Establishandapplybestpracticeincommunicatingwith

employeesbothdirectlyandthroughtradesunions.
GROUP3

Brikit Griminalli Norbert

Adekemi Salako
Awadh Alhajri
Hussain Almansour
Keith Goodall

Contents
Communication in the organisation
Types and Styles of Communication
Barriers to communication
Direct and Indirect Communication
Problems of Poor communication
Best Practice
Solutions for British Leyland
Implementing A Communication
Strategy
Conclusion

ORGANISATIONAL COMMUNICATION

Communication is defined by Bennett

(1991) as the transmission of information
and its receipt. It can involve the
exchange of data, opinion and/or
sentiment.

Shannon and Weaver (1949) described

communication as a series of relations
between inputs and outputs

ORGANISATIONAL COMMUNICATION
(TYPES AND STYLES)
Types

1.One way
2.Two way or Interaction
3.Transaction
Styles

CENTRALISED

DECENTRALISED

HIERARCHICAL

BARRIERS TO COMMUNICATION (Watson and Gallagher

2005)
7.
Organisational
size

5. Emotional
contest
6. Noise

4. Words
mean
different
things to
different
people
3.
Influence
of ones
own
reference
group

Intended
Meaning

Message
through
channel
e.g.
TRADE
UNIONS

Encodes into
symbols

Feedback or new
message

1.
Hearing
what we
expect
to hear
Perceived
meaning

Decodes
symbols

2. Perceptions
about the
communicator

Direct and Indirect Communication

Direct Communication: Is speech that

significantly states and directs an action.

Indirect Communication: Is not typically

authoritative. It invites contribution and
makes the listener feel that their ideas are
important.

Good

Bad

Individual face-toface

Involves all within the

team and they hear
the same message.
Provides a forum for
discussion if delivered
well.

Can appear top-down

and bureaucratic if
delivered badly

Consultative
Committees

Two way
communication.
inclusive and includes
good feedback and
response

Not always effective.

Decision making can
become overcomplicated.
Consensus may be
difficult to reach.

Notice Boards

Can give key

messages and useful
visual stimulation.

Can give key

messages and useful
visual stimulation.

Magazines

Can be a more
interesting read - power
of story telling rather
than 'dry' information.
More tactile, can read
over lunch. Good for
external PR

Cost. Production and

resource time. Quickly
out of date. Can be
seen as simply
corporate propaganda

Intranet

Electronic info,
message of the day,
document store etc etc.
Accessible from
desktop and mobile
devices

Not always suitable for

manual workers or
those working out in
the field/non-office
conditions. Can be
impersonal or
information overload

PROBLEMS OF POOR COMMUNICATION

(Bennett 1991; Downs 1977; Watson and
Gallagher 2005)
Information from the sender may not reach
the recipient
Communication overload may occur
Misunderstanding
Lack of feedback
Poor organisational performance
Employee dissatisfaction
Stifles creativity and innovation

BEST PRACTICE FOR

COMMUNICATION
1.Adjust to the world of the receiver
2.Use feedback
3.Use reinforcement
4.Use simple direct language
5.Reinforce words with actions
6.Use multiple channels of communication
7.Create self managed teams and
decentralise authority

Watson and Gallagher (2005); Bennet (1991)

BEST PRACTICES Contd.

THE 7 CS OF EFFECTIVE
COMMUNICATION (Rollinson 1998)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

COMPLETENESS
COURTESY
CLARITY
CORRECTNESS
CONSISTENCY
CONCRETENESS
CONCISENESS

Solutions for British Leyland

Communities of practice
Company handbooks
Consultation policy
Consultative committees
Team briefings
Magazines
Newsletters, Notice Boards and Bulletins
Videos and Recorded Messages
Emails
Websites
360 degrees feedback appraisal system

Implementing A Communication
Strategy

Embedded in the organisations strategy

Stages in implementing a communication
strategy in British Leyland
Communication requirement analysis
Communication and technology audit
Gap analysis
Draft communication strategy and plan
Consultation
Agree communication strategy and plan
Implement
Constantly review

Conclusion
Effective communication methods, tools and
techniques
Effective change management strategies
Dedicate resources to communication
strategies
Assessment of the organisational culture
Assess potential resistance within the
organisation

References

Bennett, R. (1991) Organisational Behaviour. London: Pitman Publishing

Beardwell.J, Claydon.T (2009) Human Resource Management A Contemporary Approach. Harlow: FT

Prentice Hall

Cully.M, Woodland.S, and Dix. G. (1999) Britain At Work. London: Routledge

Derek Rollinson (1998) Organisational Behaviour and Analysis. Addison-Wesley: Harlow

Goleman, D. (2005). Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ. New York: Bantam
Books

Goodman.M. (1995) Creative Management. Harlow: Prentice Hall

Mullins.L (2010) Management and Organisational Behaviour. Harlow: FT Prentice Hall

Santosus.M, Surmacz. J. (2001) The ABCs of Knowledge Management. : CIO Magazine

Shannon, C. and Weaver, W. (1949) The Mathematical Theory of Communication. Illinois University
Press

Watson, G. and Gallagher, K. (2005). Managing for Results. London: CIPD