The Disadvantages of Communication in an Organization

Too much communication may cause disruption for a business.

For a business to succeed, communication is a necessary element. This includes communication between employees, with clients and with the public. This may be in the form of press conferences, written statements or emails. Sometimes communication can put a business at a disadvantage instead. Too much communication can be time consuming, for example, or cause a lack of professionalism to occur. It may also result in poor communication and isn't guaranteed to be immediate.

Time Consuming

Communication can be a disadvantage to an organization because it can be time consuming. Written communication, whether it's on paper or in an electronic form, takes time for an individual to compose. A person has to gather her thoughts and then formulate these ideas into a letter or memo directed to a certain audience. The form of the communication depends on whether it's directed to clients, other employees or another entity. It may take an individual up to an hour or more to compose a thorough form of correspondence. This is time that could be spent making money for the organization.

Not Immediate

Another disadvantage of communication within an organization occurs because communication isn't always immediate. Communication in the written form of a letter or email takes time to be formulated and then sent to various individuals; this may take hours or days. Once the communication is received, it could then take even more time to be reviewed by the recipient. Voice mail messages are another example of communication that isn't instantaneous and could result in a delay of information. This delay could cause a loss of time or money.

Lack of Professionalism

A further disadvantage to communication within an organization is that a lack of professionalism can occur. Individuals may get sloppy and use bad grammar and punctuation when communicating. This is especially a pitfall when an individual communicates using email. Email can be seen as an informal way of communicating, and individuals may fail to appropriately address other employees or may even use slang terms while using email in a business context.

Poor Communication

Communication within an organization is a disadvantage if the communication is poor overall. Poor communication occurs if an individual can't coherently process his thoughts into a sentence, email or letter, which may add more confusion to a situation. An individual may say one thing that could be interpreted different ways by different individuals. Instead of helping the organization to run smoothly, poor communication may cause the organization to lose money and time.

References

• Reference for Business: Encyclopedia of Business, 2nd Edition --- Written Communication
• Management Study Guide: Written Communication --- Meaning, Advantages and Disadvantages