INTERCONTINENTAL JOURNAL OF HUMAN RESOURCE RESEARCH REVIEW
ISSN: 2320-9704 - ONLINE ISSN:2347-1662 - PRINT IMPACT FACTOR:0.875
VOLUME 3, ISSUE 5, MAY 2015
THE IMPORTANCE AND BARRIERS OF COMUNICATION IN THE
ORGANISATIONS
ARSHVEER KAUR
Assistant Professor, Guru Gobind Singh College for Women, Sector – 26, Chandigarh.
ABSTRACT
Communication plays a very important role in the organisations now a days and it has become an
important factor for overall functioning and success of the organisation. Communication has become
more complex in today‘s world in the organisations. The processes and the methods which the
organisations adopt to communicate with its employees have impact on the morale, motivation and
performance of the employees. If the employees in the organisations feel that the communication is
effective it will lead to feeling of job satisfaction, increased commitment and trust for the workplace.
In this paper the importance of the communication in the organisation, barriers and how to overcome
these barriers has been discussed. Communication is not only complex but also varied in the
organisations now days. Traditionally managers use to spend most of their time communicating in one
form or the other. Today most of the employees feel that the most important part of their work is
communication.
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KEYWORDS: Organisational Communication, Employees, Message, Performance.
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INTRODUCTION
Day to day the business all over the world is becoming more complex and challenging. In
organisations communication plays an important role in this challenge. To manage the existing
performance and to motivate the employees for better performance, efficient communication practices
play a very important role. If the communication is effective in the organisations the employees feel
motivated which is very important for the smooth functioning of the organisation. Communication is
the process of conveying messages from one person to another so that they are understood. The word
communication has been derived from the Latin word ‗communis‘ which means common.
Communication means the exchange of thoughts, ideas, feelings, emotions, knowledge and
information between individuals of groups; communication plays a vital role in balancing the
individual and organisational objectives. The essence of communication is getting the receiver and the
sender together for a particular message. Communication can occur across vast distances in time and
space. Communication involves everything that is used to convey meanings from one person to
another for example movement of lips or the wink of an eye. In the organisations ideas, objectives,
orders appeals, observations, instructions, suggestions have to be exchanged among the management
and the employees at different levels of the organisation for planning and executing the business
policies. Communication is considered as the number one problem of the management. Nothing
happens in the organisation until communication takes place.
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―Communication is the sum of all the things one person does when he wants to create understanding
in the mind of another. It is a bridge of meaning. It involves a systematic and continuous process of
telling, listening and understanding.‖
Louis A. Allen.
―Communication is the process of passing information and understanding from one person to
another.‖
Keith Davis.
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INTERCONTINENTAL JOURNAL OF HUMAN RESOURCE RESEARCH REVIEW
ISSN: 2320-9704 - ONLINE ISSN:2347-1662 - PRINT IMPACT FACTOR:0.875
VOLUME 3, ISSUE 5, MAY 2015
IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNICATION IN THE ORGANISATION
Communication is one of the most important functions of the management. The success of the
organisation depends on the effectiveness of the communication. Everyone in the organisation has to
communicate to get the work done effectively. In the organisations about 75 to 95 percent working
time of the managers is spend in communicating with others. Communication is important for all
managerial activities such as organising, planning, directing, motivating and controlling. The
importance of communication can be judged from the following:
EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE WORKING OF THE ORGANISATION
Communication act as the lubricant, fostering for the smooth operations of the different processes of
the organisation. Communication makes possible for the organisation the smooth and efficient
working of an organisation. Through communication the management get it work done through
others. it helps the management to change and regulate the actions of the subordinates in the desired
manner.
INCREASES MANNAGERIAL EFFICIENCY
Managerial efficiency within the organisation increases through effective communication. Nothing
happens in the organisation until communication takes place. The efficiency of the manager depends
upon his ability to communicate effectively with the members of the organisations. Communication
helps the organisations to convey its goals and desires, issues, instructions and orders, allocates jobs
and responsibility and helps in the evaluation of the performance of subordinates.
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INCREASES MANAGERIAL CAPACITY
Effectiveness and efficiency in the organisation helps to increase the managerial capacity of the
managers. Manager being a human being has limitations as to time and energy that he can devote to
his activities. He has to assign the duties and responsibilities to his subordinates to get the work done
through them on time. Communication helps the manager to effectively delegate his authority
responsibility to others and thus increases his managerial capacity.
