Miscommunication Is A Common Problem Information Technology Essay

Miscommunication is a common problem in most of the companies, and it has negative effects that may affect the company performance and employees. Researcher study seeks (a) to know what communication is and what its importance in the companies.

(b) To know what the problems are when miscommunication happened. (c) To put solutions to resolve the problems. Researcher used secondary method to collect data by using survey distributed to the employees who work in Al Qudra Company.

The survey questions are focused on communication ways that they use within the company and the reasons that lead to miscommunication between the staff and also by using Interviews with its manager related to the communication style within the company and how they face miscommunication results. Also researcher used primary method to collect data by using internet, books, and newspapers.

Researcher use Literature review to emphasize her search by review pervious articles or reports. Data was collected within 4 weeks and 4 weeks to analysis the data. Finally researcher suggests some recommendations or alternative solutions to resolve the problems that come from miscommunication.

Introduction

Background of the Study

Communication is one of the most effective ways to enhance organization performance, satisfy employees, and meet customer needs and wants. Communication could happened in two ways, it could be occur inside the organization between employers (managers) and employees (workers) and it could occur outside the organization between organization’s workers and customers, traders, retailers.

With good communication inside the company the employees will be able to know and understand what their jobs and roles exactly are and their performance will be more effective.

In addition, good communication outside the company will increase the customers, retailers and traders loyalty and from that the company profits and reputation will increase too. In contrast, bad communication or not effective communication style inside or outside the company can lead to negative results.

(condrat, 2009) http://www.suite101.com/content/effective-communication-at-workplace-a95815.

There are two main ways for communication, first electronic communication through electronic mail, telephone, teleconference, voice mail message, and internet, second human communication through meetings, speeches, and interviews.

(Svecz, 2010) http://www.suite101.com/content/basic-elements–tips-to-build-effective-workplace-communication-a290104#ixzz1JcTjGq6s.

Statement of the problem

Miscommunication occurs when the managers who speak fail to communicate their ideas and requests to their employees or when the employees who listen fail to interpret the information. From that the problems at the company appeared where employees’ mistakes and confusions will increase while doing their jobs because they don’t have enough information or misunderstand what are the exactly tasks should they do which lead to decline their performance and waste time and as result from that the company’s profit will decrease.

(condrat,2009)www.suite101.com:

http://www.suite101.com/content/effective-communication-at-workplace 95815.

Thus researcher focuses on this problem and tries to find out ways to reduce it.

Objectives of the study

The objectives of research study are:

To review literature related to miscommunication.

To know the problems and how it could be solved.

To provide recommendations based on findings.

Research Questions

What is the important of effective communication at workplace?

Is there any problem that companies could face during communication?

When miscommunication could be occurring?

What is the impact of miscommunication on the company and its staff?

Limitation of the Study

The researcher has been constricted her study in miscommunication at place of work and study its impact in the company performance and relationship among worker within the company in the UAE, taking Al Qudra Company in Al Ain city as a pattern of study and distributed the survey within the company.

Significance of the study

The main point of this study is to run interview with Al Qudra company manager and staff at Al Ain city in United Arab Emirates to determine when and how miscommunication at workplace occurs and to decide the impact of miscommunication on the company production and employees’ relationship inside (among workers) and outsides the company (suppliers, customers, traders) and give suggestions to overcome the impact of miscommunication which help the readers to be familiar with such these problems that could face the employees at work and how can deal with it.

Definition of Terms

Miscommunication: one unable to deliver his or her ideas and thoughts clearly or obviously to others. And also miscommunication is the one who receive the information (listener) analyze it improperly.

Human communication: it is way to deliver the information to other people through conference, interview, dialogue, speech, and meeting.

Electronic communication: it is electronic instrument that used to exchange a few words or communicate among people such as telephone, email, voice mail, etc.

Internal communication: it is mean that the information is exchanged within or inside the organization between the workers to done the job required.

External communication: it is meaning that the information is delivered and exchanged outside the organization with the customers, traders, vendor, or seller to persuade them to continue deal with organization’s services and products or to explain something is not clear.

Literture Review

“The literature that was used was Mortensen’s 1997 work ‘Miscommunication’ [1] . In his work Mortensen cites various reasons why a conversation does not work, to name a few ‘disagreement’, ‘distortion’ and ‘misunderstanding’. Many terms Mortensen cites are self explanatory (in that their meaning can be derived from their name alone e.g. lack of reciprocity), however the literature provides yet another framework by which miscommunication can be measured by. Mortensen sets out his theories in a clear and logical fashion, which in turn helped the development of the study. He cites six main ideas about miscommunication (implication, distortion, disruption, confusion, disagreement and misunderstanding) and this framework helped the study to also view miscommunication through these six main theories. In using this literature, a new focus for the dissertation was brought about in the sense of not only identifying miscommunication in the conversations but specifically a study into the miscommunication in the workplace and why this was happening. The literature that helped bring about this focus was Fincham’s 1982 investigation into hospital communication. In her investigation Fincham identified communication problems in the hospital and looked for ways to rectify this. In contrast to Fincham’s study this dissertation did not look to devise a solution to the miscommunication problems in the workplace, rather to examine the data against what should be expected from a workplace conversation, especially in the context of customer/employee interaction”.

Mortensen, C. D. (1997) http://www.lancs.ac.uk/search/index.htm?cx=015049136984008940906%3Aw6id2ed8vzw&cof=FORID%3A10&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=miscommunication&sa=Search&siteurl=www.lancs.ac.uk%2Findex.htm#1166

www.lancs.ac.uk/fss/courses/ling/ling201/res/diss/2004/towl08.doc

Researcher noticed that miscommunication is familiar phenomena ages ago, and the way to get red of this problem is pretty obvious but, it need patience and need to talk and ask with a good attitude and show respects to other to respect you as well.

