Communication Process

CommunicationProcess ·It is the frequently discussed dynamics in the entire field of Organisational behaviour ·It is (effective communication) a basic pre-requisite for attainment of organisational goal. ·However, communication is often cited as being at the root of practically all the problems of the world. Perhaps, the heart of the world’s problem related to human being is –Man’s inability to communicate as well as he thinks he is communicating. · Accurate communication may be effective in solving all the problems of conflict & lack of motivation. ·The world communication has been derived from the Latin word ´Communis´ which means ‘Common’. Communication therefore refers to the sharing of ideas, facts, opinions, informations & understanding. ·It is the transfer or transmission of some information & understanding from one person to another.

Historical background : Earlier in organisational level communication was considered as a management function of command & structural principle/organisational hierarchy. No informal communication was considered.Henry Fayol gave a detailed analysis & explained meaningfully solution to the problem of communication. The figure shows a simple version of formal organisation:·If a formal channel in the organisation strictly followed & F wants to communicate with P, the communication would have to go through F-E-D-C-B-A-L-M-N-O-P & back. In other words F have to complete 20-positions to complete the communication..·On the other hand if F could lay a ‘Gangplank’ to P means if two employees F & P are allowed to deal in one sitting for few hours with some questions, can solve their problem with more satisfaction by avoiding the scalar chain with 20-transactions, inconveniencing many people, masses of papers, long time.·Thus gangplank (walking on to a long flat piece of timber) concept has directly implications for horizontal communication system in modern formal organisation.

Fayol’s gangplank concept :Chester Bernard : He had meaningfully developed communication as a vital part of organisational behaviour. As per Bernard 3- major components of effective communication are – Meaning, Understanding & Authority in an organisation from the superior to subordinate.Bernard listed 7-specific communication factors for effective transmission in an organisation, like-·The channels of communication should be definitely known.·There should be a definite formal channel of communication to every member of the organisation.·The line of communication should be as direct & short as formal.·The complete line of communication should normally be used.·The person serving as communication center should be competent.·The line of communication should not be interrupted while the organisation is functioning.·Every communication should be authenticated.

Definition : Communication is the process which involves transmission & accurate replication of ideas reinforced by feed-back purporting to stimulate actions to attain organisational goal.ORCommunication is the transmission & reception of ideas, feelings, attitudes, both verbally or non-verbally which gives rise to a response.Major Categories of Communication that are especially relevant to the study of O:B. :·Information theory.·Interpersonal communication process.·Organisational communication process.

Information theory : It is concerned with the transmission aspects of the communication process. It emphasized the transmission concepts of encoder (sender) & decoder (receiver) in terms of both their functional roles & their contribution to the achievement of a given level of performance. The theory recognize entropy in the analysis of a communication system, for example it try to measure & control noise entropy that may arise from distraction, distortions or the electrical static occurring when a message is transmitted over a communication system.It emphasizes communication from a mathematical perspective. The study of messages as a means of controlling machinery & society. The development of computer & other automations, certain reflections upon psychological & nervous system & a tentative new theory of scientific method.

Interpersonal communication : ·It is behaviorally oriented. Communication in this respect is looked upon as a basic method of effecting behaviour changes, and it incorporates the psychological process ( perception + learning + motivation) on one hand & languages on the other hand.·Listening sensitivity & non-verbal communication are also closely associated with this approach.·There must be both a sender & a receiver in order for interpersonal communication to take place. The sender is obviously important to communication but so is the receiver who gives feedback to the sender.·The importance of feedback can not be over- ruled because effective interpersonal communication is highly dependent on it.

Characteristics of feedback for effective & ineffective interpersonal communication in Human Resource Management for employee performance :Effective feedbackIneffective feedback1. Intended to help the employee. 1. Intended to be little to the employee.2. Specific 2. General3. Descriptive 3. Evaluative4. Useful 4. Inappropriate5. Timely 5. Untimely6. Employee readiness for feedback. 6. Makes the employee defensive.7. Clear 7. Not understandable8. Valid 8. Inaccurate

1.Intension : Effective feedback is directed toward improving job performance & making the employee a more valuable asset.2.Specificity : Effective feedback is designed to provide recipients with specific information so that they know what must be done to correct the situation. While ineffective feedback is general & leave questions in recipient’s mind.3.Description : Effective feedback can be characterized as descriptive rather than evaluative. It tells employees what he has done in objective terms.4.Usefulness : Effective feedback is information that an employee can use to improve performance.5.Timeliness : There are also consideration in timing of feedback properly. As a rule, the more immediate the feedback – the better is the result.6.Readiness : In order to feedback be effective, employee must be ready to receive it.7.Clarity : Effective feedback must be clearly understood.8.Validity : In order for feedback to be effective, it must be reliable & valid.