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INCREASES PRODUCTIVITY AND REDUCES COST
Effective communication saves time and effort time and effort. It increases the productivity and
reduces the cost. Large scale of production involves a large number of people in the organisation.
Without communication, it may not be possible to work together in a group and achieve the benefits
of large scale of production.
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EFFECTIVE CONTROL
The control function of the organisation is related to the measuring the actual performance, comparing
it with the set standards and taking the corrective action for the deviations, to ensure the attainment of
organisational objectives. Communication acts as a tool of effective control. The plans has to be
communicated to the subordinates in the organisation, the actual performance has to be measured and
communicated to the top management and a corrective action has to be taken and communicated so as
to achieve the desired goals. This process of control will not be possible in the organisation without
effective communication.
MOTIVATION AND MORALE
Communication is the means by which the behaviour of the subordinate can be modified and change
can be effected in their actions. Communication motivates the workers to achieve the goals of the
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VOLUME 3, ISSUE 5, MAY 2015
organisation and their morale is also boosted up. It is considered that the motivation comes from
within the individual but still communication can motivate the people.
BASIS OF DECISION-MAKING AND PLANNING
Communication plays a very important role in decision making and planning. Communication
provides the information to the organisation without which it may not be possible to take any
decision. The quality of decisions depends on the quality of the communication. Decisions and plans
are also to be communicated to subordinates which are not possible without communication. It is not
possible to issue instructions to others without effective communication. Efficiency and effectiveness
in communication helps in the proper implementation of plans and policies of the management.
BARRIERS OF COMMUNICATION
Success of any organisation depends on communication. There are several obstructions, blockades,
hurdles, stoppages or bottlenecks called barriers to communication which distort the message and
make communication ineffective. There are certain barriers which are faced by the organisations in
communication. People feel communication is easy and simple as it sounds but the barriers to
communication make it more complex, difficult and frustrating. Some of the barriers to
communication are discussed below:
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PHYSICAL BARRIERS
Distance between the sender and the receiver of the message is important barrier to communication as
it is a two way process. Physical barriers are due to the nature of the environment. Poor or outdated
equipment, particularly the failure of management to introduce new technology, may cause problems.
Distractions like background noise, poor lighting, environment which is too cold or too hot etc. are
barriers to effective communication.
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SEMANTIC OR LANGUAGE BARRIERS
Semantic is the science of meaning. Different people carry different meanings for different words.
Barriers in communication arise when the sender and the receiver of the message use different words
and symbols in different senses. The meaning of the message send by the sender may be different
what the receiver follows. Sometimes the language which the sender uses may not be understood by
the receiver. Messages are sometimes interpreted by the receivers in terms of their own behaviour and
experience.
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STATUS BARRIERS
Status or position in the hierarchy of an organisation is one of the biggest obstacles in the
communication. A superior gives only selected information to his subordinate and subordinate also
gives only that information to his superior which he will appreciate. This creates distortion in upward
communication; this selective communication is also known as filtering. The superior feels that he
cannot fully admit to his subordinates those problems, conditions or results which may affect
adversely on his ability and judgement. This causes distortion in downward communication.
Subordinate may also feel reluctant to report his shortcomings to his senior because of loss of prestige
in the eyes of his superior.
ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE BARRIERS
Effectiveness of communication largely depends upon the structure of the organisation. If the
structure of the organisation is complex involving several layers of management, there will be
distortion in the communication. As the communication goes up in the hierarchy the communication
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gets distorted. Similarly lack of instructions for further conveying information to the subordinates and
heavy pressure of work at certain levels of authority also act as barrier to effective communication.
BARRIERS DUE TO INADEQUATE ATTENTION
If adequate attention is not paid to the message, it makes the communication less effective and the
message is likely to be misunderstood. Inattention may arise because of over business of the receiver
or because of the message being contrary to his expectations and beliefs. The simple failure to read
notices, minutes and reports is also a common feature. Whatever be the reason the communication
remains only a one way process. If the process is one way the message cannot be understood. The
most neglected skill of communication is listening.
