Directing and Communicating

Direction
Managerial function of directing or direction is a very important function in the
management of any enterprise. Directing or direction is the managerial function of
instructing, guiding, supervising and leading the people in the organisation towards the
accomplishment of the organisational goals. Directing is said to be the heart of management
process. Planning, organizing and staffing have got no importance if direction function does
not take place.
Directing initiates action and it is from here actual work starts. Direction can be described as
providing guidance to workers in doing work. In field of management, direction is said to be
all those activities which are designed to encourage the subordinates to work effectively
and efficiently.
While managing an enterprise, managers have to get things done through people. In order
to be able to do so, they have to undertake many activities, like guide the people who work
under them, inspire and lead them to achieve common objectives. An office manager, for
instance, has to supervise the activities of his subordinates, i.e., typists, office assistants,
dispatchers, accounts clerks, etc. He has to issue instructions to them and describe and
illustrate the work and related activities. He has to tell them what to do, and how to do it.
All these activities of a manager constitute the directing function.
People are employed to perform the jobs, but the actual work of getting the job done
comes under the directing function. Thus, directing is 'management in action’. It is through
the exercise of this function that managers get things done through people.

Definition: According to Theo Haimann, 'directing consists of process or technique by which

instruction can be issued and operations can be carried out as originally planned'. Therefore,
directing is the function of guiding, inspiring, overseeing and instructing people towards
accomplishment of organizational goals.
In the words of Koontz and O'Donnell 'directing is the inter personnel aspect of managing by
which subordinates are led to understand and contribute effectively and efficiently to the
attainment of enterprise objectives.'
According to Earnest Dale, 'directing is what has to be done and in what manner through
dictating the procedures and policies for accomplishing performance standards'.
Nature of Direction:
1. Process of action:
Direction initiates action at top level of the organisation and flows down the hierarchy. It
follows that subordinates have to be directed by their superiors only.
2.On-going process:
Directing is not an intermittent function of management. It is a process of continuously
guidingthe behaviour of others.
3. Not supported by rules:
Since the behaviour of people cannot be predicted through mathematical or statistical tools,
the function of directing is based on behavioural sciences. It is not supported by rules or
regulations
4. Directing is situational:
Managers influence the behaviour of employees according to situation. The directions
change from situation to situation. Factors like environment, nature of workers, group
behaviour, attitude towards work etc. affect directing.
5. Behavioural science:
Since directing deals with human behaviour, managers study different aspects of human
psychology to understand how to influence their behaviour.
6. Understand group behaviour:
No person can work alone. While working in the organisation, he becomes part of the
informal groups (formed on the basis of common interests of individuals). The behaviour of
a person is different as an individual and as member of the group. It is, therefore, essential
that managers understand the nature of group behaviour in order to direct effectively
7. Participative:
Direction initiates action on the part of employees. To ensure greater participation of
workers in crying out the organisational activities, they should take part in the meetings to
discuss various direction policies
8. Pervasive:
Managers at all levels in all functional areas direct their subordinates. Top managers
guidemiddle and lower level managers who further direct supervisors and workers. It is
performed at every level of management.
Every person in the organisational hierarchy is superior to some and subordinate to others
except those at the top and the bottom. Direction maintains and strengthens superior-
subordinate relationships and inspires everyone in the organisation to have a common
vision, that is, contribution to organisational goals.
Principles of Direction
1. Principle of maximum individual contribution: Organizational objectives are achieved at
maximum level when every individual in the organization contributes maximum towards
achievement of organisational objective. Management should adopt such directing policies
that motivate the employees to contribute their maximum potential for the attainment of
organizational goals
This principle also emphasize that directing techniques must help every individual in the
organisation to contribute the maximum by utilising his minimum efforts. If employees have
the potential to contribute more than their present performance, direction helps in
enhancing the contribution towards organisational objectives. A good motivation plan with
suitable monetary and non-monetary rewards can motivate an employee to contribute for
the organisation as he or she may feel that their efforts will bring them suitable rewards.
2. Principle of harmony of objectives: According to this principle, there must be full harmony
between organisational and individual objectives. Employees work in an organisation with
an objective to get better remuneration, promotion, etc. On the other hand, organisational
goal can be to earn more profits and to increase market share.
Sometimes it is seen that there is a conflict between the objectives of both the parties, e.g.,
organisation wants that it should get a major share of profit whereas employees perceives
that as they work directly on the job, so more profit must be shared among them in the
form of bonus.
Management here must establish coordination between the objectives of both the
parties/factors by adopting suitable method of direction.
3. Principle of effective directing: According to this principle, the more effective the
directing is, the more and better would be employees' contribution to the attainment of
common objectives. An effective directing tries to get work accomplished by individuals
without affecting their need satisfaction adversely To provide adequate satisfaction to
individuals, it is necessary to develop appropriate directing techniques based on
subordinate needs, capabilities. attitudes and situational variables-effective incentive
system, motivation through right medium, appropriate leadership styles, and
communication system.
4. Principle of appropriate selection of employees: Direction is related to the function of
staffing. While selecting employees, managers should ensure that people can adjust to the
organisation structure and willingly carry out the directions of their superiors. It is easy to
people who are committed to their task and see organisational goals as a means to achieve
individual goals.
5. Principle of Orientation: New employees must be oriented or introduced to the job to be
performed by them, work environment, superiors, subordinates and colleagues and the
rules, policies and objectives of the enterprise, before they are asked to perform their roles.
In a way, all the necessary information about their job assignments must be provided to
them, so that they can perform their jobs, in the best and desired manner - in the broad
context of the organizational setting.
