Blog 6 - Perception and Communication
The importance of how an employer perceives their staff both
on first impressions and during the job roles of the business is crucial to
making a positive decision during recruitment and selection processes but also
contributes to the start of a positive working relationship. Researchers have
used a number of organisational performance measures including labour
productivity ratios, product and service quality, unit cost ratios and revenue
productivity (Bratton and
Gold, 2003). This shows that perception
can occur throughout an employees working career however these examples show
perception of staff through figures and productivity rates. Communication
between employees and managers on all levels of the hierarchy is beneficial to
ensure the smooth running of the business and efficient methods of
communication help to ensure this. People communicate differently depending on
the context in which communication occurs, each message may have multiple
layers of meaning, and culture influences communication, by which the perception
of reality is created, sustained and transformed (Bratton and Gold, 2007). Therefore it is clear
to see that perception and communication both intertwine with each other when
looking at such factors within a business and is important when ensuring a positive
and effective work ethic is maintained.
There are many different factors which can alter a person’s
perception of another individual including past experiences and their attitudes
and beliefs. From my own experience my perception of a teacher at my secondary
school was incorrect. I developed a generalised attitude towards teachers and
therefore my belief towards this individual secondary school teacher was
incorrect. I realised later on through my school years that this perception was
incorrect as I matured and developed my own attitudes which weren’t shaped by
others. I got to know the teacher as an individual and found that they could
help me positively to develop my work and found a common goal. Therefore I
altered my perception of the teacher and developed a positive attitude towards
them which I have maintained. To avoid making a similar incorrect judgement
again, I would maintain a positive attitude towards a person and not make an
initial judgement based on opinions.
Communication can occur in many different forms in an
organisation for example speech, writing, actions, gestures and emails (Anon., 2012) . Many organisations use
multiple flows of communication within their organisation including upward and
downward flows between departments within the hierarchy. Downward communication
explains messages sent to subordinates whilst upward communication sends information
to higher levels in the hierarchy however horizontal communication explains
communication that flows between employees at the same level in the business (Bratton and Gold, 2007). Employees
can communicate with line managers and managers of departments through
discussion boards, meetings and forums to ensure that workers views and
information regarding work are communicated effectively throughout the
organisation.
Article on ‘How to improve staff communication’
This article gives recommendations on how to improve
communication within a business including working collaboratively and measuring
results on performance. When using these recommendations to show ways in which
Buckinghamshire new university could improve its communication with students,
firstly by considering the communication channels from the article the
university could create a Social networking site e.g. a Facebook site to inform
students of the upcoming events in which the university offers. This would benefit
students as most young people use social networking sites therefore
communication would be fast and formative. This would also be engaging the
universities students as they would be informed regularly of what was happening
in and around the university and students would also be able to comment with
feedback on the events being arranged. Finally, the introduction of an online
forum where the university can upload new information to students about news
and events of the university however it allows students to have a discussion
about any issues which may arise and the university can give comments back to
the students. This creates a fast, active and informative way of communication
and reduces the need for face to face meetings which incur time costs to both
parties (Clake, 2012).
Conclusion
To conclude, the way in which employers perceive their staff
has a large effect on their future employment within the business. Attitudes
and beliefs of an employee show specific traits of themselves and can distort
the perception of them as individuals to other staff if these views do not
coincide with the companies’ ethics. Communication of information throughout an
organisation is one of the fundamental factors of a business’s success. Without
effective communication where messages are not distorted, businesses can deal
with potential problems that may occur and insure the smooth running of the
businesses quickly and correctly.
References
Anon. (2012) Business communications [online].
The Times business case studies. Available from:
http://businesscasestudies.co.uk/business-theory/people/business-communications.html
[Accessed: 27 April 2012].
Bratton, J. and Gold,
J. (2003) Human resource management. 3rd ed. Bath: Palgrave Macmillan.
Bratton, J. and Gold,
J. (2007) Human resource management. 4th ed. China: Palgrave Macmillan.
Clake, R. (2012) How
to. improve staff communication [online]. People management. Available
from: http://www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/pm/articles/2010/07/how-to-improve-staff-communication.htm
[Accessed: 27 April 2012].
No comments:
Post a Comment