Communication within an Organisation
It does not matter if you work for a company that has nine employees or 9,000; effective
communication in the workplace is an essential part of any organization. When a business suffers
from poor communication among the employees this generally leads to a number of issues such
as misunderstandings, lack of information, poor performance, frustration, increased staff turnover
etc. No matter how much experience and expertise you have your ability to communicate effectively
can make the difference between great success and simply “getting by.” Most work problems can be
traced back to a failure in communication.
Effective communication in the workplace does not happen accidentally. It requires time and resource
investment. It is a well crafted and coordinated process
Effective business communication occurs when all employees and stakeholders are kept informed
of what is going on in the company. There are many tools and resources available today companies
use to effectively communicate with one another. These tools include cell phones,business
phones, video conference calling, email, fax, and other methods. In addition to communication tools,
the way you communicate is extremely important so misunderstandings do not take place.
The most effective communication is in person. Speaking with employees individually or in teams
expresses respect, encourages participation and response and allows for instant explanations and
clarifications of misunderstandings. Further, face to face communication allows for observation of
feelings, reactions and interpretation of "body language".
When scheduling a meeting it's important to set the stage for the topic you are about to discuss.
Inform the employee or the team about the subject matter, how much of their time you need to cover
the topic, what you expect from them with the conversation, and let them know if the message is
going to be positive or negative. The listener should be prepared to hear what you have to say. Don't
surprise someone with a topic of discussion, especially if the subject matter is negative.
Effective business communication means that you also need to be a good listener. If you set up
ameeting and you are the facilitator of the meeting or the primary speaker, it doesn't mean that
everyone needs to hear what you have to say and that is it. You need to give others a chance to
speak and listening to them is very important. One thing that many people do when they are talking to
others is try and multitask. Not only is this rude but it can often cause you to misunderstand someone
or not get the entire point of the conversation. Don't work on the computer, or be doing anything else
but talking to the other person. Also, don't sit and wait to talk to the other person or think about what
you are going to say next. You won't really be hearing what they are saying but thinking about what
you are going to say. Truly listen to the other person communicate.
Effective business communication requires you to think about what you are going to say before you
say it. This means you need to be more conscious about how you use your words. This will allow you
to be more effective also. Think about the message you want to convey, determine information to
support the message, anticipate the response of the listener, and choose appropriate word choices.
Recognize communication filters: values, attitudes, experience etc. Receivers interpret your message
based on thsoe filters.
Written communications, formal or informal, impart records and documentation that may leave an
important paper trail. Email is an inpersonal form of communication that often comes across as harsh,
even insulting.
Clarification is the final thing you need to consider when you practice effective business
communication. It is very important to make sure you clearly understand what the other person is
saying to you and what they mean. When you clarify what they say to you, there is no
misunderstanding. Always repeat back to the person what they are saying to you or how you are
perceiving it to make sure you both are on the same page.
Effective business communication works when you practice preparing the other person, clarifying
what you hear and that you are understood, thinking before you speak, and making sure you are on
the same page. There are many tools to help a business communicate effectively. Proper use of
these tools with practice can help communication become effective.
Purpose – The primary objective of this audit is to explore what senior managers think they should be
doing to improve communication in their organization, what they actually do in communication terms,
and the high work load which senior managers undertake.
Design/methodology/approach – This understanding is advanced by using the results of a
communication audit which was conducted in a major European health-care organization (HCO)
undergoing significant internal re-organization. A communication audit can be defined as: “a
comprehensive and thorough study of communication philosophy, concepts, structure, flow and
practice within an organisation”. It assists managers by “providing an objective picture of what is
happening compared with what senior executives think (or have been told) is happening”.
Findings – First, senior managers who over-work are even less likely to have the time for reflection,
followed by behaviour change. Second, the absence of adequate upward communication may blind
managers to the full nature of their problems, which in turn guides the search for solutions.
Research limitations/implications – Clearly there is a need to examine other types of organizations to
establish the universality of the communication issues and problems that were found in a large HCO