6. Principle of unity of command: According to this principle, a subordinate in the
organization should get orders and instructions from one superior only and he should be
responsible to that superior only. Dual command, that is, getting orders from more than one
superior, creates conflict, confusion, disorder, and instability in the organization and also he
will not be able to prioritize his work. In directing, this principle should be followed.
7. Principle of unity of direction: One plan or related set of activities should have one head.
All activities related to marketing must be headed by the marketing manager and those
related to personnel should be headed by the personnel manager. This avoids duplication of
actions and instructions and results in optimum use of scarce resources.
8. Scalar chain principle: As a principle of directing, scalar chain implies that the employee or
the subordinate must be directed only by his most immediate superior, who would be
perhaps, in the best position to understand the behaviour and competence of the
subordinate. The most immediate superior can apply best directing techniques, specially
motivation and leadership, in view of the requirements, problems and temperament of his
most immediate subordinate; and ensure best performance by the latter.
9. Principle of direct supervision: Direct contact with subordinates must be maintained by
each superior. Personal touch, face-to-face communication, informal relationship ensure
successful direction. Each subordinate feels a sense of participation when he has direct
access to his boss. It raises employee morale. It also develops feedback of information
Direct supervision of employees helps them know deviations in their performance and ways
to remove them. This also maintains direct contact between superiors and subordinates and
increases interest in their work and confidence and loyalty in their supervisors.
10. Principle of friendly supervision: During the directing stage, a manager must exercise
only friendly supervision over subordinates; with a view to motivating and encouraging
them and developing good human relations. Autocratic or dictatorial supervision must be
rarely adhered to: as it is likely
11. Principle of appropriateness of directing technique: This principle of directing states that
appropriate direction techniques should be used to supervise, lead, communicate and
motivate the employees based on their needs, capabilities, attitudes and other situational
variables. There are three directing techniques, namely, authoritarian, consultative, and
free-rein. Each technique has its own relative strength. Moreover, each technique can be
used in different cases depending on the nature of superior and subordinates and the
situational variables. In order to make directing effective, that directing technique should be
used which is the most appropriate for the given situation.
12. Principle of managerial communication: According to this principle, it should be seen
that the instructions are clearly conveyed to the employees and it should be ensured that
they have understood the same meaning as was intended to be communicated.
To make direction effective, managers ensure two-way flow of communication between
them and the employees. Employees should be allowed to express their feelings to
superiors. An effective system of communication ensures passing of orders and instructions
by superiors which are smoothly carried by subordinates and expressing problems and
grievances by subordinates to superiors which are solved by the superiors. Direction
function aims at maximising the interest of not only self but also others in the organisation.
Effective managerial communication across all the levels in the organisation makes direction
effective. A superior passes orders, ideas about work, etc. to his subordinates through
downward communication and he knows how his subordinates are working through upward
communication from his subordinates. Thus, there should be effective communication
system to ensure communication flow in both these directions.
13. Principle of counselling and guidance: When employees face problems in carrying out
their tasks, managers provide them the necessary counselling and guidance. This makes
direction effective as employees can approach the superiors for counselling whenever
required. It is important that subordinates carry out the instructions the way they are
intended by the superiors. There should be complete understanding of communication
between the superiors and subordinates. Doubts and queries of subordinates should be
cleared by superiors through proper guidance and counselling.
14. Principle of 'rational' orders: To initiate the process of actual workperformance during
directing, management must issue such orders and instruction to employees, as are rational
i.e. in the context of and relating to basic enterprise objective; and their best attainment.
15. Principle of comprehension: This principle states that subordinates should know about
what they have to do, how to do, and when to do comprehensively. This is done through
directing. Proper understanding of what has been conveyed by the superior is important for
subordinates as proper understanding enables them to get clear situation and avoid
unnecessary queries and explanations from superior.
16. Democratic managerial style: According to this principle, direction must adopt
democratic, participative managerial style particularly when workers and subordinates are
competent and desire active participation in management of the enterprise.
17. Principle of use of informal organization: Formal organization structure prescribes the
official relationships among individuals. Besides, people working together develop certain
relationships known as informal organization. Through informal organization, information
travels very quickly. A manger should realize that informal groups or organisation exits
within every formal organisation. Management should try to understand, spot, and make
use of such informal organization for making directing more effective.
18. Principle of leadership: Leadership is the process of influencing individuals to work
enthusiastically to achieve organizational objectives. When subordinates work
enthusiastically, their efficiency and effectiveness go up and organizational objectives are
achieved. Managers should possess a good leadership quality to influence the subordinates
and make them work according to the wish of the managers.
19. Principle of participation: Since direction influences the behaviour of others, managers
follow the principle of participation (while preparing the directives). If those who carry out
the directions participate in making policies regarded directions (motivational plans,
leadership styles, communication pattern), direction function will be able to accomplish its
purpose effectively.
20. Use of motivation techniques: The proper direction should inspire the employees to
contribute fully towards the well-being of an organisation. Both financial and non-financial
incentives may be provided to the subordinates to inspire and motivate them to perform.
Managers should develop selective motivation techniques such as money, pay, status,
promotion, etc., So that the productivity and the quality of the products can be increased.
Motivation ensures higher job satisfaction.
21. Group Dynamites: The managers should understand, accept and use the informal groups
to supplement and support the formal organisation. They increase the effectiveness by
securing the cooperation of informal leaders and groups.
22. Principle of follow through: Directing is a continuous managerial process. Mere giving an
order is not sufficient. Successful direction depends on continuous never-ending guidance,
supervision, advice, coaching. counselling and helping the subordinates in their activities. As
per principle of follow through, managers should receive constant feedback on their
directions to know whether or not employees are working according to their directions. If
employees have problems, they should solve their problems and if need arises, even revise
the directions. Managers are required to monitor the extent to which the policies,
procedures, and instructions are followed by the subordinates. If there is any problem in
implementation, then the suitable modifications can be made.

