Report: Communication Barriers and Cooperation in Waitrose Business

This report provides an in-depth analysis of business communication within the context of Waitrose, a supermarket chain. The report begins by defining communication and its importance in a business setting, highlighting its role in inter-departmental cooperation. It then explores specific measures to facilitate cooperation, such as motivation, information sharing, control mechanisms, revisiting common goals, and the use of project management applications. The report also identifies and discusses various communication barriers, including language differences, emotional factors, external distractions, and organizational structure issues. Strategies to overcome these barriers are proposed, such as training employees in active listening, managing emotions, implementing inclusive communication strategies, and adopting two-way communication approaches. The conclusion emphasizes the significance of effective business communication for fostering positive employee attitudes, resolving conflicts, enhancing productivity, and achieving a competitive advantage. The report references various academic sources to support its findings.

Business Communication

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
Main Body.......................................................................................................................................1
1.To facilitate inter-departmental cooperation, what measures would you recommend to your
colleagues and subordinates to take............................................................................................1
2. What kind of barriers in communication and strategy to overcome from them.....................2
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................4
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................5

INTRODUCTION
Communication is the two way process in which participants exchange information to
express or share their thoughts, feeling, ideas etc. In simple words it is the path for interacting
with different people. In a business it is the key function for management through which they
arrange their goals with in specified period. It is universal aspect that is implemented in all
functional areas of the organisation. Their are two types of communication methods are present
in industry which includes verbal and non-verbal communication that helps an organisation to
attain their goals (Mascle, 2013). For this report, Waitrose is chosen as the given organisation
which is operating their business in supermarket. Its headquarter is situated in Bracknell England
through which they monitor all the middle east market.
Main Body
Developing inter-departmental cooperation
Business communication is rely on the information that is provided by the organisation.
This helps them to monitor and control their activities through which they overcome from issues
that are present in the organisation. Moreover it helps an organisation to develop healthy
working culture in the environment which governs that departments complete their function
through receive and send message to each other. Along with these business conservation build
friendly relationship between through inter-acting with stakeholders of the organisation.
1.To facilitate inter-departmental cooperation, what measures would you recommend to your
colleagues and subordinates to take
Communication refers to the understanding of message that mutually depends on receiver
and sender through which determines it is essential aspect for management of organisation. Some
measures of communication are defined that helps an organisation to attain their goals along with
accomplishing organisational goals (Nguyen, Newby and Macaulay, 2015).
Motivation- It is essential for manager that all the task is completed with in particular
time period. For this managers communicate with employees as it not only help them to
complete their task but also encourage them to perform their work in better way. In context of
waitrose, manager guide their employees by providing suggestion through which they
accomplish their goals and activities. For this organisational arrange satisfaction surveys that
helps them to get the idea of attitude and performance of employees.
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Sharing of information- Communication work as wheel for the organisation which allow
them to transfer essential information within different departments (Pearson, 2017). Like
organisation is facing inefficiency in their work because there is no smooth flow of necessary
information. For this decision makers implement updated information in their task to complete
their activities. Each department has different strengths so in these subordinates will delegate
their roles and responsibilities according to their job assign.
Control- One of the major function of manager is to control the organisational activities.
Usually they controls the behaviours and action of employees to influence them towards
organisational goals. For this managers discuss their goals with employees which helps them to
understand that on which destination organisation wants to reach in upcoming years. For instance
human is a key asset for the organisation in these managers need to thought about need of others
also and not always what an organisational needs.
Revisit the common goal- In large organisation different departments are working
together with the similar purpose in order to assist common goal. Along with these it helps an
organisation to identify resources that are required by different department to complete their task.
In order to develop cooperation between all departments effectively management implement
principle of Esprit de Crops through which mutual trust and understanding is developed in the
organisation. It signifies that managers play key role in increasing the motivation among
employees (Sigmar, Hynes and Hill, 2012).
Project management application- It is essential in the organisation to delegate the roles
and responsibilities in different department according to the existing project. This results that all
departments need to interacts to briefly understand about the new project. Within waitrose
management implement the principle of scalar chain. It includes all employees of organisation
from lower department towards upper department and develops effective communication channel
between them. This helps an organisation to claim the activities that is performed by them
without modification their policy.
2. What kind of barriers in communication and strategy to overcome from them
