What is management? This is a common dilemma among scholars globally. There is no clear definition which can bring a person to understanding the term clearly. Many scholars have defined the term differently, for instance, Peter Drucker (1993) defined management as “Supplying knowledge to find out how existing knowledge can best be applied to produce results”, Harold Koontz defines it as “an art of getting things done through and with the people in formally organized groups” (1990). Following these definitions, management can be generally defined as the act of bringing labor and resources together to work towards a common goal. Often, management is used interchangeably with leadership. Leadership is the act of setting the direction or goals that a group should achieve. Leadership is different from management in that, leadership involves setting the visions of a group while management involves formulation of plans to achieve the set goals. This makes the two dependent on each other as management depends on leadership for direction and leadership depends on management for the realization of the set goals. Ordinarily, leadership could be regarded as management and vice versa due to their close relationship.
In a nut shell, leadership is about getting things done. However, this is easily said than done. It is an integrative process which involves a number processes and tools such as planning, staffing and communication. Planning and staffing are often common and easy to do for many leaders. However, to have effective leadership in an organization, effective communication is paramount. There should be elaborate channels through which the management team communicates with all the other sectors of an organization. The management must communicate the set objectives and what it wants done to the respective departments, and receive feedbacks from the same. On the other hand, the technical team should be able to communicate with the management on what they require to get things done. Therefore, effective communication acts as the link between the ambitions or goals set by the management and the actualization of this dreams. Since leadership is only regarded as efficient if the set objectives are achieved or surpassed, communication is thus an important managerial tool which is mandatory for efficient leadership. It is thus safe to conclude that an organizations leadership is as good as the leader’s communication.
Effective communication. For any form of communication to realize its objective and have utmost impact, it must be done right. Leaders must therefore learn how to communicate effectively with their juniors. There are several aspects which makes without which communication would be regarded as not effective. First the communicator must have an objective of the communication, and then prepare the message taking into account the receivers feeling and point of view. The message should then be delivered with conviction and related to the larger goals. It is important that after delivering the message one confirms that the recipient understands. In addition, one should leave room for feedback. After the process is over, a person should evaluate the process’s effectiveness and take corrective actions if necessary. This way, the communicator ensures that the recipient gets the right message and takes the right action without confusion.
Importance of communication in leadership. In the modern business world, effective employer communication skills make the difference between the success and failure of any business. Globalization and industrialization has lead to the emergence of many of many cultures, languages and customs in the global market place. Any successful business must conduct business in these markets with economic giants such as the USA, china and Japan just to name a few. For any organization to survive in these environments, it is mandatory to have effective customers as well as internal communication. However, success of a business must start within the organization. The leadership must be able to lead the organization to this success. To do this communication contributes in various ways.
Enhance manager —employee relation. To get things done in an organization, the management should be able to communicate with the employees. There should be a good way through which the management passes information and decisions to the employees. It is impossible to get things done as per the set goals and objective or within the set time if the management does not pass this information in what it wants done to the concerned parties. In passing this information, the manager should be conscious of what results the communication will provoke from the employees. It is thus crucial that care is taken to ensure that the message does not have any elements of bias or rudeness. This aspects makes the communication in effective and may result to undesired results such as boycott of duties instead of the indented of getting things done. If good relationship is to be fostered between the management sand the employees, exceptional care should be taken while communicating to ensure that there are no misunderstanding or misinterpretations.
Most of the management-employee problems arise due to lack of effective communication between the parties. For instance, if any form of bias may it be cultural, racial or gender bias appears in oral or written communication, it will affect the morale of the employee negatively consequently affecting the business productivity. It is thus important for the management not only to communicate but to communicate effectively with its subjects.
Creates Job Satisfaction. It is observed that organizations with effective communication between the seniors and the employees have reduced employees turn over. This is because effective communication encourages open and free correspondence between the managers and the subordinates. This encourages the employees to put forward their ideas and views on work related issues which receives the consideration of the managers. These acts as a source of motivation for the employees by making them feel valued. This enhances their innovativeness and they are able to work better in the quest for self actualization. Overall, effective communication builds loyalty asd trust among the employees. This two amounts to a greater job satisfaction and self actualization. Feeling good about what one does leads to improved efficiency in the same and thus the overall productivity if the business is busted.
