Business Communication: Critical Analysis
Introduction
Communication is fundamental for business organizations as the productivity and activities of the business organizations depend on the collaboration and support of various people which require the communication to be intense. Communication styles also vary widely across the globe leading to adoption of different business styles by organizations. The business communication shapes the image and reputation of the business organization and stimulates the processes of identity building as well as facilitating consistent communication across all the units of the organization (Sahay and Avgerou 2002).
The essay discusses the impact of globalization on effective business communication, impact of multilingual and multicultural environment on the communication procedures of the company, and the effective measures to address the challenges of the business communication in different set-ups relating to globalization including multilingualism and multiculturalism, size of the business, and western and Asian work culture, so as to understand the challenges and successes of the business communication in critical aspect.
Globalization and multilingualism
In the globalization era, there is overlapping of complex social, economic and political processes. There is a key impact of the process of globalization on natural communication in organizations, specifically the business communication. The natural language of a community is considered as an effective tool for the thought process and communicating in that specific community. Language is an inseparable part of the culture and is a symbol for people that they belong to a particular and different community. The language is commonly marked as representative of nationality. Furthermore, the language performs a large number of functions that ensure that there is effective communication various arenas of human activities. However, on the other side, presence of isolated national languages creates hindrance in effective communication with other communities (Brioschi and Teodoro 2006).
As globalization progresses, this conflict of communication between different communities becomes deeper. On one side, different communities are coming together in concern to the social and political processes, while on the other side, the natural language which is the basic facilitation of communication between different communities, remain isolated and diversified. These natural languages are in fact a kind of communication barriers in effective business communication (Brioschi and Teodoro 2006).
Business communication is internationalized by tendencies of globalization. There are a large number of national languages and a majority of them have ensured day-to-day communication, however in business communication, the situation is different. Use of national languages for business communication might create hindrances in effective communication in the corporate world. The communication barrier can occur in the internal environment, for instance the company and its employees, or the external environment, i.e. barrier towards the client or the customer in a broad way (Zerfass and Franke 2012).
On a critical note, however, the use of national language inside the company can prove to be advantageous for the company in order to attain effective business communication as it creates a homogenising effect in terms of creating corporate culture and corporate environment inside the company through facilitating corporate communication. In a company which is monolingual, the business communication is smooth as the employees possess mutual knowledge which helps in reduction of occurrence of misinterpreting the communication message, thus ensuring better sharing and exchange of information among colleagues (Tung 2006).
But, such monolingual communication can prove to be a hindrance in effective external business communication whether it is related to communication with another organization in the same market or with other clients or companies outside the national market. Therefore, at the fundamental level, if the same language is shared among varying kind of people or organizations, it leads to reduction of barriers regarding potential distortion in translation of action into language and vice-versa (Charles 2007).
The monolingual communication environment creates homogenising effect on corporate culture and sharing of information within the organization, and the multilingualism creates fragmentation on the other side. In corporate communication, it is true that the business language is stronger than the use of any other national language. Commonalities in the business culture are quite important and critical for the success of the business in economic terms, but it still apparent that the multilingualism in business communication can prove to be negative for efficiency and effectiveness of the business. Therefore, formation of an official corporate organizational language is one of the ways to mitigate the negative impact of multilingualism on organizational business communication. This measure has its advantages but it is not without the drawbacks. The first drawback is that it leads to drawing up a line in the organization between those who can communicate in the official and native language of the company and those who cannot (Samovar et al 2009).
Another drawback of the use of an official language is that practically, the use of the official language can cut across the conventional hierarchy of the organization and it is out of the control of management.
Another way of overcoming the impact of multilingualism is using business pidgin i.e. an English form. Using a condensed form of English can help in overcoming communication barriers at various levels of the company. Although the use and application of business pidgin is limited to the very specialized and set fields of communication, yet it is more democratic than the introduction of an official language in the corporate culture. In an indirect way, both the approaches return to the monolingual form of business communication with their respective bottlenecks (Moran et al 2010).
The next approach that can be used for business communication is translation of communication to and from other languages. This approach is particularly used for official formal communication. The main drawback of this approach is that it is time consuming, the company incurs high costs for translation and there are chances of occurrence of discrepancies due to misinterpretation in the translation process.
The fourth approach in overcoming the barriers in the multilingual business communication environment is proving language tuitions. If the business organization wants to establish effective business communication both with the internal and external audience, it has to communicate with them in their own language whether they are government officials, customers, other clients, employees or labours. However, this approach is more common in European business environment than in USA which is commonly a representative of monolingual business environment (Globalization and its impacts on business communication 2011).
