Introcuction To Management-PART2 (communication)

Communication

                       Communication is the lifeblood of the organization. Communication facilitates all the activities, function of the management as well as organization. A manager spends a lot of time in communication.

E.g. First (or top) level supervisor spend 74% time out of total time for communication (Listening and Speaking – 48%, telephone – 8%, writing – 17% and reading – 9%)

Second (or middle) level manager spend 81% time out of total time for communication (Listening and speaking – 57%, telephone – 8%, writing – 14% and reading – 10%)

Third (or lower) level manager spends 87% time out of total time for communication (Listening and speaking – 62%, telephone – 8%, writing – 13% and reading – 12%)

[Source: John R. Hinrichs – Research and communication activities in 1964]

-         Communication is the transfer of information and understanding from one person to another person.

-         Communication is the social process, like face to face communication, group of people television, news paper, and other media.

-         Communication is foundation and management is roof of five pillars of management function.

-         Communication is links people, exchange ideas and opinion, informs about situation and motivates people, express feeling, passing information and transmission of information and understanding through the use of common symbol.

Purpose of Communication

-         For information sharing

-         For decision making

-         For team management

-         For evaluation and control

-         For problem solving

-         For strategy implementation

-         For organization change and development

-         For feedback of any activities

The communication process

Several steps are involved in the communication process. These steps in communication process are linked in chain. Therefore transmission of the message becomes complex because it has to travel through these different steps. In the process of communication there is a chance of breakdown of message in any steps. The basic steps or elements of communication are:

1.     Sender: Sources of message

2.     Encoding: Translated into some language or symbol or development of original message in their own words or interest.

3.     Message and Medium: This means simply path of transmission as formal or informal path. E.g.: telephone, face to face, meeting, photograph, memo, fax, email, etc.

4.     Decoding by receiver: The receiver assigns some meaning to the symbol or words transmitted by the sources.

Communication Structure/ Types

Communication structure is a pattern through which the member of group or organization communicates with each others. This structure is also known as communication network or communication channel. Every organization has communication channel for flow of information. There are four types of communication channel/structure.

1.     Formal communication channel

2.     Informal communication channel

3.     Interpersonal communication channel

4.     Non-Verbal communication channel

1.     Formal Communication channel: Formal communication is systematic patterns that follow certain rules, regulation and procedure to communicate others. E.g. Letter. Formal communication channel can be classified into four types:

a.     Downward Communication: The flow of communication is from top to bottom through a formal line of authority. E.g.: Policies, Goals, Job instructions, etc. are forward downward communications which are mentioned in certain structure, design and parameters of the organization.

 

                                                        

b.     Upward Communication: The flow of communication is from bottom to top through a formal line of authority. It provides suggestion, information about problems and feedback in certain structures, design and parameter of the organization.

c.      Horizontal Communication: The flow of communication between two pairs at the same levels in the organization. It is used for coordination and interdepartmental problem solving.

d.     Diagonal Communication: The flow of communication is between managers and employee who are neither in the same department nor at the same level. It cut across the chain of command and violates unity of command.

                                                                                                                                           

2.     Informal Communication Channel: Those channel used by informal group in an org. The flow of communication is through personal contact or grapevine (rumor) at high speed. It can be based on fact on rumor. Informal communication can be classified into two types.

a.     Network Communication: Network communication defined as the channel for information flow through the developed or self developed network. These networks may be formal or informal too. The network communication channel can be classified into five types.

                                                                          i.      Wheel Network: Single center person communicate with others on a one to one basis.

                                                              

                                                                                                                                       

                                                                     

                                                                        ii.      Y Network: It is similar to upside down formal communication structure.

                                                                      iii.      Chain Network : This communication allow only up and down communication.

                                                                     iv.      Circle Network: Communication is round in both directions as a circle.

                                                                       v.      Completely Connected Network: All the members are connected directly with each others.

                                                                                                                                                                  

b.     Pure informal network: The member involves flow of rumors through the grapevine. E.g. Single stand each other, Gossip- one tell all, probability- each randomly tell other, cluster- some tell others.

3.     Interpersonal Communication: Interpersonal communication is a two way communication system. It is the primary means of communication. Interpersonal communication takes place between or among two or more individuals. Method of interpersonal communication are  :-

a.     Oral communication

b.     Face to face communication

c.      Written communication

4.     Non-verbal communication: Generally communication has three aspects: Verbal – language written or spoken, Emotional aspect – express feeling, Non-verbal aspect – body language.

These three aspects combine to formal to form of total message. Non-verbal communication is that communication that involves neither written nor spoken in words. It is used and understands without using word. It is express through body language, gestures, postures, physical appearance and eye movements.

Barriers to effective communication

Effective communication is not easy. There are many blocking and barriers to effective communication. Different writers have classified the barriers in their own ways. But Robert Kreitner (2000) has classified the barriers to communication in the following groups:-

1.     Process barriers: Defect in encoding and decoding process, filtering of information by the sender, sometime sender send the conflicting signal, fear and mistrust from the environment, poor listening skills and feedback are the process barrier in communication.

2.     Physical barriers: Long distance and long hierarchical and office design distance may break down the message. Communication is not that where you can easy to communicate effectively with the widely spread out units of the organization.

3.     Semantic barriers: The nodes which are used in communication give the different meaning; e.g. long and complex sentence, use technical and different words, multiple meaning words are created barriers in communication.

4.     Psychological barriers: Lack of interest of listening, measuring to reference group, filtering some word due to their perception, different meaning for different people of one word, status different, cultural or social difference may create the psychological communication barriers.