PREMATURE EVALUATION
Some people form a judgement before listening to the entire message this is known as premature
evaluation. Half-listening is like racing your engine with the gears in neutral. You use gasoline and
get nowhere. Premature evaluation distorts the communication and act as barrier to effective
communication.
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EMOTIONAL ATTITUDE
When emotions are strong it becomes difficult to know the mindset of the other person so emotional
attitude act as barrier in the communication. Emotional attitude of both the receiver and sender
becomes obstacle in the free flow of the communication. Emotional attitude obstruct the free flow of
transmission and understanding of message.
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RESISTANCE TO CHANGE
People like to stick to the old, traditional and the customary patterns of life. They resist change and do
not like change. So when the new ideas are being introduced and communicated to bring change they
are being overlooked. This resistance to change becomes an obstacle for effective communication.
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BARRIERS DUE TO LACK OF TRUST
Communication means sharing of ideas and information in common. People in the organisation can
freely transfer information and understanding with each other when there is mutual trust between
them. When there is lack of mutual trust in the organisation the messages are not properly followed.
Inconsistency in saying and doing also leads to lack of mutual trust which acts as obstacle in the
process of communication.
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MAKING COMMUNICATION EFFECTIVE OR OVERCOMING THE BARRIERS IN THE
ORGANISATIONS
The success of every organisation depends on the effectiveness of the communication. Effective
communication in the organisation takes place when the message is followed by the receiver and its
response is known to the sender. It may not be possible to achieve perfect communication. But the
following steps can be taken by the organisations to reduce the barriers of the communication:
CLARITY AND COMPLETENESS
The message which is to be conveyed must be clear in the mind of the communicator because if the
idea is not understood you cannot express it to someone. In order to communicate effectively, it is
very essential to know the ‗audience‘ for whom the message is meant. The message for the purpose of
communication should be adequate and appropriate. The purpose of communication itself should be
clear.
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PROPER LANGUAGE
The message should be expressed in simple, clear and brief language so that the semantic barriers can
be avoided. The words or the symbols selected for conveying the message should be appropriate and
understandable by the receiver.
SOUND ORGANISATION STRUCTURE
To make the communication more effective the organisation structure should be appropriate and
sound to match the needs of communication. There should be minimum layers of the management so
that the distance to be travelled for conveying the message is shortened. The sound structure of the
organisation leads to sound communication in the organisation.
EMPATHIC LISTENING AND AVOID PREMATURE EVALUATION
To make the communication more effective and efficient one should be a good listener. The
subordinates should confront their shortcomings and the superiors should also develop the habit of
patient listening. This will encourage the flow of communication upward as well as downward.
ORIENTATION OF THE EMPLOYESS
The employees should be oriented to understand the objectives, rules, policies, authority relationships
and operations of the enterprise. It will help the employees to understand each other and develop trust
which will lead to free and efficient flow of information in the organisation.
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MOTIVATION AND MUTUAL CONFIDENCE
The message which is to be communicated should be designed in such a manner that it motivates the
receiver to take desired action and modify his behaviour. The message should be such that the
behaviour of the employees is modified. The sense of mutual trust and confidence should be created
for the smooth flow of the information.
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FEEDBACK
Communication is incomplete until the response and reaction of the receiver is obtained by the sender
of the message. The effectiveness of the communication in the organisation can be judged from the
feedback. So feedback must be encouraged analysed in the organisations.
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CONCLUSION
Communication means the exchange of information, thought and emotion between the individuals or
groups. The elements of the communication process are the sender, encoding the message,
transmitting the message through a medium, receiving the message, decoding the message, feedback
and noise. Communication plays a vital role in developing the morale and motivation of the
employees. It increases the efficiency and productivity of the employees as well as improves the
planning and decision making processes. On the other hand there are number of barriers which
becomes obstacle in the flow of communication such as physical barriers, semantic barriers and
psychological barriers. These barriers should be overcome to make the communication more effective
in the organisations.
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INTERCONTINENTAL JOURNAL OF HUMAN RESOURCE RESEARCH REVIEW
ISSN: 2320-9704 - ONLINE ISSN:2347-1662 - PRINT IMPACT FACTOR:0.875
VOLUME 3, ISSUE 5, MAY 2015
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