Specifics of vertical communications
In any organization there is official etiquette , which regulates the behavior of employees and managers. Etiquette includes the following elements at different stages of work:
- behavior when applying for a job;
- behavior when introducing a new employee to the team;
- ethics of relations between management and subordinates;
- address between colleagues (on “you” or “you”);
- relations between men and women in the team;
- workplace organization standards;
- behavior in conflicts;
- ethical details when criticizing employees.
The ethics of relations between management and subordinates is included in the general scheme of etiquette in the organization. The specificity of this point is that in communication between the manager and subordinates, two options are possible:
- interpersonal communication (one-on-one);
- communication one and several (one manager and several subordinates).
Note 1
When interacting between managers and subordinates, it is important to understand the principle of communication of this type. It is a process of exchanging information that leads to mutual understanding. The success of communication is determined by the presence and quality of feedback from subordinates.
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For feedback to be effective, it is necessary that the organization has already established methods of feedback (the possibility of a personal conversation, a meeting of working groups, mail, calls). Also, quality feedback is determined by the attention that the manager pays to his subordinates. Sometimes feedback signals can be subtle. It must be remembered that communication with superiors is more difficult for people than with people of the same level of hierarchy.
Ethics of business relationships horizontally: colleagues and partners
The fundamental psychological complexity of communication between colleagues within a team is competition.
The social conditions of the business environment are specific: firstly, they are based on social roles, and secondly, they are based on hierarchy and the desire of people to occupy a higher status and grow not only professionally, but also to rise on the career ladder. Therefore, the fundamental psychological difficulty of communication between colleagues within a team is competition. To make it an effective mechanism that supports the entire socio-psychological model is in the hands of not only the top manager, but also the team members themselves: it is enough to be not only competitors, but also employees, colleagues performing a single task.
Relationships are built similarly between partners, top managers, representatives of various organizations and companies, which, being rivals, must maintain business and working contacts not only among themselves, but primarily between companies and teams.
- Separation of rights and responsibilities. Sharing of responsibilities. Equal partners usually do something similar at the first stage, establishing the framework for cooperation. In a team, if the manager divided the responsibilities inaccurately or provided independence in this matter, it is necessary to define the scope of responsibilities and clearly divide the lines of responsibility with all colleagues.
- Equality. No team member or partner has the right to demand special or special treatment.
- Devotion. Identification of oneself as part of a company or team. It is important to demonstrate unity in front of representatives of other teams or departments. If one person is needed for delegation, then he must represent the entire team profitably and responsibly.
- The ability to admit mistakes and correct them. The ability to make only real promises and always keep them. The respect of the team is earned by an open position and a professional approach to solving business issues.
- Constructive criticism. Colleagues have the right to criticism, however, as in the situation with a manager, it must be fair, gentle, evidence-based, and professional.
- Be, not seem to be. Presentation is an important communication skill in the modern world, but even today, truthfulness, sincerity and openness are valued much higher than external, false gloss.
- Friendliness and respect. They can be expressed both in small things and nuances: external manifestations of sympathy, calling by name and “you”, and in general: impartiality, absence of prejudices, non-participation in quarrels, gossip.
None of these requirements violate or conflict with possible competition; on the contrary, they will contribute to its health and cleanliness.
The ethics of business communication is based on psychology and other humanities. Knowledge of the nature of the human personality and society allows us not only to apply etiquette rules and follow norms, but also to build in effective, agile, mobile models of behavior that can be adjusted to the individual characteristics of the team and its always unique representatives.
Principles of communication between management and subordinates
Compliance with a number of rules in communication between employees of an organization helps to improve the atmosphere in the team and increase work efficiency. The approach to communication with subordinates is based on humanism, politeness, respect, goodwill, and attention.
Basic rules for communicating with subordinates:
- Conduct an introductory conversation (for new employees). The initiative for such conversations lies with management; the employee is explained the tasks and told about the organization.
- During ongoing communication and solving work problems, the manager must control himself and avoid excessive familiarity or excessive severity . It must be remembered that subordinates are not only performers of functions, but also individuals with their own interests, goals, and opinions. It is necessary to show respect to subordinates.