·Besides feedback other variables like Trust, Expectations, Values, Status & Compatibility greatly influence the interpersonal aspects of communication.·People who do not trust each other do not communicate. Specially for superior – subordinate communication. If subordinate does not trust boss, there will be no effective communication.LASWELL’S PARADIGM :WHO SAYS WHAT IN WHICH CHANNEL TO WHOM WITH (sender) (content) (media) (receiver) WHAT EFFECT (feedback)·Communication is both Art & Science.·Sender should understand the receiver & the capacity of the receiver. His personality, age, gender, experience, emotion, voice, presentation, demonstration, perception (about self & audience) are also important for a successful communication.·Channel may be verbal, written & visual. It includes gesture, facial expression, eye contact, touch, silence, paralanguage etc.

Organizational communication process :·Usually, the organisational structure was viewed as a network over which there were linear information flows.·The organisational structure provides the path of inputs that form intricate circuits of communication.·In classical organisational structure communication consisted simply as –a)Instructions & commands to do or not to do flows downward the chain of command & from one person to another person directly below him in the hierarchy.b) Reports, enquiries & requests are always communicated up the chain of command & to the one person directly above the communicator in the hierarchy.c) One sub-group can not communicate directly to other sub-group at their level on the chart, but instead communicate up the chain of command until the message arrives at an office where both sub-group shares a supervisor, then down the chain of command to recipient sub-group.d) Staff plays role in controlling the collection & dissemination of informations considering his ranks.

·Over the years traditional concept of organisational communication has been very influential but has lot of limitations specially with respect to Dynamic & Personal aspect.BERLOW’S Dynamic Process Model : By David Berlow ·Widely recognized model presenting communication as a Dynamic, Interactive process.·He countered linear & step by step information approach with the idea of this model.·As per him if communication is a process then there must be Events & Relationships as Dynamics (mathematical studies of motion & forces), on going, ever changing & continuous.·When ever we label something as process, we mean that it does not have a beginning, an end, a fixed sequence of events. It is not static or at rest. It is moving.·The ingredients within a process interact, each affects all the others.·A model is a visual representation that names, describes & classified the separate parts of the process & also shows how separate parts content, interact & influence each other.

Source(I)--Encoder(II)--Message(III)--Channel(IV)-- Decoder(V)-- Receiver(VI)Source : Some idea or information has to be created i.e sender realise the need to convey some something to someone else. He should have some information, guidelines, motivational material or coordinative concepts that may be important to the receiver. There is a say –‘Don’t start talking until you being thinking’.Encoder : The source initiate a message by encoding a thought. The sender puts the ideas & thoughts into some form of a logical & coded message – which may be oral or written or in physical or some other format of expression. 4- conditions affects the encoded message : Skill, Attitude, Knowledge & Socio-cultural system. A person’s success in communication is dependent upon his written skills, and his speaking, reading, listening & reasoning skills as well. Attitudes, too, substantially influence one’s behaviour. Communication activity is restricted by the extent of knowledge on a particular topic. Finally, one’s position in the Socio-cultural system in which he exists influences the communicative source.

Message : Is the actual physical product from the encoding source speech, writing, picture (for painting), movement of arms (gesture). Message is affected by the code or group of symbols used to transfer meaning the content of the message itself.Channels : For transmission of message some medium or carrier is required. It may be directly or through proper channel. Medias may be – face to face conversation, typed or written, in the form of gesture. Channel bridges the gap between the source & the receiver.Decoder : The burden of interpretation lies on the receiver. He takes the message and attempts to discover it’s meaning by analyzing the sender and his intent by looking at the sender’s role, knowledge, experience & authority. He translates the symbols, ideas into a form that can be understood by him.Receiver : He must be skillful in reading or listening & must be able to reason. Receiver’s predisposed attitudes & cultural background can distort the message being transferred.

