Introduction
Poor communication and consequent undesirable business performance are caused by the stressful working environment. Employment relationships and business performance are anchored on effective business communications. Business organizations have integrated information communication technology (ICT) to enhance information exchange among their stakeholders. Effective business communication is that which disseminates business objectives and builds strong relationships between organizational stakeholders. Misunderstandings among employees involve poor communication, and can negatively affect business activities in various ways. Inappropriate workplace communication leads to poor business performance and reduces employee output and morale. Therefore, firms may become incompetent and unsustainable in the wake of disorganized and ineffective communication. Ineffective communication encumbers productive collaboration among an organization’s stakeholders, leading to poor business performance.
Effective Business Communication
Meaning of Effective Communication
Effective communication is a multifaceted concept since it has various characteristics. According to Itzchakov and Grau (2020), effective communication is that which is consistent with organizational objectives. Every company has its rules and regulations that are anchored on its reason for existence. Organizational objectives are majorly drawn for the vision and mission statements. Additionally, effective communication can be described as that which clearly disseminates intended information. The rationale for sending information is to request the recipients act in some way. For instance, clear communication would define its objectives and desired actions to be taken. Furthermore, business communication can be said to be effective if the stakeholders can easily interpret it. Businesses must prioritize effective communication among their stakeholders.
Benefits of Effective Communication
Organizations that have enhanced effective communication enjoy various benefits associated with it. Communication promotes stakeholders’ collaboration, making it easy to run the company (Itzchakov & Grau, 2020). Teamwork among stakeholders is crucial for problem-solving and employees’ wellness. For instance, the psychological well-being of employees is promoted when organizational leaders are always ready to hear out problems faced at work. The consequent employee collaboration is central to increased productivity. Moreover, communication plays a significant role in the realization of organizational goals (Itzchakov & Grau, 2020). Some of the company’s objectives and goals are increased profits, environmental sustainability, and improved competitive edge in the industry. Furthermore, vision and mission statements are clearly understood and executed through effective business communication (Qin & Men, 2022). Successful business organizations have integrated effective business communication to remain afloat in the industry.
Effective Business Communication Strategies
Diversification of Communication Channels
Technological advancements have revolutionized the way business stakeholders communicate with each other and their clients. Communication channel diversification involves the use and maximization of all digital and traditional methodologies. A combination of print and online digital media promotes effective communication (Burksiene & Dvorak, 2022). The print media includes the use of pamphlets and printed letters, among others. Meanwhile, online digital media include the use of memos and letters shared on common social media platforms. The advent of social media has played a significant role in enhancing business success. Encouraging employees to use social media platforms allows them to have continuous engagement with each other and clients. E-mail and WhatsApp are some of the appropriate media that employees and other stakeholders can use to effectively communicate. Diversifying communication channels provides stakeholders with a wide range of choices and platforms to disseminate internal and external communication.
Integration of One-on-One Communication
Virtual communication and the use of third-party messengers can be detrimental to effective communication. One-on-one communication denotes direct contact or correspondence between two parties. While print media play a significant role in effective communication, some stakeholders may get bored with it. Consequently, it is recommended that business organizations avoid the overuse of print media (Burksiene & Dvorak, 2022). Stakeholders can meet the intended recipients of certain information physically. Business leaders should encourage direct member participation during business meetings (Burksiene & Dvorak, 2022). Participation in business meetings builds employee confidence and helps them to exhaustively communicate their problems. One-on-one communication helps builds stakeholder relationships by strengthening their social bonds (Zandi et al., 2022). Direct communication is an important strategy that organizations can adopt to avoid misinformation.
Causes of Poor Workplace Communications
Poor Leadership
Organizational leaders are primal in business success since they can positively or negatively influence employees. Consequently, poor leadership can be detrimental to effective stakeholders’ communication. The business executive board may have difficulties in attaining crucial information from the management which is disorganized (Ramadhini & Manafe, 2022). Employee support is crucial for effective business communication. The support may include maintenance and repairs of failed communication systems. Poor leadership may fail to offer such assistance when needed exacerbating internal miscommunication (Itzchakov & Grau, 2020). Supervisors in poorly led business organizations often fail to respond to employee needs, worsening communication and employee-management relationships (Ramadhini & Manafe, 2022). Organizations can adopt transformative leadership to overcome miscommunication associated with poor management.
Increased Cultural Diversity at Workplace
While diversity is important for social growth and development, it can lead to poor business communication. Diverse business organizations have employees from different cultural backgrounds. The differences in cultural backgrounds can cause conflicting perspectives among employees (Itzchakov & Grau, 2020). Stakeholders with a common culture may tend to promote communication that is consistent with their beliefs. Meanwhile, the same stakeholders may oppose any communication that is inconsistent with their culture. A diversified working environment, additionally, involves language differences (Farooqi et al., 2022). Consequently, there are many cases of miscommunication and misunderstanding. Furthermore, diversity is associated with conflicting messages and information interpretation (Farooqi et al., 2022). Although organizations need to promote diversity, it is important to consider its effects on their internal and external communication.
Unclear Organizational Objectives
Organizational goals and objectives help define the channels used for communication and message dissemination. Therefore, it is vital for businesses to effectively and clearly communicate their purpose in the industry. Clear organizational objectives can be expressed in the vision and mission statements. Unclear business objectives and goals encumber effective communication in various ways. The employees fail to understand their purpose in the company, making it hard to communicate with other stakeholders (Ketprapakorn & Kantabutra, 2022). Additionally, the employees are unable to achieve targets set by the management since it is unclear what is expected from them (Suleiman, 2022). Furthermore, unclear organizational goals are detrimental to stakeholder unity which promotes effective communication (Ketprapakorn & Kantabutra, 2022). Therefore, organizations need to state their objectives and purpose in a manner that is understood by stakeholders.
