Course Reflection: Thinking Outside the Box

In an effort to explore the impacts of communication within the workplace, many concepts, both old and new, have been thoroughly explored. This course has also applied these concepts to real-world applications to help better understand and develop these strategic communication skills. As a student in this course, I have gone from merely knowing the basics of workplace communication to knowing the ins and outs of the communication process, as well as the best strategies to promote effective managerial communication. Not only will I be able to apply what I learned to my framework of communication, but I will also be able to make some changes within my style to promote better communication within my workplace.

 

Applying the Concepts

First and foremost, this course explored various theories of managerial communication. Some, more than others will influence my own framework of communication. Some of these powerful concepts include boundary spanning and innovation and creativity within the workplace. These two concepts are the most powerful reigning theories out of the course due to their contradiction of traditional business views created within organizations today. These traditional views portray a perspective in which employees are encouraged to only communicate within their departments and innovation only spurts from special people. Nevertheless, it’s time to break out of these traditional shells and cultivate a culture that can properly sustain effective communication and innovation within an organization.

 

As mentioned in a previous blog post, boundary spanning is “a set of communication and coordination activities performed by individuals within an organization and between organizations to integrate activities across multiple cultural, institutional and organizational contexts” (Schotter, Mudambi, Doz, & Gaur, 2017, p. 403). Common limitations in the organization, such as culture, work space, and language, instinctively work to create boundaries between employees. Instead of only working within your own department, you should look to understand, communicate, and work with other departments. Cross-boundary teamwork can help improve workplace communication and identify various problems and new opportunities. Moreover, the traditional view of innovation is that special people create special ideas; however, this might be the case after all, nor can this strategy be sustained in the workplace. Innovation and creativity comes from the collaboration of many users (Leadbeater, 2015). Similar to boundary spanning, innovation takes the collaboration and communication of employees across different departments. These two concepts go hand in hand. I can apply this to my framework of communication by contradicting traditional views and utilizing these theories. This will allow the organization to sustain effective communication and organizational strategy.

 

My Communication Style

Lastly, after much reading and application of the communication process and patterns, the concept that I will most incorporate into my communication style is the Dance approach. Utilizing this approach, managers “are able to forecast with some accuracy the actions of others, and their responses and interpretations” (Clampitt, 2017, p. 74). In other words, when the need to communicate with others arises, I will carefully assess the situation before proceeding. Assessing the situation means looking at the context and content of the message and determining what kind of communication strategy would trigger the best results. Take for instance a communication challenge, such as the termination of an employee. After careful consideration, the message would be communicated face-to-face in private, voicing a message that is sympathetic, yet firm and to the point. Preparation is key, especially in anticipating the audience’s reactions and concerns. Going forward in my organization, I plan to incorporate these ground-breaking theories and styles to effectively communicate and to make the needed improvements within my organization.

 

References

Clampitt, P. G. (2017). Communicating for Managerial Effectiveness (6th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

 

Leadbeater, C. (2005). The era of open innovation [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/charles_leadbeater_the_era_of_open_innovation/transcript#t-191199

 

Schotter, A. P. J., Mudambi, R., Doz, Y. L., & Gaur, A. (2017). Boundary spanning in global organizations. Journal of Management Studies, 54(4), 403-421. doi:10.1111/joms.12256