FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY

1. CAPE 2007 U1/P2 #3 COMMUNICATION
3a) Using examples from organizations that you have studied, evaluate FOUR major methods of
communication that exist between management and staff. [17 marks]
b) Suggest FOUR major causes of poor communication between management and staff. [8
marks]
a) Communication is the passing of information among people or different groups.
Communication is only effective if the receiver understands the message and the sender knows it
has been understood. Four major methods of communication between management and staff are
noticeboards, staff meetings, video conferencing and interviews.
The first major method of communication existing between management and staff is a
noticeboard. This is a form of written communication. Additionally, this is an example of one
way communication. One way communication exists when there exists no feedback to the
sender. Noticeboards are usually used in large organizations as it is seen as the best medium in
which management can communicate with its huge staff. Noticeboards have its advantages and
disadvantages in bringing about information from management to staff. The main advantage of a
noticeboard is the ease of distribution and the fact that information may be well structured. This
is a benefit since the intended destination (staff) may immediately understand what is required of
them and work can be started immediately upon receiving the message. On the other hand, a
noticeboard may have the severe limitations of lack of feedback and low worker morale. By
using noticeboards, managers would not be aware if the message reached the intended audience
and if in fact it was understood. This can lead to costly decisions being undertaken and may be
detrimental especially to the firms in competitive environments where there is no room for costly
mistakes. Also, workers may feel a sense of isolation from top management as there is no face to
face contact and may lead to low morale. This is disadvantageous since it can lead to lower
productivity, higher absenteeism rates and lower quality. According to Marslow, if these lower
order needs which are social are not met, job dissatisfaction/low motivation arises.
Secondly, a staff meeting is another major method of communication existing between
management and staff. Staff meetings are a form of oral communication and gives way to
dissemination of information between management and staff. Staff meetings may be beneficial
mainly because it can be questioned quickly. The advantage of this is that workers are able to
clarify any doubts or misunderstanding that may arise before they embark on doing the task
incorrectly. It further prevents any unnecessary costly decisions from being undertaken.
Additionally, with this form of two way communication, workers may feel motivated as they
may feel that they are part of the organization and may be reflected by increased productivity,
increased quality and consequently, increased profits. However, staff meetings may be affected
by noise. Noise is anything that prevents messages from reaching its intended destination or
alters the content of the message. An example in this case can be physical noise from the factory

2. or passing traffic. Being subject to interruption by noise is a disadvantage because it may lead to
misunderstanding of information and possible conflict within the organization.
Thirdly, a major communication method existing between management and staff is video
conferencing. Video conferencing is a form of electronic media. It may best be used by an
organization that has many different firms in different locations e.g. multinational companies.
The main advantage of the use of this electronic medium is the fact that it ignores geographical
boundaries. By ignoring geographical boundaries, information can be effectively passed on to the
intended destination quickly and with the advent of technological advancements in this modern
age, video conferencing may be in high definition (HD) which may actually strengthen the
communication between managers and subordinates. However, video conferencing is subject to
disadvantages as well. The biggest disadvantage of video conferencing is the fact that it reduces
human contact which is a major contributor to a sense of isolation in the organization. By feeling
isolated, workers may have low worker morale and demotivated and may be reflected by lower
productivity lower quality and lower profits according to the productivity-quality-profitability
link put forward by Deming.
Lastly, a major method of communication that can exist between management and staff is
an interview. An interview, simply put is a primary method of gathering information/research
from an individual through a series of questions. This may best be seen between the marketing
manager and market researcher where the manager asks questions based on the dynamic
structure of the market and consumer demand for a good. An advantage of this form of two way
communication/oral communication method is the fact that there may be an easier mutual
understanding between manager and subordinate on the topic being and room for clarification is
always there. However, an interview may be disadvantageous since it may be time consuming,
and if unproductive, valuable time would have been wasted.
b) Four major causes of poor communication between managers and staff are:
 Physical factors such as noise in a factory, passing traffic, may cause the message to be
distorted in some way or another.
 If the channel of communication is too long, then the message would take a long period
of time to reach the subordinates and if the message is very important, the length of time
taken to act upon it may prove to be too late.
 The use of technical terms or jargons may actually lead to difficulty in interpreting the
intended message and is misinterpreted; it may be costly to the firm.
 If the message is not clear, then it will be difficult for the receiver to interpret hence
leading to poor communication.