Communication Barriers In A Multinational Company: Issues And Recommendations

Analysis of Communication Barriers

Discuss about the Case Study of XYZ Company.

The given organization which is based in Australia is an organization which provides services to various countries including Australia, India, Oman, Vietnam and Nigeria. The organization deals in various products which range from agricultural equipment and related goods to various international clients. The company has 8000 clients currently and operates in five different countries. The given company has more than a million consumer base with its headquarters in Australia.

The organization had been working well since the past few years but recently it has been facing certain problems in relation to the different people who are engaged in the organization and these problems are due to the communication barriers (Chaney & Martin, 2013). The problems are related to problems of lack of efficient feedback system, lack of mistrust due to the intercultural communication and a lack of proper utilization of social media to share and distribute the ideas.

The primary purpose of the given report is to lay down the different issues which the company has been facing with respect to the communication barriers. Each issue will be analyzed and identified in detail with respect to relevant theoretical aspects. Furthermore, recommendations for the same will also be provided. The report will be following a structured format whereby the various issues and problems will be analyzed in detail followed by recommendations with respect to same.

The main limitations of the given study are that it is completely based on secondary research and there exists no primary research components with respect to the different issues being analyzed (Jagongo & Kinyua, 2013). For convenience, the article in the case study will be called as XYZ Company.

Issue one—social media

As identified in the given case study, it could be figured that the company lacks effective use of social media and related networks. Social media is a critical tool of management and communication, the incorporation of which can go a long way n helping organization management with special respect to those which are spread in different geographical areas. The chosen organization lacked an effective use of social media to manage a task, share ideas and the consistent use of management tools available. Given below are certain common problems which are faced with respect to the social media by the chosen organization.

• Social media strategy- The organization in concern lacks a proper social media strategy. The social media strategy is considered to be a relevant aspect of an organization, the use of which is relevant and crucial in determining the success of the organization. However, the given organization lacks a strategy which will help immensely in being able to distribute the concerned tasks and help in knowledge management (He, Zha & Li, 2013). An organization which has been running without a strategy may find it increasingly difficult to decide upon their next step.
• Lack of a common portal- As the organization is spreads out geographically, it becomes increasingly essential for it to have a common portal or a database in place which will help the different managers in different parts of the organization and in the different countries to view and understand the events which have been taking place in the different parts of the given organization.
• Lack of Consistent and Good content- It is extremely important to have good content on the various social media tools like blogs, and other pages in order to encourage the users as well as the viewers to go through the page and details about the company which might go a long way in making the firm successful (Chua & Banerjee, 2013). However, many firms’ although have the resources, lack the basic ability to post relevant and suitable data on the website which may keep the users and the views engaged.
• Encouraging sharing of contents- The content which is being posted on the social media tools needs to be shared successfully among various users. This shall ensure that the firm is able to encourage different users to view in the data available and make use of the resources effectively (Ainsworth, 2013). In XYZ, there lacks proper sharing of knowledge and management which needs to be taken care of.
• Choosing the right medium- The right medium to communicate among the various members of the organization needs to be decided upon by the management. There are various tools available, however the top management of XYZ. Is unable to decide upon an effective tool which will then go a long way in encouraging the employees to make extensive use of the tools (Aral, Dellarocas & Godes, 2013).
• Performance return on Investment- Furthermore, as there does not take place the presence of any performance measures based on which the use of social media as an effective tool can be measured and this leads to its ineffective use of available resources (Montalvo, 2016).

Second issue that is being currently faced by the given company is that it lacks a sound and effective feedback strategy which goes a long way in helping the organization to attain client and related relevant information. Given below are certain reasons why XYZ, has been facing problem related to the faulty feedback issues are being discussed.

• Lack of link to change in the organization- Very often a situation arises in various organizations that there does not exist a sound link between the questions being asked in a feedback from clients and the change which takes place in an organization. There needs to exist a definite and profound link between the different questions being asked in the give n feedback which is being taken from the clients and the manner in which the detailed information can be obtained (Van Looy, 2016).
• Lack of connecting feedback to business success- In the similar manner, there exists a lack of feedback connection to the success of the business organization. This means that there does not take place any link between the factors which determine success in the organization and the feedback which is essential in improving the various aspects of the business in the given opportunistic world (McLuhan, 2015).
• Soloed approach to implementation- Another problem being faced b the XYZ, organization is that even through the Feedback is received from the different members in an organization, there exists a lack of proper implementation with respect to the given feedback which is received. The task is dependent on the different departments of the firm which is a wrong approach. Instead a cross functional team should be formed which shall enable the organization to take corrective measures.
• Lack of senior support-Very often the senior management in the given organization becomes result oriented instead of process oriented. In the result oriented approach everyone is just required to work hard and see to it that the individual task is being completed without any help from others. In the same manner the organizational members especially those who are senior are required to support the innovations but this is not the case for it (Franks & Maslovat, 2015). The various seniors in the chosen organization XYZ do not support the importance of feedback.
• Lack of proper mechanism- There exists lack of proper mechanism as well which can be further utilized in order to extract relevant data out of the given scenario (Schermerhorn et al., 2014). There is a faulty system in existence, which is unable to provide convenience to the organizational members and causes a default feedback management in the given organization. They fail to realize the importance of a correct organizational system which would go a long way in encouraging the employees, to undertake the required tasks (Park, Wilding & Chung, 2014).