Principles of Directing –
According to Koontz and O'Donnell: According to Koontz and O'Donnell, the following
principles provide the foundations of sound and effective direction:
 (1) Principle of individual contribution to objective, i.e., the manager should be able to
motivate subordinates to peak performance.
(2) Principle of harmony of objectives, i.e., harmonising the individualsobjectives with
the group objectives.
(3) Principle of efficiency of direction, i.e., efficient direction leads to the attainment of
goals and objectives at minimum cost.
(4) Principle of unity of command, i.e., subordinates should be responsibleto one
superior.
(5) Principle of Direct supervision, the objective methods of supervision and control
should be supplemented by direct personal supervision.
(6) Principle of appropriateness of direction technique, i.e., the techniqueof supervision
should be appropriate to the person supervised and the task in hand.
(7) Principle of managerial communication, le..the manager is theprincipal medium of
communication m any enterprise.
(8) Principle of comprehension, i.e. the receiver of communication shouldcomprehend
the information communicated to him.
(9) Principle of information, i.e., the direct flow of information is mosteffective for
communication.
(10) Principle of strategic use of informal organisation, i.e. the managers must
recognise and utilise the informal organisation constructively
(11) Principle of leadership, i.e., effective leadership is essential to effective
direction.
Communication
The word communication has been derived from the Latin word 'communis' which means
'common'. When we communicate, we are trying to establish commonness' with someone.
That is, we are trying to share information, an idea or an attitude. The essence of
communication is getting the receiver and the sender tuned' together for a particular
message. Thus, communication means establishing common grounds of understanding.
Communicate is the process of transmitting information from one person or place to
another. It is an interchange of thought or information to bring about mutual
understanding, confidence or good human relations. Communication is successful only
when mutual understanding results.
According to Oxford English Dictionary, communication means 'the imparting, conveying or
exchange of ideas, knowledge etc. whether by speech, writing or signs. Communication is an
exchange of information between two or more persons. It is the process of passing
information and understanding from one person to another.
The American Management Association defines communication as 'any behaviour that
results in an exchange of meaning.' According to Dale S.Beach, communication is the
transfer of information and understanding from person to person.'
Importance of Communication
1. Base for Action:
Communication acts as a base for any action. Starting of any activity begins with
communication which brings information necessary to begin with.
2. Planning Becomes Easy:
Communication facilitates planning. Planning is made easy by communication. Any type of
information regarding the human resource requirement of each department of the
organisation with their qualifications, the type and kinds of job etc. can be collected through
communication which helps in human resource planning. Policies and programmes for
theiracquisition can be prepared and implemented. In the entire process communication
plays vital role, it also facilitates managerial planning of the organisation,
3. Means of Coordination:
Communication is an important tool for coordinating the efforts of various people work in
the organisation.
4. Aids in Decision-Making:
The information collected through communication aids in decision-making Communication
facilitates access to the vital information required to take decisions.
5. Provides Effective Leadership:
A communication skill bring manager near to his subordinates and exchange ideas and
submits appropriate proposals, knows their opinions, seeks advices and make decisions This
enables a manager to win confidence of his subordinates through constantly communicating
with them and removing probable misunderstandings. In this way he leads his people to
accomplish the organisational goal.
6. Boosts Morale and Motivation:
An effective communication system instills confidence among subordinates and worken
ensuring change in their attitude and behaviour. The main cause of conflict and
dissatisfaction is misunderstanding which can be removed through communication skills.
The removal of misunderstanding makes manager and his subordinates understand each
other and create good industrial relations. This boosts up the morale of the people and
motivates them to work harder.

Communication Process
1. Sender. The communication process begins when a sender thinks of a message he or she
wants to convey to another person. Sender of the message or the communicator is the
person who intends to pass the message to other persons. In organisational context, sender
may be a superior, a subordinate or any other person.
2. Message: The subject matter of communication is called message. It is the information
that the sender wants to transmit. It may be in the form of ideas, opinions, views, feelings,
suggestion or orders etc.
3. Encoding of message: The message is abstract and intangible. Hence, its transmission
requires encoding. Encoding means putting a message into a written, verbal, or symbolic
form that can be recognised and understood by the receiver.
4. Channel: The next component of communication is the medium or the media or the
channel. It is the means chosen by the sender to transmit the message. The subject matter
of communication is transmitted through a channel like written form, personal contact,
phone call, e-mail etc.
5. Receiver: Receiver is the person to whom the message is transmitted. He may be a
superior, subordinate or any other person in the organisation.
6. Decoding: Decoding is the reverse of encoding. It is the process by which the receiver
translates the written, verbal, or symbolic form of the messageinto an understood message.
The receiver has to try to understand the message in the same sense in which the sender
wants him to understand.
7. Feedback: The last step of the communication process occurs when the receiver gives the
sender feedback. Feedback is receiver's perception or reaction or response to the sender's
message. Feedback is necessary to ensure that the receiver has received the message and
understood it in the same sense as the sender intended.
Barriers to communication
Communication is complete only when the receiver understands, accepts and acts upon the
information that has been transmitted to him. There are many obstacles or barriers that
tend to affect understanding and acceptance of information. These barriers cause break
downs and distortions of communication. Communication breakdowns are not only costly
but create misunderstandings and are injurious to team work and morale. Most of the
problems of human relations grow out of communication inefficiency. Important barriers in
communication are discussed below.
1. Barriers due to organisational structure: Effective communication largely depends on
organisational structure. Communication breakdown may anse due to several layers of
management, long communication lines, relations of staff to line, organisational distance
from top management, heavy pressures of work at certain levels of authority, lack of
upward communication etc.
