Well, time really flies; this will be last entry I am writing for my communication blog before it will be graded by my lecturer. No worries, I am not closing down this blog after it is graded for the module. In fact, I hope to transform this to a place where all my friends can gather and share their views about the topic that I will be posting on this blog on a fortnightly basis.
So let’s continue on with today’s topic which is about communicating in an organization. I presume that all of you have at least some working experiences right? No matter how little it was, you will bound to gain some experiences from it.
Well for me, I had been in various jobs before and had experience different kinds of communication styles before. The first style that I had encountered when I was working as a promoter for aromatherapy products, it was very simple. Simple in the sense that I report directly to my boss to report sales figures and also to liaise directly with her for my pay!
Next will be when I am working at a call centre that deals with payment for bills and fines etc, the communication get a bit more complex. As we do not really talk to our supervisor directly, we escalate the dispute cases we took from customer by paper escalation, which means we will need to note down the case into the template on the paper and pass it to our supervisor. The only time we talk to the supervisor is when we want to check on the progress of the case and also eating lunch together. The relationship between the supervisor and the co-workers is still considered good as they are still able to communicate with each other.
Lastly, I will be discussing my current job. As it is quite a big organization, the hierarchy system in this company is much more difficult to manage. As there is always a standard template where one will need to follow. Take for example, if customer request to speak to the overall in charge of the department, you cannot transfer the phone call directly to the in charge. What you need to do is to pass the case to your team leader, if the team leader cannot resolve the case; it will be passed on to their supervisor. But if the supervisor cannot solve the problem then they will take down customer’s contact and email them to the overall in charge of the department to give customer a callback.
Among these 3 styles, the one that I like most is the simplest one in which I report directly to the boss. Well it is because, when you communicate with each other directly, you can minimize the chance of unnecessary misunderstands and conflicts.
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Estee Said:
on March 19, 2009 at 7:59 pm
I like the first job you had too.Totally agree with your point that when we communicate with each other directly, we can minimize the chance of unnecessary misunderstanding and conflicts. It will take so much trouble to clear up misunderstanding etc. All the best for your current job!
hello hello (: Said:
on March 19, 2009 at 9:44 pm
I’ve only worked at one type of job up till now, and it was a similar sort of hierarchy system. It is a huge organization based here and overseas, and the people you probably communicate to are the ones that are in the same project group as you. Since your talking about communication in an organization, hmm… in my case, since we don’t get very well position jobs having just graduated from a poly, we only probably communicate with our group leader or the working buddy place over you. It is very important to get your message across to people you are working with, simply based on the fact that we can cancel out any misunderstandings, or tasks that need to be looked into, checked and get these projects done on time. There have been many instances where mistakes and certain issues were not being put across or brought out, causing many problems.
Communication within an organization styled in such a way, with smaller groups, forming larger parts of a project group is important and necessary for good communication to take place.
moonprincess87 Said:
on March 20, 2009 at 1:17 am
Hoho! I like the communication style in the first job as well! It minimizes the chances of any misunderstanding or misinterpretation. These can be seen, usually, in the bigger companys! I once worked for a major enrichment centre and the communication between the superior and the subordinates was quite messy! Because the superiors have too many things to handle and cannot handle the calls, we the subordinates have to take all the shit from the clients! But, this style of communicating in a big organization is meant to be better and more organised.
com101b Said:
on March 20, 2009 at 1:36 am
To Estee, Hello Hello and Moonprincess87,
Haha…So we do share common thinking. Well, for the first style itslef is really a type of communication style that I really like a lot as it minimizes misunderstand. But in Singapore, for this kind of communication style to exist, it’s rare…unless you are working in a family business.
karen Said:
on March 20, 2009 at 1:53 am
yea. i ll have to agree with you too, zhining.
the simplest way is to communicate directly with your boss. it helps to minimise the unnecessary information, and gets the correct message across.
yet, we still need to learn to work in groups. there are times when we need to depend on each other, like for a same goal.
lol. and even when you re in a family business, miscommunications do occur too. who knows, it may be worse. cause we tend to take our loved ones for granted.
Shawn Tay Said:
on March 20, 2009 at 1:57 am
a lot depends on your position in the company i guess.
i guess the reporting based on the chain of command and the red tape is what really bores, irritates and irks us.
of course all these depends on the company itself as well. some people make your life easier, some don’t.
it’s hard to place objectivity in the context of the work place. i guess it’s your experiences in the various environments that shape your perception of things based on experiences which can lead to a certain amount of conceptual biasness.
annnee83 Said:
on March 22, 2009 at 12:17 am
In my previous company I communicate directly with my boss (as my company is really small), therefore I kind of agree that it will help minimize conflicts but then again if you have some idiotic colleague who would stab you right in the back in front of your boss. No matter how your boss tries not to be influence by what was told to him, he will have form a certain mindset and will treat you in a different manner.
I agree with Karen that working in a family business might lead to misunderstanding. Therefore, the boss of the company definitely needs to gain the trust of his employee and family members and be a person who is magnanimous and fair.
wumingke Said:
on March 22, 2009 at 1:00 am
Communication problem are always around, as you can see people are still quarreling about things that can be solve easily. Forms of linking up with people is getting more and more. So people can find one another easily. Environment affects the information that conveys to the other party. So it is not easy for an easy communication with people all the time as it incure many factors.
com101b Said:
on March 22, 2009 at 6:37 pm
I agree with all of you that there are also other factors such as environment that affect communication, but no matter what, effective communication is always the best as it can minimize unnecessary conflicts. =)