...Miscommunication in the Workplace Miscommunication in the Workplace The miscommunication I have experienced with work is a recent one. The first week of February I received my orders to attend the traffic management and collision investigation school aboard Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio Texas. The orders specifically stated that I was supposed to apply for funding that covers on-base lodging and that I request a single room due to the amount of work required during the course. So I applied and received funding for lodging and daily per diem for food. Early last week I was sent an email from the Marine Corps liaison here aboard Lackland Air Force Base, a Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant, regarding the rules and regulation for the Traffic Management and Collision Investigation School. The letter stated that Sergeants and below MUST stay in the barracks, where lodging is free, due to lack of government funding. It also stated in the letter that there would be no exceptions to this rule and if marines attending this school had already received funding that it must be paid back to TECOM (Testing and Evaluation Command) upon our return to our home duty stations. Upon arrival to San Antonio I checked into the barracks aboard Lackland AFB. Knowing that I had obligations and responsibilities to the University of Phoenix and to my team mates in class I quickly checked for a Wi-Fi signal available in the barracks. Unfortunately, to my surprise, there was no signal at all. Since...
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...Miscommunication in the Workplace BCOM/275 Laci Morrison April 30, 2013 Charles Benjamin Many say that communication is key. Communication is a form or getting information from one source to another one and it all starts with a sender/receiver. Then there is a process of changing thoughts and feelings into symbols. This is called encoding. There then follows decoding which is the process of putting meaning to those symbols. With all communication there must be a message and that is the thought, idea, opinion, or feeling being communicated. “The channel is the medium through which the message travels from sender to receiver.” (Cheesebro, O’Connor, & Rios, 2010). Lastly there is feedback. This is the receiver’s response to the message. We all love to receive positive feedback but in essence, feedback is the primary means of growing individual understanding. There are four types of communication. There is non-verbal, verbal, written communication, and visualization communication. Non-verbal communication is communicating by body language, facial expressions, and other signs, not words. Verbal communication is communicating face to face with words or by other means such as cell phones, television, video chatting on the computer, and radio. Written communication is just how it sounds. Writing a letter, chatting on Facebook, Tweeting are all written communication. Lastly visual communication is anything you can see such as chatting on a webcam, Skype, or face to face. ...
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...Miscommunication Amongst A Multicultural Workplace Tara Collins DeVry University Miscommunication Amongst A Multicultural Workplace In this situation an employee who seemingly has all the qualifications for the job in which she applied, was not given the position. Instead it was given to a newer employee whom had equal educational back ground, less experience but was said to be an “up and comer”. Was this a fair decision based solely on merit and professionalism? Or is there a question of cultural intolerance in which an employee was overlooked for a management position because she didn’t fit into an imaginary mold that this company has in place? There were two candidates for the position in question. The person that got the position was an Anglo male named Alex whom has a graduate’s degree and strong employee evaluations. The other candidate that was not selected was Maria, a women of Latino ancestry. Maria also has a graduate’s degree and brings with her more experience than Alex, however her employee reviews were not as good. Also, Maria has been counseled on her tardiness and absenteeism. These are all reasons why the company states they didn’t promote Maria. Another important fact is that none of the supervisors or people in the upper management positions are women or people of color. This is something that Maria feels responsible for her poor evaluations. In a corporation one would think that there would be more of an equal representation of diversity across...
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...in teams, people are able to share ideas and work together to accomplish more than they could by themselves. However, culture differences and personality differences can often cause a challenge. When working together, a person may not have an understanding of another person’s culture, which can have a negative impact on a business. Since companies are more global today, diversity and multicultural communication has become a crucial part of business success. Teamwork and Team Building Teamwork and team building is vitally important in any multicultural and global society. In today’s day, the workforce is becoming more diverse, meaning that people from different cultures are required to come together to work as a team. Teamwork in the workplace often contributes to success in a company. Teamwork enables people to come together to accomplish tasks faster than finishing projects individually. Also, when cooperating with each other, employees are able to share ideas and responsibilities with one another, which usually reduces workloads (Kelly, 2013). Multicultural teams consist of members with diverse backgrounds and unique personalities; this is beneficial because each individual can contribute their different skills and talents to a project. By working together people can learn from each other, as well as have the opportunity to challenge each other’s ideas and come up with solutions to successfully complete...
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...Communication Differences and Strategies Understanding communication differences and the strategies to prevent conflict because of these differences is important when establishing relationships. According to Christopher (2008), “men and women have differing frameworks for how they view the world” (p. 1). The following presentation will provide information on types of verbal and nonverbal communication and how communication differs among men and women. Information on some common miscommunications and examples are also included in the presentation. The presentation includes a description of a situation that occurred that involved sexual harassment in the workplace, and recommendations for strategies to prevent this type of hostile conflict in the workplace. Types of Verbal and Nonverbal Communication People communicate verbally and nonverbally. Verbal communication is the exchange of words, for example, face-to-face, by telephone, or via technologies, such as a computer (Engleberg & Wynn, 2011).The language used is also important when communicating verbally. Language refers to the individuals’ ability to express his or her ideas and influence the listener (Engleberg & Wynn, 2011). The content and tone of a verbal message is an indication of the type of relationship between two individuals (Ivy & Backlund, 2008). For example, a simple “hello” to someone in a warm tone of voice conveys a sense of friendship and familiarity, whereas a hollow, perfunctory tone may indicate a more...