5.     Technological barriers: Information overload, poor timing between sender and receivers, slow of communication media which may not deliver the critical information in time and omission of message or words in the process of transmission. Technological barrier will happen in information overload, poor timing, omission of message and critical information.

Barrier

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Planning and Control

·        Planning and control are interrelated

·        Planning / standard provide direction to control for attaining goals, and activities to reach that goal.

·        Set of planning are – target performance, allocate resources, utilization of resources, control to problem

·        Planning is pre-determined standard of performance, any measurement and framework so that planning and control are interrelated

Purpose of Control

Control assures the certain minimum standard in performance, work, measurement, quality, volume, size, color, time and etc. Control is necessary for the following purpose:

·        To ensure the work according to the objectives and planning

·        To recognize the gap in knowledge and skills of the employees or students and arrange appropriate training and methods for learning

·        To recognized the reward in the good work, e.g. promotion, training, benefits, achievement and etc.

·        To ensure and manage resources properly

·        To identify the causes of work deficiency or variation between actual performance or achievement and standard or plan.

Benefits of Control

·        Improving the quality of goods and services or work

·        Improve efficiency

·        Reduce risk and standardization process for improvement

·        Utilization of organization resources

·        Improving employees/organizational members accountability

Types of Control

There are three types of control.

1.     Pre-Control (Input Control): Focus on before starting of any activities or production process, identify the problem in advance. It eliminates the potential problem which will appear in work/quality of work, raw material, procurement, recruitment, budget and investment.

2.     Concurrent Control /Process/Conversion Control: This control is focused on transformation activities of input. It ensures operation problems and corrects it.

3.     Post Control/Output control: This control is focused on result, output, finished product. It includes inspection of product/services, financial analysis, quality control, employees’ performance or organizational member performance standard.

                                                                              

                                      Pre-Control                       Process Control        Post Control

<Characteristics of effective control system.docs>

Quality Control

Advantages of quality control:

·       Quality control is directly reduce wastage

·       Beneficial effect on machine shop production

·       Quality control does not measure merely(simply) the final product

·       Quality control helps to finding defective product

Method of quality control

1.    Inspection Method : There will be 100% inspection, point inspection in receiving centre

2.    Statistical quality control: It is based in theory of sampling or law of probability. The aim of statistical quality control is to control material, parts, product, process within specified limit like 95% confidence or ±5% defect is acceptable etc. It has two technique

a.    Control Chart: defined upper limit and lower limit of quality acceptance

b.    Acceptance of sampling: reject or accept the lot if sampling inspection find out beyond limit or within control limit.

Advantages of statistical quality control

·       Continuous inspection to the product in various stages

·       Reduce the buyer rejection

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Total Quality Management (TQM)

Concept:

It is comprehensive approach of improving product quality and there by customers satisfaction. Total quality management is a management philosophy of continuously improving product quality through everyone’s committed and involvement to satisfy customers need. The Japanese concept of KAIZEN indicates organizational commitment to continue improvement.

TQM is a cooperative form of doing business that relies on the talent and contributions of both labor and management to continually improve quality and productivity using teams.

Components of approaches of TQM

1.     Strategic commitment by management: The top level management should have strategic commitment or long-range commitment to total quality management over the long-term in organizational culture and supportive environment.

2.     Continuous quality improvement: TQM believes that the quality can be always improved. Quality is never ending process.

3.     Customers focus or centered: TQM puts intense focus on customer. Satisfaction of the customers needs to be top priority of the organization.

4.     Employees’ involvement: Quality is everyone’s responsibility for their own work. Employees or all members’ involvement through team at all level is critical improving quality.

5.     Accurate measurement: TQM uses statistical tools for accurate measurement of critical operation. Performance is compared against standards for elimination of deviation. The measurement tools are flow chart, histogram, scatter diagram, fishbone diagram, pareto analysis and etc.

6.     Improved material, technology and method: TQM uses improved quality material technology, method for transformation process in improving quality product.

7.     Use of team: Use of team work or small group work to solve problem in the work place is another aspect of TQM. Problem solving team, quality circles are very effective in quality management.

Tools/ Technique of Total Quality Management (TQM)

Manager can use several tools and technique for total quality management. Those tools and techniques are:

a)     Do right things first time

b)    Bench marking: It is the process of learning from best practices of other organization that produce superior performance.

c)     Outsourcing: It is sub-contracting service and operation from the outside organization/firm that can do cheaper and better.

d)    ISO-9000: ISO-9000 is the set of quality standard created by International organization for standardization (ISO). Organization gets the certificate from ISO. ISO standard cover product testing, employee training, record keeping, supplier relation and repair policies.

e)     Statistical quality control: It includes the set of specific statistical tools that can be used to monitor quality. E.g. Control chart, probability, etc.

f)      Just in time (JIT) inventory: No inventory for further production but production process starts through direct purchase.

g)     Speed: Speed is the time needed to get activities and accomplishment. Increase speed in study, manufacturing process, providing service, distribution and etc.

Factors of affecting quality

Quality is function of many factors; e.g. Q=f (material, process, method, technology, benchmark, employees attitudes, etc.). It is very difficult to quantify the factors affecting quality. The widely known factors are:-

Ø Skills and knowledge of people

Ø Quality of raw materials

Ø Quality of equipment

Ø New creation and innovation work

Ø Research

Ø Control system over all business unit

Ø Work method and technology

[chapter end -- control ]