What is business communication?

Business communication is exchanging information between employees and

those outside the organization. Employees and management interact with one
another through effective communication to accomplish organizational goals.
It aims to reduce errors and enhance organizational procedures based on
feedbacks and corrections. Communication requires channels to convey
information, messages and news etc.
Why is it important?
Good communication is crucial to keep a company running efficiently for a
number of reasons. It increases employee productivity, creates less employee
turnover, and improves company culture and customer satisfaction. Clear,
accurate communication from leadership will set a precedent and create more
productive environments with higher employee satisfaction. Good
communication can increase the sharing of ideas and facilitate innovation. It
will create employees that are loyal and have higher morale and will earn the
trust of both customers and stakeholders.
Businesses that have good communication will be more successful and reach
goals more quickly. This is also the reason why perspective employers look for
efficient and effective communicators when employing. Furthermore, Deloitte
rates it as the most “desirable trait” in a job candidate. Thus, it is a trait that
cannot be easily assessed.
Communications in companies flow up, down and across the levels of an
organization. The more levels of communication in an organization, the greater
the challenge to manage messaging. (The higher you go up the hierarchy the
better you need to communicate.) Communication flowing up the chain of
command gives management valuable information about the company’s state
of affairs. Feedback, reports, customer information, suggestions and work need
all flow from subordinate to manager.
Communication challenges.
# The need for expanded media literacy: Digital literacy is a person's ability to
perform various tasks in a digital environment. It involves locating, evaluating,
and creating content using technology and communicating effectively with
others. It is a set of essential skills to help navigate the information technology
network that is critical to the functioning of today's society.
There are many tools and skills within the digital literacy such as possessing a
strong set of technical skills, using computers, mobile devices, and the Internet,
and interacting with others online and etc.
In business, several advantages, including increased job satisfaction and
employee engagement, can be achieved by the expansion of media literacy.
Media literacy can also improve the performance and productivity of
employees. Furthermore, it can also increase the general knowledge of
employees and help them gain a greater sense of empathy towards their
colleagues in other departments. As a result, better and more effective
collaboration can be achieved between them.
# Increased global nature of business and workplace diversity: Due to
advancement in internet most businesses now are based in a digital ether that
encircles the entire globe. Employees are geographically dispersed and markets
extend across numerous territories. As businesses transform from locally based
to globally ubiquitous, their communications must evolve to deal with the
challenges of addressing a multinational, multilingual, and multicultural
audience.
However, Communication difficulties will inevitably arise when a person or
organization clings to a belief that their own culture is the ‘correct’ one and
expects those from other cultures to conform. Recognizing and including the
diversity of cultures and communication practices in all messaging, will
strengthen a global business.
On the other hand, diversity in the workplace will also increase employee
morale and instill a desire to be more effective and work more efficiently. This
will greatly increase the productivity of your business. Furthermore, A
workplace that encourages diversity and inclusion will make employees feel
valued and accepted.
# Increased focus on ethics and social responsibility: Business ethics are the
act of determining and making the right choices. Companies develop a set of
rules and principles that guide their decisions and actions, creating positive
influences on employees and consumers. Though every business forms a unique
set of principles, they usually follow the same ethical standards.
Social responsibility is a business's duty to make ethical decisions that positively
impact society. Organizations need to consider how their actions affect
communities to create long-lasting trusting relationships. In order to be socially
responsible, companies must strictly follow their codes of ethics.
Being socially responsible and following basic business ethics can have
numerous benefits such as Gaining more customers-Consumers tend to
continually support business that care about the impact they make on society.
Recruiting from a wider candidate group- Promoting a strong code of ethics
that includes social responsibility can help companies attract and retain more
candidates. Creating a positive work culture-When employees agree with a
company's code of ethics and social responsibility, they are more likely to feel
motivated and support the organization.
Factors impacting communication:
# Nature of the business: Level and status differences may significantly affect
the quality of communication among organization members. Level differences
in organizations may affect the feelings of those involved in communication,
particularly the subordinates. Supervisors reported the most anxiety when
talking to bosses, slightly less anxiety when talking to workers, and the least
anxiety when talking with peers. Because organizational level reflects status
and power differences, communication distortion will occur. The greater the
stress differential, the more restricted the channels of communication, the
more the tendency for information to flow from low to high status people, and
the more distorted the content of the message.
# Size and complexity: Business size plays a big role in business communication.
it’s important to remember that being bigger isn’t an intrinsic value, but being
the right size is. Some businesses rush headlong into growing bigger, and that
can be a problem. Other businesses avoid growth because they equate it with
losing something, such as contact with employees and familiarity with
customers. There’s a vague fear of becoming a faceless, slow-moving, difficult-
to-manage corporation.
Organizations differ in structural complexity. Some consist of many different,
specialized subunits, whereas others are smaller and simpler. When there are a
large number of specialized subunits, coordination is more difficult and both
formal and informal communication increases.
Higher organizational complexity also leads to more formal, prescribed
communications instead of the informal mutual adjustment processes used in
simpler organization structures.
# Geographic dispersion: Cost-effectiveness, the main advantage for dispersing
corporate functions globally is cost-effectiveness. Typically, manufacturing
companies with headquarters in developed countries run factories in
developing countries because of the lower cost of production and lower salaries
or fees.
Availability, you can utilize specialized expertise in other countries, so you will
no longer depend on local talent, which might sometimes be scarce or too
expensive. You can also offer your services to customers all over the world 24
hours a day with offices located in diverse time zones. Your customers who
speak different languages might benefit from your staff being located in
various countries and therefore multilingual.
# Organizational culture: Increased productivity, A healthy organizational
culture provides an environment where employees will be more productive.
When people have a sense of belonging, they will feel empowered and their
productivity levels improve. Employees are more likely to go the extra mile if
they are invested in the company.
Increased communication levels between management, employees, and
customers, A strong and healthy organizational culture can provide increased
communication levels between management, employees, and customers. A
cultural shift within the organization to ‘one voice, one message’ ensures that
employees understand the company’s mission and vision. This encourages
collaboration among organizations and helps foster a sense of unity between
the company’s values and its actions.