Role of internal communication in organizations

Internal communication refers to the process by which a company shares information to its staff to enhance effective operations (Karanges et al., 2015). Effective communication within an organization enables the staff of the organization to work collectively towards a common goal. Internal communication may involve activities like communicating new policies of an organization to the staff, announcing a future event, and so on. It can be conducted through emails, notices, memos, or through word of mouth. For internal communication to be effective, it must be both top-down and down-top. In many organizations, internal communication is usually the responsibility of the Human Resource department.

There are many benefits of internal communication in organizations. For instance, internal communication helps create a safe and friendly working environment where employees can air their opinions (Wright, 2016). Studies have shown that most employees like to be updated on their organization’s future events, policy changes, headcount changes, sales, overall performance, etc. Communicating the policy changes, company sales, and other issues experienced by the organization exhibits transparency, and employees feel safe in such a working environment. This encourages creativity and innovation among employees, as they can share ideas openly without fear. It also enables the organization to retain its talent and attract new talent as the employees are satisfied with the organization’s policies.

Internal communication helps strengthen organizational culture. Every piece of information communicated to the staff portrays what the organization stands for. Internal communications emphasize the organization’s values, missions, and goals. Therefore, internal communication must be conducted to guide the staff in practicing according to the organization’s stipulated culture.

During crises, internal communications keep the employees calm. Announcing the structural and policy changes ensures transparency and enables continuity of work during these times. It is essential that organizations tell employees which departments or individuals will be affected by a crisis and to what extent. A delicate tone should be used in such situations, especially when some members have to be laid off. Also, it is crucial the management answer all of the employees’ questions during these times. This will help the organization sustain itself throughout the crisis.

Even though internal communication is crucial to all organizations, some barriers hinder this process. Communication barriers refer to action or factor that hinders effective communication in an organization. These barriers occur due to poor management, resisting changes in management trends, lack of motivation, and conflicts within the organization. Communication barriers often cause challenges in the operations of an organization as information is not shared efficiently. These barriers lead to a lack of transparency and integrity; thus, issues start to develop among employees, management, stakeholders, and clients. This usually affects an organization severely.

The communication process in multinational organizations

Internal communication in multinational organizations ought to be done carefully as these organizations have several geographical setups. In multinational organizations, it is essential that a message reaches the intended receiver; otherwise, it can cause significant issues. Most of these organizations use Shannon and Weaver’s communication model to relay information to various stations and staff. When using this model, context is always considered as each situation affects how information is conveyed (Koptseva, Liia, and Kirko, 2015). According to this model, the communication process has nine significant components. These components include:

1. Source: this refers to the individual or department where the message originates from. The communication of the message is usually affected by factors such as the source’s and receiver’s communication skills.
2. Encoding: this is the process through which the source puts their message into recognizable symbols. Usually, these symbols are written text, spoken word, or body language.
3. Message: the symbols created in the encoding process.
4. Channel: the medium through which the source transmits its message to the receiver. Multinational organizations communicate messages through emails, phone calls, fax, etc.
5. Receiver: this is the office, department, or individual whom the message is meant for.
6. Decoding: This is the process through which the receiver tries to give meaning to the source’s message. It is the process where the receiver reads or listens to the message and tries to understand it.
7. Response: refers to the action taken by the receiver after understanding the message.
8. Feedback: After the receiver responds to the message, it is crucial that the source is aware of the response. This makes the communication two-way. Two-way communications are an essential part of running multinational organizations.
9. Noise: anything that disrupts the original form of the message is considered noise. Noise can distort the message or affect how the receiver understands the message.

Feedback

Source: (McQuail, and Windahl, 2015)

Difference between communication in the workplace and social settings

There are several differences between communication in the workplace and social settings. These differences include:

1. Formality

Communications at the workplace are formal. Workplace communications use as-a-matter-of -fact language. Social interactions, on the other hand, are less informal may employ a variety of tones depending on the relationship of the communicating parties.

2. Hierarch

In the workplace, communications follow a stipulated hierarchy. For instance, if a staff member has an issue that needs to be addressed, most organizations specify that he/she first air the matter to the lowest authority and work their way to the top, depending on the complexity of the issue. Unlike workplace communication, social interactions do not follow any hierarchy. Any party is allowed to communicate in whatever order and time they wish.

3. Speed

Communications at the workplace often have time constraints in which they must happen. For instance, HR might be required to develop a memo within a specified period. The group for which the notice is meant for might also be required to respond to the notice within a required time limit. Failure to meet these time constraints might be regarded as disrespectful and professional and may have severe consequences. On the contrary, social communications may not always have time limits. Delayed response to a friend’s message might not bear any consequences.