in Europe, using both quantitative and qualitative methodologies.
Practical implications – The data suggest that attempting to cover up communication weaknesses by
managers working even longer hours only has the effect of further disempowering people, and so
accentuating rather than alleviating the underlying difficulty.
Originality/value – The article has value to fellow academics and managers in practice and contributes
to the debate on upward communication and the workload of managers.
http://www.workplacecomm.com/casestudies/
Workplace Communication - Case Studies
Case study written by DISTSS 2002
Case study 2
"Communication between staff members is not always clear. At the start of
a shift, we need a process of deciding who will do what, so there is no
confusion and it's not left to one person".
Residential Support Worker
Description of service
This Non-government service provides a range of flexible community based residential support
programs in the Barwon South West region. There are four accommodation service locations:
 House 1 which provides 24 hour specialist support for people with an acquired brain injury
 House 2 provides 24 hour support for people with an intellectual disability focussing on
independent living skills
 House 3 provides respite for people with intellectual, physical and sensory disabilities and
acquired brain injury
 House 4 provides outreach support with a focus on independent living skills training.
The research
10 staff at this agency including the Executive Officer, Program Manager, House Supervisors
and Support Workers were involved in this project to determine the workplace communication
and literacy issues which exist within their organisation. A range of workplace documentation
was collected and used for assessment within a guided self-assessment process. A sample of
each participant's workplace writing was provided for assessment.
Findings of the project
Staff profile
Of the 10 staff interviewed which made up just under half of the total direct support staff at this
service:
 Their average employment is 3.4 years with a range of four months to 11 years
 All staff are able to perform their workplace communication requirements
 All are Australian born and have English as their first language
 Nine have completed tertiary study. Of these, eight have completed TAFE studies and one
has attended university
 Seven have qualifications in Community Services
 Five staff are upgrading their qualifications
 One staff member is undertaking university studies in teaching and anthropology
 Although House Staff do not have computer access, three regularly use computers at home
and another one has access in their other part-time job.
Readability analysis of workplace documentation
Workplace documentation such as policies and procedures, guidelines and forms were analysed
using predictive readability formulas. Of the workplace documentation analysed, all but the job
descriptions fell within acceptable reading levels. The agency was advised to rewrite its job
descriptions in plain English.
Workplace Communication issues
The following issues were raised by those interviewed:
 Department of Human Services (DHS) communication. Issues here were about the volume
and the amount of time taken up with administration rather than "hands on"
 DSAS needs to be written in plain English and simplified to reduce repetition
Completion of Incident Reports. Confusion about when an Incident Report should be
completed and concern about varying quality
 Completion of Service Needs Register (SNR). The Executive Officer is a member of the
Priority Panel and is deeply concerned about the uneven quality of applications
 Case Note completion. There is uncertainty about wording, protocols and terminology
 Computers. In order to respond to on-line data collection, Housing Supervisors need access
to computers. Some staff are fearful about using information technology
 Staff meetings. There are not enough staff meetings, according to one staff member. There is
also a call for a monthly house staff meeting
 Allocation of work tasks. "What needs to be done and who's doing it" needs to be established
in one of the houses, according to one staff member
 Challenging behaviours is kept to a minimum as management take prompt action.
 Public speaking is a difficulty for one House Supervisor who uses meetings with individuals as
a strategy to manage this
 Performance Review System. Issues raised here were the need for feedback between staff,
from office staff to House Supervisors, a problem with the Performance Review System
focussing on the individual and not the system, access to supervisors and ageist
colleagues.
Action Plan
After consideration of workplace communication issues, the Executive Officer undertook to
implement the following:
 Incident Reports and Case notes o Continue to provide ongoing guidance to staff in the completion of this documentation
o Follow up their request that the training provider include workplace specific content in the
o
delivery of Certificate IV, Disability Work
Direct staff to guidelines and examples of reports to assist staff and House Supervisors
complete these tasks
 Staff meetings - Circulate an agenda prior to meetings so that staff will be more likely to
attend
 Allocation of work tasks - The Executive Officer was already aware of this issue and a plan
to resolve the situation has been implemented
 Performance Review System - Continue to explore a Performance Review System.
Conclusion
This service in the Barwon south west region has a workforce that is Australian born, has English
as its first language and is able to meet workplace communication requirements. The Executive
Officer considered the 11 workplace communication issues raised and undertook to act on 5.