Organisation layers are considered to be the natural enemies of adequate communication. If
the structure is complex involving many layers, a large number of barriers will develop. In
both upward and downward communications, intermediary at every layer may withhold a
bit of information for a variety reasons.
Organisational rules and regulations affect the flow of communication by prescribing the
subject-matters to be communicated and the channel through which messages are to be
communicated. There is delay in communication when these rules and regulations are
rigidly observed.
2. Barriers due to (or semantic barriers): Diction (the choice and use of words in speech and
writing) significantly affects communication. Semantics (the study of the meanings of words)
confirms that words may possess different meanings for different people. Words may be the
barrier in communication when sender and receiver use words in different senses.
Language is a method of using words to represent facts, feelings etc. One cannot convey
meaning but can convey words only. The meaning intended by the sender may vary
considerably from the meaning understood by the receiver. The receiver of message
interprets words in terms of his own behaviour, personality and experience.
In verbal communication, a particular word may have a variety of meanings For example, as
many as 500 most common English words have an average of 28 definitions each. Further, a
particular word may give different meaningsin different parts of the country. Similarly, in
non-verbal communications, symbols may convey quite different meanings to different
persons and communication may break down.
Jargons (the specialised or technical language that develops in trades, professions and other
groups) poses its own set of hazards. Each corporate culture, subculture, unit, and division
has its own unique terminology and slang expressions. When the members of these
subcultures attempt to communicate with those outside their group by using these
expressions, confusion can result.
3. Barriers due to physical distance: Physical distance between people is a barrier to
effective communication in big organisations. When people are far away it becomes difficult
to evaluate whether they receive, understand, accept and properly react to what is
transmitted to them.
4. Barriers due to status relationship in organisation: Status arises on account of position in
the hierarchy, job title, salary, facilities (such as, high quality furniture, separate room) etc.
Status relationship places persons in superior and subordinate positions in the formal
structure. It retards the free flow of information, ideas, suggestions and questions.
Temper and attitude of superiors often discourage two way communications. The superior
may guard his idea for consideration of his prestige, under estimating subordinate's
intelligence or for deriving satisfaction in being storehouse of information and seeing people
dance around him for information.
Prejudices among superiors or subordinates may block the free flow of communication.
Subordinate's desire to appear favourable to his boss may induce him to tell his superior
what the latter likes to hear and is interested in. He often omits such information which is
not pleasant to the boss. He will not pass on information or soften what is unpleasant, such
as, grievances and complaints.
5. Barriers due to lack of interest: Lack of attention to the interests of the people with whom
management wants to communicate is an important obstacle to communication.
6. Barriers due to emotional attitudes: Emotional attitudes of the sender and receiver of the
communication may act as barriers in communication. The attitudes and feelings of the
people may be often so strong that they almost distort their understanding of what others
are trying to communicate. A person is likely to decide messages in different ways
depending on his own emotional attitude at the time the message is received. For example
when receiver is worried, fearful or insecure, it is difficult for him to know the frame of mind
of the sender of communication.
7. Inattention: Communication will not have the correct impact on those who are
preoccupied or unwilling to listen. Communication will lose its purpose if people do not pay
the required attention to reading, listening and understanding the message addressed to
them.
8. Filtering of information: Sometimes, the sender screens the information for passing only
such information which will look favourable to receiver. For example, a subordinate tends to
tell those things which will enhance his position and indicate his success. No subordinate
likes to reveal his mistakes to his superior.
9. Perceptual errors: Every person tries to interpret the information he receive from his own
angle or point of view. His perception is determined by his needs, social environments, level
of education, cultural factor etc. However, it is established that effective communication
requires the willingness to see things through the eyes of sender of the message.
10. Neglect of listening: A good deal of trouble in communication arises on account of
neglect of listening on the part of receivers. Listening is the most neglected skill of
communication. It is the finest art still to be mastered by men. Active listening is not an in-
born virtue but a definite and a difficult skill which one has to learn by rigorous control of
one's own urge to talk.
11. Psychological barriers: In upward communication there are many psychological barriers
which arise on account of subordinate-superior relationships, Upward communication is
influenced by the subordinate's image of his superior. If the image is favourable one the
result will be an attitude of trust and confidence and increased openness in communication.
If the image is negative one, communication becomes restricted and defensive.
12. Barriers to upward communication: Studies have shown that subordinates do not feel
free to communicate with their supervisors on account of the following reasons:
a. Many subordinates fear that expressing their true feelings about the company to their
boss could be dangerous.
b. The belief that disagreeing with the boss will block promotion.
c. The widespread conviction that management is not interested in employee problems.
d. The feeling that employees are not rewarded for good ideas.
e. Lack of supervisory accessibility and responsiveness.
f. The conviction that higher management does not take prompt action on problems.
12. Barriers to downward communication: Superiors act as barriers in organisational
communication in a number of ways as follows:
a. The attitudes of superiors towards communication affect the flow of messages.
b. Superiors may withhold certain information in a fear that frequent passing of information
may disclose their weakness.
c. Superiors do not like any type of bypassing in communication. They treat such
communications as challenge to their authority and blocks the flow of communication.
d. Some superiors lack confidence in subordinates. They perceive that their subordinates are
less competent and capable, they are not able to advise superiors or they may not have
some information coming downward.
e. Superiors, sometimes, deliberately ignore the communication from their subordinates to
maintain their importance. This discourages subordinates to communicate.
f. Superiors feel that they have little time to talk to their subordinates.
g. Superiors think that they understand subordinates' needs but their subordinates do not
think so. This difference in perception makes communication more difficult.
