Effective management communication is of
paramount importance in the success of any organisation because it creates a mutual understanding environment between the
management and its employees. It gives a sense of direction to the workers as
they now understand what they are to achieve through good communication.
Directly, it also helps in increasing the employee's productivity.
Historically, investigation into problems
experienced by an organisation has shown that a breakdown in the communication
process has been a major component of this.
The first step in
good communication is to listen effectively. Today’s trend is away from
top-down management, where decisions and policies are proclaimed from above. As
good managers we now consult a lot more with our teams, using them as a
resource for information and suggestions. Effective listening is based on
having the trust of the people we are speaking to. People may not offer their
true opinions when they are wary about how they will be received. So being a
good communicator means winning the trust of those around you. It also means
being able to foster a work environment where people treat each other fairly,
where they respect each other’s opinions and where there is a minimum of
anti-social behaviour such as backbiting or rumour mongering. Bullying or
harassment of any kind builds walls in a workplace. It will stunt
communication, shut down co-operation and hurt efficiency.
Consultation is not only a good way to
get ideas on business strategy, it is also a way of making sure that when we do
decide on policies everyone feels like they have been involved. Our teams will
be able to implement policies more effectively if they have been involved in
their formulation. They will be more familiar with the issues - we will have
dealt first-hand with any misgivings they may have.
Good communication is essential to
building a cohesive and effective team. These skills are essential to managing
the performance of team members and a key part of managing individual employee
performance. If we have good communication skills, we will know how to give
clear feedback on performance while not denting people’s self-esteem. They
enable us to work more closely with our team members, determine personal goals
that will suit them and help them to work towards those goals. Team morale
tends to be higher in a workplace where communication is good. People feel more
in control when they have all the relevant facts and they are warned of issues
well in advance. They are likely to feel more confident and secure when they
know where an organisation is headed, where they have the information to plan
their medium and long-term future. The more people feel in control, the lower
their stress levels tend to be. In addition good communication generally means
being open.
I feel it extremely important to have a
good relationship with individual employees and thus I have weekly 1-1s with
members of my team where we discuss their own personal and company goals and
any ideas and suggestions they may have. These discussions also help us set the
boundaries for what our work place deems as acceptable behaviour whilst
maintaining a professional and assertive tone in an atmosphere which is non
aggressive and without conflict. We feel this approach enhances the
individual’s self esteem and job satisfaction and sense of being part of our
organisation.
Basically, our skills
as communicators are felt in nearly all of our business dealings. If we and our
teams communicate well, we maximise efficiency. We find out about issues
earlier and can deal with them without adding further complications or
misunderstandings. Having good communications skills in a business is as
important as the other major components that make up a successful business,
such as its purchasing, sales and accounts departments. This contributes to a
faster flow of information and in turn potentially can save us time and money.
Written by: Mike Morris, QA and Support Manager, DSCallards
Visit: www.dscallards.com
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