COMMUNICATION

SUBMITTED TO: Ms. Tarannum Ahmed SUBMITTED BY: Bhavya Nawalakha

BMS-1A

Roll No. 19044

 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I’d like to extend gra tude to Ms. Tarannum Ahmed for this project’s comple on. She has
been a constant source of guidance and assistance in the compila on of the research paper.
This study has been highly instrumental in clarifica on of all my doubts per nent to the
topic of communica on. It has also provided me with an insight into the various kinds of
communica on channels and structures in different companies across the world. The
applica on of theore cal concepts in case studies has exposed me to prac cal learning. I’d
also like to thank my friends and parents for con nually helping me through the compila on
of this project.
 INDEX

S. No. Topic

1. Introduc on
2. Objec ves
3. Research Methodology
4. Func ons of Communica on
5. Communica on Process
6. Types of Communica on
7. Selec on of Communica on Channel
8. Barriers to Effec ve Communica on
9. Improving Communica on Effec veness
10. Communica on in Global Context
11. Bibliography
 Introduc on

COMMUNICATION

Communica on literally means ‘Making common’. It is about sharing. It can also be defined
as any ac ons that create messages or displays or that interpret messages or displays.

Organisa onal communica on can be defined as a culturally dependent process of sharing

informa on and crea ng rela onships in an environment designed for manageable,
goal-oriented behaviour.

Communica on in organiza ons encompasses all the means, both formal and informal, by
which informa on is passed up, down, and across the network of managers and employees
in a business. These various modes of communica on may be used to disseminate official
informa on between employees and management, to exchange hearsay and rumours, or
anything in between. The challenge for businesses is to channel
these myriad communica ons so they serve to improve customer rela ons, bolster
employee sa sfac on, build knowledge-sharing throughout the organiza on, and most
importantly, enhance the firm's compe veness.

All forms of communica on, even the lack of it, can have an impact. A s ffly worded,
legalis c memo to employees telling them not to talk to the press about impending
li ga on could be interpreted as admi ng that the company did something wrong.
Management's repeated "no comments" to employees and the press on rumoured merger
talks may only fuel specula on about company suitors, how much the company will sell for,
and how many employees will be laid off.

Communica on should be seen as a con nuous, systema c process by which all interested
par es within the company learn what they want to know. While not all informa on is
appropriate for all people to know, in general open and free communica ons should be
encouraged within and across all levels and divisions of the enterprise.

Communica on in organiza ons should be easy and understandable. Management terms

and jargon or s ff or flowery language may contribute to the impression among employees
that management is talking down to them, or may have simply lost their interest towards
the employees and this would defeat the purpose of open communica on.

Management should obtain and analyze feedback about the state of communica ons at
their company. Indeed, managers may have mispercep ons about the quality of
communica ons because they have failed to avail themselves to per nent informa on
from others. What do employees think of management's communica ons efforts? Do they
believe what management says? Are some methods more effec ve than others? How
quickly can management adjust its efforts to make the communica on be er?
 OBJECTIVES

This study has been undertaken with the mo ve of gaining an insight into the concept of
Communica on. I’ve tried to delve into various concepts that relate to the significance of
communica on in the corporate sector. The following have been iden fied as the primary
objec ves of the research paper:

⮚ To study the main func ons of communica on.

⮚ To study and describe the communica on process.
⮚ To contrast different types of communica on- Formal and Informal
⮚ To iden fy common barriers to effec ve communica on.
⮚ To discuss the poten al problems in cross cultural communica on and solu ons for the
same.

For fulfilling these objec ves, numerous case studies have been taken up to discuss the
concepts in a more comprehensive and detailed manner.
 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

The research paper has been compiled a er referring to the literature available on the
given subject. Various case studies have also been incorporated to add a prac cal approach
to the concepts.

Secondary sources of informa on like journals, business magazines and annual reports of
the respec ve companies have been an important basis for the study.
 FUNCTIONS OF COMMUNICATION

Communica on involves a mutual exchange of understanding and is the essence of the

basic func ons of business management, which include staffing, direc ng, planning,
organizing and controlling. Communica on is necessary to effec vely func on, both inside
an organiza on and when dealing with the outside world.