Extension of Barlow’s Dynamic Process has been down by contemporary scientists – they considered communication as a Transactional process. ‘’Trans’’ – means mutually & reciprocally instead of ‘Inner’ – means between. As per them in process approach of communication ‘ All persons are engaged in sending & receiving messages simultaneously’ means each person is constantly in the encoding & decoding process, and each person is affecting the other.·The perspective is in line with the social learning process to O.B.·Reciprocal determinism of social learning is very similar to what is called here a dynamic transactional approach.Feedback : Means whether understanding has been achieved. It is the check on how much successful one has been in transferring his message as originally intended.Responses likely to be perceived as rewarding (smiles or nods of agreement) are called +ve feedback. Those perceived as punishing (sign of inattention) are called –ve feedback.

Superior – Sub-ordinate Communication (Top Down) : It is a vertical communication. The dynamics, transactional perspective replaces a linear information flow perspective.Purposes – ·To give specific task directives about job instructions.·To give information about organisational procedures & practices.·To provide information about rationality of the job.·To tell subordinates about their performance.·To provide (ideological type) informations to facilitate the importance of goals.Downward communication system rely on many types of media e.g.·Written – Organisational Handbooks, manual, magazines, poster, information display, letters for promotion, memos etc.·Verbal – Verbal orders or instructions of superior, speeches, meetings, closed circuit T.V. sets, Public address system, telephone, Lan systems etc.

Problems of downward communication – Lost, Distorted, Misinterpreted or ignored by organisational participants.Measure for Effective communication : ·By careful analysis of intended receiver.·By using combination of media & method.·By careful monitoring of feedback.·By a continual effort to communicate.Downward flow of information can affect receivers in the following ways:·People’s interpretations of communication follow the path of least resistance.·People are more open to messages, which are consonant with their existing image, their belief & values.·Messages, which are incongruent with values, tend to engender more resistance than do messages, which are incongruent with rational logic.·To the extent that people positively value need fulfillment, messages, which facilitate need fulfillment, are more easily accepted than messages, which do not.

· As people see the environment changing, they are more open to incoming messages.·The total situation affects communication, a message interpreted as congruent in one situation may be interpreted as incongruent in other.Subordinate initiated communication (Bottom up) : ·Such communication is from the workers to the immediate superior & from the later to the higher management level.·Top management will be isolated if there is poor upward communication. (As the management is interested with improvements & higher productivity, wants to know the reactions of employees to certain policies or procedures & effectiveness of orders that have been issued.) ·While downward communication is highly directive giving – order, instruction, information & procedure, the upward communication is characteristically non-directive in nature. ·As people see the envir

·A free, participative supervisory approach is necessary for subordinate initiated communication.·When subordinate initiate communication upward, the content is often meaningless because they send up only what they think the boss wants to hear or reports that are distorted or manipulated so that they contain only informations that makes subordinate look good. • Effective subordinate initiated communication can be achieved by : • ·The Grievance procedure – Allows employees to make appeal upward without considering immediate superior. Individual protection from arbitration. • ·Open door policy – Superior’s door is always open to subordinates. He can come & talk about anything that is troubling him.

· Counseling, Attitude questionnaire & exit interview (during the individuals who leaving the organisation.)·Participative Techniques – Informal involvement of subordinate or Formal participation programme like Union-management committee, Suggestion boxes etc.Interactive Communication in organisation (Horizontal Communication) :·There is a need for supplement the vertical system of communication with some form of Horizontal system, as Henry Fayol did with his Gangplank concept.·Horizontal comm. is required to make a co-coordinated effort in achieving organisation goals. As, the organisations are become large they are more complex & more subject to dramatic change. Thus this type of comm. becomes more apparent. ·However, the success of horizontal comm. mainly based on the people & their behaviour.

·Because of dynamic, personal aspect of comm., the vertical comm.( upward & downward) seems more appropriate & horizontal flows of information remains only a part of comm. process.·With respect to job e.g. In a mechanized, assembly line because of nature of work i.e. assembly is highly structured & largely dependent upon the speed of the line, encouraged horizontal comm.. There is little need for directives, instructions or orders from above, but there is a necessity to communicate along the line to get the job done.·Again, with respect to the Individuals & their behaviour there are many behavioural implications contained in the interactive process. Comm. with Peers ( i.e. those persons of relatively equal status on the same level of an organisation) provide needed social support for an individual. People can more comfortably turn to a Peer for social support than they can to those above or below them. The result can be good or bad for the organisation.

