3 Main Barriers to Communication in an Organization

Communication in organization is one of the biggest challenges today. In an organization, whenever we put two people together in a relationship they each bring divergent values, beliefs, expectations, goals, personality type, communication styles and feelings. Better communication in an organizational relationship is possible only when we recognize these differences and become flexible in accepting and understanding other person’s views, opinions or communication style. Otherwise, it creates communication barriers.

Communication barriers, therefore, are the results of several inadequacies that tend to distort the communication and affect the success of the managers in achieving the organizational goals. Important communication barriers can be listed as under:

i. Distortion due to superior-subordinate relationship

ii. Semantic distortion

iii. Distortion due to premature evaluation by the recipient of communication

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iv. Distortion due to perfunctory attention

v. Distortion due to failure to communicate

vi. Distortion due to resistance to change

Yet in another way, we can classify communication barriers broadly into following categories:

i. External Barriers

ii. Organizational Barriers

iii. Personal Barriers

Above listed causes of communication barriers can be classified under these three broad heads.

1. External Barriers:

External barriers can be sub-divided into two types—semantic barriers and psychological or emotional barriers. Semantics is the study of meaning in language. Such barriers are caused in the process of receiving or understanding of the message by coding and decoding ideas and words. In communication, we primarily use words, and each word has several meanings.

Therefore, the linguistic capacity of both the communicators and the communicates may result to misunderstanding. The Oxford English Dictionary mentioned about twenty-five different meanings for 500 most commonly used English words. Similar problems also exist in other languages. Words, therefore, if not properly used may fail to convey real meanings. Semantic barriers may result due to following reasons:

i. Badly expressed message

ii. Faulty translations

iii. Unqualified assumptions

iv. Use of technical language

Psychological or emotional barriers are caused in interpersonal communication. Interpretation of meaning in a message largely depends on the psychological and emotional state of the parties involved. Such barriers are due to following reasons:

i. Premature evaluation

ii. Lack of attention

iii. Loss of information in transmission

iv. Poor retention

v. Lack of reliance

vi. Distrust of communicator

vii. Failure to communicate

2. Organizational Barriers:

This type of barriers is also known as structural barriers. Organizations are designed on the basis of formal hierarchical structure. They are developed to attain certain identified objectives, which require regulation of day-to-day activities by developing performance standards, framing rules, regulations, procedures, policies, behavioural norms, etc. All these affect the free flow of communication in organization, unless they are suitably managed.

Superior-subordinate relationships in a formal organizational structure inhibit free flow of communication. Even there are managers who believe in maintaining distance with their subordinates. Communication mostly loses the essence of ‘two-way communication’. The reasons for organizational barriers can be listed as follows:

Hierarchy:

Several hierarchical levels may result into the loss of information in transmission, and due to this communication may get delayed or distorted. This particularly happens in upward communication, i.e., communication from subordinates to superiors.

Status Relationships:

Superior-subordinate relationships, due to formal organizational structure, also block the flow of communication due to the status incongruence.

Functional Specialization:

Fragmenting organization in accordance with specialization develops departmental interest and thereby affects the free flow of communication.

Organizational Policy, Rules and Regulations:

These also stand against effective communication within an organization. Organizational Facilities

For proper communication among the people in the organization, it requires certain facilities like, meetings, conferences, complaint box, suggestion box, open door system, social and cultural gatherings, etc. Unless such facilities are adequate, communication fails.

3. Personal Barriers:

Factors internal to communicator and the communicate, i.e., sender and the receiver, which exert influences on the communication process, are known as personal or interpersonal barriers. Such interpersonal barriers can broadly be categorized into two types, i.e., barriers in superiors and barriers in subordinates.

Superiors act as barriers in communication in following ways:

i. Nurturing of Typical Attitude:

Favourable attitude of superiors foster effective communication, whereas, unfavourable attitude inhibits communication.

ii. Fear of Challenge to Authority:

Such fear often compels superiors to withheld information, which dissuade them to effectively communicate.

iii. Insistence on Proper Channel:

Superiors often insist on of the flow of communication through appropriate channels, hence blocking the communication.

iv. Lack of Confidence in Subordinates:

Superiors often consider the subordinates as less competent. Such perception stand against the free flow of communication.

v. Conscious Avoidance of Communication:

Some superiors have a tendency of ignoring communication consciously, which frustrates subordinates to communicate.

vi. Lack of time:

Such belief or reality makes superiors to think that they have no time to talk to their subordinates, which results to the loss of communication between them.

vii. Lack of Awareness:

The lack of awareness of superiors about the importance and effectiveness of communication also affects the communication process between superiors and subordinates in an organization.

Subordinates too act as barriers to communication in following ways:

i. Mere Unwillingness to Communicate:

Such unwillingness may be the result of some unpleasant experience from the past.

ii. Lack of Incentive:

Prevailing reward and punishment system of the organization is largely responsible for this. If suggestions or any other communication from subordinates do not evoke any response from the superiors, they lose interest in communication.