Effective Communication As A Tool For Achieving Organizational Goals And Objectives

1.0                                                         INTRODUCTION

1.1       Background Information to the Study

Communication is an indispensable organizational developmental tool. It run through every facets of the organization. It serve as a crucial instrument of social interactions and a medium through which all relationships are established and maintained. Communication is the transmission of common understanding through the use of commonly understood symbols and signs. Effective managerial communication is strategic for organizational goal achievement. Managers who are striving to become better communicators must accomplish two separate tasks first, they must improve their message, the information they wish to transmit. Second, they must improve their own understanding of what people are trying to communicate to them. They must strive not only to be understood but also to understand others. While an organization has its physical setting, purpose and objectives, organization members have their individual objectives also. All these interplay in organizational setting, creating what we refer to as organizational climates. However, ineffective communication in an organization may result in uncertainty, apprehension and dissatisfaction, these results to, poor productivity. It is therefore necessary that managers should communicate with employees effectively.

The extent to which a manager accomplishes corporate goals depends on his ability to communicate effectively (Herich, 2018). According to Kelvin-Iloafu (2016), effective communication enhances organizational relationship and minimizes strikes and lockouts. Organizational purposes and goals are sometimes defeated when communication is not effective. Wastes and costly mistakes have been made due to gaps in communication. Communication is an indispensable function in organizational performance. Getting the message across effectively and having it understood is a prerequisite to progress. There is no point in moving forward if the basic message is lost, or there are barriers in the process. Business organizations exist for the purpose of achieving predetermined goals and objectives. Actualization of these objectives ultimately requires a manager working with and through people. In this context, communication plays a vital role in the attainment of these goals. Its failure could then be traceable to poor application of communication. Incidentally, some managers do not often realize that communication is the vehicle that drives all the managerial functions. Success or failure of managerial functions depends to a great extent on the role of communication in the organization.

According Richter and Giddens (2020), communication is the process of meaningful interaction among human beings. Communication is a process which requires a sender, a message, a medium and a recipient. Though, the receiver may not be involved or aware of the sender’s intent to communicate at the time of communication; it is expedient that the communicating parties share an area of communicative commonality. Thus communication can occur across vast distances in time and space. According to Daramola (2017) communication is ubiquitous. It takes place everywhere, everyday and every time. It is all around us. As a result, each and every one of us engages in communication with one another at home, in the office, school and industry.

Today, there is increasing concern and debate, analysis and confusion around the world over how managers do their jobs, managerial performance, as it is with organizational performance, the measure of how well organizations do their job. Thus, effective communication is very essential for the continued corporate existence of every organization. Good communication is vital to the effective co-ordination of it resources (human and non-human) into desirable and efficient working units. The importance of effective communication to managers or executives of organizations stems from two reasons. First, communication is the process by which managers accomplish the functions of planning, organizing, leading and controlling. Second, communication is an activity to which managers devote an overwhelming proportion of their time. Rarely, are managers alone at their desks thinking, planning, or contemplating alternatives. In fact, managerial time is spent largely in face–to–face, electronic or telephone communication with subordinates, supervisors, and suppliers. In good times or bad, there seems to be little real understanding of the relationships between managers and employees, and interactions between the two. When there are problems, everyone acknowledges that the cause often is a communication problem.

According to McShane and Von Glinow (2015) Communication refers to the process by which information is transmitted and understood between two or more people. Communication is an integral part of the organizational process as the flow of communication up and down the organizational hierarchy has its effects on efficiency, decision- making and morale of organizations. Thus, effective communication is regarded as the foundation of organizations today (Von Krogh 2020). Communication strategies are common in the business world, where they are used as part of a business plan, detailing how to communicate with various groups of people. A single business may have multiple strategies for different categories of people, such as clients, investors, competitors or employees. Some companies even have an internal communication strategy for communicating within the business itself. These strategies are used to determine things like what information to share with the clients or investors, as well as how that information should be presented.

Effective communication is very critical and central to the stability, wellbeing, peace, progress and performance and achievement of organization goals and objectives. Organization, groups, units and departments depend on effective communication to perform all their functions including planning, directing, controlling, decision making and the execution of decisions and goal thus, leaders, management, operations and performance cannot take place or be achieved without communication between persons and units. Most interactions, mutual understanding and interpersonal relations take place via communication (Ajayi, 2021). The effectiveness, openness and level of communication determine largely the level of morale, job satisfaction and motivation of staff. Thus, the task of organizational coordination and operations would be made difficult without a system of effective communication.