Depending on the structure of the company and the type of communication, the company can choose the most suitable approach out of the four approaches for effective business communication. Translation is the suitable form of communication for the company wherein there is centralised structure and there is need for vertical communication because it makes the upward and the downward communication easier. Companies with decentralised structures have the preference for business pidgin. This approach also makes the communication easier at the vertical level. Centralized structure with horizontal communication prefers the approach of official language (Globalization and its impacts on business communication 2011).
In all the multilingual companies, two things are very common and clear. Firstly, the internal communication tends to be always bad no matter how efficient the internal system is. There is existence of conflict and tension that try to distort the dissemination and exchange of information in an effective and productive manner. Secondly, most of the multilingual companies that recognize there is a problem in their business communication, they try to reengineer their internal structure instead of focusing on bringing in improvement and betterment in their means of communication (Moran et al 2010).
Multicultural corporate communication
In the ongoing globalization era, the corporate tasks and activities are performed by employees with different cultural backgrounds and different languages. Multicultural corporate business communication takes into consideration not only the personal communication skills of employees, but also the perspective of the corporate culture and strategy and the overall organization of the function and processes of corporate communication. In order to become successful in the business communication, people in the organization have to understand the importance of linkage of effective business communication with the corporate strategy and culture. Employees have to develop and improve not only their present communication skills, but also have the responsibility to improve the overall communication framework of the organization under which the corporate strategy sustains in the form of realization and implementation (Chao and Moon 2005).
When an integrated communication system is developed, it leads to formation of an organized structure in the organization that provides assistance in implementing strategic objectives, building brand, image and reputation in the market, and thus creating the economic value. It is essential and desirable for each and every employee to understand the subtle nature of the communication system which has to be built in a systematic manner and should be fully coordinated with the organizational goals and objectives. Furthermore, employees have to realize that when the communication system is limited and confined in its function and effectiveness, the image and the reputation of the company are put at stake. Communication is now considered to be at the centre of what is called as a successful business (Yates and Orlikowski 2011).
Multinational companies where multiculturalism is dominant, implementation of successful business communication is difficult. But, at the same time, it is not easy for companies that work in the confined boundaries of a nation to ensure a successful business communication, both external and internal.
Workplace Communication differences
Languages in communication are highly influenced by different and varying views of the world. The words and expressions used in a communication can have different meanings and implications for people from different backgrounds and cultures. It must be made sure by the employees that the message they intend to give to other people at the workplace are understood in a very clear manner as they are working with people from diverse cultural backgrounds. In a conversation, there can be taboo topics, personal biases regarding the social and political issues, which in turn make it difficult for co-workers to find a common background while communicating with one another (Challenges and Successes in Multicultural Corporate Communication 2010).
Moreover, there is variation in conflict management style in different cultures which can create the possibility of occurrence of tension in a multicultural environment. For instance, in Netherlands, arguments are perceived as constructive and necessary for effective communication, while in Japan, public disagreement is often regarded as deeply offensive. Considering this cultural difference in communication, the communication between an employee from Netherlands and that from Japan can be quite ineffective as their cultural notions on communication vary to a significant level. This depicts the type of problems that can be confronted by employees in an organization making it difficult for the management to attain effective business communication (Challenges and Successes in Multicultural Corporate Communication 2010).
In international business communication, it is essential for business organizations to study cultural eccentricities when going to make communication with external business counterparts who or which belong to other countries with different cultures and subcultures. There is more importance of the body language and verbal communication than earlier times in context of international business dealings. This is due to the reason that in culturally diverse business partners, even innocent mannerisms, gestures and other cultural mannerisms can create a rift due to perception of these mannerisms and gestures in a different way in other cultures (Bargiela-Chiappini 2009).
Furthermore, in written communication, the stress and emphasis is on delivery of the message to the intended audience in an effective manner so that all of them are able to understand the message clearly, rather than just showcasing the complexity in the business language (Bovee 2008).
Challenges and successes
A successful business communication requires corporate identity, corporate image, corporate strategy and corporate brand. If the companies want to establish a strong business identity, reputation and business, it faces challenges as never before in regards to development of a coherent and effective communication system. In the era of increased internationalization, companies are required a proper and deep analysis of required communication system understanding the need for reorganizing the communication function and processes. With emergence of new types of support services and corporate knowhow, organizations often need new corporate partners (Challenges and Successes in Multicultural Corporate Communication 2010).
