Importance Of Good Communication

Importance of Good Communication

Paulette Lewis

University of Phoenix

GEN 300

Ms. Ramona Big Eagle

June 4, 2007

Importance of Good Communication

To be competitive in today's business world, a team needs to communicate openly and frequently. With the technology that is available, a business can now find it easier than ever to have meetings from all corners of the world, at any time during the day. Whether there are team members around the world or just across the hall Ð'- team members must communicate with each other concerning a project or upcoming event. A team needs to communicate to be successful. If the team does not communicate, the results probably will be less than expected.

A team leader or manager should find it important to talk with the members of his or her team frequently. A team leader or manager will be able to check up on individual progress and the progress of the group as a whole. The more frequent the contact, the less likely there will be missed deadlines or out of date information. Everyone needs to be notified if anything changes during the project. Direct communication with other team members is very important for team members. The exchange of information from team leaders is time consuming and a possible cause of misinformation. Fellow team members should be able to discuss ideas and information at any time during the day and anywhere in the office. They should be able to talk on the phone, send emails, or talk in the hall (Hoegl & Gemuenden, 2001).

Studies have shown that the better the communication- the better the productivity and progress of a team. If everyone that is affected by the project is involved or consulted, then the outcome will be much better than if the project were handled by only a select few. Take Chrysler for example. The initial plan for creating a new line of cars started with the engineering department. The engineers would design a car; then they would give the information to

manufacturing. If manufacturing believed that they could not build the car, then they would give it back to engineering. This process could go on for months or years. Chrysler started including

all departments Ð'- engineering, manufacturing, and marketing Ð'- in the original planning of a new vehicle. This new way of designing a vehicle cut the process from six years to less than 18 months (De Janasz, Dowd, & Schneider, 2002).

A business will have a much better workforce if everyone is always up to date on anything that affects the company. If a company is going through a merger or a take over, the morale of the workforce is much better when the upper management keeps them informed of all changes to the business. Employees are always worried about how they will be affected when a new company takes over. Lack of communication usually causes rumors to be started and the employee morale to suffer greatly. The productivity of a company can be affected if the management team does not communicate well with the team of associates. Gary Miller (2005) states that "Clarity is one of the keys to a business that runs like a well-oiled machine." By communicating to their associates, a manager can have a productive and happy workforce.

There are many different ways available today by which to communicate with a team. With technology changing daily there are many choices. Some companies choose to use daily emails to bring everybody on a team up to date. Other companies prefer to have face-to-face meetings. In addition, other companies might use teleconferencing when members of their teams are scattered throughout the country and the world.

A good way to start a project is usually to have a face-to-face brainstorming session, if the employees' input is expected. Some projects or teams have to deal with a set of rules handed down to them from upper management. Either way, everyone on the team needs to be on the

same page. This will allow the team to work more efficiently and productively. If someone is "left out of the loop", then the team or project could suffer. Projects that have only a few people

making decisions that affect everyone else on the team usually run into problems. These teams can suffer from missed deadlines, poor productivity, and low morale.

When a team is being formed, the members need to have frequent meetings, and goals and objectives. If a team does not have a certain goal or purpose, it can waste a great deal of time by brainstorming, rather than working. The members of the team usually become frustrated (Temme & Katzel, 1995).

Having to keep everyone on a team on the same schedule during a project can be hard to do. Everyone has his or her own schedule/agenda. This can be very clear in one's college life. All the members of one's team have their own life to work with. Finding a perfect time when everyone can meet in person is a difficult task. When this scenario occurs, the team can usually solve this problem by sending emails, using internet chat rooms, and making phone calls. This way the team can stay in contact with each other and stay on schedule when a project is due.

The better the communication is between team members the better the results will be. The team can look forward to better projects, more productivity, and better results. Likewise, if there is poor communication between team members, then there usually will be poor projects, decreased productivity and less than expected results.

A team leader can make or break a team depending on how they communicate with the members. If the