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Discussion Assignment Unit 4: Organizational Communication

University of the People, MBA

BUS 5113: Organizational Theory and Behavior

Instructor: Dr. Hillary Hodges

February 19, 2021

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Discussion Assignment
This week we are focused on communication as a critical tool for organizations of all types and sizes.
Select one of the following topics to write about in-depth:

Discuss the importance of technology in communication today. How can managers overcome the barriers
to effective communication? How can organizational leaders prevent information overload from
happening? 250 - 750 words.

Sharma explained the positives and negatives of how technology has affected communication in
individuals’ lives and businesses; while he stated that “technology speeds up communication
between people and provides convenience to use more than one method of communication,” before
its evolution persons were more productive due to the lack of distractions. He went on to
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say that persons were “composed to be of a creative nature due to the lack of information…
communication was not so fast and destructive and it was not viral” (2018).
Sharma went on to add that the use of technology in communication is increasing “more
concupiscence, anger, greed, fascination and jealousy”; he claimed that the technology has created
higher competition in the market; everyone is fighting with each other for career business, income
and reputation (2018).
However, the positive effects of technology on communication were:
 More than one method to contact

 Faster communication

 Variety of communication content/tools

 The highest speed of learning

 Bigger audience to influence

 Faster impact of communication on people and society

 Communication is easy and

 Highest opportunities for learning and earning (Sharma, 2018)

[CITATION Sha18 \l 1033 ]

Sharma, Vijay, How Technology affects communication Published On March 28, 2018 4.2 (69)
https://www.klientsolutech.com/how-technology-has-affected-communication/

As cited by Erdogan and Talya, (2006), the Webster’s dictionary defined the Communication as process
by which information is exchanged between individuals through a common system of signs, symbols, or
behavior[CITATION OrgNA \l 1033 ] (p.162). The communication process must include both the transfer
and the understanding of meaning. Robbins and Judge, (2013), discussed some major functions of
communication within a group or organization including a coordination, control, motivation, sharing
emotional expression, and transmission of information (P.164)[CITATION Placeholder1 \l 1033 ]
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[CITATION Placeholder25 \l 1033 ]

Communication Channels refer to the medium, used to communicate a message affects how
accurately the message will be received [CITATION Placeholder23 \l 1033 ]. The key point to get
effective communication is to detect and match the communication channel with the goal of the
message[CITATION Placeholder24 \l 1033 ]. Therefore the Implementation of the right
communication channels within the organization is critical to keep employees engaged, aligned and to
promote their productivity then ultimately to the organization success[CITATION lib18 \l 1033 ].

The technology influenced our communication to great level, since the vast way to the
communication in today term created. When the Internet arrived, it opened new ways to
organizational and personal communication. E-mails replaced postal emails and social media replaced
text messages . . . etc. The communication todays can be through wide range of the communication
channels. Today communication channels mostly through the intranet, internet, and the digital
channels. The diversity and accessibility to anyone everywhere are advantageous; it is saver to our
time and efforts. Therefore, it has become easy to coordinate, collaborate and communicate in
workplace. However, still we have to information security. It is a less personal but more
efficient[CITATION Wil19 \l 1033 ]. The choice is depend on the objectives, capacity and the quality
of the available channels.

Discuss the importance of technology in communication today. 250 - 750 words.

The effectiveness of any organization’s communication systems forms an essential part of its working.
The accessibility and availability to communicate with anyone at any place make a technology an integral
part of the workplace environment. Communication technology has had both positive and negative effects
on organizational communication

Technology makes organizational communication easily accessible. The electronic communication can
help make distance a non-factor in organizational communication. Consequently it helps manager better
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collect data around the workplace to make more informed decisions however it gives you a place to
complain about work. Managers can obtain constructive criticism from your complaints and make
changes in order to improve the workplace. Additionally the Increased accessibility of organizational
communication can complicate the boundaries between your work life and home life.

