Brief background

According to Baylor University Management Research, the feelings of ethical superiority can cause a
chain reaction that is detrimental to coworkers and to the organization as a whole. These hierarchical
barriers has always been a common and an existing problem in a workplace. People in the authority
or in the higher position tends to use their power to feel more supercilious than those belonging in
their subordinates thus not accepting ideas coming from subordinates. On the other hand,
subordinates tend to just conceal ideas that may supposedly lead up to a way of greater
improvements, having this hierarchic position as a barrier, thinking that the ideas they try to open up
might be taken negatively by those people in the higher position or authority. Considering that every
person existing in the business is important regardless of the position since each of them are
contributing something to the betterment of the business, this hierarchical barrier in regards to the
communication should not be taken for granted and should be properly addressed immediately. It is
an inherent problem in the workplace that creates a sense of fear and inferiority that may lead to
poor business environment that may affect how the business operates as a whole.
OVERVIEW OF THE COMMUNICATION PROBLEM

All of us are always in communication, regardless of age, gender, religion, economic

status or ethnic background, because human beings have the ability to communicate with
each other in their own way and also the use of communication tools. In communicating,
someone can interact and socialize.
Organization needs communication to streamline their tasks. Communication in the
organization is the sending process and receiving all the organization’s message through
formal and informal group in the organization. This organization is formed by using a capable
management to realize the organization purpose. In the course of time, organizations use
Human Resource Management (HRM) and Industrial - Organization Psychology (PIO) also
known as work psychology to manage organization. The successful of managerial and
organization are determined by effective communication.
In every workplace, there would be one who has more experienced than those who
are just newly employed ones. However, a lot of misunderstanding between those who are in
a higher level and those who are in a lower level employees; different concerns of those who
are newly hired or lower level employees because the higher employees or would be so
demanding to those in the lower level. They would ask the newly hired ones to do a lot of
things than them. It is very disappointing to those who are new in the firm that they exert more
time and efforts because they are asked to do so. Lower level employees are not given an
opportunity to speak up their concerns, that’s why it is unfair for them not being heard by
those who are in power.

This problem affects the communication between the higher level and the
lower level employees in the company. Working would be ineffective if not being
addressed by the responsible department.

Communication is playing vital role in here, however, how can we address

this barriers in our workplace to have an effective and efficient way of working with
our colleagues? What communication model can we apply in order to solve this
going-concern problem? Why is it important to apply this model?

These are just some of the questions that we can ask in order to know what
are the things that hinder an effective and efficient workforce and the things we need
to do in order not to be stressed out with this working environment.
THE COMMUNICATION MODEL

Our model focuses on the flow the message and as you can see it is cyclical
meaning it begins with the speaker initiating the conversation and both
communicators take turns in being the speaker and receiver. and the cycle goes on.

Observation from the management to its employees is a must. Not only for
monitoring purposes but as well as in the communication process. By means of
observing or seeing the needs of the employees in which management will see
beyond what they perceive through the means of hearing out and for the employees
to be heard out will aggregate to improved performance and then company
betterment.

Observing
The initiator (communicator) constructs his messages while considering the information that he had
observed in his environment. This means that while trying to express his ideas or to convey
information, he must consider external factors that might affect how his message may be interpreted.
By doing so, it minimizes the chance of misunderstanding, and he may be able to achieve the
intended purpose of the message.
Focus on others. Develop your ability to focus on other people, and understand them better by trying
to gather knowledge about them, listening to them actively, and imagining how you would feel in
their situation.

Encoding
The process of converting the message into words or actions or other forms that both communicators

can understand. Encoding is an important step in the communication process as wrong

and inappropriate encoding may defeat the true intent of the communication
process. The sender begins with the encoding process wherein he uses certain words
or non-verbal methods such as symbols, signs, body gestures, etc. to translate the
information into a message.
Avoid abstract, overly-formal language, and colloquialisms which obscure your message more than
they serve to impress people.

Transmitting
It is the transfer of the message from one person to another. Be honest, clear, and polite in

transmitting your message. Not everyone will draw the same conclusions from a

given situation or set of information. Everybody interprets things differently.

Make sure to check for other people’s interpretations, and be explicit about
your own.

