Communication As An Essential Tool In Achieving Productivity And Maintaining Strong Working Relationship

Background

Being able to communicate effectively is one of the most important life skills. However, the aptitude to interconnect information correctly, clearly and as intended, is a vital life skill and something that should not be overlooked. This report summarises that effective communication is a way to get the staff the most out of the experience working and learning from each other.

Analysis Section 1: Good Communication Skills Present Among the Staff

Good communication involves understanding demand, and relaying key information. Several of these communication skills used at Glenmore hotel are present among the staff. This include Listening skill, Note-taking, writing skills, and Asking question, being empathetic and presentation skills.

One of the communication skills presents among the staff is listening. The staff have demonstrated their skill by applying different method to communicate with their colleague, [ Jonathan M. Bowman 2018]. For example, sharing information. They used different point of view to generate ideas relating to their areas of duties in the organization. This means that staff from diverse background might get information by active listening. Scholars John Stewart and Carole Huston summarized the main forms of listening which are empathic listening that focuses on adopting the perspective of shared experience, critical listening that focuses on structured approach to paying attention to a message. Listening to other at workplace can help to understand what is going on more widely as well as helping focus on what might be different instead of forgoing ahead with the familiar.

Another communication skill present among the staff in the text is note taking. [Linda Wong, 2018]. The staff demonstrated their skills in the organization by taking note. This helps them to understand or maintain a permanent record of what they have read or listen to. The staff have also used the note-taking to demonstrate their skills by using it to get information from others. For example, it helps them with necessary evidence to inform and develop their argument. It assists them in concentrating on and understand the information they read by helping them to summarize the idea and argument in the organization.

The communication skills present among the staff is writing skill. [Raymond Archee 2018] However, some of the staff have demonstrated their skills in writing clearly when sharing information within each other. They have also demonstrated their skill by making sure that each point of writing is made very clearly for people to understand them, and applying it to their work in the organization, for example writing a report and using that to demonstrate their expected duties in the organization.

Asking question is another communication skill developed among the staff. The staff have demonstrated their skill by asking question from each other and using it to share information about their work. [Jonathan. M. Bowman 2018] However, asking question in the workplace helps to make a change of certain thing, for example its helps to solve some argument within the organization. The staff asking question within the organization helps to point out the main issues of the company accurately.

Presentation skills is one of the possible communication skills presents among the staff. [Linda Wong 2018] Some of the staff communicated effectively by presenting their information clearly. For example, they engaged and connect with the audience to get their message across. They adapted to various speaking situations, such as talking in a group and addressing issues within themselves. Using presentation like Microsoft power point to communicate with the team give an opportunity to refer to if they aren’t clear about certain things.

Being empathetic is one good communication skill present among the staff. ‘’Empathy is an ability to feel what others feel’’ [Linda Wong 2018]. This means that the staff have shown empathy with one another at their place of work by understanding and sharing their feeling among themselves. For instance to effectively feel what others feels, and to cognitively assess the other’s point of view. Arnold and Boggs [1999] define empathy as ‘’the ability of a person to perceive and understand another person’s emotions accurately. The results of empathic communication are quality interpersonal relationships with colleague, employees, and management.

Analysis Section 2: Causes of Cultural and Communication Factor breakdown

The causes of cultural and communication factors breakdown among the staff are misinterpretation, power distance, time focus, prejudice, Stereotyping, context-sensitivity

Context sensitivity is one the causes of cultural and communication breakdown. Context sensitivity is said to be a ‘’culture that emphasize the surrounding circumstance [or context], make extensive use of the body language, and take the time to build relationship and establish trust’’. [Amy Newman 2018]. This is because most people from diverse background all have cultural differences from their place of work and in the society. These might include differences in age, education, gender, social status, economic position, health, beauty, popularity, and political beliefs. All of this could play a role on how a message is sent or received, which means that people have different point of view based on culture at workplace. This could cause a lot of problems because some cultures find normal what other cultures find unacceptable. The staff communicated positively and clearly in a way that people will understand their point of view, for example they demonstrated how to meet others needs within the organization. However, the staff adapted to everyone’s culture in their work place by showing respect to each other for his or her knowledge and skills irrespective of the person’s background.

Time focus is another cultural factor of communication breakdown present among the staff. [Jonathan M. Bowman 2018]. At workplace if there is noise that doesn’t fit the environment, people are likely to focus on the sound rather than their work. For example, radio, bad lighting, which can hamper communication by harming focus. Lack of attention to surrounding and details can make communication between workers fall apart as request and needs are easily forgotten or lost.

Prejudice is another cause of cultural communication breakdown among the staff. Prejudice can be ‘’positive or negative’’ that people hold based on their connection with certain groups. [Samovar 2018 pg. 272]. Many people at workplace might have authoritarian personalities that inherently believe in hierarchy. The reason for this may be the speaker’s race, religion, age, or appearance. Other might hold prejudices because they believe that conflict is inherent and natural, that is, that colleague are competing for limited resources.