Technological advancements have entirely reshaped the organizations by making their business processes
highly integrated, and more streamlined [CITATION Ami18 \l 1033 ].
Technology helps businesses in a number of ways include Improved business communication, more
efficient production, easier inventory management and easier record-keeping are all signs of the
importance of the technological environment in business[ CITATION Nei19 \l 1033 ].
Effective communication channels like instant messaging and conference calls over internet contribute
highly to work productivity. Technology has removed workplace boundaries and has led to business
expansion faster than we thought.[ CITATION Sam20 \l 1033 ]

 The high efficiency of technological-based communication channels resulting flexible and

effortless communication which is the core of organizational efficiency.
Transparency, recent trends in communication is gradually eliminating the traditional ways of workplace
communication, thus, making way for ideas to flow in a coherent space. [ CITATION Sam20 \l 1033 ]
Employee engagement : Free flowing communication and accessibility to connect with anyone
irrespective of hierarchy motivates employees for active participation in the company’s workings and be a
part of the decision-making process. [ CITATION Sam20 \l 1033 ]
Saves Time & Costs
Achieve, Documentation and Secures the Data Store
[CITATION Ami18 \l 1033 ]
Technological advancements have entirely reshaped the organizations by making their business processes
highly integrated, and more streamlined [CITATION Ami18 \l 1033 ]
.
Enabling Remote Working [CITATION Ami18 \l 1033 ] New technology has enabled remote working,
teleconferencing and co-working space which has completely reshaped the modern workplace. Mobile
and cloud technology has allowed instant and remote access which enables internet-based service models.
This has resulted in interconnected workplaces not tied to one location, but many. They are hinged
together by virtual conferencing, complete connection and portability.

The information overload defined as the extensive amount of irrelevant information flowing employees.
The Role of Technology in Eliminating Information Overload
Eliminating information overload is impossible without implementing the right technology in the
workplace. Luckily, the emergence of new employee technology is enabling organizations to better
streamline the flow of information among employees and, therefore, reduce information overload.
Proper technology also enables managers and leaders to reach the right employees, with the relevant
content at the right time. This is even more important now when remote work and dispersed workplaces
are at their peak.
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How can managers overcome the barriers to effective communication?

Communication barriers can include anything that prevents or disables communicators to deliver the right

message to the right person at the right time, or a receiver to get the right message at the right time.

The effectiveness of communication greatly contributes to the success of an organization and the
performance of its managers. Therefore, it is imperative for an organization to improve the free flow
communication, overcoming the possible barriers. To overcome communication barriers, the following
methods may be followed by organizations:

1. Employee orientation:
2. Understand your multigenerational workforce
3. 1. Clarify the Ideas before Communication
4. 2. Communicate According to the Need of Receiver
5. 3. Consult others before Communicating
6. 5. Convey Things of Help and Value to Listeners
7. 6. Ensure to give and receive Proper Feedback
8. 7. Communicate for Present as well as Future
9. 8. Follow up Communications
10. 9. Be a Good Listener!
11. Improving interpersonal relations:
12. 4. Be aware of language, tone and content of message:Using proper and Simple language:
13. Communication through actions:
14. Eliminating differences in perception:
15. Reduction and elimination of noise levels:
16. Effectively use the emotional State
17. Simple Organizational Structure:
18. Avoid Information Overload:
19. Proper Media Selection
20. Consistency and Transparency of Message:
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How can organizational leaders prevent information overload from happening?

The information overload defined as the extensive amount of irrelevant information flowing

employees.Information overload, refer to the volume of information exchanged in the workplace as well

as the not relevant or poor quality information shared with employees.

Information overload impacts on the three levels: employees, teams and the organization .

https://blog.smarp.com/how-does-information-overload-affect-your-business-how-to-stop-it ALL

ARTICLES BLOG

Sep 23, 2020 ▪ Approx.

https://slack.com/intl/en-ye/blog/productivity/overcoming-information-overload-in-the-workplace

5 ways to overcome information overload in the workplace

Choice expert Sheena Iyengar on managing your time and attention effectively
Author: Antoinette Cooper
August 14th, 2019

Today’s workers are in the midst of an information overload epidemic. How bad? Columbia Business
School professor Sheena Iyengar, an expert on choice, estimates that the average knowledge worker must
process, consciously or subconsciously, the equivalent of 174 newspapers of information every day.So
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how can you effectively manage the demands on your attention and time? Building on her popular TED
talk about choice, Iyengar shares five strategies to navigate information overload in the workplace.

