Managerial Communication

Question: Discuss about the Managerial Communication. Answer: Introduction: Communication in an organization means exchange of ideas, thought and information between people working in an organization. Communication in an organization is regarded as one of the most effective tool in overcoming any existing problems and issues in an organization. It enhances the quality of work of the employees and enables them to meet the aims and objectives in an organization (Ruck and Welch 2012). In this report, we shall discuss the best communication approach that a Manager should take at the time of communicating lay off to employees and a communication plan for the same shall be developed. Types of Communication: In an organization, the following types of communication can take place: Intrapersonal Communication: This kind of communication involves the use of thought or language for communication by the communicator and it stays within the communicator itself. Examples such as talking aloud and reading aloud encompass intrapersonal communication (Macnamara 2015). Interpersonal Communication: This kind of communication involves exchange of information between two people at a personal level. This kind of communication may include non verbal communication or a written communication (Wright 2016). Organizational Communication: This type of communication means communication that takes place within an organization at a professional level. This primarily includes exchange of ideas and information within an organization (Chakravartula and Sengupta 2014). Group Communication: This communication means interaction between members of a small group of individuals. This kind of communication is the best for completing any project and management of a project (Dasgupta, Suar and Singh 2012). Intercultural Communication: In this communication, aims at sharing information across people of different social groups and cultures (Eisenberg et al. 2013). Interpersonal Communication The Best Approach In the given case study, a Manager needs to let go three of his employees from his organization, as it is going through bleak economy then it is advisable for him to prefer the interpersonal mode of communication for communicating this to my employees (Knapp et al. 2014). As mentioned above, interpersonal mode of communication means where there is communication between two parties at a very personal level. This type of communication is preferred when there is a need of communicating an information to the other person that is highly personal in nature. From the perspective of laying off employees or informing that their presence is not needed in the job anymore, is indeed, a difficult task from the managements end. To communicate such an information face-to-face communication is required as the employee who is being laid off may come up with innumerable questions, which the Manager will have to answer to the employee to satisfy him as per his existing doubts (Wood 2015). Loss of job can affect trust of employees. At the time of relaying such thoughts to the employee, he may feel lost, stressed and betrayed. Hence, it is important for a Manager to ensure that the employee who is being laid off is satisfied with the fact that it was important for the company to take such a step and that it was left with no other options (Eisenberg et al. 2013). This is possible only if the Manager chooses an interpersonal communication with his employees as it may not be possible for the Manager to give a detailed information regarding his lay off. Thus, interpersonal skills help in giving detailed information to the employees. While expressing his thoughts to the employee, a Manager should recognize the contribution he has made to the organization. Recognition is an important factor while relaying thoughts about lay off to an employee. This can be achieved through direct communication and it will help in avoiding problems and focus on key points of the communication (Macnamara 2015). At the time of communicating lay off to an employee, it is important to note how the employee reacts to this information. An interpersonal communication helps in observing the body language of the employee and the way he reacts after receiving this information. This helps the Manager in understanding the outlook of the employee and his perspective in relation to the work (Dasgupta, Suar and Singh 2012). Additionally, it is also important for a Manager to ensure that such a meeting does not take too long as it leads to a diversion from the given topic. One of the major concerns of people who are being laid off or terminated is the fear what other employees are going to say behind their back. Interpersonal communication is the best way to communicate termination, as the employees will feel secured about their dignity and respect. If such information is communicated verbally then employees may feel dissatisfied (Macnamara 2015). Conclusion: Conclusively, it may be stated that with the associated benefits of interpersonal communication, it is not only best suited for relaying thoughts about lay off the employees but also in other scenarios in an organisation wherein a highly personal information or thought is to be conveyed to the employees. It is advisable to adapt to this kind of communication by the management as it helps both the employees and the Management to express their ideas easily with each other about work place issues or any other associated issues in an organisation. Communication Plan: Communication Context: This shall include the reasons for laying off and the vision and mission of the organisation after the employee will be laid off. The following can be the context of communication in a lay off meeting: The rationale of lay off The mission, aims and objectives of the organisation The efforts taken to reduce job loss How will the layoff influence the organisation positively? Pre Meeting Preparation: To be familiar with the circumstances that has lead to elimination of the employee Prepare a script as a guide. This will be helpful to convey all the necessary information to the employee. To consider the tenure of the employees, that is, after they are laid off will they be serving the notice period or not. Communication Purpose: This shall include the reason of the communication of elimination of the employee. The following points can be included in the communication purpose: The people who will be impacted with the elimination of that employee? The changes that are anticipated to take place with the elimination. Plan of recommendation for the employee Elimination benefits that the employee may avail after elimination Communication Content and Channel: The Manager as part of the communication plan should also prepare the channel and content of communication. In this step, the Manager should decide the way of communicating lay off to employee and the content that he will be using for communication. In this case, the Manager shall choose interpersonal skills as his communication channel and the content is stated as part of the communication plan. Thus, one may conclude that in order to implement the plan that is made, the best approach is interpersonal approach. It may become difficult for the Manager to explain to the employee about the reasons, vision, mission and impact of his elimination in public. To exchange information of such kind, interpersonal communication approach is advisable in the given scenario. References: Chakravartula, C.M. and Sengupta, P.P., 2014. The managerial communication conundrum: exploring the effect of level and function in a corporate public sector organisation.International Journal of Indian Culture and Business Management,9(1), pp.1-16. Dasgupta, S.A., Suar, D. and Singh, S., 2012. Impact of managerial communication styles on employees' attitudes and behaviours.Employee Relations,35(2), pp.173-199. Eisenberg, E.M., Goodall Jr, H.L. and Trethewey, A., 2013.Organizational communication: Balancing creativity and constraint. Macmillan Higher Education. Knapp, M.L., Vangelisti, A.L. and Caughlin, J.P., 2014.Interpersonal Communication Human Relationships. Pearson Higher Ed. Macnamara, J., 2015. The work and architecture of listening: Requisites for ethical organisation-public communication.Ethical Space,12(2), pp.29-37. Ruck, K. and Welch, M., 2012. Valuing internal communication; management and employee perspectives.Public Relations Review,38(2), pp.294-302. Wood, J.T., 2015.Interpersonal communication: Everyday encounters. Nelson Education. Wright, M. ed., 2016.Gower handbook of internal communication. CRC Press.