Comprehensive Principles of Management Communications

Comprehensive Principles of Management Communications

BUS 600 Management Communications with Technology Tools

Comprehensive Principles of Management Communications

Communication is essential to the success of any organization, however the comprehensive principles of management communication are what set a small mediocre organization from a successful thriving business. Without the principles of management communication there cannot be growth. This research paper will be a comprehensive research review of the significant principles of management communications used to successfully achieve organizational objectives.

Effective Communication Norms in a Business Setting

Communication norms for a business setting regulate the organizational culture, it is helpful to become familiarized with the mission, vision, and values of an organization. The most effective communication method for setting norms in a business comes from those three well versed documents. A sign that an organization does not hold effective communication norms is the lack of importance of communication in their mission statement. My employer holds communication with the utmost value that it is found in the mission’s statement multiple times, it is also one of the core ten values of the organization. It is essential to make the importance of communication a daily norm, this in return gives the employees a blue print layout of how the organization operates and the culture grows successfully.

The Role of Interpersonal Communication as Manager and as Employee

The most important single ingredient in the formula of success is knowing how to get along with people—Theodore Roosevelt. President Theodore Roosevelt was correct in his statement then and it is still accurate in today, without communication a manager cannot get the job done. He needs to find the correct method of communication that both empower his employees and make them feel appreciated. A good technique to overcome barriers of communication from a manager to a subordinate is to actively listen to the employee’s needs. By actively listening to employees then acting on those needs to fix whatever the issue may be the role of interpersonal communication is strengthened.

The role of interpersonal communication is just as important for employees. According to Bedwell, Fiore, and Salas (2014) “interpersonal skills is undeniably important in today’s business world as increased collaboration, which requires highly effective interpersonal skills, is a dominant form of work” (p. 182). As an employee being a team player is vital to show leaders you can work well with others. The interpersonal skills you develop as an hourly employee will pave the way for future management roles. A technique to overcome barriers as an employee is to recognize the personality differences of your leaders, by getting to know them you will learn what their barriers are and take responsibility in your role to conquer those barriers.

International and Intercultural Interpersonal Communications

In today’s global business world the role of international and intercultural interpersonal communication is important to have and maintain a successful organization. With globalization and outsourcing a common business practice leaders must fine tune sensitivity of their global employees. According to Han (2013) “intercultural communication competence is multi-dimensional in nature, implicating not only the linguistic competence, but also the power of perceiving and interpreting socio-cultural events, and the behavioral ability of coping independently with cross-cultural encounters” (para.1). Globalization has also changed the lives of those that are located in the foreign countries where US citizens must assimilate to new business interpersonal communications from whatever county they have been assigned.

Presidents and CEO’s of companies now find themselves learning Mandarin when dealing with Chinese businesses. If international and interpersonal communication is to work collectively for the benefit of an organization the leaders must be aware of the correct way to communicate with those individuals. Leaders need to communicate efficiently issues such as “how the demand and supply can be met in the most efficient and profitable circumstances, and how the production factors such as labor, capital, and technology can be obtained and used at the lowest possible cost to maximize overall profits” (Shaqiri, 2013, para. 1) without offending the competence of others. The old feelings of ethnocentrism have no room in today’s global businesses that desire expanding beyond their own borders.

Verbal and Nonverbal Management Communication

Verbal communication for management is a pre-requisite of a good leader if it is not it should be. Research divulges that “the non-verbal components are at least as important as the verbal components of interpersonal communication in shaping the outcome of employee–customer interactions” (Jain, Sethi, and Mukherji, 2009, p. 57). It is easier to comprehend verbal communication from a manager, they are usually telling subordinates how to do something. Yet the non-verbal communication that management while not as apparent is also interpreted by the organization’s employees. For effective verbal and non-verbal management communication to be successful, manager’s attendance of seminars in these communication methods is highly recommended. These seminars can be expensive but they are worth it when the leaders of an organization have come to an agreement the importance of knowing how to communicate effectively with their employees.

Approaches for Effective Written Management Communication

There are many forms of management written communication; email, correspondence, memos, etc. According to Quirke (2013), “in an attempt to provide guidelines rather than massive rulebooks, organizations are communicating a spate of communication initiatives around corporate ethics, codes of conduct, values and compliance” (para. 17). By making the compliance of management for all written communication it helps to prevent miscommunication. Also when codes of conduct require language to be specific and work related specifically when dealing with written communication, it can erase the idea that the written communication is private. All communication is in fact owned by the organization and therefore should be treated with the same professionalism as a face to face interaction. This has worked for my employer and is an excellent approach for effective written communication among management.

Approaches for Engaging an Audience and Encouraging Active Listening

The number one fear of people is public speaking, only dying comes in as the close second. Knowing this is a good reason to appreciate a good public speaker. Being an active listener, requires you to be in the conversation and focus on the sender’s information, along with any other signals being sent (Kreps, 2011).  I have made many presentations to which I have come to appreciate telling stories in order to keep the audience engaged. According to Honey (1992) “stories can stimulate ideas, build rapport, increase attention, and decrease resistance to change” (para. 1). Telling stories that paint the picture is a great method of encouraging active listening because stories usually have an ending. If the audience does not pay attention then they miss the message. I have had very positive reactions to storytelling in my presentations and I would highly recommend it for a nervous speaker. It also serves as a reminder that some of the best politicians do not consider themselves good speakers but instead consider themselves great storytellers.

Effective Methods of Conflict Resolution

Conflict resolution is part of working in close proximities with any certain people within any organization. Even employees who attest to high job satisfaction will encounter conflicts in their work. According to Freres (2013) “on average every employee wastes 3 hours a week on conflict” (p.90). While conflict is inevitable the method of conflict resolution is what makes on organization stand out. “Conflict resolution includes an understanding of the concerns of the parties, both concerns about personal outcomes and concerns about the other side’s outcomes affect the nature of the conflict” (Baack, 2012). Not every conflict resolution will end with a win/win scenario, however a leader that strives for win/win resolution will succeed in the most effective conflict resolution method. Having good conflict resolution skills comes back to applying active listening to the parties of the conflict and assuring them they are being heard, appreciated, and respected. Leaders cannot simply solve conflicts without communication to all parties involved. The correct method involves dialogue and interaction that will regain the trust lost.

Techniques for Leading Teams and Group Meetings

Leading a team is perhaps one of the greatest challenge for a manager. Leading is not simply managing a group of people. Anyone can be a manager, the difference from a leader and a manager is that people have the desire to follow the leader and work hard for the better of the organization. According to Baack (2012) communication in groups takes the steps of “forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning” (para, 9.2). One step cannot be skipped or mismanaged for the group can fall apart if they are put on hold in any given stage before reaching the adjourning stage. Forming and storming tend to be the most combative stage. A good technique to managing these initial stages is to allow each individual a platform to speak their mind about what their contribution to the group will be. Egos must be set aside in order for groups and teams to succeed, Wittke (2008) suggests “any implementation of communications activities needs a comprehensive strategy that takes all stakeholders into account” (para.1). When the comprehensive strategy is placed where all group members are aware of their responsibilities and have come to an agreement of their roles holding group and team meetings is facilitates.

In conclusion, communication is indeed essential for any organization to succeed. As elaborated within the research paper the comprehensive principles of management communication are what set a small mediocre organization from a successful thriving business. With these principles of good management communication and following the techniques suggests this facilitates the road for organizations to successfully achieve organizational objectives.

References

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