Business communication trends and evolving workplace practices

Business Communications Today

The area of business communications has necessarily received increased attention in the years following the advent of the Internet, which has revolutionized communication in all aspects of life. The business world was far from immune from these changes, and communication studies and practices have evolved hugely in recent years. The use of business communication practices and techniques in daily operations is essentially all-pervasive, and the more integrated such communication becomes the more efficiently the company runs. Communication and productivity are inextricably linked to each other, especially in larger companies with many divisions and a complex leadership organization. The role of business communication is becoming increasingly important as companies grow, shift, enter new markets, and explore new possibilities in methods of operation.

In my own day-to-day activities, business communications play a large role in simply coordinating and facilitating operations in a way that aligns with the overall company needs and values. In a recent study, such facilitation was recognized as one of five primary ways in which business communications are utilized and seen as necessary for successful operations (Beurer-Zuellig, Fieseler, & Meckel 2009). Coordinating with separate departments and with vendors and distributors all require business communication skills, and following the proper chain of command both in the communications I originate and in the ideas and policies communicated to me is also an essential -- and sometimes exhausting -- part of the daily routine at my place of business, as in many organizations, and effective communication techniques allow for a more efficient running of this gauntlet.

Managing my daily work activities would be completely impossible without utilizing the practices of business communication. Technology has received increasing attention and recognition as being primarily responsible for changes to business communication techniques and practices, and for increasing the efficiency and thus the productivity of many industries. Yet research has shown that it is the advancement of actual communication practices and understanding rather than the technological facilitation of these communications that can be empirically linked to progress and innovation (Preston, Kerr, & Cawley 2009). Without real communication taking place on an integral level between all necessary parts of an organization, no amount of technology or other communication facilitation will actually suffice, which is why it is such a necessary part of my job.

One of the trends in communication I perceived at an organization where I was formerly employed was a high volume of communication that often proved highly ineffective and inefficient. Massive amounts of daily emails from various sources would arrive, often reiterating the same information or even forwarding the exact same memo. This is actually an instance of the slowdown of communication and operations due to the advances in communication technology that now exist; the ease of communication has led many organizations to over-communicate to the point of redundancy and extreme inefficiency. The emphasis in research literature on communication technology is also partially to blame for this perspective (Preston et al. 2009). This is still a problem at my current organization, though to a far lesser degree, and there is a company awareness of the problem.

The message types that result from this trend were largely ineffective, impersonal, unguided, and unreasoned. They did not really take into account who the recipients were, nor whether or not it was necessary for them to receive the communication, or if they had in fact already received it. In essence, the problem underlying these communications was a lack of real interconnection and communication between the various individuals and departments in the organization. A lack of awareness regarding what other individuals and departments were involved in and would be concerned by was clearly visible in the amount of over-communication that took place, and the emptiness of the communications seemed to demonstrate a lack of worth to the company for the individuals inundated with such pointless messages. When communication takes place like this, it becomes clear to many that the organization has no sense of the individuality or worth of its constituent parts and employees.