Importance of Communication for Management
Importance of Communication for Management
Communication is essential for management for the following reasons:
1. It is a prerequisite to work communication. Management cannot communicate to workers unless management itself is informed. Not only must management know but it must also understand the information well enough to interpret it to others. Just as a photograph can be no clearer than the negative from which it is printed, the manager cannot transmit more clearly than he understands.
2. It is essential if a manager is to make proper judgements and decisions. The manager is often completely isolated from the point of performance, and he can serve as a “decision centre” only to the extent that reports and other information reach him. This requires two-way communication.
3. The scope of manager’s influence is typically greater than a worker’s. Therefore, inadequate communication to any one manager can have a direct effect on profit, productivity, or morale because his wide span of control and coordination affects many people and different activities.
4. Management communication is necessary because most of the links in the chain of communication from top to bottom and bottom to top, are in the management group. Each link attends a new opportunity for distorting, fading and delay.
5. It is important because, even though members of management are not defined as “employees”, they are in fact employees, which means that they have need for communication and understanding just like any other employee.
It would be obvious that communication is the ‘Life-blood’ and foundation stone of the successful working of an organization, for it puts a check on many rumors, misunderstandings and gossip when plans, ideas, information, etc., are circulated among employees. At the same time, it makes their reaction known so that any difficulty in the proper implementation of policies and the observance of rules may be removed.
It is through communication that they submit their grievances, work reports, suggestions, etc. In fact, an effective and speedy communication establishes unity among colleagues. For proper co-ordination and control, communication is a must, for in its absence there cannot be any synchronization of activities, unity in thinking and working, and co-operation among the employees.
Mary Cushing Niles writes:
“Good communications are essential to coordination. They are necessary upward, downward and sideways through all the levels of authority and advice for transmission, interpretation and adoption of policies, for the sharing of knowledge and information and for the more subtle needs of good morale and mutual understanding.”
