Impact of Communication Problems/Poor Communication in the Workplace

Research Brief- Literature Review Section
Name
Institution
Course Code and Title
Instructor
Date
Impact of Communication Problems/Poor Communication in the Workplace
Communication forms the bedrock foundation for effective and healthy personal and professional workplace relationships. Poor communication derails employee morale, causes distress within the workplace environment, causes errors that could have been avoided, and leads to conflicts and significant misunderstandings (Olanrewaju et al., 2017). This paper reviews the literature on the impact of poor communication/ communication problems in the workplace.
A study looking at poor communication causes and effects in construction projects found a strong relationship between the two (Gamil & Abd Rahman, 2023). The study indicates that the causes of poor communication, such as failure to understand common concepts, use of bad grammar, and lack of a clear objective within the workplace environment, lead to detrimental effects such as distress and lack of employee morale. Another study showed a positive employee-organization relationship (EOR) that was brought about by transparent communication. The study showed that a positive employee-organization relationship would reduce the perceived risks and improve the perceived benefits of communicating with transparency to the supervisor (Lee & Li, 2020). Therefore, the study indicates that poor communication with the organization’s leadership would lead to a negative employee-organization relationship, leading to increased perceived risks and hence mistrust and miscommunication.
A phenomenological study comparing communication in the workplace between native and non-native English speakers found significant differences in communication effectiveness between the two groups. The study found great misunderstandings in communication with non-native English speakers. The misunderstanding occurred mainly due to the language barrier, manifested in terms of some of their English words having different denotations and connotations and the words being used in an unexpected manner (Evans & Suklun, 2017). Therefore, the study upholds language barrier as a cause for poor communication, leading to misunderstandings and errors. A multi-method study examining how one’s actual and desired use of computerized communication tools influences workplace stress found that both the desired and real use led to workplace stress (Stich et al., 2017). The study indicates that the obligation to use computer-mediated tools derailed effective communication in their workplace and led to stress among the participants.
A study by Apker et al. (2021) looked at the contributors of workplace communication to the experiences of role engagement among primary caregivers (PCPs). The research question aimed to ask how PCPs' interactions in the workplace contributed to their role engagement or disengagement within the workplace. Three main themes were raised from the study. First, PCPs consider professional-patient communication to have a role to play in role engagement and disengagement. Secondly, PCPs think of communication with the organizations’ leaders to play the role of role disengage (Apker et al. 2021). Finally, PCPs hold in mind that EHRs and other tools bearing patient data and communication elevate role disengagement. These themes highlight the impact of poor communication on success within PCPs' workplaces.
In another study, communication strategies between nurses and patients were explored, and data was drawn on how communication affects patients' participation in the care process in Sub-Saharan Africa. The results showed that in most healthcare contexts, there exists poor communication between nurses and patients. For instance, patients are unable to voice out their concerns for lack of a proper platform or after receiving an ill attitude. As a result, patients are unable to communicate fully in a transparent manner. As a result, poor communication makes the care process become nurse dominated with minimal patient involvement (Kwame & Petrucka, 2020). According to Kwame and Petrucka (2020), the impact is dissatisfaction among the patients and poor quality care delivery. The study suggested the need for the inclusion of communication skills in training programs for all nurses in the region. Additionally, continuous professional learning programs should focus on elaborating and emphasizing on ways of mitigating communication problems in the healthcare organizations, and hence deal with their impacts. Another study by Shamsi et al. (2020) investigated the effect of language barriers on healthcare. The study found that language barriers led to significant miscommunication between healthcare professionals and their patients. As a result, the quality of care, patient safety, and patient satisfaction were reduced (Shamsi et al., 2020). Additionally, seeking the services of an interpreter contributed significantly t...