The project officer will pass on concerns raised in 4 issues to the Department: DHS
Communication, DSAS, SNR and Computers. No action needs to be taken about the remaining
issues: Challenging Behaviour and Public Speaking.
"I'm not sure what wording to use for case notes. I'm not sure of the
protocols - listing visitor names and the use of terminology".
Residential Support Worke
Why is communication important in management and leadership?
Communication is essential for effective functioning in every part of an organization. Although marketing,
production, finance, personnel, and maintenance departments may receive direction from corporate goals and
objectives, communication links them together and facilitates organizational success. The importance of effective
communication for managers cannot be overemphasized for one specific reason: everything a manager does,
involves communicating. Communication is needed to increase efficiency, satisfy customers, improve quality, and
create innovative products.
Effective communication is so important for organizational success that not only managers, but also their
employees must be effective communicators. One role of a manager is to help employees improve their
communication skills. When all members of a team, department, or organization are able to communicate
effectively with each other and with people outside their group, they are much more likely to perform well. The
successful manager, therefore, needs effective communication skills.
What is communication?
Communication is the sharing of information between two or more individuals or groups to reach a common
understanding. The most important part of this definition is that the information or ideas conveyed must be
understood. To see what this definition means in practice, consider giving or receiving incomplete information.
With only a partial understanding, problems will occur.
Good communication is often incorrectly defined by the communicator as agreement instead of clarity of
understanding. If someone disagrees with us, we may often assume the person just did not fully understand our
position; but a person can clearly understand us and simply not agree. In fact, when a manager concludes that a
lack of communication must exist because a conflict between two employees has continued for a long time, a
closer look often reveals that, to the contrary, plenty of effective communication is going on. Each fully
understands the other's position, but their communication does not necessarily produce agreement.
What are the two phases of the communication process?
The communication process consists of two phases.
 the transmission phase
 the feedback phase
In the transmission phase, information is sent from one individual or group-the sender-to another individual or
group-the receiver. In the feedback phase, a common understanding is assured.
What is the transmission phase of communication?
To begin the transmission phase, the sender decides on the message, which is the information the sender wants
to communicate. The sender translates the message into symbols or language, a process called encoding. Once
encoded, a message is transmitted through a medium to the receiver. The medium is simply the pathway, such
as a phone call or letter, through which an encoded message is transmitted to a receiver.
What is the feedback phase of communication?
The feedback phase is initiated by the receiver, who becomes the new sender. The receiver decides what
message to send to the original sender (now the new receiver), encodes it, and transmits it through a chosen
medium. The message might contain a confirmation that the original message was received and understood, or a
restatement of the original message to make sure that it was correctly interpreted, or a request for more
information.
How does perception impact communication?
Perception is the process through which people select, organize, and interpret sensory input to give meaning and
order to the world around them. Perception is inherently subjective and influenced by people's personalities,
values, attitudes, moods, experience, and knowledge. When senders and receivers communicate with each
other, they are doing so based on their own subjective perceptions.
Perception plays a central role in communication and affects both transmission and feedback. The encoding and
decoding of messages and even the choice of a medium hinge on the perceptions of senders and receivers.
What is nonverbal communication?
The encoding of messages into words, written or spoken, is verbal communication. Nonverbal communication
includes all messages encoded without using written or spoken language. Nonverbal communication shares
information through facial expressions, body language, and even style of dress. Physical elements such as
buildings, office furniture, and space also convey messages. Office arrangements convey status, power, and
prestige.
Pay close attention to nonverbal behaviors when communicating. Learn to coordinate your verbal messages with
your nonverbal behavior and to be sensitive to what your employees, managers, and peers are saying
nonverbally. It is easy to underestimate the powerful impact that nonverbal communication has on the
perceptions of others. Nonverbal messages can undermine contrary verbal or written messages. A message can
be given meaning only in a context, and cues or signals are easy to misinterpret.
When should I use one-to-one (face-to-face) communication?
Most of a manager's communication time is spent one-on-one, or face-to-face, with employees. Face-to-face
communication provides immediate feedback and is the richest information medium because of the many
