English assignment essay help on: Communication between organizations
Introduction
The term business communication is used in reference to all the messages that are sent and are received for the official purposes, such as running a business, managing the events and affairs in the organization, conducting formal business events and so on. The major difference between the personal or social communication and business communication is the inclusion of formality (Belanger 2005). Communication is the life blood of any business organization and the major purpose of this type of communication in the organization is to influence the action by affecting the change. It takes place among various business organizations, in the market place, within the organization itself, and between various groups, such as employer and employees, employees and employees, buyers and sellers, salespeople and prospects, service providers and customers, and the people of an organization and the persons in the press. The impact of all these communication is huge and if done in a correct and appropriate manner, business communication can promote the business interests. If it is not done in a correct manner, it can adversely affect the activities and interests of the business, thus portraying and presenting the organization in a poor light in the business arena (Stuart et al 2007).
The essay focuses on the importance of business communication, the impact of business communication on the performance of the firm and the type of business communications with relevant frameworks and models so as to gain thorough knowledge about the current business communication practices and how can the organization gets the benefit of effective business communication.
Importance of business communication
Business communication defines most of the organizations and if done correctly, it results into the effective marketing campaigns, building of productive interpersonal relationships among coworkers and effective and successful resolutions for customer service. As the audience demands different and varied type of communications suited best for the particular situation because situation and settings differ from time to time, the organization must understand how to tailor the communication messages for attaining the best results. There are multiple channels available for business communication that makes the communication possible among various parties involved within and outside the organization (Belanger 2005).
In business, there is always the requirement to build up the reputation and credibility so as to gain and get the trust and confidence of the clients. Business communication is the name of encompassing not only the business parties outside the organization, but also with the people working in the organization. This results in the business becoming not only well organized but a sales letter or any inquiry within the organization will be handled with proper care and attention. However, the business communication does not mean only that only the inquiry of the client has to be responded in a prompt manner, but the feedbacks as well as problems are also to be responded with equal attention both within and outside the organization (Klank 2010). Thus, the business communication holds importance in creating a balance between the internal and the external factors specifically when it pertains to dealing with people, so that the organization can run smoothly and effectively.
Importance of communication between different departments within the organization
One of the most important forms of organizational business communication is communication between departments in the organization. The importance of this form of business communication becomes more important when the communication breaks down. It is most important for the company to implement the policies in order to strengthen the communication between different departments and thus maintaining the efficient flow of the information. The importance of effective business communication between different departments can be seen in the form of build of trust within the organization (Stuart et al 2007). When there is presence of trust among different departments of an organization for the purpose of delivering accurate information, it facilitates elimination of the step of extra checking of the facts that can in turn slow down the speed of the productivity of the organization. Departments should make sure that the information they are giving to other departments of the organization are reliable and authentic so that the operational efficiency can be improved ultimately.
The importance of interdepartmental communication can also be identified in terms of effect on the customer service. If the communication is poor among departments, it can lead to poor customer service. For example, a client of the company can continue receiving mails from the company for receiving the bill of the invoice if there is no formal business communication between the departments of accounts payable and accounts receivable. It can create the risk of losing the repeat business. Thus, in order to retain the clients or the customers and increase the loyalty level of them, it is necessary that a high level of customer service is maintained. It implies that when there is appropriate and accurate sharing of information among different departments, then the client can be attended to in a proper way, thus ensuring improved customer service (Courtland 2007).
Moreover, the accurate sharing of information among different departments also increases the sale and productivity of the company. For instance, if the sales department is not able to cope with the increasing department and is losing business, it can be due to the poor business communication between the sales department and the manufacturing department as it might remain unaware of the increase in the demand of the product, thereby making the company to suffer the loss. Therefore, the accurate sharing and exchange of information among departments can prove to be fruitful for the business of the company as it can meet the projection of the sales on time so as to get the product to different distribution points, and having all the related documents and contracts reviewed and checked by correct people on time (Means 2009).
The exchange of information as a result of business communication can prove to be beneficial for different departments, such as engineering and marketing departments exchanging information about the requirement of the candidates to work in the company, getting information about the release of the new product by marketing department from the engineering department, and so on.
When there is breakdown of the flow of communication in the organization at any point, it affects the overall efficiency of the organization. When there are arguments and conflict among different departments, it causes the breakdown of the communication among departments (Johansen 2012).