4. Skill

Even though effective communication skills are required for the workplace and social communications, the evaluation of these skills is much stricter in the workplace. For instance, correct pronunciations, spellings, and body language are essential in workplace communication but may not matter in social conversations.

Communication barriers

As discussed earlier, communication barriers refer to factors that hinder the relay of information in an organization. Communication barriers cause challenges in an organization’s operation’s as the employees fail to work according to the issued directives. There are four types of communication barriers; process barriers, semantic barriers, physical barriers, and psychosocial barriers (Lunenburg, 2010).  Process barriers occur when one or more steps in the communication process are blocked from happening. This section shall explain the various process barriers that exist and how they can be prevented or dealt with:

1. Sender barrier

This occurs when one has an idea or relevant information that they need to share but does not. It may be due to the fear of getting criticized by colleagues. Organizations can overcome this barrier by creating friendly working environments where staff feel free to air opinions. This can be achieved through effective internal communication and encouraging employees always to air their ideas.

2. Encoding barrier

This refers to a case where the source cannot put their message into symbols understandable by the receiver. For instance, in a situation where the source and the receiver speak different languages. To prevent this, organizations should diversify their staff to allow multiple individuals to speak specific languages within the organization. Organizations can also utilize language translating apps or hire individuals to translate the language.

3. Medium barrier

Often occur when the medium used does not deliver the message as expected. This can be prevented by using high-quality communication mediums and ensuring regular maintenance. In the case where the message is conveyed verbally, the source must exhibit excellent communication skills.

4. Decoding barrier

This type of barrier happens when the receiver fails to understand the message. This can be dealt with by using simple and precise vocabulary. Excess use of jargon should be avoided.

5. Receiver barrier

A receiver barrier occurs when the receiver fails to receive the message. For instance, an employee may fail to listen to what a manager says because of a lack of attentiveness. Organizations can deal with this by relaying short messages. Long messages are often monotonous, and employees may fail to listen or read the whole message. Staff should also play their part in ensuring they are attentive.

6. Feedback barrier

This refers to the situation where the receiver does not send back feedback to the sender. To overcome this, organizations can make it a necessity that feedback must always be given.

Case study: MODUL Service AB

MODUL Service AB is a company producing a variety of appliances and tools and has its operations in Sweden, Slovakia, and China. Over the years, this company has experienced process barriers because it has offices in different geographical locations. Other factors that have caused process barriers include different time zones, culture, language, and organizational structure (Sanna, & Siiri, 2001).

Due to the rise of process barriers, the staff of MODUL Services often received memos that were not meant for them. Also, the organization’s management failed to deliver a unified message; thus, employees were often confused about its mission and values. In addition, the company experienced some transparency issues.

With time, MODUL Services AB has tried to improve its organizational structure to prevent communication barriers. To prevent medium barriers, the company has developed stricter routines to ensure that messages always reach the correct receivers. Over the years, the company has significantly overcome its communication barriers, which has caused it to thrive in various countries.

Recommendation

Poor internal communication can have severe implications for organizations. The following are recommendations that would help MODUL Service AB to prevent process barriers further:

1. The organization’s management should make internal communication part of its organizational culture. The staff should be given on-the-job training on effective communication. The company could also utilize benchmarking programs.
2. To avoid delivering messages to the wrong parties, extra care must be taken when sending messages. The company should install messaging software to prevent such situations.
3. The company should also come up with strategies to encourage effective communication from top-down and vice-versa. Internal communications enhance the overall performance of an organization, as creativity and opinions are encouraged.

Conclusion

Internal communication is key to all organizations. Not only does it affect an organization’s performance, but it also enhances its beliefs. To be effective, internal communications should be two-way. All organizations must ensure that their employees do not feel voiceless. Through internal communication, employees can work collectively to achieve a common goal. Clearly, there are a lot of benefits to internal communication. Therefore, all organizations should ensure effective internal communication within all their offices and departments.

References

Karanges, E., Johnston, K., Beatson, A. and Lings, I., , 2015. The influence of internal communication on employee engagement: A pilot study. Public relations review, 41(1), pp. 129-131.

Koptseva, N.P., Liia, M. and Kirko, V.I., , 2015. The Concept of “Communication” in Contemporary Research. s.l.:s.n.

Lunenburg, F., 2010. Communication: The process, barriers, and improving effectiveness. Schooling, 1(1), pp. 1-10.

McQuail, D. and Windahl, S.,, 2015. Communication models for the study of mass communications. s.l.:Routledge.

Sanna F., & Siiri M.,, 2001. Internal Communication in an MNC: an underestimated key to success. s.l.:s.n.

Wright, M. e., 2016. Gower handbook of internal communication. s.l.:CRC Press.