Communication
A Vital Issue In Organisation

By Dr. Niranjan Prasad Upadhyay

COMMUNICATION is the lifeblood of the modern organisation. It blends together skills and understandings, language and logic, and the human attitudes that enable managers, employees, and customers to exchange information and to make decisions. Without communication the primary managerial functions of planning, organizing, leading and controlling would be impossible; with communication, the organisation’s goals-and the procedures for implementing them –can be attained.

Binding Element

Communication is critical for all levels of human behaviour. Man’s ability to think and transmit those thoughts through the communication process provides binding element for all social interaction. The relative success or failure of human endeavour depends to a great extent, upon the effectiveness of communication. Communication may be understood as the process of transmitting information. Management experts, Moorhead and Griffin (1980) contend that a manager transmits information for a variety of reasons: (1) to achieve coordinated actions, (2) to express feelings and emotions, and (3) to share information.

In Nepalese context, there is lack of open communication between supervisor and subordinate staffs. In reality, this type of organisational environment hampers in fulfilling targeted objectives. Due to this communication barrier, the relationship between mangers and subordinate staffs seems to be bitter and imbalance.

Communication helps the organisation in arriving at vital decisions. In its absence, it may not be possible to come in the closer contract with each other and discuss the important problems concerning to the organizations. Management scholars refer some essential features of organizational communication like clarity of thoughts, participation, transmission, keep the system alive and coordinal men-boss relations.

The term "communication" denotes the means or media of passing information. It is the act of the inducing others to interpret an idea in the manner intended by the speaker or writer. Generally, communication is very crucial subject to every manager. Managing is getting things done through others, a task that requires the manager to communicate with other people. Management communication is also necessary for managers to make effective decisions. Another reason for emphasizing management communication is that the scope of manegerial influence typically is greater than that of workers. Inadequate information to managers can affect a broad area of performance, because their spans of supervision affect many people and activities.

Nepalese management expert focus that the essence of public relation is the establishment of link between organization and its publics. In fact, interpersonal communication must be effective in developing public image in organization. It seems vital issue for the removal of dissatisfactions among the employees. Organisations cannot live without communication. Basically, lack of communication, employees cannot know what their associates are doing, management cannot receive information inputs, and management cannot give instructions. Coordination of work is impossible, and the organization will collapse for lack of it.

Organisation cannot exist without communication. It is the transfer of information, understanding one person to another person and a sharing of meaning. Generally, the communication process consists various steps viz. develops an idea, encode, transmit, receive, decode, and use.

In the advancement of communication technology, today government agencies are providing macro- information technologies such as fax, wide areas networks, the Internet, and mobile computing. Principally, these technologies can offer a variety of facilities like better delivery of government services to citizens, improved interactions with business and industry, citizen empowerment through access to information, or more efficient government management. Management expert stresses that good governance in public administration means provision of quality services to the citizens and stakeholders with diverse interests, and managerial autonomy.

Indian Journal of Psychology (1988) highlights that communication is the backdrop against which all organisational behaviour occur. It is involved in all human relation and transactions in as much as it becomes the nervous system of any organized group, which provides the basic information and understanding necessary for productivity, morale and over-all effectiveness.

Psychologists, Kochar, D.C.and Kochar, I. (1988) remark that hierarchy is an age-old essential attribute of organization. Information is often a resource that symbolizes status, enhances authority, and shapes career, this hierarchy, as is related to information exchange, becomes both a boon as well as bane. In reporting and interacting at every work-level, hierarchy plays an important role. Usually, organizations are structured into levels of authority, affects the nature, course and pattern of communication process.

Organisational psychologists point out that structuring of groups into hierarchies automatically introduces restraints against free-communication especially criticisms and comments by low status members towards those in higher –status positions. Fundamentally, much of the communication in organisation can be expressed in person-to person terms. Management’s concern with communications lies often with the internal inputs of information passing between persons and subunits comprising the organisation. Though, inputs of information from the external environment may also be very important in organisation.

Organisations have authority hierarchies and formal rule that employs are required to pursue. When employees, for instance, are required to first communicate any job–related grievance to their immediate boss, to follow their job description, or to comply with company policies, communication is performing a control function.

President, Management Association of Nepal, Khatiwada, Yubraj (2002) points out that communication is an effective means to impart and share knowledge and experiences to meet this end with variety of electronic and print media. Management researchers, Lal Krishna, K.C.and Sainju, R. (2002) highlight current issue on Management Development Scenario-2001 in the Journal on Nepalese Management. In that issue they remark that the Government is increasingly using information technology (IT) to bring about efficiency in its operations. Many ministries and departments have their own web sites and they rely on e-mail for receiving and sending information. Moreover, some of the ministries and departments have embarked upon e-governance. As for instance, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) and National Planning Commission (NPC) have been disseminating information through their web site. Consequently, the government has also decided to connect 1500 VDCs with the Internet and e-mail connections to develop their capacity for accessing to information.

Motivation

Finally, communication fosters motivation by clarifying to employees what is to be done, how well they are doing, and what can be done to improve performance. The communication that takes place within the group is a fundamental mechanism by which members show their frustrations and feelings of satisfaction. Communication therefore, provides a discharge for the emotional expression of feelings and for achievement of social needs.

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