Communication is the essential tool for the success of any relationship. Work relationships typically succeed or fail because of how people can pass, receive and respond to information. Miscommunication is an organizational setting may sometimes lead to major problems.
One of the challenges occurred at the place of work. One day the director sent an email to me as the supervisor and my manager. It was in the evening on the eve of her coming to the branch (Longest & Darr, 2014). According to the email, we were to send draft reports by the end of the day, and then she would go through them and come in a day’s time. We had not received the email when we closed the office the previous day.
The following day we had scheduled various meetings with clients. When I opened my email, I saw the update from the main office and quickly informed my manager to check his email. Nevertheless, before we could even do anything, the director was already walking into the office. We had not prepared any report (Longest & Darr, 2014). She was not happy that we were not ready for the meeting. She left immediately to check the wards and later drove off. According to her, we were supposed to meet that very day that she had come to the office. There was already a misunderstanding in the communication she had sent to us.
The sender needed to encode the message in a way that she understood. She was to pass it on to the receivers in a manner that would be easy to comprehend. The director used the company email which was only accessible through office computers. When I received the email, my translation was that reports were supposed to be ready in the office. However, the meeting would take place in a day’s time. Unfortunately, the sender had expected to write in the daytime. The communication was wrong from the point of encoding it. The director should also have called the branch manager to confirm via the phone about the next day’s reports and meetings (Longest & Darr, 2014).
Sometimes the leaders make decisions that are not compatible with the company’s operations. For instance, when the leaders pass information that they expect patient admissions and care to go up by 80% in a month’s time, they need to have consulted widely about the current state of affairs. They should first find out the hospital’s capacity to support their request. The initiative can increase the staff’s self-esteem.
The leaders may also send conflicting information (Longest & Darr, 2014). The marketing manager may have programs for the delivery team when the nurse manager does not even have enough space for the anticipated change. They need to have a meeting to strategize with the finance team first before starting any projects.
One of the strategies to overcome these challenges involves the organization departments holding meetings regularly to discuss departmental plans. Another one requires the corporate leaders to meet to confirm their intentions. They should also find out from their colleagues about their readiness for the eventualities (Longest & Darr, 2014). When communicating with the branch officers, there should be a means of getting feedback before proceeding with any other plans. The directors should also use the correct procedure for carrying out any strategic decision.
In as much as there are many challenges in communication, there are also available mechanisms to solve any problems. Leaders need to make the best decisions for the organization. They also need to evaluate their decisions.
Reference
Longest, B., & Darr, K. (2014). Managing health services organizations and systems. Baltimore, MD: Health Professions Press.