What Is a Communication Climate in Business?
With the advent of the global economy, communication takes on a more prominent role for business success. A company's internal communication climate also plays a pivotal role in its ability to function as a unit and compete effectively within the marketplace. A company's overall climate is most likely established within levels of management and spreads from there.
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Business Communications
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According to Global Health Technical Briefs, differences in work-group climate stem from the management approach, which can influence group productivity and function by as much as 50 percent or more. Organizational practices involving policy and procedures, reward systems and how work roles are designed also contribute to a company's overall business climate. A company's inherent ability to function as a unit can impact its ability to address marketplace factors and compete effectively. A productive communication climate in a business may rely heavily on management's approach and behaviors within the workplace.
Communication Climate
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A business' work climate can be compared to the mood or atmosphere of the company as a whole, as well as within individual work groups according to Global Health Technical Briefs. This atmosphere results from the different forms of communications and interactions that take place between management and employees and amongst employees, according to BizTimes. Good communication climates foster worker productivity and initiative, while bad ones can foster low morale, lost productivity and untapped talent and abilities.
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Climate Factors
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Within any interaction, certain factors make for honest, forthright communications while others work to hinder communication flow, according to BizTimes. The degree of trust and credibility attributed to a company's management staff can significantly affect a worker's sense of purpose and loyalty. Also of importance is a certain degree of openness in terms of workers being able to express their opinions and feelings without fear of retaliation. Another factor that can influence business climate has to do with the role rules play within the overall workplace environment. Too many rules can work to stifle worker productivity and initiative and can have a destructive effect when enforced in a "cut-and-dried" fashion.
Function
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Communication processes have taken on a more vital role within the workplace, inside business-to-business relationships and within the global marketplace as companies work to maintain viability, according to the Wisconsin Business Alumni. More diversity within the workplace coupled with a flatter, less hierarchical organizational structure requires climates that evoke trust and empowerment to bring out the best a company has to offer. Communication climates within companies can also have a bottom-line effect on a business' ability to complete within the global marketplace.
Effects
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A positive communication climate acts as a background motivator for employees to take ownership of their roles within an organization, according to Global Health Technical Briefs. An environment that encourages idea development and different perspectives regarding an issue or process can reap whatever talents may lie dormant within the employee pool. Ultimately, a productive communication environment focuses as much on the people aspect of a company as it does on the organizational procedures that run the company, according to the Wisconsin Business Alumni.
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- Photo Credit business colleagues preparing for business meeting image by Vladimir Melnik from Fotolia.com
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Comments
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I' ve been educated. but what about factors such as empathy, self disclosure, oppenness levels and supportiveness in workplace.
