MANAGERIAL

COMMUNICATION
Communication is the process of exchanging information, usually through common system
of symbols. It takes a wide variety of forms-from two people having a face-to-face
conversation to hand signals to messages sent over the global tele-communication networks.
The process of communication facilitates interaction among people; without it, we would be
unable to share our knowledge or experiences with anybody else. Common forms of
communication include speaking, writing, gesturing and broadcasting.

An organisation is a group of persons constituted to achieve certain specific objectives. The

achievement of these objectives largely depends upon proper co-ordination and integration of
human effort in an organization. The people working in an organisation are interrelated; their
activities are also interrelated because they are performed to achieve common organisational
objectives. Co-ordination and integration of various human activities is possible only if there
is an effective system of communication in the organisation which provides for exchange of
information and sharing of various ideas. The more effective the system of communication,
the better the relations between workers and between workers and the management.

Communication is the flow of information and understanding from one person to another at
the same level or at different level or at different levels. It is a process which enables
management to allocate and supervise the work of employees. The effectiveness of the
management largely depends upon one person to another at the same level or at different
levels. It is a process which enables management to allocate and supervise the work of the
employees.

The effectiveness of the management largely depends upon the effectiveness of

communication. Communication system is the medium through which an organization adapts
to its environment. It not only integrates the various sub units of an organization but also, in a
systematic sense, serves as an elaborate set of inter-connected channels designed to sift and
analyse information imported from the environment. It also exports processed information to
the environment.

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As an organization grows its size, complexity and sophistication the role of communication
also undergoes a change and it becomes more critical to organizational functioning. It
therefore, becomes necessary to upgrade the system according to the needs of the
organization from time to time.

Communication keeps the workers informed about the internal and external happenings,
which helps them in accomplishing their respective tasks and are also of interest to the
organisation. It co-ordinates the efforts of the members towards achieving organizational
objectives. It also influences the actions of a person or a group. Communication is necessary
to facilitate meaningful interaction among human beings in order to initiate, execute,
accomplish, or prevent certain actions.

Though business communication is a specialised branch of general communication, there is

no basic difference between the two. The process id the same and so are the principles that
regulate them. The difference lies in their application to situations. Whereas general
communication plays diverse roles, business communication is specifically concerned with
well defined business activities.

There are two types of business activities-internal and external. Internal activities include
maintaining and improving morale of employees, giving orders to workers, prescribing
methods and procedures, announcing policies and organizational changes, and keeping the
management informed. External activities relate to sale and purchase of goods and services,
reporting to the government and the shareholders to the financial condition climate. Every
activity, internal or external, lead to some result. Therefore, the main purpose of
communication is to obtain some results, i.e. to secure an action by the receiver. The sender
expects the receiver to do something on receiving the message-write a cheque, place an
order, approve an action, send some information etc. To achieve this purpose, the language
used should be direct, plain and concise, and the style should be able to draw attention or
create desire, develop conviction and induce action. The main features that lend business
communication a distinct identity of its own are as follows:

• It deals with various commercial and industrial subjects.

• It is characterized by certain formal elements, such as commercial and technical

vocabulary, the use of graphic and audio-visual aids, and conventional formats.

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 • It is impartial and objective as extreme as extreme care is taken to convey information
accurately concisely.

• It entails complex writing techniques and procedures.

Business communication becomes effective only when the language used is effective, the
message conveyed is clear, and the predetermined purpose is achieved. Hence, effective
business communication can be defined as the use of effective language to convey a clear
business messages to achieve a predetermined objective.

Characteristics of Business Communication: Since communication is an exchange of views,

opinions, directions etc. It moves upwards and downwards. Messages, directives, opinions
etc. are communicated upwards i.e. from workers to management and from downwards
management to the workers. Thus, communication is a two way process.

Continuous process: Communication is a continuous process. More often that not is repeated
to achieve desired goals.

A short-lived process: The process of communication is complete as soon as the message is

received and understood by the receiver in the right perspective. Hence it is a short lived
process.

Needs proper understanding: The basic objective of conveying a message is a proper

understanding of the message by the other party. For this purpose, it should be clearly and
concisely worded.

Leads to the achievement of the organizational objective: Effective communication does this
by creating a sense of object orientation in the organization.

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Dispels misunderstanding: It leads to clear understanding between people and thus builds
camaraderie among people.

Importance of Business Communication: Communication is the most vital ingredient of an

organization. In fact, an organization cannot be run without an effective communication
system in place. It is widely known that the achievement of organisational objectives largely
depends upon proper coordination and integration of human effort in an organisation.

Effective communication is an essential ingredient of organisational success whether it is at

inter-personal, inter-group, intra-group, organisational or external level. Communication is
the essence of organizational effectiveness and acts as social glue that keeps an organisation
together.

A manager’s job is varied and complex. A manager needs certain skills to perform the duties
and activities associated with his/her job. The three essential skills or competencies a
manager should posses are technical, human and conceptual. Of course, the relative
importance of these skills varies according to the manager’s level within the organization.
Human skills refer to the ability to work well with other people, individually as well as in a
group. This skill is crucial, since manager’s deal directly with people. Managers with good
human skills-skills to communicate, motivate, lead and inspire-can get the best out of their
people.

