The upward, downward, and lateral flow of communication within an organization are subject to various types of information distortion that disrupt communication effectiveness by eliminating or changing key aspects of the message so that the message that should be sent is not the one that the recipient receives. Three types of distortion that often occur in work organizations are filtering, censoring, and exaggeration (Gaines, 1980, as cited by Riggio, 2003).
TYPES OF DISTORTION TO EFFECTIVE FLOW OF
COMMUNICATION IN THE WORKPLACE
Three types of distortion that often occur in work organizations are?
filtering, censoring, and exaggeration
The selective omission of information during the transmission of a message.This can be intentional or unintentional and can be motivated by various factors such as time constraints,personal biases,or the desire to protect the recipient from unpleasant information.
Example:A manager may filter out negative feedback from an employee performance review before presenting it to their supervisor.
Filtering
Information is often filtered because it is considered to be unimportant to lower-level employees. Often, messages are sent telling workers what to do but not telling them why it is being done.
o Information from upper levels of the organization may also be filtered because management fears the impact of the complete message on workers.
o For example, management may send a memo to workers about proposed cost-cutting measures, telling them that these actions are needed to increase efficiency and productivity. However, the fact that these cost-cutting measures are needed for the company to stay financially solvent is filtered out, because management is afraid that this information might cause workers to anticipate layoffs and thus begin to look for jobs elsewhere.
downward communication
can occur if the information is unfavorable and the communicator fears incurring the wrath of the superior. In such cases, the negative information might be altered in order to make it appear less negative
Filtering of content in upward communication
can occur when two employees feel that they are in competition with one another for important organizational rewards, such as promotions and recognition from superiors. In such cases, workers continue to communicate but may filter out any important information that is seen as giving the other person a competitive edge.
Filtering lateral communication
The act of suppressing or editing information,often to control or manipulate its impact on the recipient.This can be done for political reasons,to protect privacy,or to avoid controversy.
Example:A government may censor news reports that are critical of its policies.
Censoring
The act of adding information to a message that is not present in the original content.This can be done to fill in gaps in understanding,to make the message more interesting,or to distort the original meaning.
Example:A witness to a crime may elaborate on their account of events over time,unintentionally adding details that may not be accurate.
Elaboration
The act of overstating or amplifying the truth,often for dramatic effect or to make a point more persuasive.This can lead to misinterpretations and misunderstandings.
Example:A salesperson may exaggerate the features and benefits of a product to make a sale.
Exaggeration
refers to a set of rules that describe acceptable conduct in society. It serve as a guide to moral daily living and helps us judge whether our behavior can be justified
Ethics
PRINCIPLES OF ETHICAL BUSINESS COMMUNICATION
- Be Honest and Truthful. Being honest means communicating what is known to be true – no more, no less. Ethical communication is based on accurate, factual information – in other words, do not lie whether the message is directed downward to employees, upward to management, laterally to other peers and departments, or externally. Honesty should also prevail when communicating goals, expectations, decisions, feedback, or judgments to employees.
- Refrain from Doing Harm. Whether communicating on a corporate or an individual level, the communication should make every effort to cause no harm. For instance, tobacco companies are required to communicate that the practice of consuming their products may lead to physical conditions like emphysema, lung cancer and other illnesses. A company who is aware of a danger and does not communicate it would be breaking this rule of ethical communication.
- Fairness to all Stakeholders. When communicating internally or externally, the organization should attempt to be fair to its employees, customers, and community.
* If a manager were to exert inappropriate control over employees, stockholders or customers, this would be a violation of this standard. Price fixing, bribery, and insider trading are examples of behaviors and communications that are exerting unfairness to stakeholders. - Be an Active Listener, Refrain from Speaking Judgmentally, and Strive to Understand. Listening and understanding the message are important for effective communication.
* The listener must not only listen but think and strive to fully understand what is being said before responding. While asking for clarification or confirmation of a point is fine, many times questions
that listeners pose have already been answered.
* Conflicts usually result from unethical, judgmental, accusatory and overly critical comments that become catalysts for communication breakdowns.
PRINCIPLES OF ETHICAL BUSINESS COMMUNICATION
- Avoid A Negative Tone. Tone is critical to communication. There are people who are particular to paralanguage or tone of the voice.