For successful business communication across varying cultures, companies have to carefully consider different aspects of multicultural corporate communication and its organization, such as responsibilities, processes, channels, responsibilities, in-house support systems and project management, group and teamwork, control of quality, external networking, acquiring of services of specialists, and so on. Thus, there is extended need to understand and organize all these aspects of multicultural business communication (Guffey and Loewy 2010).
The major responsibilities in corporate business communication comprises of developing initiatives which play role in minimizing the discrepancies between the desired identity of the company and features of the brand; formulation and execution of effective functions and procedures for facilitating the decision making process in the communication channel; mobilizing the internal and external communication support behind the corporate goals and objectives (Jameson 2007).
Corporate communication is the function which makes significant contribution towards building reputation of the organization and thus, contributing towards productivity, competitiveness and economic success of the organization. According to the definition by Argenti and Forman, corporate communication is the function that can be centralized or it can be dispersed through the organization. In this context, it is related to the traditional function of marketing and accounting. On the other side, it is also referred to all those processes which the company uses to deliver its all messages within and outside the company. The attitude towards communication and the quality of the communication products in actual are dependent on effective handling and management of the function of corporate communication and how the communication processes are organized in the organization for both internal and external audience (Guffey 2007).
The activities related to communication know-how often require a thorough awareness of local conditions which is a challenge for a company with multicultural environment and having operations in varying national cultures, as it is not possible on the part of the management of such organization to manage such issues single-handedly from the headquarters of the organization situated in a single country. Although, it is recommended that certain corporate business communication operations should be centralized to the head office of the organization, yet active cooperation from the local partners of the organizations is equally desirable so as to manage the communication process according to the knowhow of the local culture (Jameson 2007).
Owing to the above mentioned situation, the organization is faced with more challenge than before in regards to the building and maintenance of favourable corporate image and reputation on the international platform where organization and cooperation of both the internal and the external communication has to be correct. There is need of careful balance between the standardized communication function and processes, and adapted solutions or strategies that are tailored according to the needs of the local conditions where the company has established its operations (Tung 2006).
Another challenging task among communication managers is sending out corporate messages at the international level specifically through communication within the organization. Although, today’s modern business organizations have a better understanding of the strategic role of the corporate business communication, the practical organization of the corporate business communication processes in such a manner that they support the organizational business strategy, reputation and brand in a true way, is not an easy task.
English, which is mostly acceptable in the corporate world, can be used as a joint official language for most of the companies in Europe, America and Australia. But, the problem is not solved here because people working in the organization in different countries have to be conveyed the intended message in different ways. In some countries, personal communication works better, while in some other countries, intranet is the most suitable option for communication. Therefore, it is not easy to convey the message in the same manner across all the units of the organization working in different countries and settings (Sahay and Avgerou 2002).
In order to overcome this challenge, building of local network communicators is a suitable option where corporate business messages are tailored according to the needs and requirements of the local context. The task of the organization becomes offering different communication tools along-with external services as well as other means of support so as to further the goals and objectives of the organization. However, in this case, the organization have to carefully consider the extent to which the corporate message has to be localized and to what level the localization leads to the multiple meanings and understandings of the corporate business messages (Tung 2006).
There are significant advantages of effective business communication in the organization, such as it helps in better communication in different cultural workplace environments, facilitates building of brand image, identity and reputation of the business organization in the era of globalization, and paving way for better economic returns and efficient management of operations across the whole organizational unit the functions of which are spread across various nations and different cultural environments. However, rapid changes in the nature of work are presenting profound challenges in front of the organizations making them rethink their communication strategy (Brioschi and Teodoro 2006).
These challenges include demands for flexible work environments which comprises of inclusion of collaboration tools allowing the participants in communication to create, share and connect information which is relevant to their work; audiences are dispersed as they are located across various locations; globalization which necessitates the effective business communication to address varying learning styles across multiple cultures, corporate boundaries, and time zones; information overload under which employees struggle to identify when and how the information they are finding, sharing and consuming is convenient to them; budget constraints force companies to do more in less budget so as to comply with the cost cutting initiatives (Brioschi and Teodoro 2006).
In order to address all the above-mentioned challenges for modern organizations working under dynamic corporate environment, adoption of collaborative communication technologies, processes and functions can assist the organizations in attaining tangible business results in the form of their ability to disseminate the information to more people in cost effective ways, enhancing the engagement of employees in communication activities in the form of building employee forums for discussion, collecting feedback, and celebrating successes collectively, managing and motivating the staff located in remote areas and offering flexibility to the intended audience to consume information in most convenient manner (Chao and Moon 2005).