14. Closed mind: The effectiveness of communication depends on the receiver also. It is
wrong on the part of the receiver to evaluate in terms of his frame of mind rather than
sender's frame of mind. If the receiver has closed mind, he will always evaluate the things
from his own point of view and will not receptive to new ideas.
15. Lack of ability to communicate: Effective communication is an art. All persons do not
have the skill to communicate. Development of this skill requires training and practice.
16. Resistance to change: Resistance to change is an important obstacle to effective
communication. It is general tendency of human beings to resist changes. When new ideas
are communicated ear acts as a filter in rejecting conflicting new ideas. People may take
some time to understand the full meaning of the message announcing changes.
17. Situational factors: Effectiveness of communication depends upon specific situations and
conditions, such as, noise, lighting, time allowed, number or speakers etc.
18. Badly expressed message: Lack of clarity and precision in a message makes it badly
expressed. Poorly chosen and empty words and phrases, careless omissions, lack of
contents, poor organisation of ideas, awkward sentence structure, inadequate vocabulary,
jargons, failure to clarify implications are some common faults found in badly expressed
message.
19. Faulty translations and interpretations: Communication received from different people,
sources and contexts are to be interpreted and translated for further transmission to other
users. This needs a high level of linguistic capacity. Lack of understanding of words, faulty
translations and interpretations are the barriers in efficient communication.
20. Un-clarified assumptions: There are certain uncommunicated assumptions which
underlie all meanings. Though a message appears to be specific, its underlying assumptions
may not be clear to the sender and receiver.
21. Premature evaluation: When the listener is familiar with a speaker's thoughts on a
particular topics and the speaker begins with a statement and tone that sounds similar to
openings used in the past, the listening stops. People do this because they prematurely
judge the communication from their own point of view or experience. Such evaluation stops
the transfer of information. This barrier can be remedied by non-evaluative, non-committal
and unprejudiced listening.
22. Loss by transmission: When communication passes through various levels in the
organisation, the accuracy of successive transmissions of the same message decreases. It is
said that in case of oral communications, about 30% of the information is lost in each
transmission. In case of written communication, loss of meaning might occur in its
interpretation.
23. Poor retention of information: Poor retention of information is another barrier in
communication. It is proved by research that employees retain about 50% of information
only, whereas supervisors retain about 60% of it.
24. Failure to communicate: Managers often fail to transmit the needed messages. This may
be because of laziness on the part of the manager or assuming that 'everybody knows', or
deliberately to embarrass.
25. Ineffective use of facilities: Organisations provide a number of facilities for smooth,
adequate, clear and timely flow of communication. For example, meetings, complaint box,
suggestion box, open door system, social and cultural gatherings etc. If these are not
properly emphasised, people fail to make effective communication.
26. Communication overload: The problem of overload of information arises from excessive
information. The managers may possess more of irrelevantinformation and may cause slow
pace of decision making, Managers cannot absorb or adequately respond to all of the
messages directed to them. Thus, more is not always better.
27. Source's lack of credibility: If a sender has credibility in the receivers mind, the message
will be received more readily than if the sender lacks credibility.
Steps to overcome Communication Barriers
(1) Clarify Ideas before Communication:
The person sending the communication should be very clear in his mind about what he
wants to say. He should know the objective of his message and, therefore, he should
arrange his thoughts in a proper order.
(2) Communicate According to the Need of the Receiver:
The sender of the communication should prepare the structure of the message not
according to his own level or ability but he should keep in mind the level, understanding or
the environment of the receiver.
(3) Consult Others before Communication:
At the time of planning the communication, suggestions should be invited from all the
persons concerned. Its main advantage will be that all those people who are consulted at
the time of preparing the communication plan will contribute to the success of the
communication system.
(4) Be Aware of Language, Tone and Content of Message:
The sender should take care of the fact that the message should be framed in clear and
beautiful language. The tone of the message should not injure the feelings of the receiver.
As far as possible the contents of the message should be brief and excessive use of technical
words should be avoided.
(5) Convey Things of Help and Value to the Listener:
The subject matter of the message should be helpful to the receiver. The need and interest
of the receiver should specially be kept in mind. Communication is more effective in such a
situation.
(6) Ensure Proper Feedback:
The purpose of feedback is to find out whether the receiver has properly understood the
meaning of the information received. In the face-to-face communication, the reaction on
the face of the receiver can be understood.
But in case of written communication of some other sort of communications some proper
method of feedback should be adopted by the sender.
(7) Consistency of Message:
The information sent to the receiver should not be self-contradictory. It should be in
accordance with the objectives, policies, programmes and techniques of the organisation.
When a new message has to be sent in place of the old one, it should always make a
mention of the change otherwise it can create some doubts.
(8) Follow up Communication:
In order to make communication effective the management should regularly try to know the
weaknesses of the communication system. In this context effort can be made to know
whether to lay more stress upon the formal or the informal communication would be
appropriate.
Similarly, suggestions can be invited in respect of the medium of communication (oral,
written and gestural) to know as to which medium would be more effective and
appropriate.
(9) Be a Good Listener:
It is the essence of communication that both the sender and the receiver should be good
listeners. Both should listen to the each other's point of view with attention, patience and
positive attitude. A sender can receive much relevant information by being a good listener.
Types of Communication- Formal and informal
1) Verbal Communication
Verbal communication can also be called as Oral communication. In very simple terms, any
communication that happens orally between people is known as verbal communication. The
objective of such communications is to ensure that people understand whatever you want
to convey. Because of its very nature, verbal communications is more quick and precise then
email communication.
In the era of messaging via Whatsapp or using email, people still prefer personal meetings
or phone calls (or face to face skype calls) because they are effective and much more
convenient in conveying the message. Nowadays, Verbal communication is an important
aspect and is looked as a key strength in an individual.
