2.3.2 Organizational Communication
and Services
Kreps (1990:33) Communication is part of the process whereby
rules, regulations, and responsibilities are designed and presented to members
of the organization. Communication should not be overlooked when considering
ways to improve services. He also states that, «communication in an
organization serves to establish managerial control, provide workers with job
instruction, and enable managers (librarians) gather information for
planning.
In the views of Champoux (1996:35-37), observes that the
function of organizational communication includes: Information sharing; it is
the concerned by all possible means of distributing information. The Feedback:
(how the receiver of information react), integration to coordinate diverse
functions, Arguments (the way of discussing to the information), and Innovation
(the outcome resulting from skill gotten due to that communication). Lesikar,
in Stoner (2000:22) The Organizational communication is influenced by many
factors: list the following factors: Formal channels of communication,
Authority Structure, Job Specialization, Information Ownership.
2.3.3 Barriers to Organizational
Communication
Diwan (2000:113) asserts that, «the problem of effective
communication is unfortunately greater than just the recognition of its scale
and importance.» People may be unaware that their attempts at
communicating have not been successful. The Effective communication is needed
for productivity. Open or effective communication is not always obtained.
Koontz (2001:99-101) summarizes the barriers against communication, saying
that, «communication problems are often symptoms of more deep-rooted
problems. For example, poor planning may be the cause of uncertainty about the
direction of the organization.
Some barriers to effective communication: Therefore, Onuoha
(1991) notes the following barriers: Communication overload, badly expressed
message, inappropriate medium/Language, Poor, listening/decode and premature
evaluation arising from lack of understanding, Grapevine with informal
organizations within organizations, Hostility between the participants,
Bureaucracy.
Peterson (1962:44) observes that, «communication can and
does affect work adversely if not properly handled. There are graduations of
degrees of these effects, ranging from a slight drag against the progress of
the enterprise to the causing of errors or misunderstanding of the
philosophical foundation of the main organization, and thereby make the output
of the system virtually impossible,» stating further that, «one
ever-present cause of faulty communication is that, language, whether oral or
written, is itself faulty or imperfection when the meaning of words and
sentences and equally the emotional content is ambiguous.
The American Management Association (AMA) (1955:84) suggests
the following standards for effective organizational communication climate:
Clarity of ideas, Examination of purpose, Understanding of human and physical
environment, Planning, consultation and discussions, Request for support and
approval, Weigh and consider the content and also the overtones of the message,
Communicate helpful and palatable messages, Actions must be congruent with
communication, Listen well to get the organization move forward.
Conrad (2005:16) Organizational Communication is essential in
Teams Building, team may be defined as two or more people who have a specific
performance objective or recognizable goal to be attained where the
coordination of activity among the members of the team is required for the
attainment of the team goal or objective.9 A variety of teams exist within
organizations such as work teams, project teams, research and development
teams, sales teams, and special task forces.
Clear elevating goal: High performance teams have both a clear
understanding of the goal to be achieved and a belief that the goal embodies a
worthwhile or important result. When setting goals, it is important to remember
that: (a) goal setting is better than no goal setting, (b) specific versus
vague goals are better, (c) difficult goals are better than easy goals, and (d)
participative goal setting is equally effective when compared to assigned goals
provided the person assigning the goal is viewed as having more authority,
power, and expertise than the follower
Results-driven structure: Different kinds of performance
objectives require different kinds of team structures. For example, creative
teams such as those in advertising agencies would need to have a structure that
fostered out-of-the-box thinking while tactical teams such as a surgical unit
in an operating room would require a structure that facilitated executing
surgeries in a competent and efficient manner. High-performing teams need to
have clear roles and accountabilities, access to needed information from
credible sources, a system to help them monitor performance and receive
feedback, and a fact-based decision-making style.
Competent team members: High performance teams must be
comprised of people who have the required: (a) technical competencies the
substantive knowledge, skills, and abilities related to the team's objectives,
and (b) personal competencies the qualities, skills, and abilities necessary to
identify, address, and resolve socio-emotional issues.
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