information channels available through voice, eye contact, posture, blush, and body language. It is the
appropriate medium for delegating tasks, coaching, disciplining, instructing, sharing information, answering
questions, checking progress toward objectives, and developing and maintaining interpersonal relations.
Managers also spend one-on-one, face-to-face time communicating with their managers, colleagues, and peers.
When should I communicate via the telephone?
Telephone or spoken communications electronically transmitted provide only the cue of voice inflection, not the
visual cues available from face-to-face interaction. The amount of time spent on the telephone varies greatly with
the job. Before making any call, you should always set an objective and write down what you plan to discuss. Use
the paper to write notes during the call. The telephone is the appropriate medium for quick exchanges of
information and for monitoring progress. It is especially useful for saving travel time, but it is inappropriate for
personal matters like discipline.
When should I use written communication?
Individually addressed written communications convey only the cues written on paper and are slow to provide
feedback, although they can be personalized. Written communications meant for a group of people are the lowest
in richness, as they are not focused on a single receiver, use limited information cues, and do not permit easy
feedback. They do, however, provide documentation that the information has been provided.
You and your employees can ask certain questions before sending messages inside and outside the
organization.
How does technology affect communication?
Exciting advances in information technology have dramatically increased the speed of communication. You can
now communicate more easily with your teams and can access information more quickly to make decisions. In
order to be competitive, you should keep abreast of the latest advances in information technology. But you
should not adopt these or other advances without first carefully considering whether and how the technology
advance in question might improve communication and performance in your particular groups, teams,
departments, or organization.
What are the different types of communication networks?
The pathways along which information flows throughout an organization are called communication networks. The
type of communication network that exists in a group depends on the nature of the group's tasks and the extent
to which group members need to communicate with each other in order to achieve group goals. Four kinds of
communication networks that can develop in groups and teams are:
 wheel
 chain
 circle
 all-channel
This article is excerpted from BOMI International's Effective Management Reference Guide. The guide can be
purchased by calling 1-800-235-2664, or by visiting www.bomi.org.
Social networking towards better communication in the
workplace.
27/04/2010MichelleR15 comments
Introduction
Social network gaming provides the opportunity to strengthen the bonds between employees a
work place environment. In this paper we will examine how social network gaming enables
employees to communicate and strengthen work place relations with their peers and those in
supervisory positions. We also examine how Facebook users represent themselves online and how
they use their online persona to establish real life relationships in the work place.
Why facebook? Facebook differs from many other social networking sites such as Myspace, bebo
and twitter in the way that it helps to establish interaction and information sharing between users.
Whilst MySpace, Bebo and Twitter users are able to maintain their identity autonomously Facebook
encourages interaction and networking between users (McClard & Anderson 2008). This in turn is
the perfect platform for inter employee communication to be established. Whilst in the smaller
companies employees may get to know one another quite well due to proximity with other staff.
However in the larger companies and those that operate on a twenty four hour roster getting to
know fellow staff members may be near impossible. By using Facebook and the applications
delivered by it users can if they choose gain a better understanding of their co workers in a safe
space without the discomfort of rushed conversations or awkward interaction in the
workplace. Facebook and the applications allow users to establish relationships.
By its very nature Facebook enables, promotes and facilitates communication.
Communication
Undoubtedly the popularity of gaming in social networking sites such as Face book has increased
significantly over the past number of years. As of December 2009 there are an estimated 271
million Facebook gaming application users ( Whon, Lee and Sung 2010).With a myriad of
applications available the user has to choose from we must address why Facebook users choose
the games they do and how they use these Facebook applications to improve work based
relationships.
Communication in the work place is vital for healthy relations, as with any grouping of people a
hierarchical system soon emerges. In the work place an employees role is dictated by the capacity
in which they are employed, thus many employees often find themselves unable to initiate
communication with those outside of their departments or roles because of work related issues or
by time and scheduling restraints.
Facebook users are able to connect with colleagues in a variety of different, perhaps more playful
ways which allow users to set the tone of any interactions that occur. The lighter delivery platform
of Facebook belies the strength of relationships that can be built, nurtured and reconstructed
within the website. By using the applications a stepping stone to better communication, employees
