Rlchard Pettlnger

BARRIERS AND BLOCKAGES

Barriers and blockages are features of organizational communication. The greater their extent and prevalence, the greater the potential for stress. There is thus a direct relationship between the effectiveness and quality of communications, and reduced stress levels. Barriers and blockages arise either by accident, negligence or design.

» Accident: this is where, with the best of intentions, the choice of language, timing or method of communication is wrong. In these cases, those involved will simply step back from the situation and rectify it as quickly as possible. This is the only sure remedy. Stress increases when organizations take on defensive positions and so simple misunderstandings quickly become major sources of dysfunction and stress.

» Negligence: this is where barriers and blockages are allowed to arise by default. Organizations and their managers perceive that things are not too bad or going along pretty well. In such cases, communication dysfunctions are seen as ‘‘one of those things. ’’ Specific problems are ignored or treated with a corporate shrug of the shoulders. From the staff point of view, these are the first signs of corporate malaise

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and neglect. If allowed to develop, the overwhelming perception on the part of the staff is that their managers and supervisors do not care for them or what happens to them.

» Design: this is where barriers and blockages are created and used by those within organizations to further their own ends. They may be used to bar the progress of others. In these cases, information becomes a commodity to be bought and sold, to be corrupted, skewed, and filtered in the pursuit of sectoral interest (see Chapter 9). If not carefully managed, this can become endemic throughout the middle to upper echelons of all public service institutions, multinational corporations, and other multisite organizations with large and complex systems, hierarchies, and procedures.

9.