Interpersonal communication is a relatively new interdisciplinary area of studies that aims at evaluating the interactions between individuals within the organization. To the current understanding of the matter, the communication is one of the key prerequisites for a successful and efficient organizational processes. The aim of the following paper is to analyze the interview with the real estate company manager in New York and determine the current level of the company’s interpersonal communication, locate the shortcomings of the system, and suggest possible solutions to improve the situation.
The interview focused on two questions: the manager’s experience resulting from the feedback provided by the customers and employees, and the examples of techniques that had a positive effect on business. The answer to the first question was primarily focused on the customers’ negative feedback about the previous property management companies. The most common complaint was the inadequate level of communication.
In contrast, the company in question has a well-established infrastructure of technologies responsible for communication, including the service segment (emergency numbers) and a variety of electronic channels, such as texting and email. However, the response notably lacks the information about employee feedback. This can be interpreted in two ways. There is either poor or no communication channels established between management and workers, or he deliberately concealed the unfavorable feedback.
The latter is unethical and may potentially lead to a backlash from the staff and the general public once the fact surfaces. The former, however, is more likely, as it is not uncommon for the management to focus on consumer communication while paying insufficient attention to the internal affairs (Ryan 108). At the same time, this is an alarming possibility, as such state of events often leads to the decline of the healthy workplace environment.
There are two main reasons for this: the manager either decides to deliberately ignore the critique and complaints received from the staff, which will inevitably result in the growing feeling of unfair conditions and inequality, or simply has poor listening skills. The latter is one of the crucial interpersonal skills and is required for efficient and productive company function and timely detection and addressing of the issues in the system (Phillips and Gully 260). Either way, it is highly recommended to look into the issue more thoroughly, search for the proof of this assumption, and facilitate the needed communication channels.
The second question was mostly answered by recounting the communication channels providing the means for electronic transmission of information. The main tool named by the manager, aside from the already mentioned emergency phone numbers, is Microsoft Outlook. While it is true that its versatility and timely update schedule provides results in an excellent tool capable of tracking the status of emails, among other things, it is only acceptable for use in the small businesses.
Once the organization has a sufficient customer base, communication will require dedicated software tool with integrated functions such as native support for the property’s renting status and a database of the currently occupied rooms (McIntosh, Luecke, and Davis 22).
Furthermore, the manager mentions sending emails to the people living in the building in the case of the emergency situation. This indicates poor choice of communication channels. The email is among the worst choices for announcing n emergency, as it requires the person to have the connection to the Internet and the person’s readiness to read a message at once. Furthermore, the presence of visual and auditory notification for receiving an email can not be guaranteed.
To conclude, while the is insufficient information to make a meaningful conclusion, at least some details of the interview suggest poor understanding of the importance of interpersonal communication. Such negligence may result in a number of negative outcomes, so timely intervention is recommended.
Works Cited
McIntosh, Perry, Richard Luecke, and Jeffery Davis. Interpersonal Communication Skills in the Workplace, New York: American Management Association, 2008. Print.
Phillips, Jean and Stanley Gully. Organizational Behavior: Tools for Success, Mason, Ohio: Cengage Learning, 2013. Print.
Ryan, Patricia. Top Tips for Interpersonal Communication, Brisbane, Australia: Boolarong Press, 2014. Print.