are taking the control of how they get to know one another regardless of which department of shift
they work. By empowering employees the work place benefits by been able to utilize staff that is
able to communicate with one another.
Facebook differs from other social networking sites in the way that it encourages interactions
between users. Facebook enables users to project aspects of their persona to different groups of
friends and networks that they have
built.
This networking feature
plays a pivotal role in work place relationships on Facebook, by allowing others to seen who has
been added by colleagues the user can choose to add and recommend similar connections to other
co workers. The advantage that Facebook has over many other social networking sites is that it
allows users to decide how much or little interaction they have with others.
“Several people commented on the advantage of a pull technology over email.
People choose when to look, so those who post information do not burden receivers
the way a call or even email would. As one interview participant pointed out, if status messages
are not interesting, no one needs to look. Responses to updates are not
expected; there is plausible deniability as to whether an update was viewed.”
(Skeels, Meredith M, and J Grudin, 2009)
The live feed section of Facebook updates users on what applications and activities their friends,
family and co workers are participating in. Many of these applications send invitations with a short
note from the invitee asking them to participate with the sender. In most cases the invited party
is able to see high scores, rank and level, this indicates to the player what level of interest the
other player has in the game. By sharing links, games and inviting colleagues to participate in
activities off inline the employee is initiating the building a relationship with the invitee. In the
work place it would be unacceptable to invite a co worker to play a game and almost impossible to
play with the multitude of players that many games require. Facebook enables both players to
interact asynchronously via the platform without fear of repercussions in the workplace.
“The face that one presents to the world on Facebook is highly dimensioned. One’s
identity is not characterized by demographic data or other information that one has
supplied upon signing up, but by the interactions in which one engages.”
(McClard & Anderson 2008)
Facebook allows the employees to initiate interaction from the comfort of their homes. Whilst
traditional multi user games such as World of Warcraft, Guildwars etc require hardware to support
and run such graphics heavy games, social networking games provide access to a wide variety of
games at little or no cost other than the connection to the internet. Therefore Facebook
applications are an excellent low cost way of encouraging staff to communicate with one another.
While many other social networking sites focus on the individual, Facebook encourages and thrives
on social interaction. A crucial element of Facebooks` makeup is the feature that allows users to
see who contacts have added and what networks they have joined or are an active part of. Skeels
and Green (2009) found that social networking sites such as face book allow users to better
understand those that they have little contact with or understanding of in the workplace without
expectation placed on them.
Status in the work place
In the work environment the social networking structure is directly influenced by the roles of the
employees and the positions they hold. An example of this is a place of employment that operates
24hours a day. Many of the staff members will be on fixed shifts and will never meet those who
are on opposite shifts; in this case the work environment restricts the social interaction between
day and night time employees.
Employees working in different departments often have little
social interaction or acquire the opportunity to communicate outside of the work environment.
Traditionally workers employed to perform similar roles with in the work place are more likely to
associate with one another in a social capacity when compared to their interaction with employees
of different status in the same workplace.
Whether it be due to the nature or their jobs or that scheduling dictates that they work at different
times of the day, it would be difficult for these individual employees to be a part of the same social
network.
Asynchronicity
The asynchronous nature of social network gaming is perfect for promoting social interaction and
communication in the workplace. Social gaming on Facebook caters for all levels of gaming
experience, computer literacy and skills.
A significant amount of Facebook applications are focused on team building. Indeed in many of the
games, players are unable to progress without help from others. In the workplace this
dependence on others to send resources, help friends and invite others to be neighbors reconfirms
to the employee the social bonds of which he or she is apart of.
In the virtual world of social networking sites such as facebook, the rules of engagement can and
often do differ from those inside the work place. Facebook provides a relaxed safe atmosphere in
which colleges can communicate without the workplace hierarchy influencing interaction. Within
the workplace the rules of social interaction are defined by such factors as position within the
company, years of experience, sex, physical features and age. Social networking and gaming
removes many of the usual social indicators and participants are required to build their online
identity. The virtual world of social networking and social network gaming provides employees to
redefine their status.
