Communication is an integral part of management that determines the degree to which employees follow orders and complete tasks by their superiors’ views (Binder, 2016). Poor and unclear communication may lead to errors, deviations, and misinterpretations of orders (Frese & Keith, 2015). International Gadgets has been suffering the consequences of inefficient communication, which resulted in confusing orders, misinterpreting the assignment, and wasting the time of managers and employees alike. The purpose of this memo is to remind everyone in the management team about the main rules of clear communication.
Rules of Clear Communication
A communication message in International Gadgets must adhere to the following principles (Hedman & Valo, 2015):
- The recipient of the message is clearly defined;
- The purpose of communication is outlined;
- The necessary context is provided;
- The object of intervention is clearly stated;
- The required action is identified;
- The time frame in which the requested action has to take place is set.
In addition, the message itself should be kept as short as possible as to not clutter the reader with unnecessary information.
Examples of Unclear Communication in the Company
Featured examples of unclear communication are as follows:
- The recipient within the R&D team was required to “create a presentation discussing the new product and send it to interested departments.” The error in this communication lied in the lack of clarity in recipients (Hedman & Valo, 2015). The R&D team member could only assume what departments are “interested” in the new product, thus risking a potential mistake, or ask for clarifications, thus prolonging communication and taking up the manager’s time.
- A communication from a sales manager to technical support requested “a list of the biggest problems with our hot products.” This communication featured a lack of clarity in the object of intervention (Hedman & Valo, 2015). Tech support does not know what are the company’s “hot products,” as these could be determined in a myriad of ways. They could be the ones that sell the most, or the newest ones, or a mixture of both. Once more, the tech support is forced between clarifying the message or delivering an incomplete list that does not feature the products the sales manager intended to see.
- The memo from Finance to all other departments to “reduce the number of suppliers being used to better control costs” creates a myriad of questions that need clarifying (Hedman & Valo, 2015). Not all departments are responsible for suppliers, so the memo is either useless to them or suggests they should encroach on other department’s decision-making. In addition, the memo did not specify how many suppliers should be cut, how much money should be saved, and what criteria should be used to keep or dispense with the supplier.
Conclusions
Efficient communication plays an important role in ensuring International Gadget’s success. The examples provided above show how inadequate messages and memos could waste peoples’ time, create chaos, and potentially disrupt the production process. Make sure not to repeat the mistakes already made. Adhere to the guidelines laid out for you in the Rules of Clear Communication, highlighted above. It will ensure the accuracy and efficiency of your communication.
References
Binder, J. (2016). Global project management: communication, collaboration and management across borders. New York, NY: Routledge.
Frese, M., & Keith, N. (2015). Action errors, error management, and learning in organizations. Annual Review of Psychology, 66, 661-687.
Hedman, E., & Valo, M. (2015). Communication challenges facing management teams. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 36(8), 1012-1024.