·In case the support is expressed in terms of task co-ordination to achieve over all goals, horizontal comm. is good for organisation. On the other hand where there are no such support is required for task co-ordination the horizontal comm. is irrelevant to or destructive for organisational functions. Purpose & method of Horizontal Communication:Important purposes are :·Task co-ordination : Departmental heads may meet monthly to discuss how each department is contributing to systems goal.·Problem solving : The members of a department may assemble to discuss how they will handle a threatened budget cut, they may employ brain storming techniques.·Information sharing : The members of one department may meet with the members of another department to give them some new data.·Conflict resolution : Members of one department may meet to discuss a conflict inherent in the department or between departments.

·Interaction between Line & Staff function : Horizontal comm.. is very much effective between line & staff units of organisation. Managers of same level in an organisation co-ordinate their activities without referring all the matters to their superior & solve the problems at a speedy manner relieving superior unnecessary problem.Dimock remarks – ‘ The influence an executive has with other executive is partly a matter of his position in the hierarchy, partly a question of his competence & partly dependent upon a complete & sensitized comm. system’.Informal Messages :·The comm. chain formed by friendship groups or casual associations which carry gossip & news of work are more frequently used forms of GRAPE-VINE – the word derived from the ramifications (sub-division) of the grape tree & its fruits.·They carry informations that are not or cannot be transmitted by formal means.

·Forms or pattern are –i)Straight chain pattern – For top secret message rumors passes from A—> B —> C & so on.ii)Informal star pattern – Rumors is disclosed by one person to many others who come in contact to him.iii)Probability pattern – The comm. usually made accidentally & casually. When some message may be accidentally communicated to B & C who, in turn communicated to others, while some members may be left out because of their absence, lack of opportunity, inadvertence or any other reason.iv)Cluster net : In this case A says some thing to his 3 close friends (B,C,D) one of them passes the information to another, who tells the others in a straight chain or in star pattern (based on selection).·In this type of comm. the information actually transmitted may be inaccurate, distorted, a half-truth, a rumor, a gossip or a primate interpretation. It spreads with amazing speed.

Useful purpose : ·It satisfies a need employees have to enjoy friendly relations with their fellow-employees.·It helps workers to make some sense out of their working environment especially in interpreting unclear orders from superior.·It acts as a safety valve. When people are confused & unclear about what is going to happen to them, they use the grapevine to express their anxiety.·When people gossip about someone who is not present, they often pass judgments. Some people pass judgments on others to find out where they stand. It is a way of dealing with self-doubt & insecurity.·A manager can utilize the grapevine as a +ve. aid. For a ‘Grapevine may turn out to be a barometer for the management as to what is ailing the employees & what ought to be done about it’. It may be utilized to clarify & spread messages which the management whishes to convey rumors & ½ truths by feeding them the real facts.

Importance of Communication in Management :·Modern managers are communicators. Besides communicating – speaking, listening, reading, writing & thinking (interpersonal comm.)the top executives devote a great deal of their time on the process 6 problems in comm.·M.B.O. Long term objectives setting, policy formulation, strategic planning & allied management jobs revolve around communication system.·Organisational development & organisational effectiveness involve the network of comm. process in some kind of information system for attainment of effective results in the organisation.·Control system in organisation depends largely on comm. system. ·Decision making & comm. system are inter-dependent to each other.·Productivity of an organisation is largely dependent on comm. by maintaining good human relation in the organisation. By encouraging suggestions & encouraging them whenever feasible.

·Comm. is a tool in problem solving approach. By sharing of information , management takes employees into its confidence, prepares them for change, avoids misunderstanding, & make the subordinates more knowledgeable about the problems & policies of the organisation.·It is the mechanism through which human relations have developed essential ingredients in management-employee relations.·Comm. is the basic tool for motivation. An increase in the moral of the employees largely depends upon the effectiveness of comm.Objectives of Communication : Management depends upon comm. to achieve organisational objectives. Since managers works through others, all their acts, policies, rules, orders & procedures must pass through some sort of comm. channel. Thus the objectives of effective comm.. may be listed as follows –·To develop information & understanding which are necessary for group effort.·To foster an attitude which is necessary for motivation, co-operation & job satisfaction.

