Group Interaction Strategies

Group Interaction Strategies

One of the most important elements of success of an organization is communication. Communication allows people from every part of the globe to come together and work toward a common goal. Communication is essential to an organizations success and because of this, it is important to have various communication methods. People will respond to communication methods differently, what works on one person will not necessarily work on another. Management must have an understanding of the people within the organization, without this knowledge, the ability to communicate effectively will be hampered. Some of the things that must be taken into consideration concerning communication include different age groups, ethnicities, gender differences, non-native English speakers, people with disabilities and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) specifics, and expatriates. Management that has a working knowledge of how to communicate with these different groups will have a decided advantage.

Different Age Groups

Communication styles have changed through the generations. In years past, it was common for people to visit each other at their homes or to call on the telephone; later generations e-mailed one another, and still later generations text message or Facebook one another to keep in touch. If management knows what age groups are working within its organization helps to determine what type of communication strategies to use. For instance, instead of having the mentality of this is how it is going to be done or go somewhere else, there is instead a consideration of the different styles of communication within the different generations, a better work environment will be had by all (Schied, 2010). It is important to know the different generation groups. These consist of Traditionalists or those born before 1945, Baby Boomers or those born between 1946 and 1964, Gen Xers, or those born between 165 and 1982, and Millennials, or those born between 1983 and 2000 (Schied, 2010). While Traditionalists may prefer a face-to-face conversation, a Millennial prefers a quick text message or email. Baby Boomers prefer a phone call while Gen Xers prefer an email. Knowing these subtle differences can help an organizations management to communicate effectively with all age groups.

Gender Differences

Gender differences are sometimes a major issue in many organizations. Many times there are instance where one party may feel that communication from another party is offensive and inappropriate, while the party saying those things has no clue that he or she is offending anyone. Understanding the different communicating styles of men and women is essential to success. Lieberman (n.d.) stated, "The first step to creating equality is understanding the different strengths and styles that different genders bring to the work table" (para. 1). When dealing with tasks, women tend to be more relationship-oriented, while men tend to be more task-oriented (Lieberman, n.d.). Knowing this may help management to understand why female workers may feel that they are being shunned when trying to get to know their male counterparts and why males may feel that female counterparts are procrastinating and not focusing on the task. Avoiding gender-specific comments will also help to lessen the chance that one group may feel targeted or that they do not have the same opportunities afforded to the other gender.

Non-native English Speakers

When communicating with non-native English speakers, it is important to remember that English is not