2) Non-verbal/Interpersonal communication How do you make people feel when you enter
the room? Is your body language strong and are you standing straight and erect or are you
slouched and tired? Are you clean shaven, looking your immaculate best for a team meeting
or are you shabby with shirts that are not ironed" When you shake hands, do you do so
strongly or do you just brush your hand against others?
The above were some examples of Non-verbal communications or interpersonal
communications. One of the HR requirements for new joiners in an organization is for them
to have good interpersonal skills. This basically means that the employees should brush up
on their non-verbal skills.
3) Written Communications
There are many many ways that written communications can be used. The number of ways
is ever increasing with the penetration of smartphones and the internet. One of the most
common forms of written communications used till date is Email. But slowly, written type of
communications is becoming more informal with Whatsapp and other online messaging
apps being used regularly.
All different forms of written communication can be formal or informal. If today, we visit a
court of law, you will find that even Whatsapp messages are considered to be legal in
nature. In fact, there have been so many cases of celebrities brought under the scanner
because of wrong written communications on their social media account. Thus, the above
example is further proof that written communication needs to be used safely and
effectively. In fact, written communication between friends can be informal but this type of
communication between working professionals should always be formal so that any
misquoted words are not misused with ill intent.
4) Formal & Informal
There are two types of communication when considering the formality of the
communication.
One is the formal and official type of communication which can be emails, letterheads,
memos, reports and other such kinds of written material. These are considered as
documentary evidence and certain formality is associated with them. You cannot submit
such formal documents and later deny them.

Informal communication is one where there is nothing official about the communication
that is happening. It can be known as Grapevine communication. There is no specific
channel of informal communication because there is Social media, Whatsapp, SMS which
are all vehicles of informal communication which can be used by people.
5) Visual Communication
One of the industries which most prominently uses Visual communication is the medical
industry New medicines which come into the market have to be shown to doctors and the
advantages have to be explained. At such times, the medical representatives carry
informative pamphlets which are shown to the doctors and dropped with the doctors.
These informative pamphlets have all the information about the medicine so that doctors
can feel confident in suggesting the medicine to their patients. Similarly, many different
industries are using visual communication to help interaction with their customers so that
they can communicate their ideas better. Explainer videos as a concept is rising and is
becoming as one of the best types of communication observed on websites.
Motivation- Meaning and Definition
Management has been defined as the art of getting things done through others. The most
important problem of modern management has been to find out how to make people to
work for the attainment of organisational objectives, that is, how to motivate people?
The term 'motivation' has been derived from the Latin word 'movere' which means 'motive'.
Motive may be defined as needs. wants, drives or impulses within an individual that
prompts him to work. A motive means something within an individual that prompts him to
action. Motivation: The term motivation is defined by Robert Dubin as 'somethingthat
moves the person to action and continues him in the course of action already initiated".
According to W.G.Scott, motivation means 'a process of stimulating people to action to
accomplish desired goals'.
In the words of McFarland, motivation refers to 'the way in which urges, drives, desires,
aspirations, strivings or needs direct, control or explain the behaviour of human beings'.
In the words of Koontz and O'Donnel, 'to motivate is to induce people to act in a desired
manner'.
Motivation refers to those wishes, desires, drives etc. that stimulate or activate a man to do
things. It is the act of stimulating someone or oneself to get a desired course of action. It is
something that moves a person into action and continues him in the course of action.
Motivation refers to the inner psychological forces and processes in an individual which
arouse in him the desire to act or not to act in particular ways.
Motivation means inspiring the personnel to work for the accomplishment of the objectives
of the organisation.
Motivation theories – Maslow’s Need Hierarchy Theory

Hierarchy of needs: According to Maslow, individual's needs are arranged in a hierarchy

from the lower-level physiological needs to the higher-level needs. Maslow's need hierarchy
is as follows:
1. Physiological Needs:
These needs are basic to human life and, hence, include food, clothing, shelter, air, water
and necessities of life. These needs relate to the survival and maintenance of human life.
They exert tremendous influence on human behaviour. These needs are to be met first at
least partly before higher level needs emerge. Once physiological needs are satisfied, they
no longer motivate the man.
2. Safety Needs:
After satisfying the physiological needs, the next needs felt are called safety and security
needs. These needs find expression in such desires as economic security and protection
from physical dangers. Meeting these needs requires more money and, hence, the
individual is prompted to work more. Like physiological needs, these become inactive once
they are satisfied.
3. Social Needs:
Man is a social being. He is, therefore, interested in social interaction, companionship,
belongingness, etc. It is this socialising and belongingness why individuals prefer to work in
groups and especially older people go to work.
4. Esteem Needs:
These needs refer to self-esteem and self-respect. They include such needs which indicate
self-confidence, achievement, competence, knowledge and independence. The fulfillment
of esteem needs leads to self-confidence, strength and capability of being useful in the
organisation. However, inability to fulfill these needs results in feeling like inferiority,
weakness and helplessness.
5. Self-Actualisation Needs:
This level represents the culmination of all the lower, intermediate, and higher needs of
human beings. In other words, the final step under the need hierarchy model is the need for
self-actualization. This refers to fulfillment.
The term self-actualization was coined by Kurt Goldstein and means to become actualized in
what one is potentially good at. In effect, self-actualization is the person's motivation to
transform perception of self into reality.
According to Maslow, the human needs follow a definite sequence of domination. The
second need does not arise until the first is reasonably satisfied, and the third need does not
emerge until the first two needs have been reasonably satisfied and it goes on. The other
side of the need hierarchy is that human needs are unlimited. However, Maslow's need
hierarchy-theory is not without its detractors.