1. Be choosy about choosing

According to Iyengar, knowledge workers who manage their time well regularly ask themselves, “Is this
worth my time, or is this something I should be delegating?”

With so many emails to respond to, meetings to attend, projects to participate in and tasks to complete,
knowledge workers have to become the gatekeepers of their own time and attention. Without being
choosy in this way, knowledge workers are less likely to be proactive where their attention is needed
most. “Instead of actually addressing their priorities, they end up putting out fires. They’re being more
reactive to what’s coming at them on a minute-by-minute, day-to-day basis,” Iyengar says.

When you’re selective, you can get rid of what’s less important and delegate or outsource tasks that don’t
align with your strengths and interests. By taking those items off your to-do list, you can devote more
time and brainpower to activities that add value.

2. Identify three to five priorities

The human brain can remember around seven things—give or take—at any one time, according to
Iyengar. And if you have to keep looking at your to-do list, that’s a problem. She recommends narrowing
down your priorities to the top three to five things that matter most to you, since even seven can be a
stretch.

Once you’ve got your list, Iyengar recommends going one step further to home in on exactly what you
need to do to accomplish each one. To avoid information overload, she suggests asking yourself three
questions:

What’s the problem I’m trying to solve?

How do I break down this problem?
What information do I need to figure out the best solution?
By getting very specific about what you’re looking for and why, you can proactively approach
information, rather than reacting to everything available.

Introducing the Slack State of Work report

We surveyed 17,000 knowledge workers on the modern workplace. Here's what we found.

Read the report

3. Understand the importance
Not all tasks and decisions are equal. For instance, deciding what to have for breakfast merits less time
and research than, say, deciding whether to accept a new job offer.

Knowing where a decision or choice falls on the hierarchy of importance can help you assess how much
time to invest in it. Sometimes you may need to “choose nothing less than the very best,” Iyengar says,
and other times the ideal action is to “simply stop because it’s good enough for this decision.”

By identifying which choices are worth extensive time and research and which aren’t, you free yourself
up to make effective decisions when it counts.

4. Put a time limit on information gathering

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Without setting parameters on time, knowledge workers can get sucked into information and choice
overload. As Iyengar notes, the abundance of information can be addictive and seductive.

To avoid unproductive rabbit holes, Iyengar recommends putting a time limit on information gathering.
“Gone are the days where you just said, ‘Hey, let me just explore and see where I go,’ ” she says,
“because two hours will pass and you’re going to realize you’ve gotten nothing done.”

How you use your allotted time can vary; what’s key is being strategic about it. “For some of us, you
might decide that it’s more important that you spend one or two hours exploring lots of different things—
that’s your time to really add creatively to your knowledge base,” she says. “For others, it may be a time
to create focus and only search on that topic during the allotted time.”

5. Schedule related tasks together

Once you’ve identified your top priorities and the information you need, Iyengar says, the key to
improving productivity is to work on related tasks in regular intervals. By scheduling like tasks next to
each other in 30-minute blocks, you’re less likely to get stuck in a mental rut or bogged down by
information overload, she says.

Moving between unrelated tasks, on the other hand, creates a cognitive burden that can inhibit
productivity. Iyengar understands that sometimes switching between different tasks is unavoidable, but
acknowledging the mental cost of the transition can help. “When you’re going to start a new task—let’s
say you need to learn a new app or you need to upload some new file in a new way—build in the fact that
there’s going to be a startup cost so that you’re not frustrated,” she says. “Because once people get
frustrated, they actually lose a lot of energy through their frustration.”

The power of choice

While information overload can make daily decisions challenging, Iyengar reframes our ability to choose
as a powerful tool. By helping us determine what’s useful and relevant, choice frees us up to invent and
create. “We can use choice to construct those most meaningful combinations of our lives,” she says. “I
think that’s when you get the real power of choice.”