Business communication in small enterprises
In small and medium size enterprises, managing business growth and development in an effective manner is an ongoing challenge because resources are stretched and employees often have the responsibility of doing multiple roles. New employees are required to integrate with the organizational structure and functions in an effective manner. The success of the business communication often depends on how quickly the associates connect and collaborate, stay connected with the customers as well as suppliers, thus creating a clear differentiation between the organization and its competitors (Bowen et al 2009).
It is required on the part of small and medium enterprises to deliver the flexibility, scalability, mobility and protection of investment which is required to be communicated and collaborated without any limitation that could occur from confined organizational resources, thus managing the expansion costs in an effective manner, and driving the business forward with full speed and within the set budget (Decker et al 2006).
Businesses that come in the small and medium range businesses often find themselves struggling in a workplace that is increasingly becoming virtual and always on. They are using important advanced communication tools for improving collaboration, customer service and mobility. They, in turn help the business enterprises to control the costs and expand the business. It improves operational efficiencies of the company by helping the partners and key associates to collaborate in an effective manner with the other business partners, clients, customers and internal workforce (Dawkins 2005).
For the owner of the small and medium enterprises, it is easy to be on the either side of the coin when he can become an irritated consultant or a frustrated executive. Both the situations arise from ineffective business communication. When the business communication goes wrong, it costs money, time, contacts, clients and peace (Bowen et al 2009). In order to fix the communication issue, the small and medium enterprises should follow these steps:
Clarify the assignment: It is essential to give clear instructions to the employees’ right from the starting of any procedure. Clear documentation is an essence to effective business communication and it makes sure that the internal and the external audience are aware of the intended message.
Clean the air: Whenever the communication goes wrong, it must cleared as soon as possible by the management specifically in case when the person to whom the intended message went wrong is required for the business operations in future as well. Clear documentation gives a fresh start for the communication and cleaning the air regarding the wrong communication prevents the business people from small and medium enterprises to remain away from headaches, and improving the business for potential business in future.
Cut the losses: It is the third step in the process of handling the communication system in the small and medium size enterprises. If the professional relationships are not working out, then it is necessary to establish the communication with the team that can work out. There is no place for non-productivity in the business.
Create a system: Every communication issue demands placing a proper communication system in place so as to make the flow of the communication better next time every time. However, the systems are not required to be complicated but consistent, for instance, questionnaires can be created for new clients and special e-mail communication system can be set up for fresh assignments for clear documentation of all the work requests. In order to build a better business, a good communication system plays a critical and crucial role (Dawkins 2005).
Unlike large business organizations that have internal IT systems and communication technologies, small and medium sized enterprises lack specific IT department that can take care of the secure communication system throughout the organization. Small businesses need security, control, flexibility, scalability for future growth and ease of use of advanced communication technologies for saving the time and money (Decker et al 2006).
On the contrary, large businesses want to remain competitive and focus on providing customized services with minimum fallouts in the communication system, self-care portals and monitoring of the implementation of the communication process with constant feedback.
Communication framework in large businesses
The large organizations working in different countries and having operations and set-ups in different cultural environments are embedded in a wide and broad set-up of stakeholder relationships as well as constraints in terms of economy, law and culture varying from country to country. The traditional communication strategies of allocation and limitation of the access of business interactions and communications to specific stakeholders and units of organization, such as marketing, sales, customer service and public relations are no longer feasible or viable in the networked society of globalized world of today (Kalkan 2008).
In traditional terms, the business communication system is required to shape the positive image of the organization, building of identity and identification of the culture through communication with internal and external stakeholders, and improving the operational efficiency of the business. However, all these communication activities are not only performed by communication professionals, but also by leaders of every department and every worker and employee of the organization who is in contact with other person relating to his job. Therefore, large organizations need to integrate implications of communications in their decision making processes (Korkala et al 2009).
The core elements of the communicative organization are awareness of the communicative role of every employee, consistent outbound communication, and carrying on inbound activities with a holistic perspective which also interprets and integrates the information from the neighbouring areas. Theoretically, communication professionals are seen as consultants as well as enablers of communication. The role of these communication professionals has been studied under external communication system in the form of consultant executives (Zerfass and Frank 2012). However, they also have a critical role to play in the internal company environment as well as depicted in the following picture:
(Zerfass and Frank 2012)
The internal communication consulting is included within the concept of public relations and research on communication as follows:
(Zerfass and Frank 2012)
The above figure suggests the role of internal communication consulting in the form of enabling and advising. Communication and task related issues can be solved by the internal communication consulting (Zerfass and Frank 2012).