Importance of communication routes in diagonal manner
Diagonal communication routes are departed from the hierarchical routes by promoting engagement among people who work in different departments and at different level of the hierarchical order. Business organizations are highly complex in nature including the projects they undertake. This is because in projects, there is requirement of cooperation and support from more than one department, and also the people of these departments who are at different levels within their departments. The leader of the particular project might have a different status in the department he or she works. Therefore, the hierarchical levels in a group project are less clear and transparent than the hierarchy of the organization in general. In this situation, diagonal business communication facilitates the flow and sharing of information in the functionally diverse project group (Adekola et al 2007). Thus, the group can share the information directly rather than going through the general hierarchical levels of the organization that in actual has no relevance to the project in concern. Thus, this type of communication holds importance in terms of necessity.
Furthermore, diagonal communication routes eliminate the involvement of various people in the hierarchical level that have no concern regarding the message from the sender to the receiver. Formally, the subordinate in one department has to go through the upward communication channel to give the message to another person working in another department, which might lead to alteration of message as it is going through various channels. At this time, the diagonal route for business communication can improve the efficiency of the communication in the organization (Lehman et al 2010).
Along-with efficiency, the speed of communication is also enhanced through diagonal communication. These routes provide straight lines for communication which are the best form of communication as it is the shortest distance between the sender of the message and the concerned receiver. However, the major challenge in this form of business communication is to determine at what point of time the diagonal communication routes are required and are appropriate at the same time. It is important on the part of the organization to ensure that the individuals in the diagonal communication routers are those who can be fully counted upon, so that such communication can be used for the benefit and increase in the efficiency of the organization. The exchange of the information has to be maintained on the level and the base of formal business communication (Tansey 2003).
Importance of cross cultural business communication
In order to have productive business communication strategies and relationships, every business organization is required to be sensitive enough to the potential issues of communication in cross cultural relationships. Business communication is important in building and nourishing cross cultural relationships as it helps in providing the common ground with the new business people who are in partnership with the organization. It establishes the common dialogue between the two parties as it enhances the mutual business relationship. Moreover, corporate cultures of organization are different that require different levels of communication and exchange of information. For example, a company in the field of engineering requires more depth in the aspects related to technicality, and on the other hand, a company in the sales field requires gathering thorough knowledge about the features of the product which can appeal to the clients or the customers at the end (Belanger 2005). Therefore, development of proper business communication channels as well as the context of information is necessary for an organization when it is building a new partnership with another organization different corporate culture.
Cross cultural business communication is also important in terms of building trust and improving the quality aspect of the operations of both the organizations in partnership. When the people of both the organizations work within the guidelines prescribed for working, it leads to improvement in the quality of the information delivered as well as the quality of the relationship between the two companies in business relationship. Also, the level of trust is elevated and respect is increased between the two business partners, when there is establishment of good and standards cross cultural communication (Zaidman and Holmes 2009).
Importance of communication strategies
There is necessity of frequent communication between various departments, people and management at the workplace. There is communication with the outside parties as well, such as value chain clients, suppliers and the general people or the public. Planning and executing a corporate business communication strategy assists the company in handling varying and different kinds of communication that are dispersed all through the organization. The corporate communication strategy plan paves the way for standardized communication as it tells the employees about how they have to communicate with the other people and departments in the organization. For example, the plan of the communication strategy may specify that all the formal communication has to be done via e-mails and or memo, which creates a good level of consistency at the workplace and also reduces ambiguity and confusion to a significant level (Guffey and Loewy 2012).
Furthermore, the information is dispersed to correct people at correct time when the communication strategy is in place. Both in the internal and the external environment, business communication strategies are important. In internal environment, if key people in concern are not aware of the important information, then they cannot do their work in an efficient manner, and in the external environment, if the suppliers or the other clients in the value chain of the company are unaware of the changes in policy of the organization, upcoming events or the other information related to the company, then it can affect the productivity of the organization (Khan and Khan 2012).
Effective business communication strategy also holds importance in terms of building the image of the company and boosting the morale of the staff. The professional method of doing communication with the general public and the external clients creates a positive image of the organization in terms of being professional. If there is inconsistent flow of information from different people, it presents the image of the company as a disorganized organization. Also, the morale of the staff is highly affected when there is ambiguity in the communication process and employees keep on encountering inconsistent information. If the management fails in dispersing key information to the employees, they may leave the organization as a result of frustration and ambiguity. On the other hand, consistent floe and sharing of the information leads to the creation of a sense of transparency which allows the members of the organization to feel connected to the company as they know about the key development and what is going on their very organization (Cockburn-Wootten and Cockburn 2012).