Stereotyping is one of the factors that causes communication breakdown among the staff. Stereotyping is making assumptions about people based on a person’s gender or culture or based on religious or physical attributes. [Samovar 2018 pg. 270]. For instance, a young lady dresses short dress might get a compliments and men may even hit her in the office. This is because they may assume, she has an effervescent behavior that she isn’t very smart. However, the staff have adapted to everyone culture and belief even though sometime there is conflict within individual.

Individualism is one possible factor that causes communication breakdown among the staff. Individualism means ‘’the relationship between the individual and the group in society.’’ [Cullen & Parboteah 2018]. A lack of communication can lead to misunderstanding, which can lead to mistakes, missed deadline or altered a project. This can happen when individuals exchange information without clearly understanding one another. This can result in misinterpreted facts and details that prompt one team member to work from one set of perceived facts and information, while another is working in an entirely different direction.

Power distance is part of the cultural communication breakdown. This involve fitting to a specific culture view power relationships superior or subordinate relationship between people, including the degree that people not in power accept that power is spread unequally. [Cullen & Parboteah 2018 pg. 389]. This means that some of the staff in cultures accept a high degree of unequally distributed power while individuals in cultures demonstrating a low power distance readily question authority and expect to take part in decisions that affect them. For example, in higher power distance culture manager teach staff to listen while in low power distance culture manager treat staff as equals. Subordinates expect to be consulted in small power distance culture, against being told what to do in high power distance culture.

Analysis Section 3: Action for Management Improvement

As an organization to engage your team to deliver the best to their abilities, it is important to have a clear vision of the company’s reason to be. This involves define goals and expectation, Team meeting, encourage open communication, and give and receive feedback. These actions can be accomplished by implementing on this process.

The possible action for managing improvement is by define goals and expectation. [ Amy Newman 2018]. This means that managers need to deliver clear, achievable goals to both teams and individuals, outlining exactly what is required on any given project, and ensuring that all staff are aware of the objectives of the project, the department and the organization. For example, manager could assign a leader among the team who effectively runs meeting with agendas to develop path forward.

Team meeting is a key to managing improvement at workplace. This can be done through team collaboration by hosting quarterly team meeting where each member of the team should be allowed to present an original idea for the team or clients. [Amy Newman 2018]. From there, a few members of the team select the winning idea that will then be put into action. This activity helps to come together as an organization and gives member of the team the chance to share their own ideas without any restriction.

Encouraging open communication for staff member is another way to managing improvement in the company. [ Amy Newman 2018]. This means that to improve teamwork and collaboration it is good to consider technology. Encourage the employees to do some task on the website to understand each other better. Then utilized slack to get the conversation going, because people tend to be a little more forthcoming with a computer than in person. Meeting should be made with a set agenda so that clear items are discussed, and ideas are worked out.

Another way to managing improvement is to give and receive feedback from team members. This is important to develop a culture of trust in the team, providing efficient constructive feedback on a regular basis. [ Amy Newman 2018] This can be done by implementing feedback survey software. for example, offer performance reviews on a quarterly basis, and the review should also allow the employees to make suggestion to their manager. Any matter arising from the team meeting should be taking into consideration, written out, and post on a board where members can always have a view of it daily.

Conclusion

Communication is an essential tool in achieving productivity and maintaining strong working relationship at all level of an organization. Communication is important in the workplace because it is useful to correct wrong. We apply communication in our day to day life to inform others of our needs or to impart knowledge. It helps to clarify misunderstanding and share information. It communicates interpersonal relationship and reflect personality such as greeting. The use of effective communication at workplace helps to understand and value each other better.

Recommendations

The following should be recommend in the organization, this include

• The service provider should organize training for all staff
• Manager should adopt appropriate supervision with individual
• Head of department should ensure that staff meeting is hold on regular basis
• Company should explore on good skills and continue following them.

References

1. Amy Newman, [2018]. Business communication: in person, in print, online, Tenth edition. Accessed 2nd November 2018
2. Arnold, E., & Boggs, K. [1999]. Interpersonal relationships: professional communication skills for nurses. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders company. Accessed 2nd November 2, 2018.
3. Samovar, et, al, [2018]. Communication between cultures, Ninth edition. Accessed 2nd November 2018.
4. Praveen Parboteeah, et al, [2018]. Multinational management: A strategic approach, Seventh edition. Accessed 2nd November 2013
5. Raymond Archee, et al, [2018]. Communicating as professionals, Third edition. Accessed 2nd November 2018.
6. Jonathan M. Bowman [2018]. Interconnections: interpersonal communication foundations and contexts, First edition. Accessed 2nd November 2018.
7. Linda Wong, [2018]. Essential study skills, Eight editions. Accessed 2nd November 2018.