Major func ons of communica on are enlisted below:

Mo va on
Managers use communica on to mo vate workers to achieve peak performance. By
clarifying the expecta ons of employees and providing incen ves for mee ng or exceeding
expecta ons, communica on can help companies reach specific objec ves.
For example, by communica ng to the sales staff that they'll receive a 10 percent bonus if
they reach their annual sales goal, it will not only mo vate the workers to work harder but
would also be essen al for the company to reach its sales targets.

Control
A company uses communica on as a way to maintain control over employees and their
work environment. Wri en human resources policies and procedures dictate how
employees are permi ed to act in the workplace. Job descrip ons outline the parameters
of an employee's job func ons. Performance reviews control whether an employee
receives a raise or a ains a promo on.

Interac on
Communica on allows employees to interact with customers and each other. A customer
service department communicates with customers to help them resolve issues. A business
le er can be used to introduce a company to a poten al customer. Communica on is
essen al for employees who work together on a project or during the training process.
Socializing with colleagues, managers, clients and partners presents opportuni es for
people to find common ground and see each other past their job descrip ons. When
people are able to build rela onships with those they work with, they are likely to perform
more effec vely on the job because they feel a sense of camaraderie and team spirit. Social
communica on can be verbal, such as a conversa on in the lunch room about what took
place over the weekend. It can also be wri en, such as thank-you notes or invita ons for
events.
Providing Informa on
Informa on is dispersed throughout an organiza on through wri en or verbal
communica on. A human resources representa ve or business owner may send out a
memo explaining a change in the company's health plan. A business mee ng may be used
as a way to communicate a new office procedure.

Providing Feedback
Communica on allows for employees, managers and business owners to give and receive
feedback on changes that are being considered or have already been implemented. For
example, if a small business owner is considering the purchase of a new computer system,
he may first consult with his employees to determine what features the system should
include.
 COMMUNICATION PROCESS

The communica on process refers to the steps through which communica on takes place
between the sender and the receiver. This process starts with conceptualizing an idea or
message by the sender and ends with the feedback from the receiver.

Steps followed in the Communica on Process are-

1. Developing idea by the sender

In the first step, the communicator develops or conceptualizes an idea to be sent.

2. Encoding
Encoding means conver ng or transla ng the idea into a perceivable form that can be
communicated to others.

3. Developing the message

A er encoding the sender gets a message that can be transmi ed to the receiver.

4. Selec on the medium

Medium is the channel or means of transmi ng the message to the receiver. Once
the sender has encoded his into a message, the next step is to select a suitable
medium for transmi ng it to the receiver.
5. Transmission of message
In this step, the sender actually transmits the message through chosen medium.

6. Receiving of the message

This stage simply involves the recep on of sender’s message by the receiver. The
message can be received in the form of hearing, seeing, feeling and so on.

7. Decoding of the message

Decoding is the receiver’s interpreta on of the sender’s message. Effec ve
communica on can occur only when both the sender and the receiver assign a similar
meaning to the understanding of the message, otherwise it might result in improper
communica on.

8. Feedback
The final step of communica on process is feedback. Feedback means receiver’s
response to the sender's message. It increases the effec veness of communica on. It
ensures that the receiver has correctly understood the message. Feedback is the
essence of two-way communica on and also it helps the sender to be er understand
the flaws,if any, in his communica on process.
 TYPES OF COMMUNICATION

1. FORMAL COMMUNICATION

Formal communica on refers to official communica on which takes place through a chain
of commands. It flows in formally established channels & is concerned with work related
ma ers. Members of the enterprise and expected to communica on with one another
strictly as per channels laid down in the structure.