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...effective communication at the workplace, which helps the business and the organization as a whole to gain success. Business Communication provides the managers at the workplaces to effectively and efficiently coordinate with all the aspects and fields of the business. It is an effective tool that enables the managers at the workplaces to accomplish the goal of the business. Effective business communication has become prerequisite for the organizations, in order to flourish and to prosper in the present business world (Guffey & Loewy, 2010). Working as a US ARMY career counselor, business communication plays a very important role in managing the daily tasks at my workplace. Effective communication facilitated by it, enables the organization to promote and communicate the applicants and the public about the new option or services. This effective communication with the applicants and coworkers has a major impact upon the applicants enlisting the US ARMY. Not only, have other organizations benefited from utilizing Business communication by promoting their product and their services, but, Business communication has also enabled the customers to tell their demands to the organization. Thus, business communication helps in establishing a two-way effective communication between the customers and the organization. It can be said that Business communication plays a pivot role in managing the daily tasks by effectively communicating the changes at the workplaces. It enables to communicate...
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...Miscommunicating in the Workplace BCOM/275 05/21/2012 Steve Hynds Miscommunication and misunderstandings happen all the time in the home, workplace and even when we are in our favorite store. Today I am going to focus on a few examples of miscommunications and misunderstandings that I have experienced in the workplace. At times the miscommunication could be at the fault of the sender or receiver with the misinterpretation of the message delivered or received and other times it could be that the information given is correct but it is not used for its intended manner. Example 1: Misuse of Correct Information In one of my positions at a major bank, I was a telephone (the channel) support representative for the branches. I had a caller (the receiver) ask me (the sender) a basic policy question about how to stop a direct deposit from going into an account incorrectly. I advised him that he needed to contact the appropriate department and also gave him the phone number to complete this task (the message). Several weeks later his manager happened to get me on the line. She was calling in because of the actions of this employee based on information he received from my department. I was able to verify that it was me that spoke to him and asked her to simply ask me the same question because the policy is the policy and my response should be the same regardless. The question was the same and my response was the same but the banker had taken the correct information and...
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...Building an Enjoyable Workplace --Case of “The Road to Hell” What’s happened? The case “The Road to Hell” is a story of two individuals with different backgrounds and points of view having different interpretations of an interview. John Baker is a successful western chief engineer of the Barracania’s branch of a multinational company. He is an English expatriate, and had served his 23 years with Continental Ore in many different places which made him quite confident in understanding a regional staff’s psychology and knowing exactly how to get along with locals. On the other hand, Rennalls is an assistant engineer and one of the brightest Barracanian prospects on the staff of Caribbean Bauxite. He graduated with honors from London University and he is also the son of the minister of finance and economic planning, which made him especially sensitive to political and racial issues involving relations between his culture and western influence. Through the interview, Baker tried to solve a complaint that he has received from Mr. Jackson – one of the European employees who reported that Rennalls had been rude toward him. While the misinterpretation occurs during their communication process and finally the interview ended up in a disaster. What cause the disaster? The primary cause of the problem, in my opinion, is that John compared the Barracanians experience to the European experience. In the case he mentioned that, “My ancestors have all been...
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...Gender related sources of miscommunication, effects and possible solutions. Author’s name Institution Abstract Communication involves spread of ideas and information between people. Communication helps in expressing feelings, emotions, opinions, and ethics and also represents class. It is therefore vital in all aspects of life ranging from that between parents and children, management and employees, employee and employee or even husband and wife. The characteristics of those involved in the process of communication can therefore affect communication. The differences in the diversity and characteristics of employees can also lead to conflicts in communication or miscommunication. The gender differences in conveying messages are as a result of biological, psychological, religious and cultural differences among men and women (Tannen, 1993). Keywords: communication, gender differences Conflicts at the office might be due to the long hours the employees or workers spend together, the differences in the positions of the administration and the problems that arise from change of place of work. Since gender is a culture, it has norms and standards which lead to misunderstandings between people of different sex. The differences can be in the nature of attitudes towards work and their relationships. Women like building interactions so as to achieve different responsibilities. They find it comfortable to be assisted as long as it would lead to realization...
