Smart Communication: The Key to Managing Your New Age Business

Smart Communication: The Key to Managing Your New Age Business 27

Smart Communication:

The Key to Managing Your New Age Business

The great management guru Peter Drucker once said, "Business

communication is all about understanding what has not been said." His

statement explicitly covers the essence of communicating in an

organizational setting. In business communication, it is not only important

to express effectively what is known, but also what is under wraps. With

growing business complexities, achieving success in today's workplace

is closely tied to the ability of employees and managers to communicate

effectively with each other and with people outside the organization.

Communication in modern day workplace is all about being smart with

your words, and organizations are constantly on the lookout for people

who are masters of this art, since the value it adds to the organization is

immense. The following article is an attempt to throw light on those striking

issues and trends that are revolutionizing business communication for

the Internet generation, the major among them being: advances in

technology, globalization, an increasing culturally diverse workforce and

the adoption of team-based organizational structures. The future of

business communication rests on them as all these trends are here to stay

for long.

© 2010 IUP. All Rights Reserved.

Garima Bardia*

* Research Scholar, Faculty of Management Studies, University of Rajasthan, Jaipur, India.

and Visiting Faculty, R. A. Podar Institute of Management & Bhavan's College of Communication &

Management, Jaipur, India. E-mail: garima.bardia@gmail.com

Introduction

The dawn of the new millennium has ushered in a new era of development and growth

for the generation. Never before has the world been looked upon as a 'Global Village'

in the real sense. Though, literally speaking, countries are still miles apart, the way

in which the surge of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) has removed

many of these gaps is simply staggering. This technology revolution has not only made

our lives easier but has also made our workplace much better. The corporate offices

of today are going 'paperless', 'green' and more technology-friendly with each day. Not

only this, the current workforce comprises people of varied color, creed, race and

cultures, making the businesses truly global.

However, every new transformation brings with it a number of risks, uncertainties

and doubts. Today, the organizations are constantly on the lookout for that magic formula

28 The IUP Journal of Soft Skills, Vol. IV, No. 4, 2010

that can ensure success and growth in these turbulent times. Besides monitoring the

basic rules of the game, i.e., strengthening the 4 P's, these are also vital ingredients

that are to be added to this recipe for success for any organization. However, the

seasoning that makes the dish stand apart from others is provided by such tools as

soft skills and people skills that are often overlooked by majority. In the challenging

business environment of today, communicating in an effective, yet proper manner

following business decorum becomes extremely important. With the rules of business

undergoing a major upheaval, the importance of smart and effective business

communication is being felt more than ever before.

The question that pops up in mind at this point is: Why is communication so

important in business? Why can't businesses just concentrate on recruiting, developing

and retaining skilled people who know how to do their job well? Well, the answer

lies in the question itself. Smart communication is essential because businesses are made

of people. Even when two people are working together on a common task, the outcome

depends largely on how compatible they are and how well they are able to express

themselves effectively to the other person. In a business organization, where so

many people work together to achieve the organizational goals, the importance of

communication and its effectiveness cannot be understated. As Robert Kent, former Dean

of Harvard Business School, has said, "In business, communication is everything." In

an organizational setting, there are different kinds of communication--between people

at the same level, between superiors-subordinates, with clients, suppliers and other

external agencies, etc. Therefore, this aspect, i.e., handling so many networking

requirements of a business, needs to be carefully dealt with. No business can think

of sustaining in the long run if it does not ensure that the soft skills of its workforce

are highly developed.

However,