effectiveness of organizational
communication
The formal channels of communication
The organizations authority structure
Contd.
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J ob specialization
Information Ownership
Organizational communication may be formal or
informal
Formal communication is an official
communication having official support and
sanction
The advantages of formal communication
includes
Providing correct information
Having official support with authority
Contd.
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Uniformity in transmission
Handling of message efficiently
The disadvantages of formal
communication includes
Delay in sending information due to official
channels
Absence of immediate feedback
Absence of interest to send and receive
Lack of ability to communicate upward
Contd.
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The advantages of formal communication
includes
Providing correct information
Having official support with authority
Uniformity in transmission
Handling of message efficiently
INFORMAL COMMUNICATION OR
GRAPEVINE
The communication that arise not out of
formal relations between people but out of
Contd.
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informal or social relationships is called the
grapevine or informal communication
The informal communication does both good and
bad to the organizations.
The advantages of informal communication are
It acts as a driving force to unite the
workforce in cases of common matters
It saves time and energy as information flows at
a high speed
It has immediate response from the receiver
Contd.
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It satisfies communication needs and
provides scope for immediate feedback
Drawbacks of informal communication
It provides only inadequate information,
overlook superiors and grapevine has no
formal authority
It spreads wrong information and rumours
sometimes
It distorts information
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BARRIERS TO COMMUNICATION
The barriers to communication may be classified
into:
External
Semantic Barriers
Faulty Translations
Specialist language
Emotional or Psychological Barriers
Premature Evaluation
Contd.
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BARRIERS TO COMMUNICATION
Existence of Preconceived notions
Inattention Due to Lack of interest
Distrust in Communication
Fears
Poor retention by the receiver because of his
inability
Defensive Behaviour
Contd.
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BARRIERS TO COMMUNICATION
Organizational
Organizational policies, rules and regulations,
status relationships also affect the effectiveness
of communication
Personal
Barriers in Superiors
Attitude
Lack of confidence in subordinates
Contd.
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BARRIERS TO COMMUNICATION
Lack of awareness of Importance of
Communication
Insistence on Proper Channel
Barriers in Subordinates
Unwillingness to Communicate
Lack of proper Incentive
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HOW TO MAKE COMMUNICATION EFFECTIVE
Communication can be made effective through the
effective use of following four elements:
The Content
The system must be clearly defined and
Recognized
The Media
The Technique
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TEN COMMANDMENTS OF EFFFECTIVE
COMMUNICATIONCATION
Clarify ideas before attempting to communicate
Examine the process of communication
Understand the physical and human environment
when communicating
In planning communication consult with others, to
obtain their support as well as facts
Consider the content and overtones of the message
Contd.
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Whenever possible, communicate something
that helps or is valued by the receiver
Communication to be effective, requires follow-
up
Communicate messages that are of short-run
and long-run importance
Actions must be congruent with communication