Applied Communication

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Why it is useful

The argument supports the third role of communication along with managers: communication helps managers advertise their organisations to community. Under the never-ending pressure of non-boundary competitiveness between enterprises in the world, marketing the image of a company is one of competitive advantages, so it is the responsibility of all staff in all departments. A survey made by Man Power Group in May 2016 showed that along with the question “Is the employer’s brand/ reputation more important than five years ago?”, more than half (56%) of job seekers across the globe said yes. The feeling was even stronger in China and Mexico with 72% and 62% respectively. Therefore, in the aspect of human recruitment, communication supports managers to seek and attract potential candidates for their enterprises.

Reference (5)

Thomas, K. W. 1992, ‘Conflict and conflict management: Reflections and update’, Journal of Organizational Behaviour, 1992, Vol.13(3), pp.265-274. Available from: The University of Western Australia Library Course Materials Online. [7 September 2016].

Summary of main argument

The author focuses on the definition of conflict, and argues that conflict situations can be originated from different combinations of cooperative and assertive behaviours. The article explains the definition of assertiveness is the desire to satisfy one’s own needs and concerns mean while cooperativeness happens when the needs and concerns of another party are fulfilled. Because each member has different personalities and different backgrounds, this brings about the diversity of views in working environment. When the balance of cooperativeness and assertiveness is out of control in an organization, misunderstandings and disputes will naturally appear; consequently, this can lead to conflicts.

Why it is useful

The argument supports the forth role of communication along with managers: communication contributes to dissolve conflicts in an organization. In fact, there are many conflict situations which are resulted from miscommunication, so by communication skills, managers can find the way to raise their speech for the aim of controlling disputes and releasing conflicts. For example, it is clear that a manager with a good communication skill will know how to give clear feedbacks on performance at the same time not offending people’s self-esteem. In addition, because good communication provides a platform whereby all the misunderstandings can be resolved offering feasible solutions, this obviously helps maintain a stable operation for an enterprise.

Reference (6)

Darrington, J., & Brower, N. 2012, ‘Effective communication skills: “I” messages and beyond’, Utah State University Extension. Available from: https://extension.usu.edu/htm/publications/publication=14541 [7 September 2016].

Summary of main argument

The article shows a number of causes leading conflicts in an organization such as body language/ tone of voice, difference in style and communication roadblocks. Then, the authors suggest a number of tips to resolving conflicts based on adjusting communication behaviours such as soften the start-up, make and receive repaired attempts and effective speaking and listening skills. In addition, the article also suggests a list of rules applied for speakers and listeners to achieve effective communication and highlights that resolving disputes require not only communication skills but also a lot of mental, emotional, and physical energy; thus communication skills should be implemented regularly.

Why it is useful

The argument continues supporting the role of communication along with managers in conflict management through tips of conflict controlling. By applying these suggestions, managers can avoid frustration and escalation of conflict. For example, when expressing a problem, starting the message with “I” instead of “You” can release defensiveness and promote positive interactions with others. Besides, the argument also can be useful to emphasize the role of managers as arbitrators in resolving disputes appear in working environment. Managers should play the role of speakers and listeners, attempt to receive messages and contributions from employees with a highly respect attitudes, and use flexible communication skills to encounter and resolve conflicts in organization.

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