Discuss organizational Barriers to Communication?

Some of the major barriers to effective communication caused by organizational weaknesses are the lack of a communication policy or the authoritarian attitude of the management or in sufficient training in communication. We will discuss the major barriers in detail:

(i) Lack of communication policy:
Very few organizations have a clear and explicit communication policy for inter organization and intra-organizational interaction. A well defined communication policy helps in the creation of a climate that is conducive to effective communication. It is also an adequate proof of the earnest desire of the management to improve the flow of information. To create such a climate free exchange of ideas and information in all directions – downward, upward and horizontal, should be promoted.

(ii) Authoritarian attitude of management:
In the absence of clear communication policy in the organization the managers and supervisors start following the philosophy of “I order you execute” the free flow of upward communication helps in curtailing this attitude. In the absence of the upward flow of communication, managers are not in the position to judge the degree to which the ideas policies and rule and regulations of the organization have been accepted by the employees. A free and frank interaction can result in the contribution of valuable ideas and it also helps in unearthing problem areas before they become trouble areas. The setting up of a formal procedure for handling grievances goes a long a way in removing the hurdles in the way of upward communication.

(iii) Poorly Defined Authority and Responsibility:
Many a times, it is seen that the organization chart does not show where true authority and responsibility is vested. In the absence of this knowledge, the communications may by-pass individuals or certain levels. This by-pass may be by design or may just be an act of omission. Such a situation leads to the emergence of power of communication centers, due to leadership qualities, access to information or technical knowledge of some people in the organization.

(iv) Too Many Levels in Organization Structure:
Longer the passage through which a message is to travel, more are the chances of its distortion. It can also result in delays or even total failure of the message to reach its destination. If the distance through which a message has to travel is great, there is every possibility that it may be changed, modified, shortened, amended or interpreted during transit in such a manner that even the original sender may not be able to recognize the contents of the communication. Thus can additional level in the organizational hierarchy may not be added just to please somebody. It should be need based.

(v) Insufficient Communication Training:
Communication Training, apart from being important for managerial purposes, is also morale-builder. Yet only a few firms have a formal communication training program. It is a sadly neglected area, some techniques which can help gain insight into communication problems are human relation programmes and such exercises as Sensitivity Training, T- group sessions and Transactional Analysis.