Differences in cultural business communication: Western and Asian
If there is a great deal of misunderstanding in context of cross-cultures, it can lead to great differences in communication process between different cultures affecting the productivity of the business. In general, the western culture has selected the categorical boundaries, visual data and sensory stimuli as important factors for problem solving, while in eastern or the Asian culture, people tend to solve problems through a wider range of fragments, emotional stimuli, and aural data. It is difficult for two persons in engaging in a task collectively when both consider different information and factors as important (Clausen 2007).
High context and low context are also point of difference between western and Asian culture. In low context, people pay less attention towards the context, emotional cues or the unstated meanings of the statement. On the contrary, due attention is given to the unspoken subtleties in the statement and implicit elements in the given situation in the high context which is the characteristic of the collectivist cultures wherein holistic pattern is the valued method of coming up to the solution to a particular problem. Western organizations work under low context, while Asian and African organizations work under high context cultural environment (Starke-Meyerring 2005).
Language is another point of difference among western and Asian business organizations. In western culture, language is considered to be the best form of communication that allows the accurate transfer of information from one person to another. On the other hand, Asian philosophy considers language to be the least trustworthy form of communication and the truth or the information that is revealed without words is more trustworthy and true (Charles 2007).
Although, business language is more formal, direct and conservative than the informal and social language, yet there are variations in the language use. In many business situations, pictures, facial expressions, and non-verbal gestures are excluded from the area of use of official language so as to clearly avoid the emotional aspects of the situation and thus sticking only to the issues and conversation related to business and its operations (Samovar et al 2009).
There is narrow range of appropriate business communications, but in this business communication area, there are some variations that are not desired by the management. Most of the organizations expect the business letters to have formal words, and should have the terms and phrases that have been chosen by the financial and the legal department of the organization for avoiding any kind of misunderstanding related to the contract or promotion. This is the formal and desirable thing on the part of the organization, but in practical terms, many companies follow the custom of emailing in chat forms, sending humorous responses to vendors, supplier and customers. Also, the communication channels as well as the language used for colleagues, customers, vendors, regulatory agencies, bosses and other external and internal stakeholders are quite different (Baillieul and Antsaklis 2007).
There is also variation in the regulating behaviour of employees in the context of business communication. The western society lives in the world of rules and instructions, and cannot do without them, while the Asian and other non-western societies have not such case and somehow people know what they have to do or follow as they keep on taking cues from the surroundings and the environment. These differences in the cultural settings have clear implications for the business communication (Hofstede 2007). For instance, employees in the companies based on western philosophy adopt their behaviour norms according to the employee manuals and official memos.
If the employee wants a week holiday, he must consult the sources and his employment contract to know whether he is entitled to get the holiday. After that, prescribed procedures are followed and the leave is granted according to the policy of the company. On the other hand, employees in Asian and other non-western organizations are more likely to approach their boss for the case. They will explain to their boss how important it is for them to take leave for one or the other reason. Ironically, the employee has to follow the bureaucratic procedure for the leave grant, but the leave is ultimately granted on personal decision (Baillieul and Antsaklis 2007).
Likewise, there are differences in negotiation, decision making and contracts. The contracts in western organizations are based on proper documentation that are legally binding, while in Asian and non-western organizations, mutual trust and understanding play more critical role than documentation which merely play the role of memorandum of understanding (Clausen 2007).
All the above-mentioned differences in the behaviour in western and Asian business organizations depict the differences and complexities in the effective business communication specifically for multicultural organizations as there are vast differences in the philosophies of the western and the non-western cultures, which makes it necessary for global business organizations to think of various measures for ensuring effective business communication (Moran et al 2010).
Conclusion
Business communication is necessary and important for organizations to thrive in the competitive business world. It is important for organizations in terms of facilitating the transfer of the intended message to the intended audience in an effective manner, increases the operational efficiency of the organization and makes the communication with the internal and external stakeholders quite smooth and integrated. However, unlike traditional form of business communication which was confined to building the image of the company and building customer relations, the business communication today plays a critical role in binding the internal stakeholders to the organization and its activities. The emergence of the globalization era has led the companies to work in multicultural environment, thus making the business communication more challenging than the earlier times. Differences in business communication lie at certain points, such as western and Asian working culture, small and medium sized enterprises and large business enterprises, and so on. The differences can be sorted out with the application of integrated business communication, and following approaches such as official language, language tuition, business pidgin, and translation of communication, thus addressing the challenges of multicultural and multilingual business environment.
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