In the current organization I work for we use different communication networks and channels depending on the message being sent. Without these channels we are unable to communicate effectively. When we experience system issues that prevent us from doing things such as sending emails and updating our company intranet we are able to see just how hard it is to communicate without the appropriate channels. It is a lot more difficult to walk around to everyone’s office to advise of changes than to send one email to several people at a time.
Communication networks consist of upward, downward, and horizontal communication. These networks include executives and/or management, and lower level employees. The different channels that can be used within organizations consist of email, memos, interviews, meetings, conference calls, presentations, etc. Without these appropriate communication channels it would be impossible to share and pass on needed information. T. Bauer and B. Erdogan explain that “There are three types of communication, including: verbal communication involving listening to a person to understand the meaning of a message, written communication in which a message is read, and nonverbal communication involving observing a person and inferring meaning.” (Organizational Behaviors).
A few years ago while working for a call center we experienced major issues with our email accounts. We were unable to send and receive emails for a few hours. Before this occurred I never realized how difficult it would be to communicate without using email. In the call center we used email to communicate with each other, different departments of the organization, our customers, and upper management. Using email was convenient and a lot less time consuming compared to calling one another over the phone, mailing letters to customers, and walking over to the different departments to communicate information. Joel Bowman states that “Written documents are easy to store, retrieve, and transmit. Writing also allows the sender to prepare a message carefully at a convenient time of his or her choosing, and allows the receiver to read it at his or her convenience and prepare a carefully worded reply” (Understanding Communication Channels, 2002). Information that we would usually email to our customers had to be sent via ground mail or communicated over the phone. When information is communicated over the phone without being sent to the customer they are unable to refer back to the data communicated and would have to call back to get more details. This made our call volume extremely high and our customers had to sit on hold for a longer period of time. We even had some customers hang up because of the long hold times. This cost the company money because we were losing out on sale upgrades and our customers were not satisfied with the service because they had to sit on hold. When our email accounts were finally back up and running we were very excited and had a new appreciation for our email accounts. We realized that this was a resource we could not do without in order to communicate effectively.
In my current organization we use our company’s internal internet as a resource to complete our jobs effectively. The company’s internal internet which we call the “intranet” is used to communicate important internal information such as health benefits, company holidays, important changes within the organization, contact information for each department, proper guidelines needed to do our jobs efficiently, and much more. The intranet is an imperative communication channel because the employees can easily access important information. When assisting our customers we can easily bring up specific guidelines on the intranet. This only takes a few seconds versus looking through paper documents. In my current organization we strive to be a paperless environment because it is more organized and is easier to keep up to date information versus having to reprint and pass out documents whenever there is a change. It will be extremely difficult for us to do our jobs efficiently without the intranet. Also, internal communication would probably reach fewer employees because it is easier to bypass information communicated via email and though paper correspondences. Each organization has a set of communication channels they use in order to pass on needed information. Some channels are more valuable in some organizations than in others but the key is for data to be communicated through the best channel that can provide the most efficient way to communicate the message.
Communication is a requirement for each and every organization. Richmond, McCroskey, & McCroskey (2005) explain that “Regardless of the type of organization, communication is the element that maintains and sustains relationships in it” (The Nature of Communications in Organizations, page 16). They go on to say “What person A says to person B not only can have an impact on those two people but, since organizations are systems, it also can have a meaningful impact on the total system” (page 16). What exactly do this mean? This means that whatever is being said between the networks within an organization has the potential to affect the entire organization as a whole. This is why it is extremely important to ensure the information being communicated is correct, ethical, and is passed on utilizing the appropriate communication channel.
Employees within an organization utilize different communication channels depending on the message. When communicating it is best to first analyze the type of message you are going to send, who you will be communicating the message to, and what point you are trying to get across. This will ensure you will choose the most appropriate communication channel for the information you will share.
When information is shared using the incorrect channel data can be interpreted in ways it was not meant to be construed. This can cause many problems within an organization. For example, a friend of mine was telling me how her previous job had laid a large portion of their staff. Instead of holding meetings to communicate this information to employees face to face they sent an email to all employees advising them that many of them would be laid off due to financial reasons. This caused a huge disturbance within the organization. The employees were not able to do their jobs because they were so worried about what was going on, when the layoffs were going to occur, and who would be affected. Although communication via email is an excellent resource to use to get a message to many or all employees at one time it is not appropriate in some situations. This was one of them. In this case management should have met with groups of employees at a time to inform them of the news. This would have been the ethical thing to do. This way, the employees would have had the opportunity to ask questions and get clarification on the matter. Unfortunately because the incorrect channel was used to pass on the information, the organization was negatively affected through their work production. Employees felt as though they did not matter and although there were some who were not laid off the morale decreased. It is very important to remember to maintain a positive ethical communication environment for all employees within an organization. This can be achieved by utilizing the proper communication channels depending on the message.
Without communication networks and channels organizations will fail. Employees need to know how to do their jobs. Management needs to know what employees need in order to successfully do their jobs. Customers need to know information on the products and services being offered by the organization. Without communication networks and the appropriate communication channels, it will be impossible to satisfy any of the above mentioned facts.
References
sensitivity skills, values (8th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc./Allyn & Bacon.
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