Assignment 3
Communication skills
BCU641
SUBMITTED TO:
DR ARCHANA SHARMA
Q1. “Social networking can provide enhanced levels of employee
satisfaction by reducing the social isolation of the employees and making
them feel part of the organizational culture during long absences from the
physical office.” Discuss.
Ans. The impact of social networking in the workplace and to assess its use as
an effective business tool. Design/methodology/approach ‐ The paper examines
positive and negative perceptions of social networking in the workplace and
provides a critical review of literature in the area. The drivers of, and barriers to,
change are explored, and whether the reasons for some organisations
prohibiting or restricting social networking in the workplace are well-founded
or corporate suicide. The link between social networking and organisational
culture is examined, looking at whether social networking tools are capable of
revitalising and reshaping the culture and brand of an organisation, which in
turn can lead to better ways of working and increased levels of employee
productivity and satisfaction. Findings ‐ The findings indicate that the business
advantages and benefits of social networking in the workplace are still very
much underappreciated and undervalued. Although some organisations across
the world have started to implement some of the facets of social networking
technology and reap the business benefits, fear, resistance and risk are the
opinions that still dominate many organisations. Originality/value ‐ The value of
social networking technology in the workplace is yet to be determined. This
paper addresses gaps in the current literature and demonstrates that the business
benefits of social networking far outweigh the negative perceptions that are still
predominant in the pre-millennial generations. The paper highlights that social
networking technology can facilitate improved workplace productivity by
enhancing the communication and collaboration of employees which aids
knowledge transfer and consequently makes organisations more agile.
Moreover, social networking can provide enhanced levels of employee
satisfaction by reducing the social isolation of teleworkers and making them
feel part of organisational culture during long absences from the physical office.
Q2.“Employee feedback is an influential tool which organizations can use
to organize and coordinate the power of every employee of the organization
towards the achievement of its strategic goal.” Elaborate.
Ans. Keeping quiet may feel like the path of least resistance, but it’ll be harder
on you and your colleagues in the long run because the problems will just fester.
Rather than taking the easy way out, take a deep breath and use the following
strategies when it’s time to speak up.
1. Give timely, ‘live’ feedback
Have you ever held something in for weeks or months before you finally let
someone know what was on your mind? You wouldn’t be the first person to do
that, but it’s never the best way to go (trust me, I speak from experience).
When you hold off, minor issues can grow into major ones, and the person
receiving the critique is more likely to become defensive if you start pointing
out problems that stretch back weeks, months, or years. You’ve also robbed
them of the opportunity to make an improvement the entire time you’ve held
back your feedback.
2. Use tact, but don’t sugarcoat anything
There’s a popular technique for giving constructive criticism called
‘sandwiching’, but it’s one we discourage here at Hotjar. The idea is to layer
critiques with compliments so the criticism doesn’t hit so hard.
3. Make it clear that you’re on the same team
There are two ways you could approach employee feedback:
You vs. them: you could sit them down with a stern look on your face and treat
the interaction like a zero-sum game, where only one of you will walk away as
the winner.
“ or “
You + them vs. the issue: you can approach it as a potential win-win, where you
come together to address an issue and collectively work to fix it.
4. Be specific and provide context
When addressing an issue, it’s important to give specific examples of where the
problem occurred. Be as precise as possible about when and where you’ve
noticed the issue and why it’s problematic.
5. Be aware of any imbalance in power
You know that feeling you get in the pit of your stomach when your boss says,
“Can I see you in my office?”
Your brain senses a threat, and your adrenal glands release cortisol (the stress
hormone). Blood-flow rushes to the primitive parts of your brain so you’re
ready to flee or fight, and your mind closes itself off to new ideas. We’ve all
been there, and yet, it’s easy to forget what that feels like when you’re the one
who has more power in an interaction.
Q3. “Informal communication is the process of spontaneous exchange of
information between two or more persons at different status without
following any prescribed or official rules, formalities and chain of
command in the organizational structure.” With reference to this
statement, discuss the advantages and disadvantages of Informal
Communication.
Ans. The Informal Communication is the casual and unofficial form of
communication wherein the information is exchanged spontaneously between
two or more persons without conforming the prescribed official rules, processes,
system, formalities and chain of command.
The informal communications are based on the personal or informal relations
such as friends, peers, family, club members, etc. and thus is free from the
organizational conventional rules and other formalities. In the business context,
the informal communication is called as a “grapevine” as it is difficult to define
the beginning and end of the communication.
The informal communication is characterized by an indefinite channel of
communication, which means there is no definite chain of command through
which the information flows. Hence, the information can flow from anywhere.
Often such communication arises out of the social relations that an individual
creates with other persons on the basis of common interest, likings or dislikings.
There are four types of Informal Communication (Grapevine) network that
show how the communication is facilitated. These are:
1. Single Strand Chain
2. Gossip Chain
3. Probability Chain
4. Cluster Chain
The gossip in the organization is the best example of informal communication,
wherein the employees of different department irrespective of their hierarchical
positions come together and communicate with each other. The grapevine
satisfies the social needs of people and smoothens the formal relations by filling
in the gaps and even bring together different people who do not fall under the
common chain of command.
THANKS
YOU!!
