Introduction
Communication remains an integral element of any given workplace. Organizational leaders rely on their competencies to guide their followers to achieve their aims. In most cases, communication processes tend to be non-verbal and verbal between workers in the same environment. Unfortunately, some obstacles ad barriers might emerge that affect the targeted organizational goals. This paper describes the emerging issues to do with communication in my workplace.
Barriers
The selected organization operates in the retail industry. Specifically, it acquires a wide range of products from different manufacturers and suppliers after which it markets them to the targeted customers. Unfortunately, specific barriers to communication are evident that continue to affect the overall level of organizational performance. The first challenge arises from the cultural dynamics exhibited in different workplaces (Darnish & Ramu, 2018). While the company has been on the frontline to promote a superior culture that includes people from diverse backgrounds, the effort has contributed to specific issues in the process of communication. This problem exists due to language diversities and cultural expectations.
The second challenge affecting the nature of communication is that some leaders fail to listen to some of their followers. This gap has created a scenario whereby communication breakdown has become a common issue. Some of the workers might choose to make assumptions without focusing on the anticipated goals. The third issue affecting the effectiveness of communication in the absence of trust. This gap is attributable to the nature of team leadership whereby some of the individuals in supervisory positions fail to offer timely guidelines (Darnish & Ramu, 2018). The followers are compelled to speculate and make decisions that might not resonate with the anticipated goals.
Fortunately, the topmost leadership uses two unique challenges to address these gaps. First, they encourage the workers to identify the identified barriers and propose some of the best suggestions to transform the situation. Most of the decisions made are usually in accordance with the inputs the partners provide. Second, the HR department is tasked with investigative duties to analyze the quality, channels, and processes of communication (Darnish & Ramu, 2018). The professionals in the department introduce timely improvements to ensure that information is related from one person to another in a professional and timely manner.
Team-Based Communication
Being a player in the retailing industry, the selected organization has established several teams that focus on their specific responsibilities. For instance, there are teas focusing on customer service, marketing, information and technology (IT), HR management, and research and development (R&D). Each team is designed and equipped with the right tools and resources to support the communication process (Krizanova et al., 2019). For instance, most of the members in different groups are required to communicate directly through meetings, phone calls, or guidelines. The use of emails and text messages (TMs) is common to ensure that all workers focus on the best outcomes.
To support the delivery of timely results, each team has a leader who designs the communication plan, ensures that timely updates are shared, and supports decision-making processes. The leaders will then share their observations with their seniors. Through the use of these communication procedures, most teams find it easier to achieve their goals (Krizanova et al., 2019). For marketers, communication takes a dynamic approach whereby the professionals need to focus on the demands of the final customers. The ultimate aim is to develop a unique communication model that is capable of supporting organizational performance.
Addressing Intercultural Communication
As described in the above analysis, the selected organization experiences various communication issues arising from the existing cultural differences. The implemented strategy aimed at making the company culturally diverse attracts additional challenges within the area of communication. This gap might trigger new problems in the manner in which people with diverse backgrounds apply non-verbal and verbal cues when interacting with each other (Zahran, 2020). To address the possibility of these predicaments, the leaders at this organization should begin by formulating a superior model for educating and empowering all followers to learn how to communicate with their colleagues with diverse backgrounds. This approach also means promoting various organizational attributes, such as cultural competence, openness, equality, and collaboration.
The company can introduce a new change aimed at guiding and empowering more workers to become good communicators. Such a strategy will encourage them to learn more about nonverbal communication, know when to react to their colleagues, and design superior initiatives to address emerging differences (Zahran, 2020). The move to include individuals with diverse cultural backgrounds in every team can help support the implementation of such a change. Finally, the leaders can identify some of the best practices in the company when it comes to intercultural communication and reinforce them. Such an effort will ensure that most of the workers become proficient in intercultural communication.
Conclusion
The above discussion has identified organizational communication as an evidence-based practice in any given company. Poor communication can affect the level of teamwork, disorient performance, and reduce the level of profitability. Despite some of the barriers identified in the selected company, it is agreeable the promotion of the existing teamwork practices and the promotion of intercultural communication can transform its image and take it closer to its business goals.
References
Darnish, M. G., & Ramu, M. (2018). A study on the barriers on the effective communication. International Journal of Pure and Applied Mathematics, 119(17), 57-69. Web.
Krizanova, A., Lăzăroiu, G., Gajanova, L., Kliestikova, J., Nadanyiova, M., & Moravcikova, D. (2019). The effectiveness of marketing communication and importance of its evaluation in an online environment. Sustainability, 11(24), 7016-7034. Web.
Zahran, F. A. (2020). Internalization perspective: Incorporating intercultural awareness in language teaching. International Journal of Social Sciences Perspectives, 6(2), 68-77. Web.