Are Assumptions Impeding Communications at Nikunj Builders?
Synopsis
Communication in an organisation requires free flow of information. Any factor that blocks the free flow of information creates barriers. Experts in the field of communication think that the concept of barriers to communication can serve as a useful diagnostic tool that helps suggest its own remedy. This caselet is a simulation of a common office situation. It talks about the miscommunication that developed in a very high performing team at Nikunj Builders, a real estate company at Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh and how it impacted an overall outcome. This caselet aims at helping the participants to understand various characteristics of barriers to effective communication in an organisational communication. It highlights challenges which managers, especially those who lead the teams have to face in day to day work in offices and guide them to use the concept as a diagnostic tool which once identified, help to suggest their own remedies.
Prerequisite Conceptual Understanding (PCU)/Before the Classroom Discussion
Before attempting to analyse the caselet, the students/participants should come prepared with a basic understanding of the concepts of organisational communication, flow of communication, barriers of effective communication etc. They should read the following articles before coming to the class:
• Hoogervorst Jan, Flier Henk van der & Koopman Paul, Implicit Communication in Organisations: The Impact of Culture, Structure and Management Practices on Employee, Behaviour Journal of management psychology, Vol 19 No 3, 2004
• Linjuan Rita, Men Strategic Internal Communication: Transformational Leadership, Communication Channels, and employee satisfaction, Management Communication Quarterly, Vol. 28(2) 264– 284, Sage publication, 2014
• Berger, B. Employee/organizational communications, Institute for Public Relations, 2008
• Crescenzo, S. Internal employee communications media. In T. Gillis (Ed.), The IABC handbook of organizational communication (2nd ed., pp. 219-230), Jossey-Bass, 2011
Case Positioning & Setting
This case can be used for the following graduate-level courses:
(a) Business Communication Course: This caselet can help deepen students’ understanding about formal organisational communication and its significance in the proper functioning and growth of any organisation
(b) Business Management Course: Organisations globally can use this caselet to illustrate the subjective and mental barriers and identify implicit assumptions to minimize misunderstandings
Assignment Questions
I. Identify the organisational communication barriers that hindered the free flow of information in the weekly Monday review meetings.
II. Identify encoding and decoding of information issues related to Ankit and his team. Elaborate the implicit assumptions being made by Ankit and his team members that may be disrupting communication.
III............
Caselet Analysis and Classroom Discussion
Preamble to this Caselet Analysis
This caselet highlights the challenges which managers have to face in day to day work in offices. This caselet was discussed in a 90-minute session/class in the following way, [Exhibit (TN)-I]:..........