Discuss the ways in which organizational communication can present barriers to effective implementation.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Information in an organization tends to be concentrated at the bottom of the organization. Attempts to communicate this information can be unsuccessful and negatively impact implementation. Distortion in communications may occur through random error or from selective distortion, as when officials at each stage of message transmission attempt to transmit only the information that they believe their superiors wish to hear or that they think will make them look good to their superiors. In turn, superiors may attempt to estimate the distortion of their subordinates and try to correct for it. Rampant distortion and misinformation limit an organization’s ability to make effective decisions. Many organizations share a common technical or professional language that should help to limit distortion. However, a common language can also prevent an organization from responding to new situations or producing innovative solutions and diminish its capacity to communicate effectively with other organizations. Communication can also be hindered is there is only a single vertical path to transmit information. If information is communicated to a central office through only one source, it is unlikely that a complete picture of the problem/program will emerge. Finally, secrecy can hinder communication and implementation. While there may be justification for secrecy (e.g., classified material) it can still be counterproductive. If implementers and/or policymakers do not have a full picture of the problem, they are unlikely to be able to make effective decisions. Knowledge is power and the inability of an organization to gather and process information will harm its performance.