* Ethical communication assumes that the speaker will avoid rudeness, be polite, professional, and tactful. The ethical communicator knows that it is not only important what you say, but how you say it. - Do Not Interrupt Others. Allowing others to speak is important for civil, effective working environment. Interrupting others results in misunderstandings, conflicts and problems that hinder workforce and corporate progress. Interrupting others is not only disrespectful and unethical but does not allow listeners to fully understand the message that results in wrong assumptions and actions.
- Speak from Your Own Experience. Bringing your personal work experience or best work practices into a dialogue with business listeners is important, providing backup for your arguments with something more tangible that paints a complete picture for your audience and helps to prove your points for a better understanding of what is being discussed; however, manage your own personal boundaries: share only what you are comfortable sharing.
- Avoid Speaking for Others. Characterizing what others
have said without checking your understanding, or by
universalizing your opinions, beliefs, values, and
PRINCIPLES OF ETHICAL BUSINESS COMMUNICATION
- Consider Appropriate Communication Channel. You risk losing an audience if you use a communication channel that is not preferred by your intended receiver. To effectively communicate with your listeners, use the most preferred communication channel, whether that be face-to-face, email, conference call, phone call, messenger app, etc. and preferred method of presentation for that business, whether it be graphs, slides, PowerPoint presentations, etc.
- Consideration for Any Potential Roadblocks. When communicating with another party, truly ethical communication entails considering any potential factor that may influence how the recipient understands the information that is being communicated.
- These factors or roadblocks maybe:
a) Language Fluency, Language Use and Jargons. It takes into account the level of fluency as well as language spoken for messages or information to be fully understood. Use a common language that all involved communicators understand. Every field or industry has its own jargon. When speaking to a non-specialist, it is ethical to speak with simple, easy-to-understand words, while avoiding the use of heavy jargon, resulting in portions of the presentation or communication being incomprehensible to an audience.
b) Accessibility to Technology. In this information and digital age, some take accessibility to advanced technology for granted. For instance, while smartphones are readily available, and translation apps are abundant, not everyone is able to access such applications or platforms or has the ability to access certain technology -and know how to use certain applications.
c) Knowing One’s Audience: Being an effective communicator means knowing your audience in order to communicate in the way that he/she will understand the best. Know the language, profession, and others so that you can adjust your presentation or communication to audience.
d) Choosing the Right Place/Time: Speaking about a particular topic in a business often requires choosing the most pertinent and
appropriate time and place in order for the message to be most effective. This requires knowing the recipients along with utilizing strategy and planning
PRINCIPLES OF ETHICAL BUSINESS COMMUNICATION
- Respect Privacy and Confidentiality. Most businesses have code of ethics defining what is appropriate when it comes to honoring client and employee confidentiality and privacy. This can have a wide range of implications, including minimizing workplace gossip and conversations about the private lives of clients and/or personnel.
- REPUBLIC ACT NO. 10173 also known as the Data Privacy Act of 2012 has been passed to protect the fundamental human right of privacy, of communication while ensuring free flow of information to promote innovation and growth. The State recognizes the vital role of information and communications technology in nation-building and its inherent obligation to ensure that personal information in information and communications systems in the government and in the private sector are secured and protected (Republic of the Philippines, 2012).
- Accept Responsibility and Accountability. Words do not only build but also destroy a person or an organization. A core element within the framework of ethical communication is being responsible and
accountable to one’s words and actions whether it be good or bad. Owning one’s words reinforces the importance of being conscientious about ethical communication.
PRINCIPLES OF ETHICAL BUSINESS COMMUNICATION
A. Posting
- Don’t post non-factual information on the Internet, and if you do, promptly correct errors.
- Don’t post questionable information anonymously.
- Be careful about sharing proprietary information like secret formulas, processes, methods used in production, etc. - information thatviolates patient confidentiality or attorney-client privilege.
BEING ETHICAL ONLINE
B. Using Materials from the Internet
- Check the credibility of the information you get from the Internet.
- Don’t use and own the information, posted by someone else, you obtain from the Internet.
BEING ETHICAL ONLINE