The formal communica on may be divided into three categories which are given as follows:

i) Downward Communica on
Under this system, the flow of communica on from the top management downward to be
opera ng level. It may also be called a communica on from a superior to a subordinate. It
follows the line of authority from the top to the bo om of the organisa on hierarchy.
Downward communica on consists of plans & policies, orders and instruc ons, procedures
& rules etc.

ii) Upward Communica on

It means the flow of informa on from the lower levels of the organisa on to the higher
level of authority. It passes from subordinate to superior as that from worker to foreman,
foreman to manager. This communica on includes opinions, ideas, sugges ons, complaints,
grievances, appeals, reports etc. It is very important as it serves as the feedback on the
effec veness of downward communica on.

iii) Horizontal Communica on

The transmission of informa on and understanding between people on the same level of
organisa onal hierarchy is called the horizontal or lateral communica on. Usually, it
pertains to inter-departmental managers working at the same level of organisa on or
among subordinates working under one boss. Horizontal communica on speeds up
informa on and promotes mutual understanding. It enables the managers working at the
same level to exchange informa on and coordinate their ac vi es without referring all
ma ers to the higher level of management.
2. INFORMAL COMMUNICATION

There is also a great deal of informal communica on in an organisa on. This

communica on flows through informal channels and may or may not be work related.
‘Grapevine’ is used to describe a network of informal communica on.

Grapevines are present in all organisa ons. In fact, in large organisa ons, there are many
grapevines moving up, down and across departments. Grapevines flourish because
communica on is a natural human tendency. People who know each other in the
organisa on talk together informally.

Grapevines carry two types of informa on: work related and people related. Employees
want to know what is going on in the organisa on. When they are not kept informed
through formal channels, they seek informa on from the grapevine.

Some employees consider the grapevine their main source of informa on. It is fast, they get
informa on quickly and more informa on is given than is normally included in formal
downward communica ons.
 SELECTION OF COMMUNICATION CHANNEL

Selec on of the right communica on channel depends on an understanding of the

communica on objec ves and audiences, and the strengths and weaknesses of the
different channels that are available.

One simple but highly effec ve method of selec ng the right method of communica ng
with employees is to ask them how they think they should be communicated to about a
par cular issue. As an example, one major change programme asked an employee focus
group for help in designing the communica on campaign regarding the introduc on of new
roles and jobs. The subsequent campaign was much more effec ve because it fully met
employee needs by answering their concerns in a way that they wanted. Indeed, they
developed a totally new communica on event that would not have been considered by the
communica on team on their own. A final advantage was that as part of the
communica on campaign it was made clear that the process had been designed by
employees and this helped employees to more readily accept and hear what some difficult
messages were.
 BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

Barriers can thwart ac ve listening and careful response. They do not let the receiver pay
complete a en on to the message. Owing to barriers in communica on, we might not be
able to comprehend what was being told to us, or we may fail to receive the message
completely.

These barriers act at physical, mental, emo onal, and psychological levels. Recognising the
most common communica on barriers and understanding how they impact on effec ve
communica on is very important.

Unorganized and Haphazard thoughts also lead to ineffec ve communica on in

organiza ons. Business communica ons are bound to suffer due to ineffec ve
communica on.

Some Communica on Barriers are-

Unclarified Assump ons

O en overlooked, yet very important, are the uncommunicated assump ons that underlie
messages. A customer may send a note sta ng that he will visit a vendor’s plant. Then he
may assume that the vendor will meet him at the airport, reserve a hotel room, arrange for
transporta on, and set up a full scale review of the programme at the plant. But the vendor
may assume that the customer is coming to town mainly to a end a wedding and will make
a rou ne call at the plant. These unclarified assump ons in both instances may result in
confusion and the loss of goodwill.

Poorly Expressed Message

No ma er how clear the idea in the mind of the sender of communica on, it may s ll be
marked by poorly chosen words, omissions, lack of coherence, poor organisa on of ideas,
awkward sentence structure, unnecessary jargons and a failure to clarify the implica ons of
the message.

Loss of Transmission and Poor Reten on

In a series of transmissions from one person to the next, the message becomes less and less
accurate. Poor reten on of informa on is another serious problem. Thus the necessity of
repea ng the message and using more than one channel is rather obvious.
Seman c Distor on
Seman c is the science of the meaning of words and symbols. Another barrier to effec ve
communica on is seman c distor on, which can be deliberate or accidental. Words may
evoke different responses. To some people the ‘Government’ may mean interference or
deficit spending; to others, the same word may mean help, equaliza on, and jus ce.

