Organization and People
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Organization and People
Question One
Introduction
Communication is one of the crucial aspects when it comes to running a business. Good communication does not just entail transferring the intended information, but it is also the art of listening, comprehending, processing, and transferring information. Therefore communication enquires a huge amount of effort from the respective individuals. If one of the parties is unable to follow the processes, then the communication may fail. Some communication barriers and challenges may cause the failure. Barry, for instance, has been trying to communicate with the employees at the restaurant, but they seem not to be following the rules he asks them to follow. The failure of the employees to follow Barry’s instructions may be due to the fact that there are barriers and challenges which affect the communication process.
Body
Some of the communication barriers and challenges include emotional barriers and taboos. Some of the emotional barriers include anger. Anger can alter the way one perceives a situation and thereby affecting how a person processes information. Angry people may find themselves in situations where they do not accept people’s explanations or solutions that are offered by others. For instance, Barry seems to be having issues back at home, and one day, he is seen to get to work when he is upset. He becomes very frustrated without even asking the employees why, for instance, the food was lying in the kitchen area. Another emotional barrier is that of pride, where one always feels superior to the others and that he is always right. Barry is certified in matters concerning food safety, so it might be one of the reasons he focuses only on his ideas.
Another communication barrier that Barry is facing is a language barrier. The restaurant employees come from different cultures and ethnic backgrounds, and for most of them, English is not their primary language. Barry seems to be communicating in only English, and therefore it may be hard for them to understand since most of them are not familiar with the language. The word choice in the signs that “keep hot food hot cold food cold” may have a lot of repetition and may be confusing to the employees. The word chosen may also be confusing to the employees since they seem to rhyme, and therefore they may lose the meaning intended. The words on the sign saying “wash your hands always and often” are contradicting due to the use of the words always and often at the same time. The message may not be very clear.
The cultural differences among the employees are, in addition, another challenge that Barry is facing. The definition of clean and safe may vary from one culture to the other. The employees also vary in ages since they belong to different age groups, and therefore it may hard to communicate to them using one method. Barry seems to not be taking into account that there is cultural diversity and that the employees vary in age, which may affect how the employees respond to the instructions.
Conclusion
Some of the communication barriers that Barry is facing include language, emotional, and cultural barriers. The fact that the age of the employees varies from 16 t0 55 years is also a challenge since they might have different perceptions and require to be communicated to differently. These are the challenges and barriers preventing Barry from communicating well with his employees on food safety matters.
Question Two
Introduction
Organizations can adopt different types of communication climates, and they include open and closed communication climates. An open communication climate entails the employees being allowed to express themselves freely ad offer suggestions that their superiors can undertake. It is mainly encouraged by trusting, supportive and participative environments in an organization. On the other hand, employees who work in organizations with closed communication climates often are not allowed to express themselves or give suggestions to their superiors. The main style used is authoritative, where the employees are supposed to do what they are asked without questions asked. From the case study, Barry can be seen to be implementing the closed communication climate more since he does not give a chance for his employees to give their opinions on food safety matters.
Body
One of the characteristics of organizations that adopt a closed communication climate is that there are usually high turnover levels. The high turnover levels are mainly due to the fact that the employees feel like they are being oppressed since they are not given opportunities to express themselves. The same case can be seen at the restaurant where Barry is the food service manager. Barry is unable to do on the job training for all the employees since there is a high turnover rate at the restaurant and, therefore, the need to fill the positions immediately.
Employees in the restaurant do not seem to be motivated since they do not follow the instructions that they are given, which means that they are somehow being forced to do things. Despite all the instructions given by Barry, they do not follow them since they lack the motivation needed as they may feel like they are always ordered to do things, and their opinion is not considered. Some of the employees do not even get the chance to be trained and start working, and therefore they may not be aware of the rules that apply to food safety, yet Barry can be seen as mad at all of the employees.
The employees seem not to be well informed on the rules of food safety, which means that they do not get information well. This may be due to the fact that Barry uses closed communication to communicate to them the food safety rules, and therefore they do not have opportunities to seek clarification or ask questions. The conflicts regarding the conduct of the employees seem to be solved negatively, and this is one of the characteristics of a closed communication climate. Most of the employees seem to leave, and there is no proper dialogue between Barry and the employees if they do not.
Conclusion
Barry, therefore, seems to be adopting a closed communication climate. The conflicts in the restaurant seem not to be solved since the employees end up leaving, and those that remain behind Barry is not seen to be engaging in talks with them for them to express themselves. Also, the employees seem not to be well informed since they are not given opportunities to air their grievances and give their opinions on food safety. The employees seem to be unmotivated, which is a characteristic of organizations that adopt a closed communication climate.
Question Three
Introduction
Communication is vital in every organization if it wants to succeed. Any communication challenges and barriers that exist should, therefore, be eliminated or reduced. Some of the communication barriers and challenges that Barry is facing include emotional, cultural, language, and age differences challenge. The challenges can be solved by, for instance, the adoption of some communication skills by Barry, for instance, the skill of active listening. Barry can learn to not always command the employees but also get their views on the matter of food safety, and that way, they will feel more involved and will be motivated to practice the food safety measures.
Body
Barry can try to overcome the communication barriers and challenges by ensuring that he first clarifies the ideas with the employees before communicating. Some of the messages that he delivers may not learn to the employees, especially because most of them do not have English as their primary language. He should first communicate the main idea being the practice of food safety measures, which are the benefits and the consequences that arise as a result of failure or the practice of the food safety measures. That way, the employees will understand why it is important to practice food safety in the restaurant.
He should also be more aware of the tone, language, and content of the message. Barry should ensure that he is not rude to his employees and that the language used does not hurt the employees’ sentiments, especially when he is angry. The content of the message should also be clear in that it should be understood and not confusing. Since most of the employees may not be well conversant with speaking and reading English, the message written on the signs, for instance, should be straight to the point and clear.
The information should be simple and not overloaded since instead of communicating with the employees, the message may bring about confusion instead. Barry should also promote an interactive approach where the employees will free to approach him and give him their opinions. As a result of the interaction, employees may be more open, and hence it may be easier to communicate the intended message. Barry can, in addition, try to learn about the different cultures of the employees. By doing this, he will be able to understand the employees better and therefore come up with better ways to communicate to them depending on their cultures.
Conclusion
There are different measures that Barry can take to address the communication barriers and challenges he is experiencing. One of them involves developing better communication skills, such as learning to listen to his employees instead of commanding them all the time. He should also ensure that he first communicate the main idea of food safety that is the importance of practicing food safety before training the employees. Barry should ensure that the tone, language, and content of the message are appropriate, which will ensure that the employees are not intimidated. Since there are different cultures and the employees have different ethnic backgrounds, Barry can try to understand their cultures, and this way, he will be able to communicate with each one of them effectively.