Report on Obstacles and Opportunities in Workplace Communication

This report, titled "Obstacles in Workplace Communication," examines the evolving landscape of corporate communication, particularly in light of technological advancements. It defines workplace communication as the process of information exchange within a corporate setting, encompassing verbal, non-verbal, and gestural forms. The report highlights the significant impact of technology, both positive and negative. Technology has streamlined information access, reduced unnecessary meetings, and facilitated globalization, offering employees greater flexibility. However, it also presents challenges such as increased information overload, heightened competition, and the spread of misinformation. To address these issues, the report suggests strategies like providing employee training, establishing customer grievance redressal mechanisms, and promoting ethical corporate practices. The report concludes that while technology has revolutionized communication, businesses must proactively manage the associated challenges to maximize its benefits and ensure effective communication.

Running head: OBSTACLES IN WORKPLACE COMMUNICATION
OBSTACLES IN WORKPLACE COMMUNICATION
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author note

1OBSTACLES IN WORKPLACE COMMUNICATION
Workplace communication can be termed as the process of transmission of
information among the employees in a corporate set up. Workplace communication can be in
non-verbal, gestural or verbal forms. At present due to technological innovations, the
scenario of corporate communications has experienced major upheavals (Zhang and
Venkatesh 2013). This executive summary outlines the fact to discuss about the techniques in
which the challenges and opportunities of corporate communication in a workplace can be
embraced, in relation to three informative article pieces.
Technology comprises many negative as well as affirmative effects. Technology has
definitely assisted the languishing economies to upgrade their economic status and provide its
citizens a better place to live (Argenti 2006). Contrastingly, technology has also contributed
massively to the burgeoning levels of pollution in the environment and the maximization of
toxic waste materials. Nevertheless, technology has also left a compelling mark upon the
arena of communication in a workplace.
Technology has positively altered the scenario of corporate communication
dynamically. A corporate set up can embrace and seize the fruitful opportunities which
technology has brought to workplace communications. Information has become very easy to
obtain through the enormous presence of the web as well as by other media forms.
Unnecessary meetings and discussions to transmit vital business information can be reduced
largely. These will help the employees in corporate set ups to give effective and smart
performances in less time and within a reasonable business budget (Schultz, Castelló and
Morsing 2013). Employees can also have great liberty in actualizing their work. Information
can be efficiently outsourced and having a globalised work force has become a piece of cake
for the corporate houses. This was unthinkable in the past because the employers kept a close
tab on the work activity of the employees. Technological changes has made the
communication process more visually attractive, informative and stimulating.

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Along with the innumerable opportunities, technology has also led to the creation of
acute challenges in the world of corporate communication. New age, modern communication
has led to severe business loss for the corporate set-ups because of the ease in collecting
transparent business information by the competitors. Substantial business information of a
corporate set up can be easily accessed and taken advantage of by the rivals. To minimize
this, corporate set-ups must utilize technology for the purpose of alliance and teamwork.
Technology has amplified corporate communication in quantity rather than in quality. This
tests the patience of the corporate employees. Due to overburden of information, employees
tend to misunderstand and overlook vital guidelines. To overcome this, corporate set ups
must provide constructive training to the employees to cope up with the pressure. In this era
of instant rumors and tidings, corporate set ups can be bombarded by questions from the
journalists and enquiries from the customers, most of which requires immediate
acknowledgements (Barnaghi et al. 2012). If they are not acknowledged within a short time
then the corporate set up faces the risk of disesteem and opprobrium. They do not give ample
time for the corporate set up to prepare for press meets or seminars. To minimize this,
employees must be taught about the concept of customer grievance redressal. The corporate
set up must learn to take time, comprehend the whole issue and then gradually formulate a
situation –specific response. Another negative effect of technological change in corporate
communication is that it leads to fabrication of corporate information. People can resort to
forgery and blackmailing. To overcome this, corporate set ups must coach employees about
corporate ethical practices and etiquettes.
Therefore, from the above analysis, it can be said that technological changes has in
fact, forcefully altered the countenance of corporate communications in the work place.
Technology has transformed the phase of communication miraculously and has made it
creative, innovative, time-efficient and convenient. However, both the sides of a coin can

3OBSTACLES IN WORKPLACE COMMUNICATION
never be the same. Corporate set-ups must also create constructive remedial actions to make
optimum utilization of the various communication challenges and shortcomings.

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References
Argenti, P.A., 2006. How technology has influenced the field of corporate
communication. Journal of Business and Technical Communication, 20(3), pp.357-370.
Barnaghi, P., Wang, W., Henson, C. and Taylor, K., 2012. Semantics for the Internet of
Things: early progress and back to the future. International Journal on Semantic Web and
Information Systems (IJSWIS), 8(1), pp.1-21.
Schultz, F., Castelló, I. and Morsing, M., 2013. The construction of corporate social
responsibility in network societies: A communication view. Journal of business
ethics, 115(4), pp.681-692.
Zhang, X. and Venkatesh, V., 2013. Explaining employee job performance: The role of
online and offline workplace communication networks. Mis Quarterly, 37(3).