How the work place benefits
The use of social networking and Facebook gaming in particular, benefits the workplace by
encouraging communication between staff members. It presents a platform which employees can
get to know one another in their own time and on their own terms. Social network gaming
enables employees to establish emotional bonds with their fellow employees, which in turn
promote a sense of unity and connection with colleagues.
Gamming on Facebook is multifaceted and allows players of all skill levels to participate on a
relatively even playing field. The dynamic and fun environment in which users interact with one
another reaffirms the connection between them as they can associate spending time with the other
user as being fun or being helped by that individual.
To promote constant contact with workers companies often employ methods such as fan pages,
work related groups and weekly news letters to promote interest and dialog between themselves
and between employees.
A recent study by Dimicco and Millen entitled “Identity Management:
Multiple Presentations of Self in Facebook” found that people using the applications did so to help
make sense of those they worked with (Dimicco and Millen, 2007). In this respect the
interconnection between staff was strengthened and encouraged by use of applications available
on Facebook. The presentation of a “third place” (Oldenburg & Brissett 1999) where staff
members can gather and socialize without expectations placed on them is of benefit to the
employer.
Conclusion
So in conclusion we find that social network gaming provides employees with the opportunity to
get to know one another via playful interaction. Workers use these games to establish bonds and
are able to break the ice with colleagues that previously they may have had little interaction
with. These applications are another way for employees to touch base with those that they do not
see on a regular basis or have contact with at work. Via Facebook users can re-establish former
work related networks; keeping in contact with these reawakened ties can be achieved with social
network applications.
It was also shown that employers can become an active participant in initiating employee to
employee networking via work related groups being set up and by maintained by them. We
established that social network gaming and the use of applications by employees creates a sense
of familiarity amongst staff and in turn allows them to relate to one another with much
ease. Again by establishing an identity on Facebook users are able to express themselves or
aspects of themselves that they maybe unable to in the work environment.
Additionally facebook gaming applications provide an easy, low cost method of gaming. The
applications presented by Facebook are easy enough to be played by all ages and all levels of
skill. Facebook applications that are able to be played asynchronously enable all colleagues to
participate in and equal manner. By participating dialogue is promoted which encourages
communication in the workplace that in turn benefits the place of employment; employees that are
able to communicate with one another are more productive.
Consequently I have found that social network gaming and application use via Facebook
encourages communication between employees and in turn dialogue is established. By enabling
staff members to interact with one another in an environment that is safe and available twenty
four hours a day, the employer is rewarded by having staff that have able to form bonds with one
another and communicate in the workplace.
References
DiMicco, Joan Morris, and David R Millen. “Identity Management: Multiple Presentations of Self in
Facebook.” In Conference on Supporting Group Work. Sanibel Island Florida: ACM, 2007.
DiMicco, Joan Morris, David R. Millen, Werner Geyer, and Casey Dugan. “Research on the Use of
Social Software in the
Workplace.” (2007),http://www.headshift.com/blog/2009/01/14/IBM%20Social%20Networking%
20Research.pdf.
Hyatt, Nabeel. “What Makes Gaming
Social.” gigaom (2008), http://gigaom.com/2008/05/23/what-makes-gaming-social/.
McClard, Anne, and Ken Anderson. “Focus on Facebook: Who Are We Anyway?” Anthropology
News(2008), http://www.aaanet.org/issues/anthronews/upload/49-3-McClard-and-Anderson-InFocus.pdf.
Kirsten, Nicole. “Facebook, Virtual Proximity, and the Meaning of Relationships.” (2009),
http://www.allfacebook.com/2009/11/facebook-virtual-proximity-and-the-meaning-ofrelationships/
Rheingold, Howard. ““a Slice of Life in My Virtual Community” by Howard Rheingoldwhole Earth
Review.” http://www.cs.indiana.edu/docproject/bdgtti/bdgtti_18.html.
Skeels, Meredith M, and Jonathan Grudin. “When Social Networks Cross Boundaries: A Case Study
of Workplace Use of Facebook and Linkedin.” In Conference on Supporting Group Work. Florida,
USA: ACM, 2009.
Wohn, Dr Yvette, Yu-hoa Lee, and Jieun Sung. “Building Common Ground and Reciprocity through
Social Network Games.” Paper presented at the Conference on Human Factors in Computing
Systems:, 12-13 April 2010 2010.
CASE STUDY: MICROSOFT - BUILDING A CULTURE OF
INNOVATION IN THE WORKPLACE
OVERVIEW
At Microsoft, we define innovation in the broadest terms possible. That means that we don't just focus on
developing the most innovative software applications for an increasingly diverse range of devices - it means that
we actually apply an innovative approach to everything that we do as an organisation.
This is particularly evident when it comes to HR at Microsoft.
Our objective at HR is to make sure that we develop a culture of innovation throughout the organisation. In order
to achieve this objective we do many different things including;
 Hiring for potential - Graduate Recruiting/Institute of Sport programmes

