Interpersonal Communication in the Workplace: A Largely Unexplored Region

Interpersonal Communication in the Workplace: A Largely Unexplored Region
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Interpersonal Communication in the Workplace: A Largely Unexplored Region
While assessing the element of communication in an organization, the focus is usually on how goals and instructions can be conveyed. There is a widespread belief that communicating goals clearly can help enhance employee productivity and performance. When communication is clear, employees understand their roles and responsibilities. Such a simple tweak of approaches in an organization can lead to major changes reflected in the organization’s performance. However, while many organizations understand the importance of interpersonal communication and its elements, only a few understand how they can harness its power and tried to tap into its benefits. Few consider interpersonal communication a crucial aspect for improving or enhancing employee morale and productivity. However, interpersonal communication is proving to be a crucial element for managerial success and an element that fosters employee engagement while also enhancing performance and productivity. Further, a focus on merging style and substance is quite crucial to help achieve or attain the best or optimum level of interpersonal communication. Provided herein is a paper that discusses interpersonal communication as a crucial cog in organizations.
Interpersonal Communication
Before delving deeper into the paper, it is essential to understand first what interpersonal communication entails. Interpersonal communication is simply the exchange of information that happens verbally or face-to-face. In this type of communication, people communicate their feelings and information face-to-face. However, it is crucial to mention that interpersonal communication is not as direct as the simple definition provided above. Interpersonal communication introduces the phenomenon of non-verbal communication and how people tend to communicate through the gestures and facial expressions they have during conversations (Gordon and Druckman, 2018). Also, the general body movement and reactions that one has during the conversation are part of interpersonal communication. Therefore, interpersonal communication is quite an intricate subject.
One way that interpersonal communication can become an asset for an organization is through its contribution to a manager’s effectiveness. Communication is a key part of a manager’s success or failure. The manager who masters the intricacies of communication can add a crucial element or aspect to his repertoire. According to Singh (2014), every “administrative and managerial function and activity involves some form of direct as well as indirect communication.” Therefore, as a manager, one must understand how well he can use communication to affect the employees and encourage commitment. However, as Singh (2014) notes, a manager’s communication skills impact his effectiveness as a manager and as an employee. One way that interpersonal communication helps a manager to enhance his effectiveness is by helping them connect with their employees. Connecting with one’s employees is a crucial aspect of a confident manager who is willing to listen and learn from his or her employees. Longweni and Kroon (2018) note that managers have to be active listeners and work to make connections with their employees. In doing so, it becomes easier to connect and communicate effectively, and it makes one a relatable manager. When a manager is approachable, it becomes easier to interact with employees and have them seek advice and guidance. The productivity of such a manager will indeed be enhanced since it becomes easier for the employees to buy into their vision. Aside from the above, when a manager has great interpersonal communication skills, it becomes easier for them to welcome feedback. Every manager has strengths and weaknesses. Having such pointed out could help one grow and become better at his job. Feedback is a crucial tool to enhance productivity in an organization (Mamula et al., 2020). The same is true for managers. When a manager is keen enough to grasp and act on the feedback he receives, it can be a crucial step that helps him identify and work on his weaknesses. However, employees will not be willing to give feedback to someone they are not comfortable with. Through interpersonal communication, a manager can cultivate an environment where people are giving each other feedback. Through it all, the manager ends up growing and becoming better in how he conducts himself and manages his employees.
Interpersonal communication can be the gateway to attaining heightened employee engagement. This can be achieved through training or investment in interpersonal communication. One of the biggest liabilities for organizations today is disengaged employees. Such employees are not motivated and end up impacting the profitability of the organization negatively. According to Osborne and Hammoud (2017), disengaged employees are a big financial liability for organizations in the U.S. Apparently, organizations lose more than $350 billion every year because of these employees. Every organization exists for the sole purpose of making profits. All strategies that are employed mainly seek to enhance an organization’s capacity to make more money. However, an intangible and not so obvious issue like disengaged employees could continually hamper progress and negatively impact the profitability of an organization. Employee engagement is tied to crucial aspects like customer satisfaction and employee productivity. When such are hampered, an organization will not only suffer through its dwindling profits but also acquire a bad reputation because of poor customer satisfaction rates. According to Kortman et al. (2014), one way to ensure that a company’s profitability is protected is to invest in employee engagement strategies and approaches. According to the Society for Human Resource Management (2014), the most profitable companies happen to keep their employees engaged. Activities to help promote interpersonal communication in the workplace need to be employed. For example, the management can consider team activities that can help promote better relationships between employees. Such activities should be proposed by the employees to help promote a sense of ownership. The work environment should also be positive enough to help promote cooperation among employees and between employees and managers. When the environment is positive and employees feel like they belong, it becomes easier for them to be more engaged. Also, it becomes easier for employees to take up ownership of the organization’s vision and work towards its attainment. So, it is also crucial for the management to build a culture that promotes interpersonal communication to help improve employee engagement.
Interpersonal communication enhances employee performance. According to Hynes (2012), improving interpersonal communication can help improve employee performance and productivity. In today’s world, businesses face stiff competition (Hosseini et al., 2018). Globalization has enabled companies to compete on a global scale. While this has created a large market, it has led to competition among various established businesses. Firms have to find ways of surviving, otherwise, they will close down. Improving business performance has become a significant focus for most companies wanting to outdo their competitors. Such businesses recognize that employees are the most valuable assets an organization has. Staff members are responsible for working towards attaining the goals and objectives of a firm (Osborne & Hammoud, 2017). Without them, an organization does not exist. Ways that assist in improving organizational performance are welcome. Interpersonal communication a...