Question 3 :

One of the best way to increase group an organizational effectiveness and to reduce
stress and conflicts is through better interpersonal communication.
Analyse and discuss the above statement with examples from your workplace.
Interpersonal communication in recent years has been consistently placed high as an important
requirement for conducting successful job performance in the organizations. It looks reasonable
to determine that one of the most impeding forces to organizational effectiveness is a privation
of effective communication. Moreover, good interpersonal communication skills are very
important to employees for making a successful organization.
Its difficult to imagine for any organization which doesnt require one people to interact
with other people. Employees of the organization likely use interpersonal communication every
day to handle complaints from their customers, to persuade their superiors to give you some
time off, or to comfort a colleague dealing with difficult problems. Interpersonal communication
in recent years has been consistently placed high as an important requirement for conducting
successful job performance in the organizations. This is why companies and institutions put a
high importance on interpersonal communication. The study of different forms of communication
is important, because every administrative and managerial function and activity involves some
form of direct as well as indirect communication. Whether planning, organizing, leading and
monitoring, managers communicate with and through other people. This implies that every
persons communication skills affect both personal and organizational effectiveness. It looks
reasonable to determine that one of the most impeding forces to organizational effectiveness is
a privation of effective communication. Moreover, good interpersonal communication skills are
very important to employees for making a successful organization. A recent study showed that
recruiters rated communication skills as the most important characteristic of an ideal job
candidate.
Interpersonal Communication is the process of transmitting information and common
understanding from one person to another, which is very essential for the success of any
organization. Therefore it must be effectively handled to ensure the attainment of the
organizations goals. Vardaman and Halterman define communication inside the organization as
the flow of information, materials, perceptions and understandings among the various take
holders of the organization, all the methods, media and means of the communication, all the

networks, channels, systems of communication or organizational structure, all the person to

person

interchange

or

interpersonal

communication.

They

includes

all

aspects

of

communication and make it comprehensive, because it advises that there is so plentiful things
are going on in the organization. For example;
A person who is frequently tardy or has poor attendance may seem uncommitted and
unreliable. The ideas of such a person may not be taken seriously. Similary, a person
who does not present an idea effectively, either verbally or in writing, may find it
impossible to convince others of the value of the idea.
According to Wilson, communication in different organization refers to various ways,
strategies and tools which the employees uses in their official, Interpersonal, and small group
communication activities. The easiness or complexity of the interpersonal communication
process is dependent on the easiness or complexity of the organization. Interpersonal
communication gives emphasis on how organizational structures distress communication
between the employees that brands up the organization and how those organization structures
are in turn affected by interpersonal communications. Interpersonal communication provides a
way of reaching others with facts, ideas, thoughts and values. It is a connection of meaning
among employees so that they can share what they know and feel.
Interpersonal communication is a term usually applied to verbal and nonverbal interfaces
in one-on-one or some small-group settings. People skills and soft skills areterms often used
to label someones interpersonal competence, though the word soft seems to be an
inappropriate word to describe skills which can potentially cost you your job. If viewed from
another perspective, that these should be hard skills too because they are difficult to learn and
their impact on your career and personal life is huge. In the workplace, one who is very good in
interpersonal communication can report to and work with a wide variety of people, handle
conflicts, negotiate differences, make requests effectively and receive information objectively. A
person who is effective in interpersonal communication will be open to the ideas of other
employees and willing to put forward their views of essential activities in the process of problem
solving.
Strategy work involves defining the aim and game plan of the organization. What the
organization is, what it plans to do and why, how it will plan to do it, and what it requires to
succeed. Structure and culture work contains modeling values and significant and
communicating departments, levels, jobs, work teams, policies, and desired performance. Key

work processes involve defining definite processes and procedures that explain strategy and
anticipated structure and culture into direction for day-to-day work. Operations work comprises
realizing key processes, providing services to customers, and managing employees
performance.
The challenge for businesses organizations seems simple: align and engage employees
workforce to a clearly expressed strategy. However, this can be a challenge to attain. It requires
a complete, coordinated effort to put a large number of building blocks or key elements in place.
The key elements of organizational effectiveness are needed to motivate employee
engagement in the organizations. Employee engagement influences the clients experience and,
ultimately, the complete performance of an organization in terms of efficiency and profitability.
The performance of organizations is measured on the basis of outcome or the delivery of
services. Different studies revealed that many business leaders struggle to bring into line and
engage employees with the organizations strategy for making organization successful.
As it is identified that, a key element is to align organizational employees with the
organizations strategy by helping employees to understand the role they play in achieving
success, and placing employees on their jobs with the organization. Alignment of strategy is
achieved through a fit-for objective structure, talented leadership, and operative people
systems and culture. Integrating efforts through these areas will lead to more extremely
engaged employees who are enthusiastic and capable of serving the organization to achieve its
goal. However, justifiable organizational effectiveness needs important attention be paid to all of
these elements. Focusing attention on just one element without the others will not provide longterm engagement.
There are a number of processes that need to be in place to ensure leaders are supported to
take action and that the right changes occur and are embedded within the organization. These
processes include :

Communication process that reaches all key stakeholders and clearly covers the why,

what, when, and how.