Herzberg’s Two Factor Theory
The psychologist Frederick Herzberg extended the work of Maslow and proposed a new
motivation theory popularly known as Herzberg's Motivation Hygiene (Two-Factor) Theory.
Herzberg conducted a widely reported motivational study on 200 accountants and
engineers employed by firms in and around western Pennsylvania. He asked these people to
describe two important incidents at their jobs (1) When did you feel particularly good about
your job, and (2) when you feel exceptionally bad about your job. He used the critical
incident method of obtaining data and analyzing the data.
The responses when analysed were found quite interesting and fairly consistent. The replies
of the respondents were consistent. The replies respondents gave when they felt good
about their jobs were significantly different from the replies given when they felt bad.
Reported good feelings were generally associated with job satisfaction whereas bad feelings
with job dissatisfaction. Herzberg labeled the job satisfiers as motivators, and he called job
dissatisfiers as hygiene or maintenance factors. Taken together, the motivators and hygiene
factors are known as Herzberg's two factor theory of motivation.
According to Herzberg, the opposite of satisfaction is not dissatisfaction. The underlying
reason, he says, is that removal of dissatisfying characteristics from a job does not
necessarily make the job satisfying. He believes in the existence of a dual continuum. The
opposite of 'satisfaction' is 'no satisfaction' and the opposite of dissatisfaction' is 'no
dissatisfaction'.
According to Herzberg, today's motivators are tomorrow's hygiene because the latter stop
influencing the behaviour of persons when they get them. Accordingly, one's hygiene may
be the motivator of another.
Criticisms
1. People generally tend to take credit themselves when things go well. They blame failure
on the external environment.
2. The theory basically explains job satisfaction, not motivation.
3. Even job satisfaction is not measured on an overall basis. It is not unlikely that a person
may dislike part of his/her job, still thinks the job acceptable.
4. This theory neglects situational variable to motivate an individual.
Mc. Gregor’s X and Y theory.
McGregor's Participation Theory: Douglas McGregor formulated two distinct views of
human being based on participation of workers. The first basically negative, labeled Theory
X, and the other basically positive, labledTheory Y.
Theory X is based on the following assumptions:
1. People are by nature indolent. That is, they like to work as little as possible.
2. People lack ambition, dislike responsibility, and prefer to be directed by others.
3. People are inherently self-centered and indifferent to organisational needs and goals.
4. People are generally gullible and not very sharp and bright.
On the contrary, Theory Y assumes that:
1. People are not by nature passive or resistant to organisational goals.
2. They want to assume responsibility.
3. They want their organisation to succeed.
4. People are capable of directing their own behaviour.
5. They have need for achievement.
What McGregor tried to dramatise through his theory X and Y is to outline the extremes to
draw the fencing within which the organisational man is usually seen to behave. The fact
remains that no organisational man would actually belong either to theory X or theory Y. In
reality, heshe shares the traits of both. What actually happens is that man swings from one
set or properties to the other with changes in his mood and motives in changing
environment.
Leadership– Meaning and Definition,
LEADERSHIP: Management is getting works done through others. To get the work done
though the people, a manager has to influence the behaviour of his subordinates towards
the attainment of the predetermined goal. It is the leadership that guides and directs the
subordinates to perform their jobs efficiently and to achieve the organisational goals.
Leadership is the process of influencing others to achieve group or organisational goals.
Definition: Leadership has been defined in various ways. Some of the important definitions
are as follows:
Theo Haimann has defined leadership as 'the process by which an executive imaginatively
directs, guides and influences the work of others in choosing and attaining specified goals'.
Tennenbaum defined leadership as 'interpersonal influence exercised in a situation and
directed through communication process, towards the attainment of a specified goal or
goals'.
In the words of George R Terry, leadership is 'the ability of influencing people to strive
willingly for mutual objectives'.
According to Barnard Keys and Thomas Case, leadership is 'the process of influencing and
supporting others to work enthusiastically toward achieving objectives'.
Koontz and O'Donnell define leadership as 'the ability of a manager to induce subordinates
to work with confidence and zeal'.
Livingston regards leadership as 'the ability to awaken in others the desire to follow a
common objective'. Moore has defined leadership as the ability to make men act the way
the leader wants'.
Formal and Informal Leadership,
FormalLeadership
• Occurs when a manager leads by exercising formal authority.

• the managers official position within the organization's hierarchy of authority.

• Any employee who is assigned a managerial position has the opportunity and responsibility to
exercise formal leadership

Informal Leadership
• Arises when a person without formal authority is influential in directing the behaviors of others.

• Although not formally appointed or elected he becomes a leader through his actions or personal
attractions.
Characteristics of Leadership
1. Followers: Leadership presupposes the existence of a group of followers. It cannot exist
without a group of followers.
2. Personal quality: Leadership is a personal quality of a manager. 3. Universality: Leadership
position exists in most group settings irrespective of the size, nature and purpose of the
group. For example, a family, organisation, national or international administration.
4. Continuous process: Leadership is a continuous process of behaviour and not a single act.
5. Position of power: Leadership is a position of power held by an individual in a group. It
provides him with an opportunity to exercise interpersonal influence on the group members
for mobilising and directing their efforts towards certain goals.
6. Group members: The group members are supposed to comply with the leader's desires
and directives and partially suspend their own judgment and discretion.
7. Situational: Leadership is related to a particular situation, at a given point of time and
under a specific set of circumstances. Leadership styles will be different under different
circumstances.
8. Motivation: Leadership is the function of motivating people to strive willingly to attain
organisational objectives. 9. Relationship: Leadership is in terms of relationship between a
leader and his followers.
10. Common goal: Leadership arises out of functioning for common goals. It is the duty of
the leader to define clearly some goals with which the followers can identify their personal
interest.