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...Resolving Workplace Conflict Resulting From Poor Communication Hira Qazi University of Maryland University College Abstract The paper discusses the impact of poor communication in the workplace and the preventative and conflict resolving approach that can be adopted to reduce the occurrence and impact of such conflicts in working relationships and productivity. A workplace witnesses a diverse background with individuals having different personalities, values, perception, which affects the way they approach work and problem-solving. Managers must address conflict by helping employees find mutually agreeable solution and create an atmosphere which allows them to continue working together effectively, while helping the company to achieve its realistic goals. A workplace is a microcosm where people with different values and beliefs come together to get things done. When people having different attitudes, perceptions, and ideas are working together under one roof, a personality clash can cause conflict to arise. Among the many leading causes of workplace conflicts, lack of communication is the most common trigger force. Poor communication can lead to misunderstandings, disagreements, and hurt feelings. Workplace conflict can strain working relationships and can turn into a challenging situation affecting both employees and managers. When a conflict is not promptly addressed by leadership, it can make the situation worse. Such tensions in working relationships can sabotage...
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...Workplace Communication Can Be the Success or Detriment of a Business By Theroda S. Gaillard-Britt Workplace communication is an essential part of any business. The lack of communication can be the largest failure of any business. Many organizations have an idea of what they want for their business, but are unable to carry through because of a lack of proper communication. You may ask, what is workplace communication? Workplace communication is the process of exchanging information, both verbal and non-verbal within an organization. An organization may consist of diverse people from different societies. In order to bring unity amongst employee communication is crucial. Benefits of great communication and getting it right are countless. The first benefit would be that it helps with diversity. Good communication helps to dissolve barriers that are created because of language and cultural differences. In order to achieve the best results many companies provide training to their staff on domestic and international affairs. By doing this type of training companies are avoiding confusion and miscommunication in the workplace. Second benefit of good communication would be team building. Effective communication in the workplace helps to develop highly efficient and successful teams. Employees trust each other more and there is no need for competiveness. There is more harmony, productivity and integrity within the teams. Everyone knows their roles within the group and...
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...Assignment 4: Communication Methods Norisse Hamilton MGT 505 June 2, 2012 In choosing five different communication methods and identifying and advantage and a disadvantage for each one: Face to Face communication Advantage: Creates a better experience because the depth of understanding is enhanced by body language and posture. Disadvantage: Body language could be misread and lead to a miscommunication of the intended message. Telephone Advantage: With the presence of cell phones, communication can be done anytime and anywhere. Disadvantage: The cell phone presents times when phone conversations may not be appropriate and could cause a miscommunication in the conversation. Videoconferencing Advantage: It is inexpensive, builds relationships, and allows face to face communication. Disadvantage: There could be technical problems that hinder the conference from happening. Email Advantage: Very fast. Can be changed instantly. It can reach large amounts of people at one time. Disadvantage: May not be written clearly and can cause miscommunication. Memos Advantage: Reach a large amount of employees at one time. The message could be very traditional or high impact that is easy to interpret. Disadvantage: The memo could have a message that is not easy to interpret and is hard for the reader to understand. Address the following scenarios: 1. One of your employees is constantly late, leaving food and drinks at the work station, and you...
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...Negative impacts of generational differences in the workplace of China The past decades have witnessed a dramatic transformation in China. With the development of modern society, the generational differences are becoming growingly deep and complex. Although it is normal that people have diverse personalities and lifestyles, the disparity between generations is quite evident. Working age Chinese fell into two main generations, “a generation being defined as an identifiable group that shares birth years, age, location, and significant life events at critical developmental stages”(Kupperschmidt, 2000, p.65), divided by the year when the reform and opening up was implemented. As an increasing number of young people have graduated from schools and start their careers, concern about the generational difference in the workplace is raised. Since different generation internally share different value and culture, communication problems and interpersonal conflict are almost inevitable, which may result in negative impact in workplace, like inefficiency and low productivity. In this essay, the causes and effects of these problems will be examined before continuing suggesting solutions. The essay will then be concluded by presenting personal opinion on this topic. The first and perhaps most common problem emerges from generational differences in the workplace is communication difficulty. The young generation and old generation both have their unique languages due to different culture background...
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...world and may be beneficial to everyone. In business, building a rapport with clients is establishing a trust between the company and the customer. The bond relies on the valuable communication skills to improve, and make a business relationship that promotes a beneficial, trusting, and profitable one. To resolve a conflict one must have good communication skills to cope with them in a diplomatic way, and with suave. Many times it is miscommunication that has made the disagreement. People must work together to make a good team and remain industrious. Most departments manage daily activities with the help of computers. The main forms of communication in which this is done would be e-mails, faxing, scanning vital information and forwarding it. Telephones are still very important in communication, but more are conforming to meeting on the computer as a visual with the webcam. These are formal and informal ways of communicating, and keeping up on e-mail etiquette is important to avoid having miscommunications. The trends in the workplace on communication would be that there is less traveling involved. With technology in communication, traveling is not needed to be face-to-face with someone. According to Bates (2011), “Forty-three percent of employers say that in their organizations there will be less business travel in 2010 than in 2009” (para. 4). The trends will include social networking tools, and video conferencing. Now having said this, technology such as the e-mail...
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