Employee engagement - 'myStory', 'I am' engagement campaigns

Diversity & Inclusion - diverse people, diverse ideas

Creating an Entrepreneurial Culture
It is a combination of these programmes, as well as the overall approach that senior management take to building
trust and open communication with their teams that helps ensure our continued success with a happy and
motivated workforce.
To help provide detail on how some of these programmes work in practice I am focusing on the area of 'Creating
an Entrepreneurial Culture'.
CHALLENGE
The recent global economic challenges presented us with the opportunity to think about our business in new
ways and to really drive value. We wanted to ensure that employees understood that their skills, their jobs and
their contribution are directly linked to helping the company achieve a business result which would help drive the
business forward and ensure future success.
We needed our environment to be one where everyone understands that their ideas are important; ideas which
develop new products or processes which allow Microsoft to enter new markets and to acquire new customers.
Previously our growth presented more obvious opportunities for employees to develop and learn. The new
'reality' meant that opportunity needed to be identified which was not so obviously and which might not be easy to
commercialise.
We needed to identify the areas of priority where investment would be made while also de-prioritising other areas
which were no longer central to our future strategy.
We needed to engage all employees in this challenge, not just for the success of the business but also to help
them ensure their own success.
SOLUTION
In order to empower people to make business critical decisions and to help them understand the link between
their own work and the impact on the company's overall strategy and success we needed to create an
Entrepreneurial Culture.
We did this by:
 Developing a communications programme which was open and transparent generating discussion at all
levels within the organisation and focused all employees in identifying the opportunity for themselves, the
business and our customers in the current economic uncertainty. This led to the generation of significant
numbers of ideas which were then distilled into a number of key initiatives across the businesses relating to
product innovation, developing new business opportunities and learning opportunities at the same time.

Creating a cadre of people managers (developing manager communities, collaboration sites, manager
learning weeks, regular people manager meetings) with explicit organisational responsibilities for employee
engagement on the above as well as developing their employee base behind the 'new reality' where the key
to success for any employee was to keep relevant.

Providing employees with the control over when and how they work, using our latest technology to work any
place, any time. Our high trust work culture enables employees to decide and be accountable for the quality
of their work output
OUTCOME

High levels of employee engagement - No 1. Best Place to Work

Ability to manage change in a very effective manner. All employees see the value of change, the need to
have changes to role and responsibilities with minimal down time and impact on productivity.

Ability to drive initiatives across groups and functions in an effective manner

Each individual understands their contribution to increasing revenue and market share
TOP TIPS

Engage your employees openly about business challenges and opportunities, involve them in the solution.

Be open and transparent in your communications, While you may not have all the answers, people prefer to
be involved even if things are not clear.

Empower people to make decisions, share in the positive benefits and understand their role in the negatives.

Hire the best people you can find and develop great teams. They will deliver more value for your business.
http://www.microsoft.com/ireland/smarteconomy/case_studies/MICROSOFT/
CASE STUDY 1
Carrying out an Internal Communications Audit
Background
The organisation recognised that there was too much reliance on staff receiving important information through informal
channels such as ‘the grapevine’. This in turn led to an environment where rumour and speculation were widespread,
which then tended to impact negatively on the organisational and individual performance. As part of its strategy to
improve internal communications, the organisation wanted to gather the views of staff and incorporate their feedback
into future action plans.
This client is a public sector organisation and employs approximately six hundred staff.
Objectives

To gather staff feedback on the effectiveness of internal communications including the types of information available,
the channels of communication used, roles and responsibilities in making communications timely and consistent.

Draft a report with an analysis of the key findings including common trends and conclusions.

Make recommendations on how to enhance internal communications and assist in devising a strategy for the future.
Approach
A communications campaign which included branded emails, posters and notes attached to payslips was designed to
support the communications audit. An online survey with 11 questions including suggestions on how to improve internal
communications was launched by the Chief Executive. Hard copies were distributed for staff that did not have internet
access. Focus groups were organised and one to one interviews were carried out with staff from both Head Office and
regional offices.
Managers were identified as having a key role in encouraging staff to provide feedback on the organisations’ internal
communications, by either completing the survey or questionnaire and or attending a focus group.
Outcomes
57% of staff completed the communications survey and the key findings included:

The majority of staff felt that internal communications within the organisation could be improved significantly. The
percentage did vary according to job function and location, with office based staff giving the most positive responses.

Overall, the feedback suggested that there was plenty of information available for staff to review. The main issues were
around how accessible and up to date this information was.

Most staff felt that the flow of information was one way only and there were very limited opportunities to ask senior
managers’ questions and or provide them with feedback.

