Effective Communication: Theories, Case Study, and Recommendations

This report delves into the concept and theories of effective communication, emphasizing its critical role in organizational success. It defines effective communication as the accurate encoding, delivery, reception, decoding, and understanding of messages. The report explores various communication barriers, including filtering, selective perception, language differences, and information overload, and examines how these factors can impede effective communication. It analyzes the "GLOCAL" method of employee termination, as depicted in the film "Up in the Air," and evaluates its advantages and disadvantages. The report also investigates how real-life organizations assess internal communication effectiveness, referencing insights from Bloomberg LP and HBR, and provides recommendations for detecting and addressing communication problems within organizations. These recommendations include conducting regular employee surveys, monitoring employee behavior through digital footprints, implementing new communication technologies, and providing training sessions for department heads. The report concludes by emphasizing the importance of a tailored approach to internal communication, recognizing that each organization requires a unique strategy to ensure that information is effectively conveyed and understood across all levels of the company.

Evaluate the concept and theories of effective communication and its relation to
the given case.
Communication needs to be effective and efficient for the better and smooth functioning
of an organization. Effective communication is defined as communication between people in
which the intended message is appropriately encoded, delivered through the appropriate channel,
received, correctly decoded, and understood by the recipients. Effective communication
facilitates innovations in a business organization by allowing employees and management to
develop innovative ideas that might further help in the organization's overall development, as
seen in "Up in the Air" film. Moreover, the company's primary aim in the film is to fire people,
and it is vital to deliver this information minimizing the harm for them.
Several barriers misrepresent effective communication to be mentioned. First of all,
filtering is a way to convey the idea more pleasantly for the speaker by manipulating the
information. In terms of the working environment, subordinates usually tell their boss filtered
information because they suppose this information will be well understood and will not cause a
negative attitude. (Robbins and Judge, n.d.).
Another boundary is selective perception. Humans usually get the information that is
needed mainly for them. The concept is that people see and hear information based on their
perceptions. An evident barrier to effective communication is language. Besides the languages of
different nationalities, it is also about age, literacy, and other factors. For instance, a parent talks
to a child applying professionals or just abstruse terms, this strategy will not work. (Robbins and
Judge, n.d.).
Lack of information negatively impacts communication. However, the overload of data
to process is somehow worse. The most effective way for effective communication is to give
enough information, even if it is compressed, but to have all crucial details for a human being to
understand. Otherwise, the surplus of information may cause ignorance of some aspects and, as a
result, not accomplished tasks. (Robbins and Judge, n.d.).
There are many methods of effective business communication such as web-based
communication, video conferencing, reports, presentations, telephone meetings, face-to-face
meetings. According to the case, the company changed its approach of firing people using video
conferences, but the information to deliver remained the same.
What is wrong with the "GLOCAL" method? After all, it is a well-known fact that
employees nowadays are being hired online, so what is wrong with firing online?
The Glocal approach has both advantages and weaknesses. In "Up in the Air," Natalie
Keener suggested that the company change from a global approach to a local approach, namely
firing people by video conference, thereby minimizing the company's travel expenses.

Considering the fact that the company has 23 people on the road for an average of 252
days a year, it is costly for the company. Natalie stated that this is extremely expensive and
inefficient. She also stated that the travel budget would be reduced by 85% using her approach,
which would have an overall positive impact on the company's economics.
On the other hand, it can be seen in the film that employees who are fired via video
conference take this message with a high level of negativity, anger, and stress. For example, the
first case of Mr. Samuels' firing caused this employee to become hysterical, which can generally
have a harmful effect on the mood of other employees in this organization. In addition,
employees may take this situation as a warning that, if anything, the company may do the same
to them (IISTE, 2015).
As Exhibit 11-6 illustrates, face-to-face conversation scores highest in channel richness
because it transmits the most information per communication episode—multiple information
cues, immediate feedback (both verbal and nonverbal), and video conferences almost have the
same score. (Robbins and Judge, n.d.)
Considering the information above, it can be said that the GLOCAL method is working
and delivering the same information while reducing the travel cost for the organization.
Research how do real-life organizations evaluate the effectiveness of their
communication within the company.
Ethan McCarthy, Bloomberg LP's global head of employee relations and innovation,
shared his vision and experience evaluating internal communications in an article on the Institute

for public relations. In his opinion, it is worth ceasing the evaluation of internal communications
for two reasons. Firstly, the internal communications are not internal, and secondly, if we
measure communications but not the desired changes in behavior, it is a waste of time.
Bloomberg no longer uses the term "internal communications." Ethan calls his team the
employee relations department. (Picincu, 2021)
A key metric for Ethan's team is each employee's digital footprint. They monitor their
employees' actions on social media and get data on information received through email.
He suggests that they stop using awareness alone as a KPI. "Awareness is not an
outcome. Moreover, its impact on behavior is questionable and difficult to measure. The
measurement process begins with active collaboration with business leaders and a clear
understanding of business goals, and most importantly, identifying observable behaviors that will
drive results." (Picincu, 2021)
Employee applications can improve internal communications, which can lead to
increased efficiency and productivity, according to HBR (2018). They can also reduce wasted
time and eliminate inefficiencies that interfere with job performance. Internal employee
workplace platforms such as Slack and Facebook Workplace can be just as effective.
Surveys also allow employers to measure employee engagement and determine how
employees feel about the job, prospects, work-life balance, company culture, compensation, and
other topics of interest. (HBR, 2018)
The article says that, for best results, employee surveys should be sent out regularly,
monthly or quarterly. Depending on business needs and budget, survey tools such as Culture
Amp, Glint, or Waggle can be used. (HBR, 2018)

Investing in an internal communications strategy that uses mobile app technology can
play an essential role in employee engagement, according to a new study by Staffbase.
(Staffbase, 2021)
Employee apps become a mobile solution for communicating with employees via their
smartphones/tablets-often with push notifications. An app can be an effective and secure channel
for communicating with dispersed workers who do not have corporate email addresses or regular
access to desktop computers, such as freelancers, remote workers, freelancers, off-duty
employees, and temps. As more people work this way, an employee app can easily access
corporate information and work tools that focus on practicality and relevance and promote
engagement. (Staffbase, 2021)
Reinert Logistics, a German transportation company, implemented an app for
employees, 83 percent of non-workers. The company allowed operations managers to share
safety videos and provide easy access to tools to help them perform daily tasks, reducing the
number of incidents resulting in damage to company property by 15 percent. (Staffbase, 2021)
Based on your research, provide recommendations on how companies can detect
communication problems in their organizations and be proactive in fixing them.
In general, given the research we have done, we can emphasize the following
suggestions for detecting problems with communication within the organization.
1) to carry out regular surveys among employees;
2) to study the behavior of employees by monitoring the digital footprint;
3) to implement new technology (work platforms and mobile applications);
4) to conduct training sessions on effective communication with employees for heads of
departments.
When building internal communication as a system, it is necessary to remember that
there are no universal means suitable for all companies. Each patient has his own diagnosis and
his own scheme of treatment. There are many means of communication, and it is more
productive to combine them. Each of the means solves a part of the problem and is suitable for
the separate target groups. With well-organized communications, each company employee
should understand why we, the company, are here, what we do and how we do it. What is in the
heads of top managers reaches the minds of their subordinates without any distortion. And vice
versa, managers understand what their employees live by. Philip Kotler says that "all strategic
principles can be reduced to one maxim: People are our wealth!” (Kotler, 1991, p. 118).

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