Therefore communication is intricately linked with managerial performance. Almost

everything a manager does involve communication. He/she cannot make a decision without
adequate information, and to obtain this information he/she need to communicate. Once a
decision is made it needs to be communicated. The finest plan, the best idea, or the most
creative suggestion cannot take shape without communication.

By being effective, managers can create and establish a healthy organisational environment.
They can bring about vast changes not only in the management-employee relations but also

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in the external and internal communication networks of the organisation. Effective
communication enables managers in moving upwards, better functionalization of
departments and successfully dealing with complexity of business activities. A manager with
good communication skills would certainly have an edge over in dealing with and solving
problems arising out of the turbulence in trade unions and other disturbances. He/she will be
competent in facing inter-cultural differences also.

The factors that render effective communication are as follows:

Appropriate communication style: Every organisation has its own culture, which is a
reflection of its values, traditions, habits and customs. Some companies tend to curb the
upward floe of communication believing that it is time consuming and unproductive, whereas
other companies feel free to confess their mistakes, to disagree with their boss and express
their opinions. Effective managers understand that free flow of communication allows an
organisation to identify and attract problems quickly. Therefore, to promote the right
atmosphere, these managers get out of their offices and interact with other people.

Audience-centred approach: Managers need to keep their audience in mind at all times during
the process of communication. Their ability to empathize with, be sensitive to, and generally
consider their audience’s feelings is the best way to be effective in their communication.
Focusing on the audience is the impetus for everything else they do in the communication
process.

More than approach to managerial communication, the audience-centred approach is actually

the modern approach to business in general. The advantages of this approach include
successful communication by making it meaningful for the audience, enhanced credibility
and staving off uncountable ethical questions.

Understanding of Intercultural Communication: With the phenomenal advancement in the

field of science and technology, more and more businesses are crossing national boundaries
to compete on a global scale, and the makeup of global and domestic work force is changing
rapidly. To competes successfully in today’s multicultural environment they have to
overcome the communication barriers arising out of differences in language, culture,
business practices etc. Understanding cultural differences in perception, greetings and
gestures is critical to all business people. Success on business often depends upon knowing

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business practices, social customs and etiquette of the host country. Ignorance in this regard
and the mistakes committed may lead to miscommunication, which can cause businesses to
lose their position in the market, keep firms from accomplishing their objectives, and
ultimately lead to failure. Today’s managers should understand that it is not enough if they
are able to speak a language, they must also be able to communicate effectively in all
business situations.

Effective Internal Communication in the context of change: Communication takes place

within an organisation and firm, it is the process of sending and receiving information within
the company employees and not towards the outside world or it can be called as corporate
communication, where communication can be informal carried out in an organisation.
Through an effective internal communication give a good idea about the vision and mission
and then goals to achieve, and it also helps to decide the roles and responsibilities of each
employee. It shows the power and unity among the employees. Normally it creates a strong
relationship between the managers and the employees.

There are many forms of internal communication system like interviewing an employee,
team meeting, conference, intranet portals such as company websites for the employees, use
of electronic mail inside the organisation, company database and face to face interaction and
memos are the form various types of internal communication.

Change management is a systematic approach to deal in with change both from the
perspective of an organisation and on the individual level, change can occur at any time and
need for the change is increasing day by day. It is an important factor for an organization to
succeed in future change and it is possible when a company needs a change which is not
going away from the management that is quite manageable. For a successful management
change needs:

• Effective internal communication

• Proper planning and analysis

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 • Involve the employee in every field in an organisation

• Full and active support from the management

• Changes should be widely spread when it needs.

If change is going to take place in an organization, management is responsible to inform

about the change that is going to take place, provide the information and update the changes
and give clear ideas and communicate clearly in an organisation. For example if an
organisation is going to hire new employees, before hiring an employee the management
gives information about hiring an new employee and give a reason why they are hiring and
also they could ask employee suggestion.

Obstacles of internal communication in the context of change: different challenges are met
through by different communication support in the internal communication. If a change is
going to be implemented in an organisation it should be communicated to all employees
through the proper communication channels. Meeting is an usual internal communication
carried out in an organisation when a change is to occur so that they have a mutual
understanding between the employees and the managers and try to avoid communication
through mail, intra mail or memo where the employees will not be satisfied and also they will
have the tendency to resist the change if the manager could not communicate it clearly. This
is due to lack of using proper communication channels. Misunderstanding is one of the main
obstacle sin internal communications.

Conclusion

Overall some important aspects of managerial communication are introduced briefly.

Communication is the most vital ingredient of an organisation; in fact the organisation cannot
run without communication. Effective communication is an essential ingredient of an
organizational success. At the same time in order to communicate change the manager should

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use proper communication tools and channels in order to effectively and efficiently deliver
that to the employees. A manager should be very careful so as to avoid miscommunication.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Business Communication, Meenaxi Raman