Introduction
Receiving, giving, and sharing information is crucial to the success of any organisation.It is this important process that provides guidelines on what should be done, the standards set, and the expectations of the stakeholders. Any organisation is doomed without these three aspects. This research will analyse the different ways in which receiving, giving, and sharing information in an organisation can be made more efficient and reliable.
Improving this process will ensure that there is no form of miscommunication. The paper will also discuss the pros and cons of using mobile phones and intranet as ways of enhancing communication in a firm. The main reason that led to choosing this topic is the crucial role played by communication in the workplace. It is arguable that communication can make or break an organisation.
Mobile Phones
Krizan, Merrier, and Logan (2010) observe that one of the most common and easiest ways of enhancing the sending and receiving of information in the workplace is through the use of mobile phones. Most organisations give company mobile phones to their employees.
Therefore, the employees do not have to worry about airtime because the company caters the bill. The use of mobile phones for communication is a good strategy for big firms and organisations that have several branches. Mobile phones make communication easier because all one has to do to pick up the phone and make a call, without the need to travel to deliver the message. Another advantage of the use of mobile phones is that the message goes to the intended person only.
Rasmussen, Mylonas, and Beck (2012) argue that some of the communication breakdowns experienced in organisations are as a result of sending the message to the wrong people. For instance, a message that is meant for the CEO is given to the executive manager of the department. As a result, no response is received from the CEO because he does not get the message in the first place.
Another advantage of using mobile phones is that they can be used to talk to people in other branches. For example, if the organisation has an office in New York while its headquarters are in London, then persons in the two offices can still communicate efficiently using mobile phones. Rasmussen et al. (2012) assert that cell phones can be used at home.
It is easier for someone to pick up a cell phone and make a call than to access their email on the computer. Mobile phones also ensure that the information that is passed is interpreted as expected. If the receiver of the message does not understand the instructions given, then they can quickly ask for clarification than asking for clarification via email.
Mobile phones have several challenges when using them as communication tools in an organisation. For instance, acquiring mobile phones can be costly. Making international calls can also be very expensive for multinationals. On top of this, employees can change mobile phones for their personal use. Mobile phones can also switch off because they run on batteries; therefore, they need to be frequently charged. If a person forgets to charge the phone, then reaching them becomes difficult, and miscommunication is experienced.
Another disadvantage of mobile phones is that they cause distraction. Krizan et al. (2010) observe that people are distracted by their mobile phones, given that mobile phones are multi-purpose. The user of the cell phone can download games and other programmes that can easily distract them. Such distractions can lead to miscommunication. For example, the sender of the message may be interrupted and send the right message to the wrong person, thereby causing a breakdown in communication. Mobile phones can also make employees lazy.
The workers can communicate through the phones all the time, instead of delivering messages physically sometimes. Without cell phones, employees would have walked to the right person’s office to take a message. Moreover, the majority would take this time to interact with other employees. With mobile phones, the staff would be tempted to remain in their workstations and just use their phones to pass messages. In turn, they would become lazy and anti-social towards their bosses and fellow employees.
Intranet
The second way that organisations can use to access, share, and use information is the intranet. According to Krizan et al. (2010), the intranet is a computer network best used for sharing information within an organisation. Indeed, many multinational corporations have adopted the intranet to make communication easier and more efficient amongst different branches and within the branches. The intranet is good for both the small-sized and the big corporations. It is also secure, that is why most companies use it.
One of the biggest advantages of intranet is that it can support a lot of websites. Thus, if the company is multinational, then it can support all the web pages and accounts of the employees in all branches (Smith, 2011). In the same breath, organisations with fewer employees can enjoy the security brought about by the system. One has to be in the office to access the intranet. Documents and company papers are always safe because the intranet cannot be accessed on any other computer outside the organisation. It suffices to mention that intranets are also multipurpose.
For example, the employees can send and receive emails, share documents, download documents from other people’s links, and post links that can be viewed by all the other workers. The benefit of having all these programmes in one package is that it makes communication easier.
For example, imagine the CEO of the company sent an open document to everyone in the company outlining the duties of every employee. If someone wanted to ask something from a colleague, then they would know the right person to send the query to because there would be an open document explaining individuals’ responsibilities. In the same vein, new employees can use the intranet to learn more about the company.
There are several disadvantages that are associated with the intranet. As mentioned, the intranet offers security because it cannot be used outside the company. Therefore, one has to go back to the office if they need to access it (Smith, 2011). This creates a significant dilemma, as people cannot carry work home if the work is on the intranet. Additionally, uploading and downloading files to complete assignments can only happen with access to the intranet.
Another disadvantage of the intranet is that it relies heavily on power. The intranet is inaccessible if there is no power in the office. Just like the Internet, the service providers of the intranet use power. Big companies can rely on generators whenever there is no power. However, this may not be an option for smaller companies.
Many people do not know how to use the intranet because there are many institutions and business organisations that have not adopted the intranet. Thus, installing an intranet will also mean training the staff on how to use it (Goodman, 2006). Consequently, the company will have to spend resources on installing the intranet, as well as training the staff on how to use the intranet. In addition, the intranet will need frequent upgrading and maintenance to ensure that it is working as expected. The upgrades and maintenance consume a significant chunk of the company’s resources.
Conclusion
In conclusion, there are numerous things that can lead to inefficiencies in accessing and sharing information in an organisation. For example, communication breakdowns because of sending the message to the wrong recipient are very typical. Similarly, the stalling of messages due to hierarchy leads to huge losses in companies. One way of solving such communication breakdowns is through providing mobile phones to the staff. Mobile phones are portable, can be used even when one is not in the office, and they enhance direct communication. In addition, mobile phones are easy to manage.
On the flip side, mobile phones can lead to distraction. The employees can get lazy and antisocial due to frequent use of cell phones as opposed to delivering the message physically. The second way of curbing the problem of miscommunication is installing an intranet. The intranet can only be accessed within the organisation; thus, the possibility of information getting leaked is reduced. More importantly, security is enhanced. However, the intranet can be costly to install. It also limits the number of locations a person can work from.
References
Goodman, J. (2006). Intranet strategy. Peoria, IL: The Ark Group
Krizan, A. C., Merrier, P., & Logan, J. P. (2010). Business communication. Mason, OH: Cengage
Rasmussen, R., Mylonas, A., & Beck, H. (2012). Investigating business communication and technologies. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press
Smith, T. (2011). Drupal intranets with open atrium. Birmingham, UK: Packt Publishing