Non-verbal communica on
About 55% of the meaning of a message is communicated through non-verbal interac on.
This includes posture, gestures, facial expressions, tone and pitch of voice, style of dress,
eye gaze and proximity (personal space). However, non-verbal cues can be ambiguous and
their meaning can vary with respect to culture, context and inten on.

Informa on Overload
Individuals have a finite capacity for processing data. When the informa on we have to
work with exceeds our processing capacity, the result is an informa on overload. People
respond to informa on overload in various ways. First, they may disregard certain
informa on. Second, if they are overwhelmed with too much informa on, people make
errors in processing it. Third, people may delay processing informa on either permanently
or with the inten on of catching up in the future. Finally, people respond to informa on
overload by simply escaping from the task of communica on.
 Improving Communica on Effec veness

Some Measures to improve communica on process and to make sure that barriers don’t
cause a problem in the process are-

(i) Clarify the ideas before communica on

The problem to be communicated to subordinates should be clear in all its perspec- ve to
the execu ve himself. The en re problem should be studied in depth, analysed and stated
in such a manner that is clearly conveyed to subordinates.

(ii) Communicate according to the needs of receiver

The level of understanding of the receiver should be crystal clear to the communicator.
Manager should adjust his communica on according to the educa on and understanding
levels of subordinates.

(iii) Consult others before communica ng

Before actually communica ng the message, it is be er to involve others in developing a
plan for communica on. Par ci- pa on and involvement of subordinates may help to gain
ready acceptance and willing coopera on of subordinates.

(iv) Ensure proper feedback

The communicator may ensure the success of communica on by asking ques ons
regarding the message conveyed. The receiver of communica on may also be encouraged
to respond to com- munica on. The communica- on process may be improved by the
feedback received to make it more responsive.

(v) Communicate for present as well as future

Generally, communica on is needed to meet the exis ng commitments, to maintain
consistency, the communica on should aim at future goals of the enterprise also.

(vi) Be a good listener

Manager should be a good listener. Pa ent and a en ve listening solves half of the
problems. Managers should also give indica ons of their interest in listening to their
subordinates.
 COMMUNICATION IN GLOBAL CONTEXT

“Cross-cultural communica on is sharing thoughts and ideas through verbal and nonverbal
ways, resul ng in the ability to create and cul vate rela onships with individuals from
differing cultural backgrounds.”