Issues of Ineffective Use of Social Media

As the operations of the organization are wide spread in nature and the company has various branches in different parts of the organization, it generally becomes very difficult for the given organization to ensure that the three takes place proper communication in the given organization and that the meaning of every phrase is clear with all members. For the given organization, XYZ it becomes extremely important to ensure that the communication takes place effectively and that there exists an environment of trust and loyalty which would give rise to better activities for the firm and successful accomplishment of goals and objectives.

The given problems are being faced by the organization with respect to the culture of the organization.

• Inaccurate assumption of meanings- The different cultures, have different meanings of the similar and same words. The combination of verbal communication and the body language also tends to have a different meaning in the different cultures. If a co-worker working in the organization has smiled as an affirmation then, it may be understood that he has received the report or any other agreement. However, in other business organizations, in a different country, this may not be the case (Friedrichsen, 2013). Hence, in case of the organization, XYZ, different cultures tend to have a different meaning with respect to the different communication variants.
• Formality Differences in Communications- The cultures of Australia, New Zealand, India and other related countries are unique and different from one another. The business associates tend to address different issues and dignitaries in a different manner which tends to have a huge influence on the way to the organization tends to build trust into the organization and tends to form the basis of the organization. In the XYZ organization, there is a lack of mutual trust and respect due to the different in the various cultures. This goes a long way in affecting the different activities of the firm and there is exists no success in the organization because of such differences (Mai & Hoffmann, 2014).
• The body language of the different individuals in different parts of the organization in the sense, that the manner in which an organization interprets the body language goes a long way in determining the trust in the given firm (Armstrong et al., 2015). Maintaining an eye contact in the workplace is a good method in foreign organizational who are very practical in nature. However, in countries like India, where the XYZ, operates, maintaining eye contact with seniors and other organizational members is a form of disrespect since the organization is traditional in nature and the different members treat one another differently. Hence when the members of such different cultures will interact with one another, it will lead to an environment of disrespect and lack of values.
• Unfamiliar Phrases in Communications-In different organizations, the different members tend to have different communication strategies and styles. There exists cultural specific communication in the workplace which is often not understood by the different members of the organization which causes miscommunication and lack of transparency.

Conclusion

Therefore, from the given analysis on the different issues which are being faced by the organization XYZ, it could be analyzed that the main problems have been arising because the organization is distributed geographically. Because of this, the organization is not being successfully able to engage in meaning relationships and facing such problems. The main problem areas are areas concerning with the ineffective use of the social media tools, cultural differences and the lack of an effective feedback receiving mechanism. The social media tools are not being used effectively to manage the different tasks, because the organization lacks proper plans with respect to the social media plans and strategy that needs to be adopted efficiently into the organizational domain. Furthermore, the feedback system of the organization is fairly inaccurate because the organization does not stress enough on the importance of the valuable feedback and believes that it will b able to achieve success just based on the normal feedback which is namesake. Lastly, there exists certain cultural differences as well which need to be dealt with. The next section states down certain recommendations to improve this system and help the organization in achieving success.

In order to manage the social media aspect at the organization, XYZ needs to implement the following to ensure that it is being able to give rise to the technology in an organization which engages the different members of the organization into one unit. To use the social media to build a better organization, the following can be easily implanted and taken into considerate;

1. Defining the goals. And next the chosen platforms.

The platform does not hold as much importance as the goals do. The platform used in the organization does not directly correlate to the results received. Although a majority of organizations spend a majority of their money in building the right kind of platform, only a few are actually able to figure out the manner in which the organization needs to make correct use of the platform. Hence, it is important for an organization to keep a proper social media plan at place which would go a long way in helping the given organization to implement the social media plan in place and to ensure that the road for future is clear (Lally, 2013).Although the firm does not need to spend exquisite resources and determine the plan in detail, however it is extremely important for the given organization to see to it that they have a fair idea of what they want to do in future and how this chosen plan would assist it in achieving the stated objectives. The plan does not need to be very exquisite and collaboration needs to be formed successfully.

1. Think objectively and being specific

Lack of Efficient Feedback System

The organizational members should have their input into the decision making of the firm and they should see to it that the plan is thought about objectively and the details are specific in nature (Bratton & Gold, 2017).  Creation of a plan which is not well detailed and just beats about the bush will not assist the organization in achieving its objectives. Instead, the organization should ensure that they take up one target at one time and ensure it is able to successfully carry out those plans step by step in order to achieve the special media objectives stated down.

