Organizational Communication: Roles, Trends, and Future Implications

Introduction

Over the years, many trends have been observed within organizations. These trends include workforce diversity, technological development, globalization, and changes in the nature of work. Each of these trends has affected many areas within organizations. This paper examines how these trends have affected the role of communication within organizations. Communication can be a very tricky concept to master within an organization, especially one with complex levels and multiple issues. When there is effective communication throughout all parts of an organization, both workflow and productivity can be improved. Efforts to improve the communication processes within an organization are therefore important to ensure the organization remains strong.

Roles of Communication Within an Organization

Effective communication is quite significant for managers in an organization so that the basic functions of planning, organizing, leading, and controlling can be achieved. Communication has a key role in helping managers perform their duties and responsibilities. It also serves as a foundation for planning; all essential information must be communicated to managers, who in turn must ensure that plans are communicated so they can be implemented. Organizing also requires effective communication with others regarding their job tasks. For team goals to be achieved, leaders such as managers must communicate with their subordinates. Communication prevents employees from feeling isolated and fosters the building of teamwork, creating a more collegial atmosphere in the workplace. When relationships are strong, employees are better able to trust one another and work together more effectively.

Communication can also help employees collaborate more effectively, making for a more productive team overall. When multiple departments are working on different facets of the same project, communication aids in streamlining the process and improving the final results. When there is open communication among staff, potential issues, requirements, and feedback are surfaced, and this translates to stronger results. With clear communication, everyone is on the same page and problems are prevented before they arise. Controlling is not possible without written and oral communication. Managers devote a significant amount of time to communication, including face-to-face or telephone interactions with superiors, subordinates, colleagues, customers, suppliers, and other stakeholders. Written communication is used by managers whenever oral communication is not feasible (Management Study Guide, 2012).

Effective communication is therefore regarded as a building block of successful organizations. Communication promotes motivation by informing and clarifying to employees what tasks are to be done, how they are performing those tasks, and how their performance can be improved if it is not up to the required standard. Communication also acts as a source of information for organizational members in the process of decision making, as it can help in the identification and assessment of alternative courses of action. Communication can also play a crucial role in shaping individual attitudes — well-informed individuals tend to have better attitudes than less-informed ones.

Organizational magazines, journals, meetings, and other forms of written and oral communication play a role in molding employees' attitudes. Communication also improves socialization within an organization; the presence of people fosters interaction. Communication is essential in building relationships between staff members and across levels of employees, both professionally and socially. An atmosphere of open communication ensures that employees feel safe expressing their ideas, which yields the benefits of combined experiences when developing innovative solutions.

Communication also plays a role in controlling organizational members' behavior in various ways. Employees must comply with organizational policies, perform their jobs efficiently, and communicate any problems they encounter as well as any grievances to their superiors. Without clear communication, confusion and ambiguity can generate negative feelings and tense atmospheres. Roles and responsibilities are made clear to every employee through communication, which reduces misunderstandings and cuts costs associated with mistakes. Employee trust can also be built through effective communication.

Workforce Diversity and Communication

Clear and open communication brings a sense of transparency within an organization, which in turn builds trust between different levels of employees. When employees are kept in the dark, resentment, tension, and feelings of low job security can develop. Strong communication ensures that employees feel valued and trusted. When communication is open, it reduces feelings of uncertainty about the state of the company. Employees in turn feel they are working in a more positive environment where they are secure and safe (Management Study Guide, 2012).

In recent years, workforce diversity has increasingly become an essential business concern. Every organization aims to attract and retain the best employees available. Workforce diversity refers to policies and practices that seek to include people within a workforce who are considered different from those in the prevailing group. The workforce today reflects a considerable mix of cultures, ages, religions, and races. Employees from different cultures bring different expectations, values, and communication styles, all of which must be understood and integrated into the organizational culture for a successful work atmosphere.

Workforce diversity therefore affects the role of communication in an organization, as diverse employees from different cultures and backgrounds need to be communicated with in ways that minimize misunderstandings. Diversity requires that different communication styles be incorporated within an organization so that the responsibilities of employees are clearly stated. This also calls for acceptance and working in harmony in a diverse workplace, all of which reinforce the importance of communication (McInnes, 2012).