Receiving
It is the way of accepting or obtaining the message being transmitted to you. In order to properly

receive the message, one must have to listen. Listen for the essence of the speaker’s
thoughts: details, major ideas and their meanings. Seek an overall
understanding of what the speaker is trying to communicate, rather than
reacting to the individual words or terms that they use to express themselves.

Decoding

It simply means comprehending the

It is the process of interpreting the message received.
message. The receiver after receiving the message interprets it and tries to
understand it in the best possible manner. An effective communication occurs only if
the receiver understands the message in exactly the same way as it was intended by
the sender.

Feed-backing

It is reacting or responding the the information received. Feedback is necessary to ensure

that
the message has been effectively encoded, sent, decoded and comprehended. It is
the final step of the communication process and establishes that the receiver has
received the message in its letter and spirit. In other words, the receiver has
correctly interpreted the message as it was intended by the sender. It is instrumental
to make communication effective and purposeful. It increases the effectiveness of
the communication as it permits the sender to know the efficacy of his message. The
response of the receiver can be verbal or non-verbal.
1. Hierarchical Barriers
Hierarchies are necessary for organizations to function, but communication issues often arise when
two employees of differing statuses interact with one another.

For the person in a more senior position, there can be a temptation to dismiss the messages passed
on by a subordinate, simply because the subordinate is on a lower rung in the organization’s
hierarchy.

Similarly, a subordinate may be less inclined to communicate authentically with someone of a higher
rank because they may be afraid to inadvertently offend them and damage their own career
opportunities or result in a loss of income.

Solution: Encourage Feedback

The easiest fix for this problem is for senior members of staff to regularly solicit feedback from
subordinates. It’s important to emphasize that honest, constructive feedback is welcome – and will
not incur any backlash in terms of career progression.

In a study on employee engagement, 80% of workers who are unhappy with their direct manager feel
disengaged at work. Line managers should regularly have one-on-one meetings with their team
members, where both parties can communicate on leveled terms.

Despite differences in status, it’s crucial to remember that all employees are working together to
fulfill the organization’s goals. If negative feedback and constructive criticism help the organization to
flourish, then this should be thoroughly encouraged.
ADDRESSING THE ISSUE:

1. Be careful not to hold on to preconceptions about people or things. We often

have a tendency to see what we want to see, forming an impression from a
small amount of information or one experience, and assuming that to be
highly representative of the whole person or situation.
Question your perceptions, and think about how they are formed. Check in with others around you
regularly, and be aware of assumptions that you are making. Seek additional information and
observations. You may just need to ask people if your perceptions are accurate.

Work on improving your perception. Increase your awareness of barriers to perception, and
which ones you tend towards. Check in with yourself regularly. Seek honest, constructive
feedback from others regarding their perceptions of you as a means of increasing your self-
awareness.

2. Empathize rather than remain detached. Although professional relationships entail some
boundaries when it comes to interaction with colleagues, it is important to demonstrate sensitivity,
and to really care about the people you work with. If you don’t care about them, it will be difficult for
them to care about you when it comes to working together.

3. When we spend our listening time formulating our next response, we

cannot be fully attentive to what the speaker is saying.
Focus on the other person, their thoughts and feelings. Consciously focus on quieting your own
internal commentary, and step away from your own concerns to think about those of the speaker.
Give your full attention to the speaker.

4. Be flexible towards others. Allow for other points of view, and be open

to other ways of doing things. Diversity brings creativity and innovation.

5. Lacking confidence can be a major barrier to effective communication.

Shyness, difficulty being assertive, or low self-worth can hinder your ability to
make your needs and opinions known. Also, a lack of awareness of your own
rights and opportunities in a given situation can prevent you from expressing
your needs openly.
Value yourself and your own experiences. Be firm about your own
rights and needs. Undervaluing yourself encourages others to undervalue you,
too. Offer your ideas and expect to be treated well. In turn, Use affirming
responses. Respond to other in ways that acknowledge their experiences.
Thank them for their input. Affirm their right to their feelings, even if you
disagree. Ask questions, express positive feeling; and provide positive
feedback when you can.

SPECIAL FEATURES:
 Interactive Model - derived from White’s model, cycle of actions
 “Observing” - speaker constructs ideas based on observations
 Common Ground - effective communication is likely if communicators regard each other as
people with equal footing.