For an organisation to communicate effectively with its external audiences, it is necessary for it to have effective internal communication. Yet how often do we hear about well-laid plans being ruined by poor internal communication, for example when employees are the last to be told about plans, or when managers fail to listen to those around them?
All the communication principles described earlier apply equally within organisations; indeed, they are an essential part of management. The need for good communication underpins everything that managers do.
In communicating with other members of the organisation, a manager has to exchange ideas, attitudes, values, opinions and information. This may take up most of their time, but without this concern for communication managers achieve little.
Within organisations, communication means more than just sending information. The meaning of the message must be clear, all parties need to understand what is being said, and the sender must be ready to receive feedback and react to it. So managers need to develop these skills.
Some of the reasons for communication within an organisation are:
- Informing those who need to know, because they are charged with implementing the plans, because they are affected in some way by the plans, or because the manager wants them to react to the plans.
- Acting as advocate in order to influence other people to solicit their support.
- Instigating dialogue with members of the organisation in order to shape and improve plans, to take account of people's specialist knowledge, or to 'sell' ideas so that plans are accepted.
- Developing networks and a sense of belonging to build a more committed, informed and conscientious workforce. People are bound together in a team to which they relate and feel loyalty.
- Developing esteem by saying ‘you are important’ and ‘thank you’ to those in the organisation who serve as role models for others to follow. People are proud to belong to organisations which recognise and reward their efforts, and this cannot be achieved without good communication.
- Improving performance and ensuring that people feel good about working for the organisation.
- Enhancing teamworking, adopting multi-professional approaches and working across boundaries.
These broad aims are channelled - formally and informally - to a variety of audiences.
Formal channels follow the structure of the organisation. As a manager, you need to send messages to subordinates, peers and superiors - downward, horizontal and upward communications. Equally importantly, all these people need to communicate with you, to provide feedback on messages received from you, and to feed through their ideas, opinions and information.
We have looked at the communication process and the audiences. Next time we will look at the different vehicles that can be used to carry the message.