11. Purpose: The purpose of leadership is to inspire followers or a group to contribute
effectively to the accomplishment of some common purpose.
12. Persuasion: Leadership means persuading and motivating the followers. The followers
work willingly and enthusiastically to achieve common goals. There is no coercion.
13. Responsibility: Power of leadership carries with it an equal amount of responsibility.
Leadership implies assumption of responsibility by the leader for all the actions of his
followers.
14. Influence: Leadership is an influence process. It helps and guides the followers and
influences their behaviour to achieve common goals. Without interpersonal influence there
can be no leadership. A leader is in a position to shape, regulate, control and change the
attitudes, behaviour and performance of his group members.
15. Reciprocal relationship: Reciprocal relationship between leader and followers is one of
the important characteristics of leadership. A leader not only influences his group but is, at
the same time, influenced by his group.
16. Bases of power: The leader has a few bases of power. They are, knowledge, information,
experience, resources for dispensing favours, rewards, penalties, formal authority and
distinct personality characteristics.
Leadership Styles
Autocratic leadership: Autocratic leadership is also known as authoritarian or directive or
monothetic style. Autocratic leadership involves letting employees know precisely what is
expected of them, giving them specific guidelines for performing tasks, scheduling work,
setting standards of performance, and making sure that people follow standard rules and
regulations'.
In autocratic leadership style, all decision making power is centralised in the leader. Leader
does not share decision making authority with subordinates. He decides the plans and
policies for the group without consulting the group.
Autocratic leader retains all the authority and executes the entire process. Consequently,
the autocratic style is sometimes called the "I" approach. He does not give detailed
information about future plans but simply tells thegroup what immediate steps they must
take. His subordinates have to obey his orders without asking any questions. There is no
scope for subordinates to influence the decision of the leader. Here the leadership may be
negative because followers are uninformed, unsecured, and afraid of the leader's authority.
Autocratic leader assumes that people are lazy, will avoid work and shirk responsibility. He
believes that people basically work for money and want security. Because of such
assumptions he exercises tighter control and supervision over his subordinates. However,
these assumptions do not hold good in all the situations.
Democratic Style
This style of leadership is also known as participative or consultative or ideographic style.
Democratic leadership involves 'consulting employees for their suggestions and input before
making decisions. The democratic leadership is based on decentralisation of authority and
decision making.
The leader decentralizes his decision making process. He does not decide anything on his
own. He shares decision making authority with subordinates. Decisions are taken on
consultation and participation of his subordinates. The final decision is the result of
combined efforts of all. Thus, subordinates participate in management i.e., decision making
process. Hence, sometimes it is called the "we" approach.
The leader delegates authority to his subordinates. The plans and policies are determined
through group discussion. There is downward communication of orders from the leader to
the subordinates and upward communication of suggestions and ideas from subordinates to
the leader.
Laissez Faire Leadership Styles
Laissez-faire or Free-rein or spectator style leadership style is one under which the entire
decision making authority is entrusted to subordinates. The leader avoids power. He does
not direct his subordinates. He leaves the group entirely to itself. He leaves all responsibility
and most of the work entrusted to him to his subordinates. He depends largely upon the
group to establish its own goals and work out its own problems. He acts as a contact man
with outsiders to bring information and resources which the group needs.
Under free-rein style, leaders set limits and remain available for consultation. The leaders
hold participants accountable for their actions by reviewing and evaluating performance.
In free-rein style of leadership there is least intervention by the leader, abdication of
authority and letting the group to operate entirely on its own. So, it is also known as
'permissive style of leadership or "they" approach.
Transition Leadership
A transitional state may refer to a new leader himself or herself, an organisation that is new
to the leader, or an organisation that is changing. Whether leaders or their organisations are
in transition, certain principles and considerations are supported by the leadership body of
knowledge. These considerations include introspection and thought, information gathering
and analysis, and an understanding of group psychology and effective communication and
engagement. These tasks and approaches can be integrated into a series of actions timed
far in advance of seeking a leadership role, during the assessment phase, soon after
assuming a new role, and for long-term security in a new leadership role.
Integrity, outstanding communication skills, self-awareness, and focus are highly valued in
leaders. Effective leaders provide increasing autonomy to frontline managers, carefully
considering hierarchy and structure, while maximising information gathering and
processing. Effective and strategic leaders and organisations pool and leverage distinctive
competencies to the greatest degree possible.
Successful leaders accept responsibilities for their failures. The denial of fallibility or fault by
a leader can only adversely affect the perception the organisation has of the leader. Denial
of fallibility ultimately contributes to a dysfunctional culture of unfairness and finger-
pointing.
If the transitional leader identifies with or aligns too closely with management, they risk
losing effective connection with their charges. Alternatively, if the transitional leader is
identified too closely with their employees, then they may lose the confidence of their
employers. Effective positioning demands determination of a safe and successful middle
ground.
Charismatic Leadership Style.
The Charismatic Leader and the Transformational Leader can have many similarities, in that
the Transformational Leader may well be charismatic. Their main difference is in their basic
focus Whereas the Transformational Leader has a basic focus of transforming the
organization and quite possibly, their followers, the Charismatic Leader may not want to
change anything. A charismatic leadership style can appear similar to a transformational
leadership style, in that the leader injects huge doses of enthusiasm into his or her team,
and is very energetic in driving others forward.
However, charismatic leaders can tend to believe more in themselves than in their teams.
This can create a risk that a project, or even an entire organization, might collapse if the
leader were to leave because in the eyes of their followers, success is tied up with the
presence of the charismatic leader. As such, charismatic leadership carries great
responsibility, and needs long term commitment from the leader.