Communication in the Workplace

 Communication is important in organizing jobs and making sure that all tasks and jobs are
accomplished to achieve goals. Communication can take several forms: verbal, written, and
expressed or body language.

Barriers to Communication in the Workplace

 Communicating and talking are two different things. Talking is just simple delivery without a goal
of ensuring that the message is understood by the receiver.
 Communicating entail in the successfully getting the message across to another person.
Communication is essential in the workplace since the successful accomplishment of tasks
depends on how clearly instructions are conveyed and understood by all members of the
organization.

Types of barriers

1) Physical Barriers
These barriers refers to areas that bar people from entering or gaining access such as closed
office doors, screens, and separation between decks or departments. Research shows that
one way to limit physical barriers is proximity or placing work areas closer together.
Proximity aids in communication and encourages closeness among co-workers.
2) Perceptual Barriers
Perceptual refers to how people look at things. A problem arises when people have
different perspectives about their situation or environment. Often, miscommunication
occurs because some people interpret a situation differently from others. Perceptual
barriers have a negative effect on decision-making which may bring about a failure in
achieving results.

3) Emotional Barriers
These barriers consists of fear, mistrust, and suspicion. These emotions tend to restrict or
block communication lines, Emotional barriers prevent people from expressing their true
feelings, resulting in employees not being open with each other. This may lead feelings of
vulnerability and a fear of interacting with others. All these negative feelings can interrupt
one’s development in communicating with others.

4) Cultural Barriers
Joining a group may have both positive and negative effects. When individuals adopt certain
behavioral patterns of a group, they are rewarded through acts of recognition, approval, and
inclusion. However, cultural differences among groups may make communication difficult.

5) Language Barriers
People from different countries do not speak the same language. Differences in words,
expressions, and even gestures hamper communication. This difficulty is experienced by
multinational companies that employ foreigners and expatriates who do not speak the local
language.

6) Gender Barriers
There are distinction in the speech patterns of men and women that may cause
misinterpretations. Men are generally more straightforward in their interactions while
women are more emotional. Also, it has been observed that men and women have
differences while women have differences when it comes to the volume of voice, pitch, and
intonation.

7) Interpersonal Barriers
Interpersonal relationships and personal attitudes can be barriers to communication. Some
individuals are uncomfortable about interacting with others. They prefer to be alone, while
others are friendlier and enjoy interacting with others.

Management of change and Diversity in the Workplace

 Managers are faced with the challenge both in the internal and external
environment of business firm. In order to successfully address changes, a manager
must be equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to guide the company in
formulating plans, implementing changes processes and operations, and revising
aspects of the company that are no longer relevant to the present conditions.

Management of Organizational Culture

  Organizational culture consists of the shared set of beliefs and behavior that
contribute to the social and psychological environment within an organization.
 An entire organization may be defined by a culture, or several cultures may exist in
its various departments. One department may have certain views, values, or
priorities that may not be shared by other departments.
 Managers should also be aware that organizational cultural is dynamic and shift and
adapt to internal and external change

Managing Organizational Change

 Every organization goes through a period of transformation that is usually brought

about by changes in the business environment. Organizations are expected to
respond to changes in both its internal and external environments.
 It may also be necessary for the company to implement sweeping and fundamental
changes such as implementing a new corporate strategy, redesigning the
organizational structure, and even revising its mission statement.
 The American writer and futurist Alvin Toffler in his book The Third Wave(1980)
discussed the global changes that human society has undergone throughout history
and focused on the contemporary challenges that society and business will face with
the advent of new technology.
 Toffler describes societies emerging and changing along three waves throughout
history. The first wave occurred during the AGRICULTURAL AGE while the second
wave emerged in the INDUSTRIAL AGE. Finally the third wave ushered in the
INFORMATION AGE
 A classic example of an organization that underwent significant transformation in
response to change is IBM or International Business Machines. IBM ia an American
company that first emerged in the 1880s as a seller of tabulating machines and punch
card machines.
 These products were the precursors of modern computers. In the 1950s, IBM was at
the forefront of pioneering technologies that paved the way for the development of
the computer. IBM invested in ventures that produced the magnetic hard disk drive
and computer software that enabled the company to develop mainframe computers.
 These computers were used for critical and industrial applications such as processing
complex data for the census, and industry and consumer statistics. During the 1960s,
IBM was the leading company that provided mainframe computers to industries and
businesses. During the 1980s, the company introduced the IBM PC, a microcomputer
that became popular among industries and businesses.
 During the 1980s, the company introduced the IBM PC, a microcomputer that
become popular among industries and businesses. By 1985 IBM reached the height
of its success, with revenues totalling 50 billion dollars and with the company having
400,000 employees worldwide.