There was a disconnect between the sentiment and the practice of individuals taking responsibility and being
accountable for effective internal communications.
Recommendations to improve internal communications focussed on devising a communications strategy where
structures, roles and responsibilities, and processes were clearly defined. The appointment of an internal
communications specialist on a temporary basis to drive and embed the actions from the survey was also
recommended. Regarding the channels of communications, specific recommendations included devising an email
etiquette policy, relaunching the staff newsletter, introducing a catch up folder updating the content on the intranet more
frequently.
The report’s recommendations were accepted by the organisation’s senior management team. Key findings of the audit
are due to be published to all staff with an action plan to address the issues identified.
September 2010
http://www.attain.ie/who-we-work-with/case-study-1/
http://www.slideshare.net/suchi9/communication-concepts-theories-and-models1-presentation
Communication Theories
Posted by Amitava K. Saha at 9:05 AM
“The most important thing in communication is to hear what isn't being said.” Peter Drucker (1909 2005)
When my professor of “Corporate communication” popped up “Communication theory” presentation in the class,
first thing I came into my mind was “why do we have to learn these useless theories to be an MBA?” But after one
hour the experience was completely different. It was really interesting to see that how a simple thing like
communication (as I thought before) was actually was not so simple at all. There are so many factors we consider
in our conscious or unconscious mind on order to communicate, to convey our message.
So, what is communication? According to Encyclopedia of Public Health:
“Communication is the production and exchange of information and meaning by
use of signs and symbols. It involves encoding and sending messages, receiving
and decoding them, and synthesizing information and meaning. Communication
permeates all levels of human experience and it is central to understanding
human behavior.”
Theories of communication are actually is not something new that came into picture in twentieth century. In the
history of philosophy, Aristotle first addressed the problem of communication and attempted to work out a theory
of it in The Rhetoric. Aristotle represented communication as might an orator who speaks to large audiences.
Although His model incorporates few elements.
http://amitava82.blogspot.com/2007/06/communication-theories.html
Poor Communication
Poor Communication Leads to Inadequate Workplaces
As in any relationship, communication is key to a strong business relationship. This can be the
relationship between business and customer, or, equally as important, the internal relationships
among different employees within the company. Communication can be improved in virtually every
workplace, no matter the industry or size. After all, it is the only way for information to effectively
spread throughout the business so that everybody can be informed to the degree that they required to
properly achieve their goals.
There are many opportunities for poor communication in a
workplace, and awareness of these hindrances is the first step
toward discovering and solving them within your own
business.
Strangely enough, it seems that it is always the employers
who are the last to find out that there does indeed exist poor
communication within their own companies. This, ironically, is
a direct result of the poor communication! It only makes sense
that when information isn’t properly flowing down within a
business, it isn’t flowing up very well either.
Among the most trying elements of poor communication in today’s workplace is a lack of information
for the proper accomplishment of the tasks necessary within the business. Even in today’s
information overload society, employees often lack the information they need to do their jobs. They
may have the data that they require from external supplies, however, it is the information that their
supervisors and co-workers have, but have not properly shared, that remains unsaid. Frequently, this
poor communication is a result of the fact that the people with the information are still processing it
themselves, and haven’t distanced themselves enough from the problem to discover that there are
other people around them who will also be requiring that information.
Furthermore, the way in which people communicate can actually be the cause of poor communication
in the workplace. Even if the person with the information believes that s/he has shared this
information with all of the right people, this may not exactly be true. After all, some people are better
at communicating than others, and when someone who struggles to express themselves is the source
of the necessary information, this causes a problem.
Ideally, people should communicate clearly, at a comfortable rate, with a practical vocabulary, and in
an engaging tone. They need to get to the point before the listener can lose interest or miss the point
altogether. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case. Often, people speak too quickly or slowly for us
to properly absorb what is being said. They may be too loud or too quiet, use words that we don’t
understand, or use words that are so juvenile that they don’t express the proper degrees and details
required for the statement. They may speak in a shrill or sing-song tone that is distracting, causing us
to lose the information before it enters our minds.
Poor communication is an important issue to overcome in the workplace, though it may not always be
easy. When resolving the situation in your workplace, remember to give it time, and motivate the
employees properly.
http://www.anonymousemployee.com/csssite/sidelinks/poor_communication.php