Their are multiple challenges are faced by the organisation among which of them
communication barrier is the major aspect that create hindrances in achieving organisational
goal. Some of these barriers are mention as follow:
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Language barrier- The language barrier is the major factor that produce stops an
organisation to make effective communication. As each region has their own language which
results in restricting the communication channel and spread unnecessary or irrelevant
information among the organisation (Sodnik and et. al., 2015). In waitrose large number of
employees are working that belong to different culture so in these they trained their employees
through which they increases their listening skills. It helps them to involve them to emerge them
for active listening and to measures that employee is actually listening or giving unnecessary
attention.
Emotional barrier- Presence of mind or the IQ level of an individual helps to determines
the comfort and ease through which they communicate with others. Person who is able to control
their emotion are capable with communicate effectively with the employees. For transfer
essential information in the organisation it is needed for managers that they contain mixture of
facts and emotion which governs that emotion, anger, depression etc. impacts on decision
making of persons. For waitrose speakers learns to behave in empathetic way along with this
they manage a calm responsibilities through learning essential skills that helps to address
different issue by implementing their experience.
Getting distracted by external noise- Audible noises that exists in the surroundings create
problems or barrier in order to listening the message or information of the speaker. It includes
rings of mobile phones, different notification on computer screen, construction noises etc.
whenever there is meeting or conference held in organisation then they implement inclusive
communication strategy (Verčič and Sriramesh, 2012). It help speaker to generate focus among
employees through guiding their employees. For this they provide directions and feedback to
employees that help to improve their skills and bring more efficiency in order to achieve
organisational gaols.
Organisational structure barriers- Their are different methods of communication are
present in the organisation which contain their own problems and constraint. Like Waitrose is
operating their business in retail sector so communication plays key role in formulating their
structure. So that management and employees perform their work effectively. To overcome from
these management executed two way communication strategy as it a two way process that
involves employees as well as management of the organisation. This results that there are less
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conflicts will be generated among departments further it helps to transfer information among
employees rather they are working in lower management or upper management.
Therefore there are various strategy are needed by the organisation in order to transmit
important information in the organisation. In context of Waitrose they implement communication
strategy which help to improve efficiency and effectiveness of teams. Along with these it help to
develop flexible policies that allow them to acquire necessary information through this
departments complete their activities in productive way (Waldeck and et. al., 2012).
CONCLUSION
In the end it is concluded that business communication is the essential aspect for an
organisation. It helps to build positive behaviour and attitude among employees. Along with
these it helps an organisation to formulate rules and reduce conflicts among employees. This
results that employees will be retain in the organisation for longer period that enhance the
productivity of business activities. Apart from these there are several barrier are present in the
organisation that create obstacle in the exchange of information. So communication helps an
organisation to overcome from these issue and to gain competitive advantage that helps to
generate constant profits.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
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services: A dyadic perspective on the joint problem solving process. Industrial marketing
management, 41(1). pp.15-26.
Den Hartog and et. al., 2013. HRM, communication, satisfaction, and perceived performance: A
cross-level test. Journal of management, 39(6). pp.1637-1665.
Fisher, M.J., Taylor, E.A. and High, P.L., 2012. Parent–nursing student communication practice:
role-play and learning outcomes. Journal of Nursing Education. 51(2). pp.115-119.
Hinthorne, L.L. and Schneider, K., 2012. Playing with purpose: using serious play to enhance
participatory development communication. International Journal of Communication, 6,
p.24.
Mascle, D.D., 2013. Writing self-efficacy and written communication skills. Business
Communication Quarterly. 76(2). pp.216-225.
Nguyen, T.H., Newby, M. and Macaulay, M.J., 2015. Information technology adoption in small
business: Confirmation of a proposed framework. Journal of Small Business
Management, 53(1). pp.207-227.
Pearson, R., 2017. Business ethics as communication ethics: Public relations practice and the
idea of dialogue. In Public relations theory (pp. 111-131). Routledge.
Sigmar, L.S., Hynes, G.E. and Hill, K.L., 2012. Strategies for teaching social and emotional
intelligence in business communication. Business Communication Quarterly. 75(3),
pp.301-317.
Sodnik and et. al., 2015, October. Multi-purpose laser communication system for the asteroid
impact mission (AIM). In 2015 IEEE International Conference on Space Optical
Systems and Applications (ICSOS) (pp. 1-7). IEEE.
Verčič, A.T., Verčič, D. and Sriramesh, K., 2012. Internal communication: Definition,
parameters, and the future. Public relations review, 38(2). pp.223-230.
Waldeck and et. al., 2012. Communication in a changing world: Contemporary perspectives on
business communication competence. Journal of Education for Business, 87(4). pp.230-
240.
Online
Barriers and Gateways to Communication, 2019 .[Online]. Available Through;
<https://www.toppr.com/guides/business-correspondence-and-reporting/communication/barriers-
in-communication/>
Effective communications, 2019 .[Online]. Available Through; <https://uwaterloo.ca/centre-for-
teaching-excellence/teaching-resources/teaching-tips/communicating-students/telling/
effective-communication-barriers-and-strategies>
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