Also being friendly with your colleagues makes them take your word to the positive side not the negative on as well.

Methodology

Researcher used secondary method to collect data by using survey distributed to the employees who work in Al Qudra Company. The survey questions are focused on communication ways that they use within the company and the reasons that lead to miscommunication between the staff and also by using Interviews with its manager related to the communication style within the company and how they face miscommunication results. Also researcher used primary method to collect data by using internet, books, and newspapers. Research means developed to supply answers to subsequent questions: 

What is the important of effective communication at workplace?

Is there any problem that companies could face during communication?

When miscommunication could be occurring?

What is the impact of miscommunication on the company and its staff?

Population and Sample

The population of the researcher study is 50 of male and female employee who work in Al Qudra Company. The survey distributed to the employees who work at Quadra Company in Al Ain and they are request to answer yes and no questions and other questions about communication ways that they use within the company and the reasons that lead to miscommunication between the staff.

Instruments

The first instrument the research used is survey which helps researcher to complete the research. The survey distributed to 50 employees who work in Al Qudra Company. The second instrument the researcher used is interview with the manager of Al Qudra Company

Questionnaire 

The questionnaire is distributed to 50 employees who work in Al Qudra Company which include two components:

The first component is concerning general personal data for employees which are gander, age, nationality. The second component is concerning on communication ways that they use within the company and the reasons that lead to miscommunication between the staff.

Interview

The researcher used interview with the manager of Al Qudra Company related to the communication style within the company and how they face miscommunication results.

Data Collection Procedures

Researcher used three methods to collect data which are:

Visiting personally Al Qudra Company at Al Ain branch to run interview with its manager by asking him number questions related to miscommunication at their company.

Distributing survey to fifty employees who work in Al Qudra and ask them during their work time to answer the questions and then collect the survey paper again and examine the data according to their respond.

Searching through internet, books, and articles for useful information that help researcher to collect accurate data and use it in her research via borrowing books from library and look through internet.

Analysis of Data

The researcher used Microsoft word and Microsoft excel program to make the table that contains the percentage result of the survey that shows the opinion of the employees working in Al Qudra Company .

After that, researcher applied the chart according to the percentage result, to show the result as statistical graph.

The following table and data chart showing their opinion in Miscommunications, how miscommunication affects their work efficiency and affects the whole company and its reputation. Also it’s showing the way to fix this problem and the suggested solutions from the employees them selves to fix it.

And the basis researcher asked these specific questions is that researcher need to find the problem, try to solve it and get red of it when ever it happens again.

Finding Results:

Employees Response about Miscommunication in work place

yes

No

Do you think that stress causes miscommunication?

76%

24%

Do you think that dealing with non local colleagues causes miscommunication?

60%

40%

Do you that the non cooperation between employee’s causes is miscommunication?

90%

10%

Do you think that Threat of Favoritism causes miscommunication?

89%

11%

Do you think that Criticism and backbiting between the staff causes miscommunications?

90%

10%

Do you think that not getting a feedback causes miscommunication?

89%

11%

Do you think that choosing the best medium reduces miscommunication?

69%

31%

Do you think that being brief and getting direct to the point reduces miscommunication?

40%

60%

Do you think that learning how to communicate reduces miscommunication?

80%

20%

Do you think that miscommunication affects your work efficiency?

92%

08%Table 1. Results of surveying employees’ opinion in miscommunication.

Data Chart

Figure.1 Results of surveying employees’ opinion in miscommunication

Conclusion

Form what have discussed, researcher concluded that miscommunication in workplace always happens and it’s not something rare. The problem is caused by the people working there that mean that it could be solved in an easy way.

Miscommunication is a problem that can Be solved By cooporation and Being frienly with your colleagues , so they can take every thing hold two meanings to the positive not the negative one.

Summary

To sum up what researcher have said in this topic , Miscommunication is a problem that can be sloved easily . resercher talked about the causes of the problem and the solutions too.

Researcher made a survey that shows the opinions in miscommunication in worksplace and researcher alanlised the data and made the chart . Also , researcher made and interfew with the manager of the company and finally researcher concolded the ideas said above.

Recommendation

Researcher reccomands that the manager of the company should find a way to reduce the miscommunication in his company Because that may reduce the efficency of the work and the reputation of the company is gooing to Be Bad as well.

Reducing the miscommunication means increasing the efficiency of work to success in the Business field. Researcher discover that miscommunication is one of tools that can destroy the business your working on . in addition, manager should relaize that fixing the miscommunication problem don’t take much time to be solved .

Bibliography

1- condrat, A. (2009, Feb 12). Effective communication in the work place. Retrieved April 8, 2011, from www.suite101.com: http://www.suite101.com/content/effective-communication-at-workplace-a95815

2- Svecz, A.-M. B. (2010, Sep 26). Basic Elements & Tips to Build Effective Workplace Communication. Retrieved April 8, 2011, from www.suite101.com: http://www.suite101.com/content/basic-elements–tips-to-build-effective-workplace-communication-a290104

3- Mortensen, C. D. (1997) Miscommunication London: Sage . Retrieved May19, 2011, Form : www.lancs.ac.uk: http://www.lancs.ac.uk/search/index.htm?cx=015049136984008940906%3Aw6id2ed8vzw&cof=FORID%3A10&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=miscommunication&sa=Search&siteurl=www.lancs.ac.uk%2Findex.htm#1166