Developmental process to ensure leaders has the knowledge and skills to take action.
Leadership support that ensures resources and energy are aligned with the strategy.
Process for communicating the findings quickly and transparently.
Process for effectively cascading engagement initiatives throughout the entire

workforce.
Process for measuring success and return on investment.

Process for business leaders to report progress and draw ideas and support from their
leader and peers.

At the same time, the stress of an increased workload and the learning curve to acquire
new skills leaves the remaining employees overworked and fearful for their jobs, as they worry
that their positions will be eliminated or redesigned. The stress felt by employees can be
manifested in many ways. One consequence could be that the incumbents become resentful
and overly protective of their jobs. The individual may abandon any sense of team spirit and
refuse to share information or resources with colleagues. Another potential outcome is that
employees lose faith in the organization, and their performance suffers due to a feeling of lack
of control.
There are many causes of stress and conflicts within an organization including
organizational structure, leadership style and quality, the demands of tasks and roles, balancing
efficiency of services with high quality standards, the increasing 24/7 mentality, structural
changes and changes in business processes, and the quality of communication throughout the
organization.

Organizational Change

Changes in Roles and

Tasks

Balance in Work and Life

Leadership

Causes of Organizational Stress

and conflicts

Consequences

(i) Organizational Change

Change is difficult for an institution and for its employees. There is uncertainty about the
future, about what the organization will look like, and how the employees feel they will fit into
the new structure. While some individuals embrace change, most simply accept itand with
widely varying degrees of willingness. There are those, however, who refuse to change. The
subsequent rejection of cooperative progress puts increased stress on supervisors, colleagues,
and the institution as a whole. According to the old adage, most people do not like any change
that does not jingle in their pockets. The typical tendency is to resist it. Yet, in A Survival Guide
to the Stress of Organizational Change, the authors state, resisting change is one of the most
common causes of stress on the job (Pritchett and Pound 1995). Employees frequently
become fearful during times of organizational change because of the instability change causes.
They question their abilities to perform in an unknown future. There is a tendency to leave what
Stephen Covey calls their circle of influence and spend significant time in their circle of
concern, worrying over possibilities outside their span of control (Covey 1989). Ironically, by
clinging to the security blanket of what is known to them, employees can increase their stress
levels exponentially. The large-scale result is infectious damage to the organization.
(ii) Leadership
The quality of leadership is a critical factor relative to the stress of the organization. Are
organizational leaders viewed as competent, ethical, strategic, approachable, and fair? Do they
have reasonable expectations? Do they clearly communicate their vision and directions? If not,
the organization will experience stress. True leadership does not come from the position held
but rather from creating a vision, setting an example, and inviting participation. An intelligent
leader reads and understands books, but a great leader reads and understands people. As
noted by Kouzes and Posner in The Leadership Challenge, Leaders dont command and
control; they serve and support (Kouzes and Posner 1995). Leaders can create stress if
employees do not think they have the good of the institution and its people in their mindsand
in their hearts.
(iii) Changes in Roles and Tasks
Many organizations are finding it necessary to examine the ways in which business is
conducted. Whether seen as positive or negative, many colleges and universities are
reexamining processes and services, as well as staffing, and are taking on more businesslike