The true value of choice is not standing in front of a vending machine and making a selection, she says.
Rather, it’s saying, “Look, I’ve got this problem. How can I now imagine a solution and implement it in a
way that actually makes a difference?”

https://hrdailyadvisor.blr.com/2020/06/01/5-ways-hr-can-combat-communication-overload-in-the-age-of-
digital-transformation/
5 Ways HR Can Combat Communication Overload in the Age of Digital Transformation
By Keith Kitani, CEO & Co-Founder, GuideSpark Jun 1, 2020 HR Management & Compliance
There’s a scene in the movie Bruce Almighty in which Jim Carrey’s character, stepping in to play God,
hears the prayers of thousands of people all at once. Overwhelmed by the noise, he handles it in the most
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efficient way possible: a “reply all” e-mail. As you might expect, chaos ensues in a flood of unintended
consequences.

overload
Source: alphaspirit / Shutterstock

Employees today face a similar information overload, made exponentially worse by the COVID-19
pandemic. Even before the crisis, research from International Data Corporation (IDC) found that U.S.
employees received more than 576 billion e-mails a year.

Combined with Slack notifications, text messages, and video chats, this avalanche creates an
overwhelming amount of noise that makes it virtually impossible to discern what’s important and requires
action. As a result, employees handle it in the most efficient way possible: by ignoring about 40% of e-
mails and using filters to trash some 34 billion without even reading them.

That’s a huge problem for organizations when it comes to strategic communication. The pandemic has
drastically accelerated digital transformation with a massive shift to remote operations. And it will be
nearly impossible to backpedal from this environment. Now that we’ve gone fully digital and remote
practically overnight, employees will expect this as the new norm, and from here on out, change will
happen faster. That means our reliance on digital communication will grow, and the noise will only get
worse.

To combat the information overload, ensure critical messages get through, and drive the desired employee
behavior, HR teams must implement clearer, more effective communications. Here are five key strategies
for success:

Create relevant, targeted messages. There’s no way to avoid the noise, and you can’t just send fewer
messages, but creating more personalized, targeted messages can help cut through the clutter. IDC’s
research identified several key characteristics that are essential for successful communication. Among the
top three, it found localization and audience segmentation to be critical. Considering the unique
characteristics of your audience—both demographically and based on their roles within the organization
—and creating messages based on these details, HR can craft messages that resonate and elicit the desired
response.
Be clear in your “call to action.” IDC found that there’s a clear disconnect in how senders and receivers
interpret messages. Employers desire some action from about one-third of messages they send, but
employees believe 45% of messages they receive require some action. That means employees are over-
investing their time in a large portion of communication, and senders don’t always get the result they
desire. To solve that problem, be clear in what you expect receivers to do based on your message. This
helps employees prioritize their response and take appropriate action.
Create communication experiences instead of just individual messages. No single message will drive the
change you expect. Instead, effective messages must be part of a larger story or series; otherwise, with no
reinforcement, they’ll likely just be dismissed as unimportant. In fact, employees anticipate that 60% of
messages are part of a series, even though only 40% actually are, which means you’re missing a valuable
opportunity to connect the dots and reinforce the change you want to see. Building momentum and
connection by guiding employees on a communication journey can improve their understanding and
motivation.
Don’t assume send = success. Most senders assume that message delivery equals communication success,
creating a false sense of security that messages are getting through and that employees are engaged. The
reality is that success lies with the recipient and how he or she perceives and responds to your message.
And, there’s a significant gap between perception and reality: IDC’s report found that, even for something
critical regarding security, 100% of messages were considered successful by the sender, but receivers
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acted on only 56%. On the other hand, only 26% of onboarding messages were considered successful by
the sender, while recipients took action on 65%. To accurately measure communication success, HR must
focus on whether the recipient acted appropriately as a result and progressed as expected.
Measure and iterate. The only way to know what’s working to cut through the noise is to measure impact
and performance and adjust as needed based on hard data. As we move forward navigating the “new
normal,” measuring sentiment, alignment on goals, and adoption of new behaviors will be critical. When
we’re working together in the office, it’s easier to see who may not be onboard with change or understand
the “why,” but with employees working remotely, it’s harder to identify those deficits and risky to assume
anything. It’s easy to become overwhelmed by data, so start incrementally. Measure sentiment and
response on a single message or short series, then dive into the results for different audiences, groups, or
roles. Start small, tackle gaps strategically, and don’t try to solve the whole problem at once.
During the initial onset of the COVID-19 situation, everyone essentially tuned out everything except the
crisis communications. But as we transition to the next phase, that uniting theme will slowly start to slip
away as employees adapt to the new reality. That means cutting through the noise with strategic messages
is going to be harder than ever.