ADDRESSING GLOBALIZATION AND DIVERSITY

 Globalization represents a huge paradigm shift in international business that

has greatly affected corporations and their managers. The emergence and
development of globalization has passed through three stages throughout
human history.
 The first stage began in the 1400s when ancient kingdoms began to embark
on regional and global trade relations. During the 17 th and 18th centuries,
 Europe’s most powerful countries embarked on colonization ventures, where
Western nations conquered several communities in Asia, Africa, and south
America. Among the most powerful colonial powers at the time were Spain
and Portugal, and later on France, Great Britain, and the Netherland.
 Colonization led to the establishment of economic, political, and cultural
relations between the West and the rest of the world and this led to
significant global changes. Globalization reached its second stage during the
20th century. Multinational companies were established and they brought
their products and services to the global market.
 The Third stage of globalization began during the twenty-first century. At this
stage, globalization has become prevalent in modern society and we
experience it in our personal lives from the products we use—in books,
music, movies, and television—and the internet.
 Diversity is an important aspect of globalization. Global companies,
therefore, should Learn to adapt to the different cultures of the world.
Managers should think of ways to adapt their products and services to
specific aspects of certain cultures.
 For instance, McDonald’s adapts its menu to cater to the local tastes of
customer in a number of countries. It serves vegetarian. Mc Nuggets in India,
while in Russia, it serves Mc Shrimps or fried shrimps. In Austria, McDonald’s
offers Mc Noodles or noodles with vegetables, chicken, salad, and sweet and
sour curry sauce
 Global managers who deal with different people from diverse cultures need
to be properly oriented and prepared to avoid culture shock.
 Global managers who deal with different people from diverse cultures need
to be properly oriented and prepared to avoid culture shock. Culture shock
happens when managers experience stress and anxiety when they immerse
themselves in an unfamiliar environment.

The Global Manager

 Globalization has resulted in the need for a new approach in
management where companies are able to address various concerns
diverse locations and cultures. Global managers work across different
cultural boundaries to accomplish corporate objectives.
 The first type is the EXPATRIATE. These are foreigners whose long-
term services are acquired by a local company. Foreign managers are
brought in because of their extensive experience in overseeing
company operations in the other parts of the world.
 An example of expatriate. Manager is HARRY LEE who was appointed
CEO and president of Samsung Electronics Philippines in January
2015. Prior to his appointment in the Philippines. LEE was president
of Samsung Asia and managed the businesses of Samsung Electronics
in Singapore.
 The second type is the FREQUENT FLYER. These managers usually
deal with short-term projects or missions to foreign countries. Unlike
expatriates, the frequent flyers’ mode of communication involves
both face-to-face and virtual communication. They typically require a
moderate understanding of local cultures but they should be well-
versed in global issues.
  The third type of global manager is the VIRTUAL MANAGER. He or
she is a manager who oversees a project remotely and whose work is
usually technical in nature. Technology and digital communication
enable the virtual manager to conduct his or her tasks effectively.
The virtual manager must be familiar with the various
communication tools in order to conduct his or her job properly.

MULTICULTURAL COMPETENCIES

 As global managers immerse in different cultures, they must

possess six competencies that will help them cope with
cultural diversity and better relate to local cultures.

SIX COMPETENCIES

1) Global managers should possess multicultural communication skills

 Managers have to be knowledge in at least one foreign
language and be ready to interact with people from different
culture. They need to have a good comprehension of a
foreign language, particularly its nuances, in order to avoid
misunderstandings.
2) Global managers should cultivate relationships with people of different
cultures.
 They should be sensitive to cultural differences and use these
to the advantage of the company that they are representing.
3) Global managers should exercise flexibility
 Since they work with different cultures, global managers
should know how to interpret different behaviors coming
from different nationalities, For example, expert a firm long
handshake from the people of Brazil, In France,
4) Successful global managers should have a more contemporary or
cosmopolitan view of the world
 The manager should be aware that the global community
where the company operates in is comprised of diverse
cultures, Therefore, global managers should strike a balance
in merging significant aspects of these cultures to bring
about the successful operation of the company.
5) Global managers should quickly adjust to a certain culture.
 They should not be easily affected by culture shock and
should quickly immerse themselves in a foreign
environment.

6) Global managers should know how to build multicultural teams

 Managers should capitalize on cultural diversity and select
the best aspects of cultures that would aid in ate
 achievement of corporate objectives. In establishing
department or work teams, managers should not only look
into qualifications of workers, but should also consider their
cultural backgrounds as some cultures may have traits that
could prove useful to the job at hand. Managing a
multicultural team is also a challenge so the manager must
be able to handle conflict or misunderstanding whenever it
arises

Filipino and foreign cultures

The Filipino Manager

 The Filipino culture exerts a significant influence in the views,

actions, and behavior of Filipino culture such as family and
community relations and certain social values contribute in
shaping a certain Filipino minder when it comes to managing
an organization.
 Filipino society is hierarchical and family oriented and this
aspect of our culture often influences management practices
in many local businesses. A Filipino manager believes that he
or she has a distinct role in organization. The manager
considers himself or herself as the “head of the family” in his
or her perspective department, team, or organization and
therefore adopts a paternalistic or maternal attitude towards
employees. This often entails that the manager has concern s
that extend beyond the formal superior-subordinate
relationship in the workplace