Building an Effective Organizational Communication Structure

Introduction

Communication skills are crucial to the survival of people and organizations throughout the globe. People and organizations increasingly depend on communication skills in order to achieve goals, meet needs, and realize expectations. The significance of communication to the survival of humankind is demonstrated in rapid technological advancements geared toward improving communication across geographical boundaries. For organizations, communication is the premise through which workers perform their respective jobs and responsibilities toward the achievement of established organizational goals and objectives. This paper outlines a proposal for the establishment of a new communication structure in an organization based on five vital concepts. Effective communication in an organization is realized through establishing an appropriate communication structure grounded in these important concepts for successful communication.

Background Information

The modern working environment comprises diverse individuals from varying cultures, educational backgrounds, races and ethnicities, and religions. This significant diversity is attributable to increased globalization, which has enhanced interactions between people from different parts of the world. Despite these differences, individuals work together toward the achievement of common organizational goals and objectives. The ability of these individuals to collaborate effectively is affected by several factors, particularly organizational communication. Without effective communication processes, organizations are characterized by increased dissatisfaction, numerous complexities, declining productivity, and persistent conflicts.

For organizations to ensure the effectiveness of internal and external communication processes, the establishment of suitable communication structures is necessary. According to Trenholm (2011), an organization is likely to become more efficient and effective when communication succeeds (p. 202). On the contrary, when communication fails, individual members and the organization experience tremendous challenges. An organizational communication structure helps establish appropriate measures to ensure communication processes are effective and succeed relative to desired goals and objectives.

The quality of organizational communication is directly linked to the type of communication structures an organization establishes. While individual members typically communicate on their own, suitable communication structures help ensure effective communication regardless of the position or status of individual members. Communication structures thus provide the basis for organizational members to participate easily in organizational tasks and achieve desired goals. Moreover, communication structures within an organization define the tone and mode of communication between individual members.

Organizations examine several considerations when determining and establishing communication structures. One of the most important factors is organizational structure or culture. Organizations with highly stratified structures tend to utilize formal communication structures, while smaller organizations tend to rely on informal and relatively concise ones. Additionally, organizations must consider their various work teams, since different teams work better with different communication structures. Finally, organizational processes and operations influence the kind of communication structures established, depending on whether communication is urgent or routine.

Concepts for Successful Communication in an Organizational Setting

Apart from the previously mentioned considerations, establishing a communication structure for an organization requires an understanding of key concepts for successful communication. These concepts also function as vital relational communication skills that help promote effective communication within an organization. Some of the most important concepts for an organization to consider are discussed below.

The first important concept for successful communication in an organizational setting is active listening. This concept is not only vital for relational communication but is also fundamental to effective communication overall. According to Kandlousi, Ali, and Abdollahi (2010), an effective communication structure helps employees focus on the speaker by actively demonstrating verbal and non-verbal listening skills. A good communication structure promotes active listening because speakers need respondents to signal genuine engagement. In an organizational context, active listening enables employees and managers to understand organizational goals and objectives and perform tasks directed toward achieving them. Therefore, active listening is one of the most important concepts that should be embedded in any communication structure. An organization's management should ensure its members are trained in active listening in order to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of organizational processes. Without active listening, a communication structure will be ineffective because information will not be transmitted successfully.

There are several important aspects of active listening that organizational members should understand and demonstrate. The first is posture: an active listener should maintain a suitable posture when receiving information, as body position significantly affects how a message is understood. Second, active listening involves maintaining eye contact with the speaker, though not in an intimidating manner. Given the potential for eye contact to feel intimidating, the listener should combine it with smiles in order to encourage the communicator. Third, facial expressions are important because they signal the listener's level of understanding. When establishing a new communication structure, it is therefore important to account for these active listening cues to ensure effective communication.

The second important concept for successful organizational communication is interpersonal conflict resolution and management. The nature of the working environment shows that conflicts are inevitable, particularly because of the demographic differences among organizational members. Given the likelihood of conflicts occurring in an organizational setting, creating suitable interpersonal conflict management mechanisms is essential to ensuring effective communication. The proposed new communication structure should therefore assist the organization in understanding and effectively responding to conflicts that arise. Without suitable conflict-handling mechanisms, the working environment becomes toxic and makes it difficult for members to perform their tasks. The increased diversity of today's working environment also means that conflict resolution mechanisms must reflect the range of cultures present in the organization.

The proposed communication structure should ensure that employees are properly trained in interpersonal conflict management skills. This would require collaborative processes such as conflict coaching and mediation, which help lessen the relational and financial costs of unresolved conflict in the workplace (Brubaker et al., 2014, p. 357). When communicating, organizational members should be aware of several important principles for creating a safe, conflict-free working environment. Communicators should not assume their perspective is universally shared, should not pressure others to agree with their ideas, should not assume that people view situations in the same way, and should show genuine concern for others' perspectives. The communication structure will thus provide suitable mechanisms and skills for resolving interpersonal conflicts and promoting positive relationships in the workplace.

Conclusion

Communication is an important aspect of organizational processes and operations, since it is the basis upon which tasks are performed. The ability of an organization to achieve its desired goals and objectives is largely dependent on the effectiveness of existing communication structures and processes. As demonstrated in this discussion, effective communication in an organization is realized through establishing an appropriate communication structure grounded in key concepts for successful communication. These concepts include active listening, conflict resolution, formal and informal communication, organizational culture, and leadership strategies. Together, these elements form the foundation of a communication structure capable of improving employee performance, collaboration, and overall organizational effectiveness.

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