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Barriers to Organization Communication
Communication in organizations can be blocked by interpersonal barriers and by barriers
that are part of the organizational environment. The way workstations are positioned in an
office or factory can enhance or hinder communication, for example. People who cannot see
each other or who are not physically close to one another may find it difficult to stay in touch,
although telephones, e-mail, and fax machines can diminish the difficulty. Some managers
have found that people seek each out more often in a building equipped with escalators that in
one with stairways or elevators. Escalators they believe, offer relative privacy and allow
senders and receivers to pay more attention to each other.
1. Overload In the context of communication the term overload means too much information.
Everyone receivers dozens of pieces of junk mail at home each week. The same thing
occurs in plants and officers every day. People receive information they do not need. This
overload is a type of noise, and employees must waste time trying to sort through it. One
job for company’s management information system specialist is to make certain that people
receive only what they need and that they receive it in the form that is most useful to them.
2. Filtering by levels The management levels in a company can become barriers to
communication. According to Keith Davis (1989), the more levels that information has to
pass through, the more it can be embellished or filtered. The message the last receiver
receives may bear little resemblance to the original communication. The current trend
toward flattened organizational structures should help to prevent such distortion.
3. Timing Communications that must pass through several hands can be delayed in the
process. Anything in an organization that prevents the free and quick flow of needed
information impedes communication. The spread of high-speed communication
technologies (such as e-mail) and the growing use of teams (whose members are trained to
recognize the need to share information) are expected to reduce barriers to prompt
4. Lack of Trust and Openness Companies that are secretive about sharing vital information
with employees lack openness, such behavior says that they do not trust their employees.
A lack of openness in organizational communications derives from a lack of trust or from
the fear that wrongdoing will be exposed. Workers and managers at Bell Atlantic play
games to develop good working relationships and mutual trust. Each year, in a 2'/2-day
seminar, everyone from the chairman of the board to the customer-service representatives
undergoes the same training program. The session consists of games such as blindfolded
dart throwing. Blindfolded throwers have little chance of hitting the target unless others
coach them. "It's just a silly dart game," says CEO Raymond Smith, "but people never
forget it" (Huber, 1992). The more that leaders empower their people by delegating
authority and providing quick access to needed information, the less they need to worry
about keeping communication effective. Well-trained self-managing work teams know that
when they need help, all they have to do is seek it. Until then, the manager should observe,
track, and facilitate as needed.
5. Change Changes anywhere in a company can hurt or hinder communication. When a new
manager takes over, he or she invariably introduces changes in goals, methods, and
communication style. What matters is how well people are prepared to cope with the
changes. Larry Senn, head of Senn-Delaney Leadership Consulting Group in California,
had this advice: "Take the time to describe your expectations to people. In a small
organization, one person who's not open to change and not a team player can really gum
up the works" (Huber, 1992).
6. Rank or Status in the Company Unfortunately, in too many organizations the higher a