Impact of business communication on performance of the firm
Integrated business communication has a critical impact on the business and performance of the organization. In the globalized era of today, the communication practice shave witnessed a lot of changes. As companies head on to merger and acquisitions, go for strategic alliances and other kind of business ventures, fewer and fewer companies continue working only in the single country. A world- wide presence of the company implies that it has to deal with different and varying kind of perception and attitudes of general public as well as business partners along-with varying labor management relations. As the organization becomes more and more complex, it almost becomes impossible for it to keep the information only within the arena of the management structure (Krizan et al 2010). This is because every aspect of the communication process of the organization, ranging from the telephone screening, signage, memos, press and public relations, newsletters and promotional activities, contributes to the building up of the perception of the customers and has impact on the overall image and professionalism of the organization.
All the aspects of business communication should have the unified voice for delivering the message to the intended receiver. Integrated business communication recognizes all these trends and has an impact on how the organization is perceived by the public and other intended organizations and media.
Influence and impact of integrated marketing communication
The root of integrated business communication lies in the integrated marketing communication, which in turn is a strategic business process which is used for planning , developing, executing and evaluating the brand communication programs that are measurable, coordinated and persuasive programs, evaluated from time to time taking into consideration future prospects, customers, and other relevant external as well as internal audiences. There is inclusion of other stakeholders as well in this communication program. The key focus of the integrated business communication is the customers of the company, but it also recognizes the power and influence of the employees and the key public so as to develop the stakeholder relationship as well as building the brand relationship (Moll 2012).
There is huge impact of integrated business communication on the operations and the performance of the firm. It is focused on building relationships because how the business is perceived in the market is important to know for the firm as it plays a crucial role in building the relationships. Integrated marketing communication enhances the two way communication as traditional marketing communication was focused only on one way communication, but the integrated business communication also ensures that the feedback from the intended audience, whether it is general public, suppliers, other stakeholders or any other concerned business party, is ensured. Integrated communication has the impact on creation of the lifetime value of the customer, creation of the particular brand, making databases, taking feedback and evaluating it with the help of use of measurement tools. It has impact on both the internal audience as well as the external audience (Klank 2010).
In business, the conveying of the message is done through various communication channels, such as radio, internet, print, television, etc. There is a relationship between the performance of the firm and the business communication. However, there are arguments related to the effectiveness of the business communication in development of countries in relation to the constraining factors, such as lack of trust, fear, worry, cultural and racial discrimination, bad environment, etc. But some scholars have the argument that these constraints do not create any detraction in terms of implementing the business communication and it should be beneficial to the all the companies operating world-wide. The business communication can prove to be beneficial for some businesses, while it may not prove to be as beneficial to others, due to the occurrence of variations in the environment, creation of noise, variation in practices, and cultures that works as the influencing factors (Courtland 2008).
One of the biggest factors in success of any business is the ability to communicate and that too in a well organized manner. One business can be excellent in designing, but if it is unable to promote its services and communicate in an effective manner with clients and colleagues, them it limits the potential of the business. Therefore, effective business communication has huge impact on the operations and performance of the business. The major areas in which the impact of business communication can be seen are identifying and persuading potential clients, organizing meeting with the clients, communication related to consumer service, marketing of the business and building networks along-with face-to-face networking.
Business communication is goal oriented and according to the management study guide, there is constant flow of information in the business communication. Feedback is crucial and very important part of this communication. In today’s era, there are many levels of hierarchy in the organization and the work is complex due to which the handling of communication is very important and it is essential to have the consistent flow of information which is possible by keeping certain rules and regulations at place. The business communication is also guided by certain rules, norms and regulations that are needed to be followed by the company so that they can have a good impact on the internal as well as external audience. The economy of the world is becoming increasingly globalized and the nature of work is becoming increasingly complex (Ebarefimia 2012).
Use of appropriate information systems is also an integral part of the overall impact of the business communication on the performance of the firm. In order to ensure that there is no duplication of efforts, the information system should be placed such that the efficiency is increased with no duplication of the process. The major problem areas are the duplication of efforts, inefficiency in some of the processes and encountering problems in business communication. The impact of the better and improved information system for enhancing the level of business communication, and performance and profitability of the firm can be seen as- sum up of efficiency, e-commerce strategy, communication and integration leads to enhancement of the performance of the firm and, thus increasing the profitability of the firm (Means 2009).