HR can play a critical role in pivoting communications strategy to succeed in this new environment. By
implementing a sound program that personalizes the experience for employees and clarifies expectations,
measuring what really matters, and adapting based on data, HR teams can help their companies navigate
the new normal and drive employee behavioral changes that determine future success.

Keith Kitani is the CEO and cofounder of GuideSpark and brings over 20 years of digital
communications and eLearning expertise to creating, building, and leading GuideSpark as it transforms
workplace communications. Kitani’s career has been focused on building companies that develop digital
solutions to connect people and information. He and his cofounders created GuideSpark to bring
technology and innovative content together in a way that transforms employee communications, leading
GuideSpark into a team of nearly 300 professionals and serving 650 customers including 20% of the
Fortune 500.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2016/06/29/how-to-improve-productivity-by-
managing-information-overload/amp/
Jun 29, 2016, 08:00am EDT
How To Improve Productivity By Managing Information Overload
Dionne Mahaffey
Forbes Councils Member
Forbes Coaches CouncilCOUNCIL POST| Membership (fee-based)
Leadership

Information overload is overwhelming data. It is not possible to completely eliminate the Information
overload, therfore it remains a problem because common solutions often do not address underlying
causes. Managers efforts should focus to control and as possible minimize it's occurrence, frequency and
impacts.
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To manage information overload, leaders can implement specific strategies to limit interruptions, but
these strategies must address core needs.
Step 1: Green Hats And No-Interruption Time Zones

Let’s assume that everyone in your company is connected to the goals of the business. They believe in the
mission. That said, informational overload still exists. It must be managed.

One way to do this is through a visual sign, such as a green hat, that everyone on the team understands to
mean, “Do not interrupt me. I am busy.” You can look at this through a concept known in psychology as
“S Delta,” which is the stimulus that eliminates the reinforcement for a behavior. For instance, if a
colleague interrupts, he or she is seeking a reward — a response. When that colleague knocks on
someone’s door and is ignored, the reinforcer — a response such as “How can I help you?” or “What’s
up?”— has been withheld. Here, the S Delta — in this case, a green hat — indicates that reinforcement
for interrupting is not available.

Step 2: Establishing Operational Definitions

For leaders as well as employees, the second step involves helping people be mindful of what is truly
important. When someone receives an interruption regarding some “emergency,” the interrupted party
must be able to gauge whether the interruption qualifies as an actual emergency.

Step 3: Feedback

Workers and business owners alike must be able to determine how well they manage information
overload, and this is accomplished by two types of feedback: internal and external.

Internal feedback is a person’s ability to self-assess performance. In the above billing example, the
employee must compare the number of invoices issued to the number of interruptions that qualified as
operational. External feedback is often the type a supervisor would provide.

Step 4: Tracking

Tracking performance is critical to managing information overload because it’s the visual upward incline
of increased performance or the downward slope of interruptions that help people attain either company-
or self-defined measures of success.

Step 5: Practice

There are no simple solutions to managing information overload. Instead, the process requires
maintaining a work environment where interruptions are limited, operational definitions are followed,
constructive feedback is encouraged, and performance is tracked. Achieving greater productivity in the
face of information overload takes practice, but by following these steps it can be achieved.
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References
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libsyn. (2018, 0 Dec ember 10). Collaboration Super Powers. Retrieved from 221 – Communication
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Removed. (2017). Organizational Behavior. MINNEAPOLIS, MN. UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA LIBRARIES.

Scott, M. (n.d.). Communication for Business Success (Vol. 1.0). (h. Andy Schmitz, Ed.) Allyn & Bacon.
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Williams, O. (2019, January 25). Chron,https://smallbusiness.chron.com. Retrieved from What Are

Communication Channels Within an Organization?:
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Bauer , T., & Erdogan, B. (N.A). Organizational Behavior. Irvington,NY: Flat World Knowledge, Inc.

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