Gaining Cultural Awareness & Communication Strategies - Essay Sample

Abstract

Effective communication is considered a key element in the success of an organisation. Communication is critical because it establishes quality working relationships. Employers and employees have to develop a form of written communication, either written or oral, to ensure that the message delivered is accurate and as intended. To ensure that effective communication exists within the organisation, the management has to eliminate any barriers that might hinder the delivery of information. The implementation of viable strategies that would help to mitigate the barriers to effective communication is necessary. Most importantly, management should learn and implement communication theories to help them understand and predict communication. Additionally, employees need to ensure that they communicate effectively with customers to maintain loyal relationships. In the bus company, used as a scenario in this report, communication is a challenge. The purpose of this report is to discuss communication issues at a bus company.

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Introduction

Communication is a way of transmitting information from one person to another and in a way to which it was meant to be delivered. Effective communication is vital in an organisation because it contributes to organisational success. Effective organizational communication results in performance improvement and the achievement of organisational objectives. Employees and employers who strive to become better communicators have to strive to comprehend others and also be understood. Good communicators use exemplary communication skills to improve their message and the information they wish to deliver to others. Communication barriers arise in many organisations because of physical and psychological issues. Due to that, managers need to ensure that they develop strategies that would minimize communication barriers. As a manager of a small bus company in the South East of England, it has been determined that customers are dissatisfied with the drivers. The customers have complained that the drivers are rude, difficult to understand because of their strong dialect, intolerant to those who speak English as a second language, and pay no interest to those who need pushchair and wheelchair access. Even though the drivers complained that they behave in that manner because of work stress and long working hours, the vital aspect to consider is communication with customers. A meeting held recently to address new issues and policies regarding better communication throughout the company. This report outlines the concerns discussed and the proposed changes during the meeting. Additional objectives of the report are to evaluate the general theories of organisational communication, forms of written and oral communication as well as the current communication practices between drivers and customers and between drivers and senior management.

Literature Review

In any organisation, employers and employees have developed both written and spoken communication as a means of conveying messages. As Prabavathi and Nagasubramani (2018) indicate, to create effective oral communication, people have to frame words properly and delivered in the right pitch and tone. On the other hand, written communication has to adhere to clarity and correctness (Prabavathi and Nagasubramani, 2019). On most occasions, the most common form of communication is face-to-face. Nevertheless, organisation s have to make use of effective oral and written communication in their delivery of goods and services.

Communication barriers are likely to occur in every facet of an organisation. Jureddi and Brahmaiah (2016) mentioned some of the communication barriers as (1) physical barriers such as geographical location, language barriers, (3) attitudinal barriers, and (4) psychological barriers due to individual differences. Overcoming the obstacles to communication are easy as individuals at the workplace can learn to be culturally aware. Practical experience is also necessary to overcome the situations that hinder communication skills.

Skilled communicators within the workplace manage to build rapport with customers to ensure that work within the organisation runs smoothly. Kevin-IIoafu (2017) refers to communication as an art, which establishes and maintains meaningful relationships within an organisation. The author mentioned that effective communication is a tool for the strategic management of organisations. Businesses have to validate their strategies in a way that makes them understand customers and retain them.

Communication practices are significant within the organisation. Coffelt, Baker, and Corey (2016) asserted that employers should exhibit communication practices in an organisation to facilitate communication practices. According to the authors, multiple modes of business communication such as oral and written as well as visual and electronic have to be incorporated alongside excellent communication skills to ensure the success of the business (Coffelt, Baker, and Corey, 2016). Employers need to focus on salient communication practices to improve skills across the organisation.

There are many theories of organisation communication. Juneja (2015) mentioned one theory of organisation communication as Weber's classical organisation approach of fixed structures. This theory holds that communication in an organisation is structural, hierarchical, and clear. The second theory is Tompkins and Cheney's organisational control (Juneja, 2015). In the theory, control and communication determine how an organisation exercises power in either bureaucratic, concretive, and technical. The third theory is Deetz's managerialism (Juneja, 2015). In the approach, organisational communication and organisation control consider the democratic aspirations of people.

Analysis of All Discussion Questions

In the recently held meeting, the issues discussed was the implementation of better communication. The proposed changes during the meeting included the following:

• Drivers should avoid information overload and only communicate what is needed.
• Drivers should repeat messages to customers to avoid any misunderstandings.
• Drivers should decipher the appropriate channel of communication.
• Drivers should give feedback to customers frequently.

One of the general theories of organisational communication is Weber's classical organisation approach. According to Juneja (2015), the theory holds that communication in an organization is hierarchical, structural, and clear. In Weber's approach, there is no scope of confusion in the messages and employees communicate their information clearly to the top. The other general theory is the Deetz manageria...