1. Making using of young talent

The firm needs to ensure that it is successfully being able to attract the young talent in the organization. Young talent in the organization refers to educated and qualified individuals who have a hang of the different technologies and can make effective use of it in order to help the organization in maintaining a transparent communication lone and make efficient use of the resources and manage tasks (Tuten & Solomon, 2017).  The young talent can be well trained so that the future of the organization is secure and the firm is able to function successfully.

1. Build employee loyalty and culture

If a proper loyalty and culture is not built between the different organizational members, they will not be willing to effectively contribute to the successful goals completing and target achievement that the organization needs to in the present work culture. Use of social media for work requires the organization to stand as one and help the weaker members to adapt to the different needs and requirements which are essential to build a strong social media base (Tukker & Tischner, 2017).

Client feedback forms an essential aspect of the success which an organization aims to achieve, the client is the primary reason why an organization is functioning, hence, it s important to take in their point of view into consideration which will help the business to improve its respires and ensure that the various tasks are easily able to make the different clients happy and the firm is able to attain success. For XYZ, the following recommendations can be followed in order to ensure that the firm is successfully able to build a feedback system.

1. Getting the objectives set

It is very important for the organization to ensure that it has the basic rights in place and it is easily able to decide the manner in which it feels comfortable for taking in the feedbacks and objectives. It needs to ensure that the feedback taking system is transparent and easy to understand for the various individuals in an organization (Evans, 2013).  If the feedback taking system in an organization is such that the members of the organization are not able to cope with it or have difficulties in extracting basic information out of the received feedback.

1. Building it Top-Down

Cultural Differences and Mistrust

Gathering effective feedback is not just the job of the first line managers. All the organizational members need to realize that taking in feedback forms an essential aspect of the organization and that the leaders, top management as well as the middle level managers need to be trained on the importance of receiving feedback. The absence of taking in effective feedback from the different members will ensure that the organization is unable to meet with the correct criteria (Miller, 2013). Approachability should be built in the organization ad it needs to be seen to it that the firm is successful in building a culture which fosters proper facilitation of feedback management.

1. Grapevine management

The feedback system needs to follow a bottoms top approach but it is also very essential that it is successfully spread out in different parts of the organization. This shall ensure that the firm is successfully able to inculcate an environment that shall ensure that the feedback system is implemented in all levels of the organization and it will ensure that all team members will be easily able  utilize the feedback received and make sure that the changes are effectively maintained in the different parts if the organization.

1. Transparent system

Building a transparent system is essentially important as it goes a long way in seeing to it that the different factors involved in an organization are maintained effectively.  The feedback which shall be received needs to be utilized for the benefit of the organization and it should be seen to it that the different members are aware of the areas they are lagging in and a culture needs to be building (Purce, 2014). Being transparent about the system is the only way a firm will be able to achieve success in putting the feedback to action (Armstrong & Taylor, 2014). 

As the given organization, XYZ is functioning in different geographical locations , the culture of the different places is very different and this often causes problems with respect to the different ways in which different members in tend to interact with one another. This often causes confusion among the organizational members and is an area of concern among the different organizational members. Hence, the following has been suggested for the welfare of the firm.

1. Learning a few key aspects of the new culture

 If the organization aims to look out for the long term success of the organization then it is important for the firm to see to it that they start learning the basic cultural aspects of the different business unit. For example, the organization is in Australia, it may begin to learn certain aspects of the Indian culture in order to ensure, that it is successfully able to interact and associate themselves with the employees working in the given unit of the organization (Renwick, Redman & Maguire, 2013).  This shall ensure that the firm is successful in maintaining and engaging in long term relationships which are essentially beneficial for the organization.

1. Learning the basic key manners

Recommendations for Improvement

 Different cultures ten to have different ways in which the business associates are required to behave in.  It is suggested that a learning of these different mannerisms and etiquettes should be implemented and undertaken (Wild, Wild & Han, 2014). Doing so, will ensure that the firm is successfully able to manage the relationships with the outsiders and the people engaging in such business relationships do not face any problem with respect to the communication that they are required to engage in when taking part in the different activities of the firm.

1. Promoting appreciation of the difference in cultures

The difference in the culture is not a topic of concerned but an appreciation. The various aspects of such need to be encouraged in the organization, for successful goal completion The diversity that will be taking place in the given organization needs to be appreciated and it needs to be seen to it that the different cultures are actually promoted (Adekola & Sergi, 2016).  An input from the different cultures in an organization goes a long way in making the organization successful and ensures that the client needs which are situated in the different parts of the organization are successfully met with.

1. Trying new things

The organizational headquarters could engage in a team building session which would ensure that the firm is successful in maintaining the long term relationship with one another and gel with each other. This is also an opportunity to help the organizational members to learn about new people and the culture in which they tend to operate (Cascio, 2018).

1. Accommodating

Lastly, proper training needs to be implemented and the different organizational members need to be given help as to how they will be able to successful engage in long lasting and accommodating relationships with one another and ensure that the given organization is easily able to accommodate with one another and achieve organizational goals (Swift & Piff, 2014). 

Hence, regardless of the kind of activity, the organization engages in it is important to understand that all cultural requirements and strives towards success.

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