·To discourage the spread of misinformation, rumors, gossips & to release the emotional tension of the workers.·To prepare workers for a change by giving them the necessary information in advance.·To encourage ideas, suggestions, from subordinates for an improvement in the product & work conditions, for a reduction in the time or cost involved & for the avoidance of the waste of raw materials.·To improve labor- management relations by keeping both in contact with each other.·To ensure such free exchange of information & ideas as will assist all the employees in understanding & accepting the reasonableness of the status & authority of everyone in the organisation.·To satisfy such basic human needs, as the needs for recognition, self-importance & sense of belongingness.

·To serve anxiety functions such as entertainment & the maintenance of social relations among human beings. ·In brief, a good comm. system not only ensures the transmission of information & understanding among individuals & groups but unifies group behaviour, which provides the basis for continuing group co-operation. The efficient functioning of any organisation depends on how well its comm. channel operates. • Management ways of Communication : Following are the probable ways of effective comm. from management side – • ·Mgmt. must think clearly before communicating with respect to attitude of receiver.·The purpose of comm. must be clearly known as to what is to be achieved & how to achieve.

·The audience must be thoroughly known, as also the timing & media of comm.·Before communicating, it is always better to consult some one who knows about proper comm.·Proper attention be given on language used, tone of voice, expression & emotion.·The mgmt. should be prepared to help receiving audience & make the information clear to it.·It should encourage comments, ask questions, follow-up & encourage feedbacks from receiver.·Comm. should be based not only on present requirements but also on future needs.·Comm. should always be supported with appropriate action for.·The mgmt. should cultivate the habit of listening.

Barriers in Communication : Communication, when it is impeded & does not reach receiver, is often some what ineffective & impediments are known as barriers. These barriers can be broadly classified in 3 categories –i)Human/Personal : Barriers arising from the fact that individuals are involved in communication and they differ from one another depending on their varied backgrounds in respect of geographic, economic, social, educational & occupational. This type of barriers can again be sub-divided into several group e.g.· Personal emotions – Many a time instead of listening in a rational, objective manner to what is being said, one occasionally becomes emotionally involved. Accordingly judgments are being biased rather than logical.·Biases – If receiver mind is free of bias, optimist & forward looking, the comm. & interpretation of messages is more likely to be objective & accurate.

·Perceptual variations – If perceptions on a particular subject are more or less close between sender & receiver, comm. will be more effective.·Competencies·Operation of senses – Variation in sensation level from person to person. • ii)Semantic : Arise due to the differences in meanings which different people attach to different things. A poor choice of symbols, confused meaning of symbols, or the ignoring of non-verbal one could distort comm. Semantic can be divided in following ways – ·Wrong word interpretations·Gesture wrong decoding·Erroneous language translation·Wrong sign & symbol

iii)Technical : Arise due to non-proper technical support e.g.·Geographical distance·Mechanical failure – Arising out of organisational structure, where responsibility & authority are not properly assigned resulting chaotic & non-existent comm. as channels are not clear.·Physical obstruction – Which are due to environmental factors, such as weather disturbances, physical distance, distracting noise etc. ·Time lags – If the message reaches the receiver at a time when he is not ready to utilize the message or the message is too late to be helpful or the message is received at a time when the receiver is preoccupied with some other matters and therefore, misinterprets the meaning.

Removal of Barriers :·Identify & analyze the barriers.·Top mgmt. should be convinced of the need of comm.·Emphasis upon the written statement of policies.·Recognize that comm. is a 2-way process.·Consistency & coherence are essential for successful comm.·Overcome distance barriers – use physical devices e.g. telephone, intercom.·Comm. is a continuing process.·Empathetic speaking & hearing are essential – speaker should know the audience, their needs 6 feelings otherwise short circuit.·Optimum timing – When the receivers are ready to a mood of problem solving, messages be transmitted.·The use of feedback improves comm. process.·Reception of message may be helpful in conveying the intended thoughts.

Communication Process