Communication Channels Hp Case Study
QUESTION (C)
Critically evaluate the communication channels of HP. Which advantages and disadvantages can you point out?
Effective communication is vital to an organization because through this people clarify their expectations and coordinate work which allows them to achieve organizational objectives more effectively.(Mc Shane/Von Glinow, Organizational Behavior, fifth edition, 2010, Mc Graw-Hill, page 270) As for the communication channels, there are two types: verbal and nonverbal .Verbal communication is when you use works-written or spoken- and nonverbal communication is when you don’t use words but you observe for example the facial expressions. To begin with, HP used the “open door” policy that encourages an on-going dialogue with the employees. If we try to analyze that, we will see that this is a good way to communicate directly with everyone, to feel equal with the top management, to provide teamwork, to create a sense of family or even to help you enhance your performance by getting other people’s approval. However, there are also some disadvantages that we have to mention .For example, it is difficult to concentrate in an open-spaced workplace and it is even more difficult to perform when you have to get the approval of many people. In general, this practice reinforces a sense of common purpose and belonging and widen employee source of information. Another communication channel is the M.B.W.A(Management By Wandering Around) .This is a communication practice in which executives get out of their offices and learn from the others in the organization through face-to-face dialogue .This direct communication with the Top Executives was essential for the HP as it was an opportunity for the managers to build new channels of communication as this type provides a mix of verbal and nonverbal communication between the employees. On the other hand, M.B.W.A. is really difficult to apply in reality as most of the time managers don’t have enough the
Critically evaluate the communication channels of HP. Which advantages and disadvantages can you point out?
Effective communication is vital to an organization because through this people clarify their expectations and coordinate work which allows them to achieve organizational objectives more effectively.(Mc Shane/Von Glinow, Organizational Behavior, fifth edition, 2010, Mc Graw-Hill, page 270) As for the communication channels, there are two types: verbal and nonverbal .Verbal communication is when you use works-written or spoken- and nonverbal communication is when you don’t use words but you observe for example the facial expressions. To begin with, HP used the “open door” policy that encourages an on-going dialogue with the employees. If we try to analyze that, we will see that this is a good way to communicate directly with everyone, to feel equal with the top management, to provide teamwork, to create a sense of family or even to help you enhance your performance by getting other people’s approval. However, there are also some disadvantages that we have to mention .For example, it is difficult to concentrate in an open-spaced workplace and it is even more difficult to perform when you have to get the approval of many people. In general, this practice reinforces a sense of common purpose and belonging and widen employee source of information. Another communication channel is the M.B.W.A(Management By Wandering Around) .This is a communication practice in which executives get out of their offices and learn from the others in the organization through face-to-face dialogue .This direct communication with the Top Executives was essential for the HP as it was an opportunity for the managers to build new channels of communication as this type provides a mix of verbal and nonverbal communication between the employees. On the other hand, M.B.W.A. is really difficult to apply in reality as most of the time managers don’t have enough the