- The behavior of management is reflected in the organizational culture. Often subordinates unconsciously adopt the habits of management, so the overall level of culture in the organization depends on their ethics and correctness.
- Greetings and calling “you” are one of the tools for showing respect to subordinates.
- When talking with employees, you should not look through unnecessary papers, talk on the phone for a long time, or drum your fingers on the table .
- The manager must react if the employee does not comply with the order. If a manager ignores the behavior of a subordinate, it is considered unethical.
- Criticism of subordinates should be objective, constructive , and not transfer to the personality of the subordinate.
- Comments must be ethical. It is necessary to ask the employee himself to explain the reason for not completing the task; this helps to identify previously unknown information.
- Communication should concern work issues ; advice in personal matters is not welcome.
- The manager should not let his subordinates understand that he does not fully control the situation. This can cause you to lose the respect of your employees.
- The principle of fairness must be observed: the greater the success of employees and their contribution to achieving goals, the higher the reward.
- A leader must trust his subordinates and be able to admit mistakes. Concealing mistakes indicates weak leadership and dishonest behavior.
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Compliance with these rules allows you to maintain a certain distance between management and employees, but not move away too much so as not to lose control. It is necessary to maintain distance; distance shows the real distribution of rights and responsibilities of workers. It keeps employees from establishing overly familiar, “family” relationships, as they reduce work efficiency.
Etiquette and ethics in business communication
When considering three models of interaction: top-down, bottom-up and horizontal, one must also keep in mind knowledge about hierarchy and subordination. However, it is important to see the differences: subordination is a purely business term that is used to describe etiquette norms and rules, and the concept of interaction models is used within the framework of psychological science and ethics.
Since the time of Machiavelli, an idea about politics has been formed, and then a stereotype about the business sphere has been strengthened: these areas of human life are not guided by ethics. Morals and values in both politics and business only hinder careers, and business people can do without ethical maxims and taboos. However, modern philosophers, sociologists and psychologists are not ready to abandon the basic ethical maxim formulated by Confucius: “Do not do to others what you would not wish for yourself.”
What a surprise! Similar ethical guidelines are close to Western philosophers and scientists: Kant, Hegel, Jung... I. Kant’s saying: “Act in such a way that the maxim of your will can always also have the force of the principle of universal legislation” can be formulated in relation to business communication as follows: “Act so that the maxim of your will corresponds to the values of other people and serves to coordinate the interests of all interested parties.”
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Real practice in the business sphere also cannot do without ethics: business representatives communicate more effectively if they are confident in the decency and morality of their colleagues and partners, and when recruiting employees, everyone tries to find reliable, worthy and honest ones.
What are the basics of business communication?
In the process of business communication, interlocutors can exchange information in order to solve a specific problem. The main feature of this type of communication is the importance of the subject, which implies mutual respect and the need to observe business etiquette throughout the conversation. This may require knowledge of the traditions and cultural characteristics of the interlocutors if business is conducted between different countries. All this is necessary to ensure productive and effective cooperation.
The basics of business communication consider not only negotiations, but also other communications conducted with the aim of transferring experience or preliminary assessment of the business qualities of possible partners.
Business communication itself consists of several stages:
- Establishing contact.
- Designation of the situation.
- Collaborative discussions.
- Solving assigned tasks.
- Ending the contact.
As a rule, the main goal of business communication is outside the interaction of subjects.
Any communication consists of several processes:
- social perception - understanding the interlocutor;
- communications - exchange of information;
- interaction - exchange of actions.
In business communication, all three processes will be strictly regulated according to the rules and regulations of the selected type. Communication is considered especially important, since the wrong word can cause you to lose your partner. However, perception and interaction can play a significant role throughout the conversation.
The concept of business communication includes not only interactions between business partners. A “superior-subordinate” relationship is also possible.
Business communication can be called a kind of art. A huge role is played by intonation, facial expressions, the general structure of the conversation, the correct placement of emphasis on the personality of the interlocutor and the matter under discussion.