Impacts of Poor Workplace Communications
Poor Employee Collaboration
Collaboration among employees is significant for business growth and development. Poor workplace communication can negatively affect employee relationships in various ways. Organizations with ineffective communication are prone to prone routine conflicts among employees (Suleiman, 2022). Consequently, the business’s success is jeopardized since there is increasing resistance to change due to personal differences among stakeholders. Unity of purpose allows the employees to work towards a common goal. However, with poor communication strategies, there is a lack of employee unity (Zandi et al., 2022). Business leaders may find it difficult to unite the employees, causing poor business performance. The negative attitude among stakeholders and consequent unethical behaviors such as discrimination may arise from ineffective communication (Zandi et al., 2022). Employee relations can be ruined by poor communication, negatively affecting business activities.
Poor Workplace Morale
Employee proactiveness can positively influence the service output and rate of productivity. Proactive and committed employees are always ready to maximize their performance for increased profitability. Poor business communication demotivates the employees, making them inactive. Therefore, there is a lack of commitment toward organizational goals, leading to lesser profitability (Zandi et al., 2022). Failure by organizational leaders to attend to employee needs is associated with work pressure, causing poor performance (Ketprapakorn & Kantabutra, 2022). Additionally, the work pressure can exacerbate employees’ emotional distress. While the employees may need support systems during these tough times, their organizations fail to provide them since their needs are misunderstood (Zandi et al., 2022). Organizations with poor and ineffective business communication are bound to fail.
Unpredictable Work Environment
A predictable work environment is significant for risk management and associated strategic planning. In a business environment with poor communication, business leaders provide unclear organizational objectives (Suleiman, 2022). Consequently, none knows what to do or what is expected from them by the management. Moreover, employees’ mental instability due to stress can cause unpredictability in their performance (Suleiman, 2022). Furthermore, inconsistency by the management can exacerbate the poor business situation. Business uncertainty encumbers future planning and risk management that is beneficial to overall sustainability.
Poor Business Performance
The overall impact of ineffective business communication is poor performance. Stakeholders, including employees, help determine a brand’s reputation and productivity. However, poor communication ruins employee morale and commitment to promoting their organization’s reputation (Ketprapakorn & Kantabutra, 2022). Additionally, a lack of stakeholder unity leads to inconsistent performance that encumbers the company’s success (Ketprapakorn & Kantabutra, 2022). Disunity is associated with losses across all organizational departments. Therefore, businesses lack a competitive edge in the market, becoming vulnerable to performance. Effective communication in the workplace must be enhanced for overall business success.
Recommendations
Technological Integration
Technology plays important role in enhancing effective communication in the workplace. Advanced communication system promotes information dissemination in a manner that is well-understood (Itzchakov & Grau, 2020). For instance, some communication systems have language interpretation abilities, making it easy to understand the message sent. The use of forecast analysis helps in predicting future employee performance. The predictions can be used to improve on areas that cause problems in the organization (Itzchakov & Grau, 2020). Technology can be used to develop appraisal systems whose output can be used to encourage employees to remain proactive at work. Technology is a panacea for poor business communication and its consequences.
Capacity Building
Capacity building involves equipping employees with the necessary skills and knowledge to enhance their communication capabilities. Training sessions that are focused on effective communication can help employees communicate and relate with their colleagues better (Suleiman, 2022). The companies can invite professionals and experts in communication to encourage social skills among business stakeholders (Ketprapakorn & Kantabutra, 2022). Moreover, empowering stakeholders on how to use technology to solve business problems would be beneficial. The capacity-building activities could focus on enhancing stakeholders’ soft skills which are key to good business communications.
Teambuilding Activities
Stakeholders’ collaboration is central to effective business communication and consequent benefits. Teambuilding involves activities that promote social skills and collaboration among team members (Ketprapakorn & Kantabutra, 2022). During team building activities, employees’ roles and responsibilities are defined, and are encouraged to unite with their colleagues for desired business outcomes. The activities promote teamwork among the management, external stakeholder, and employees (Zandi et al., 2022). Consequently, there is cultural tolerance which encumbers discrimination and other unethical practices and behaviors (Zandi et al., 2022). Another benefit of teambuilding activities is encouraging members to maximize technology as a team for the betterment of organizational performance. Negative attitudes and disunity are discouraged by employee engagement in teambuilding activities.
Employee Exchange and Expatriate Programs
Excess organizational diversity has been identified as one of the causes of poor business communication. However, diversity can be inevitable, especially among multinational organizations. Exchange programs build employee capacity in understanding other cultures and business environments (Ketprapakorn & Kantabutra, 2022). Consequently, there is cultural tolerance among employees since they develop a wide perspective on the world and other languages. Meanwhile, expatriation allows employees to work in foreign countries where they learn new languages and cultures (Suleiman, 2022). The expatriate and exchange programs are the best ways of positively changing employees’ perspectives, and reducing discrimination in the workplace.
Conclusion
Effective communication promotes desired employment relations since there is a unity of purpose among stakeholders. Poor leadership, unclear objectives, and cultural diversity cause poor communication which can be detrimental to business growth and performance. The effects of ineffective communication in the workplace include poor employee collaboration, performance, reduced workplace morale, and an unpredictable working environment. Technological integration, capacity building, and teambuilding activities mitigate poor workplace communication
References
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