approaches to how work is accomplished. This may mean streamlining or greater use of
technology (including less in-person contact and more online interactions). It generally requires
that employees learn new skills and commit to continuous learning. While exciting for some, and
taken in stride by many, it is resented or rejected by a percentage of employee populations. As
roles and tasks change, there is the potential for stress-producing ambiguity, placing increased
emphasis on the importance of adequate and timely communication. Clarity of job descriptions,
reporting relationships, and performance standards are critical in combating the potential stress
caused by changes in role and/or tasks.
(iv) Balance in Work and Life
As technology increases, we are witnessing a strugglenot just with continuous learning
and the expectation that work will be accomplished more quickly, but also with a quality
dilemma. For those who provide a service rather than a product, there is stress inherent in
balancing process efficiencies with customer expectations for quality and personal hands-on
assistance. Another significant contributing factor to organizational stress is the 24/7
expectation in an increasing number of jobs. Many employees express concerns that they do
not have a life outside of work anymore. Office-related e-mails infringe on employees
evenings and weekends. With the abundance of laptop computers, the expectation seems to be
growing that we can work wherever we go. Employees risk becoming resentful and are
vulnerable to burnout. Some cease to have the energy and the enthusiasm they had in the past.
As they lose their spark and creativity, the organization loses a major resource.
(v) Consequences
Consequences are not exclusive unto themselves. Frequently they overlap and interrelate
with one another. One of the consequences of organizational stress is an increase in employee
turnover. If employees are fearful for their positions or feel the expectations are unrealistic, they
may leave the organization rather than continue in the uncertainty of their roles. Turnover is
costly to any organization. Significant monetary costs are accrued in recruiting, hiring, training,
and loss of productivity. The American Management Association believes the cost of finding an
employees replacement is 30% of that employees salary (Campbell 2002). Dexter Bridgeman
of Diversified Communications Group estimates the cost of training and development for a
single new employee is equivalent to that employees annual income and sometimes more
(Campbell 2002). Turnover also causes additional work and stress on other employees who
have to fill in during the recruitment period, thus leading to burnout.

Organizational stress also can be seen through strained interpersonal relationships.

Employees may become territorial of their duties, knowledge, and even their workspace.
Communication and teamwork suffer, collaborative efforts diminish, and the exchange of
information is minimized. Poor job performance may appear as yet another consequence of
organizational stress, thereby reducing productivity. In some cases, the stress arises from a lack
of confidence in supervisory staff. The lack of confidence may come about because of general
organizational uncertainty or a combination of little or no supervisory training, lack of
communication skills, or lack of openness and trust.
However, as mentioned previously, conflict can ignite from the smallest word or action and
can spark destructive responses and behaviors. Unresolved or poorly navigated conflict can
damage and even destroy relationships. In addition, conflict does not have to be destructive.
Handled effectively, conflict can actually contribute to stronger, deeper relationships and can
help to address ongoing problems and concerns. Effective communication skills serve a key role
in successfully resolving conflict, both in the home and in the workplace.
One of the primary communication skills for resolving conflict successfully is learning how to
navigate an argument effectively. This includes keeping the focus on a single issue and avoiding
personal attacks. Stewart Levine, in Getting to Resolution: Turning Conflict Into Collaboration,
stresses that reaching resolution involves addressing your real concerns and getting to the
core of the conflict. Active listening skills, such as talking less and asking questions for clarity,
also play a role in effectively resolving conflict. Practicing strong verbal and nonverbal
communication further contributes toward the successful resolution of conflict, whether between
individuals or within a group.
An effective interpersonal communication skill for successfully resolving conflicts is to
address only one issue at a time and avoid introducing other topics, even if they are related.
Clearly specify what you are concerned about, even if it takes some time to isolate the primary
issue at hand. Also, avoid attacking the other person or making accusations, which will only lead
to distrust and defensiveness. To listen effectively, take care to make sure you understand what
the other person is trying to say, restating that persons thoughts and feelings as needed. Strong
verbal and nonverbal communication involves making appropriate eye contact, not using
threatening physical actions, and verbally expressing how the situation makes you feel, instead
of attacking or accusing the other person.

For example, if you are afraid of going to important meetings, your lack of confidence
and experience will make it even more difficult to know how to handle these. Often,
people have the necessary skills but lack the confidence to use them. Either way, practice will
increase your confidence and improve your interpersonal communication skills. At the same
time, one of the biggest challenges for someone with social anxiety is starting conversations
and keeping them going. It is normal to struggle a bit when you are trying to make small talk,
because it is not always easy to think of things to say. This is especially true when feeling
anxious. On the other hand, some anxious people talk too much, which can have a negative
impression on others.
Learning effective interpersonal communication skills is only part of successfully resolving
conflict. To navigate stress and conflict at workplace, prioritize and strengthen your relationship
with employees. As long as you focus first on the relationship, you will better be able to walk
through the conflict in constructive ways. Also, consider how to best address the conflict at
hand, seeking to understand the situation from the perspective of the other person. In
conclusion, basic problems in inter-group behaviour are conflict of goals and interpersonal
communication failures. A basic tactic in resolving conflicts, therefore, is to find goals upon
which scientists or groups can agree, and to ensure proper interpersonal communication and
interaction. Some conflicts arise because of simple misconceptions, which can be overcome by
improved interpersonal communication.