KAHLER SLATER ARCHITECTS INC. / Kahler Slater Architects Inc. is a crea ve, interdisciplinary
design firm with clients around the world. The firm has four loca ons: Milwaukee, Madison
and Green Bay, Wisconsin; and Burlington, North Carolina. “We work with our clients to
create a holis c experience that encompasses all realms of an organiza on—percep on,
people, products, services and place.” The company has been recognized for three years in a
row (2004–2006) by the Great Place to Work Ins tute® as a Great Place to Work in the U.S.
One hundred fi y employees comprise this crea ve community of architects, marketers,
researchers, graphic designers, branding specialists and consultants. The firm will celebrate
100 years of business in 2008. THE CULTURE According to Kelly Gaglione, principal, director
of client services and communica ons strategist, Kahler Slater has a unique, crea ve culture
that is friendly, collabora ve, nonhierarchical and driven by the passions of the firm
members. Referring to the company web site, the company is described as “a close-knit
group that works hard and plays hard. Our work inspires us, and our play invigorates us.”
The concept of collabora on and teamwork extends well past the nature of the design work
to the structure of the company itself. Three CEOs share the execu ve leadership of the
firm. According to Gaglione, this was a deliberate decision on the part of the leadership
when the firm was reorganizing. The CEOs—or “3EOs”—share the responsibility of company
leadership. Each has a specific por olio of responsibili es. Communica on—internal and
external—is the one facet of organiza onal leadership for which each of the CEOs is
responsible. Communica on and leadership are inseparable. Employees embrace the
company vision. Because collabora on and teamwork are the keys to the success of design
work and the company at large, buy-in on decisions is highly valued. Employees enjoy a
great deal of autonomy in this process as evidenced by the flexible work schedules.
COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES Communica on is part of everyone’s job—from CEOs to the
principals and team leaders. In this culture, formal and informal internal communica on
prac ces are used. To keep employees up to date on company business, a number of
regular mee ngs are held—all-staff mee ngs, team mee ngs, and principal and owner
mee ngs. During the monthly all-staff mee ng, loca ons are linked by either video or audio
conferencing. These mee ngs are expressly for celebra ng success and project
advancement, i.e., progress reports and news of the firm. The mee ng agenda is driven by
the employees and the projects of the firm; special discussion topics may be suggested by
anyone in the firm. Every team holds weekly mee ngs to keep projects on track and people
con- Small Business Communica on Prac ces Case Studies 119 nected to one another.
Through the use of these face-to-face mee ngs, informa on flow is cyclical and builds a
community of understanding: What is discussed in a team mee ng may become the basis of
a special topic discussion at a monthly mee ng. The direc on ar culated at a principals
mee ng will be addressed in monthly mee ngs and further discussed at the team level as
projects progress. The firm holds an annual staff retreat at which the leadership delivers the
“state of the firm.” This retreat provides a forum for addressing the firm’s vision and
direc on, special topics and employee camaraderie. “The 3EOs go all out to make the event
fun and educa onal. Their presenta on is themed: One year they came dressed as ship
captains to discuss our course and direc on; another year it was mountain climbers.”
Interac on between members of the firm is also encouraged through the physical design of
the work space at Kahler Slater. “As architects and designers, our research and work focus
on the place— workplace design that contributes to employee communica on and
employee sa sfac on. We live that everyday.” When the firm remodeled the office space,
“we turned the office inside out.” Since collabora on is key to the culture, an open office
work environment was created with lower par ons between individual offices, the
development of team collabora on spaces (TCS)—conference areas that invite interac on
from the firm as a whole—and open areas—pin-up spaces where staff may share their work
and request cri ques from everyone in the office. Even the CEOs have open offices (cubes).
Electronic communica on prac ces are an expecta on for facilita ng immediate, real- me
informa on. The company intranet is used for formal communica on like policies and
procedures typically found in an employee manual. E-mails are an expected form of
communica on and are used most frequently to keep the members at the four office
loca ons connected on a minute-by-minute basis. Tradi ons have been modified in the age
of electronic communica on. According to Gaglione, the firm has a tradi on of announcing
new commissions by the ringing of a large an que ship’s bell that is located in the
Milwaukee office. To share this protocol with the other three offices, an email tled “the
ringing of the bell” is sent concurrently with the tradi onal announcement. A
teleconference call may also be set up so that the members across the firm’s four loca ons
can share in the celebra on and hear the bell. Print communica on is used on a limited
basis for official informa on like OSHA regula ons and confiden al informa on like
compensa on reviews. Informal social gatherings are also encouraged on an irregular basis.
These events are sponsored and organized by staff. Dubbed “Fridays at Four,” these social
gatherings offer an opportunity to network with other employees and share crea ve ideas,
snacks and refreshments. Held on-site in a crea ve café room with white boards and
comfortable furniture, these gatherings are a chance for staff to brainstorm and unwind.
Small Business Communica on Prac ces Case Studies 120 The success of internal
communica on for Kahler Slater is a combina on of these methods. Daily formal
communica on is facilitated by email, but face-to-face mee ngs and interac ons are best
for developing greater understanding and managing two-way universal responses.
Face-to-face communica on is an expecta on in a small firm. It is unavoidable in close
spaces and in an environment where offices share projects and corporate strategy. It is the
best way to share and develop an understanding of everything from team projects to the
corporate vision. Like many small businesses, Kahler Slater does not formally evaluate its
internal communica on programs. But as Gaglione notes, internal communica on gets
evaluated through the Great Place to Work Ins tute® employee survey each year.
Communica on is the basis for developing a culture in which employees want to work and
play…a place to develop their passions.
 Bibliography

Sources used during for the findings of the project:

1. toppr.com

2.Businessjargons.com

3. Wikipedia.com

4. indeed.com

5. The harvard business review

6. Educba.com

7. The business line

8. NCERT sources