Types of business communication
There are two types of business communication: internal and external business communication. The internal business communication involves the communication of corporate vision, plans, strategies, shared values, motivation of employees, guiding principles and exchange of ideas, etc. The external business communication comprises of the marketing, branding, advertising, building customer relationship, maintaining public relations, selling, maintaining the media relations, press releases, etc. Whatever is the type of business communication, the objective remains the same i.e. creation of business value (Business Communication: An Introduction 2011).
The internal communication is a vital means for addressing the concerns in the organization. The When there is good internal business communication, it enhances job satisfaction, increases productivity and profits, ensures safety, and decreases the job grievances and turnover. The internal business communication includes upward, downward and horizontal communication. Upward communication is from subordinates to superior, or it can be from employees to management. Without upward communication, management seems to work in a vacuum. Downward communication is from management to employees or from superior to subordinates in the hierarchical level. It transfers vital information, provide instructions and boost motivation. Horizontal communication is made between people of the same rank. It assists in solving problems, accomplishing tasks and improves the level of teamwork, thus boosting efficiency (Deumes 2008).
On the other side, external communication leads to improved sales volume, better operational efficiency, increase in company profits and public credibility. It also improves overall performance of the organization along-with improved public goodwill and corporate image. By improving company image and better operational efficiency, external business communication helps in attaining goals and objectives of the organization and customer satisfaction.
Other than the internal and the external communication, there are two other forms of business communication- oral and written business communication. The oral communication can be both formal as well as informal. Usually, business communication is considered as a formal means of communication which includes group discussions, meetings, interviews, speeches, etc. The written form of business communication can include manual, reports, agenda, etc. (Belanger 2005).
The written communication involves reports, memo, letters, etc. The spoken communication includes conversation, phone calls, interviews, sales calls, press and media releases, etc. Body language involves expressions, silence, facial expressions, etc. Visual communication involves video, photographs, etc. Multimedia communication involves the newspaper, internet, multimedia, magazines, television, internet, etc. The framework for the flow of communication can be presented in the following diagram:
There are channels for the communication for message to be sent from the sender to the receiver, and is message is not completed without the feedback of the intended audience. The sender formulates the message, and the message is delivered through various communication channels. At the other side, the receiver perceives the message, understands it and responds to the message, thus completing the flow of the information (Tansey 2003).
Barriers to business communication
There are certain barriers to effective business communication, such as personal barriers, organizational barriers and the process barriers. The personal barriers include the lack of clarity and credibility, timing, overload of the information, disconnection between the speed of thought of the sender and the receiver not being prepared, and distractions. The organizational barriers to business communication include culture, size, environment, structure and the pace of activities. The process barriers to business communication include lack of proper response, overload of the information, absence of feedback, etc. (Ober and Newman 2012)
It is necessary to remove all these barriers so as to ensure that the flow of information is consistent and the exchange and sharing of information is done in an effective manner for both the internal and the external audience. Often, business organizations communicate their business messages to employees without knowing the level of awareness of their employees about a particular issue. It can create issues in the organization as the organization might focus on issues that are of least concern or it might appear that the organization is not concerned about the actual issues or the concern of the employees. Therefore, it is necessary to get an idea of the current level of understanding of the audience or if there is any gap between what the understanding of the audience is and what the business intends to convey the message (Zaidman and Holmes 2009). Only after this identification, appropriate communication tools should be used by the business organization so as to close the gap.
Furthermore, every communication is channel is not appropriate for every situation. There should be appropriate use of communication tools including mix of traditional tools, such as bulletin boards, face-to-face meetings, and digital means, such as social media, blogs and intranet sites.
Through surveys, focus groups, polls, etc. tow way communication can be established for ensuring that the message has been clearly understood by the intended audience.
Conclusion
In the era of globalization, it is necessary on the part of business organizations to ensure effective and consistent flow of information for both the internal as well as the external audience. Business communication is formal in nature and is important for improving the performance of the firm. However, it cannot be said that there is always a positive relationship between the firm performance and the use of effective communication tools. The communication barriers should be done away with so that overall result of exchange of information is positive for the organization.
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