Fostering harmony in the work place. Harmony is vital for team work. Team work is on the other hand crucial for the success of any business. Open communication in an organization is important in preventing and resolving workplace conflicts. In the event that two me loves are in disagreement over a work related issue, lack of communication leads to not solving this problem. The employee’s ends up taking the whole issue personally thus creating some form of unanimity between the parties involved. This enmity may continue for long and may have adverse effects on the operations of the organization for instance the two may refuse to work together. Effective communication with the management is the solution to nippy offs such workplace issues. T5he manager acts as a mediator and provides an avenue for the warring parties to put forward their grievances and opinions through an open and clear communication. Solving a difference mutually in a free manner enhances respect and professionalism among the employees thus fostering harmony in the work place. A team working in harmony is relatively productive than warring one and thus the organization is able to easily realize its objectives.
Encourage optimal resources utilization. Conflicts at the work place due to miscommunication and misinterpretation of messages lead to unnecessary delays. Delays are the major causes of underutilization of any organizations resources as they lay idle during the period of the delay during which no work is performed. Therefore, an environment with effective communication, delays is eliminated and the resources available are utilized optimally. It is thus vital to have an elaborate communication channels if the goals of an organization are to be achieved within the set time.
Communication is a motivation tool. Effective communication is used to motivate the employees. The employees should clearly know what the management expect from them so as they can do it. The manager should also be able to communicate with the employees so that he can learn their difficulties and challenges and provide a way forward. Solving the employee’s problems and giving them the assurance that the future of the company is certain give them the assurance of security for their jobs. The employees are thus motivated to work knowing that they are bound to reap from their hard work in the long run.
The manager should also understand the difficulties that his subordinates are facing. This is only possible if there is good communication between the two. If effectively done, the employees are able to identify with the management and thus feel motivated since part of their social need is accomplished. They feel they have a group, the company that they can not only indentify with but turn to for help during hard times. The manager should also communicate any plans he has for the employees so that they can understand that the company takes their interest with the seriousness needed. This way, their loyalty and trust to the organization will be improved consequently their productivity.
Human nature is such that people like being assured that they are doing something right like it should be done. This is possible if the manager is able to communicate his opinion to the staff of how they are doing their work. Normally, feedbacks of services delivered acts as a motivation driving a person to perform even better. If all the employees are motivated to do what they do to their best, the company at large is able to operate to its full potential and realize the short as well as the long run goals.
Increase productivity. Very few organization produces to their full potential. There is always something that could be done to improve the efficiency in an organization. One such a step is having efficient communication. All organizations operations are guided by a number of set objectives and goals. The activities in an organization are all geared towards the achievement of these objectives. The management is responsible of setting these objectives where as the employees are the one that actualize them. To make this possible, the management should be able to communicate these goals to the employees. The manager should also communicate the employee’s responsibilities, duties and protocols do doing work. In addition, he should communicate what is expected of them so that the subordinates can know what results they are after. Understanding exactly what a person should do is important and makes it possible for the employee to deliver within the time frame as they remain focused without wasting time trying to worry of problems without their area of work. This way, the employees are able to deliver to their best and thus the overall organizations productivity is increased.
Effective communication is vital to maintaining a good human relation in any organization. Through it, creativity and innovation from the employees is encouraged. The employees are also free to come up with implementation programs for their ideas and this may lead to reduction of the cost of business operation.
Better Work Future. Communication is a two way thing that involves the sending of a message and receiving a feedback. If there is effective communication in an organist ion, the manger and the subordinates are able to communicate clearly, openly and honestly. The manager sends truthful information to the employees and receives correct feedback from them. This way, a congenial working relationship is established. The employees are thus free to approach their leader without fear and resolve any work related issue. They also feel obliged to give a correct review of the organizations performance. This way the manger can reevaluate the organization and based on the information available, formulate a strategy to define its future.
Developing a good rapport with the subordinates and co workers not only boost their morale and efficiency but also allows them to give honest reviews about you. This way, a manger could change his policies and programs to fit into the desired future. This makes the future of the organization more certain and better. It could thus be said that building a good relationship between the employees and the management is crucial in securing a good working future for and organization.
Conclusion
Communicating may be written or oral. However the form of communication is not important so long as it bring the intended results. Ineffective communication may lead to misunderstanding and misinterpretations. Leaders should thus take action to ensure that they communicate right and effectively so as to achieve the desired results.
Through effective communication, mangers are able to get things done right and efficiently. It ensures that the full potential of an organization is realized, the employees are satisfied doing what they do, the future of the organizations is certain and productivity is optimal. This way, the organization is able to realize the set goals within the set time. Achieving or not achieving the objectives of an organization defines the efficiency of the organization’s leadership. It is thus safe to conclude that that an organizations leadership is as good as the leader’s communication.