According to Stephen P. Borgatti there are major trends which have changed the organizational environment. These five organizational trends influence workplace of the 21st century. These trends also have an effect on workplace communication.
GLOBA
LISATION: in its literal sense is the process of making, transformation of some things or phenomena into global ones. It can be described as a process by which the people of the world are unified into a single society and function together. This process is a combination of economic, technological, sociocultural and political forces. Advent in the communication technology has contributed to the globalization to a great extend. Today companies are able to carry on the business all over the world due to the increase use of communication technologies such as internet and cell phones. Effective communication has made this world a “borderless world”. E.g.: coca cola
DIVERSITY: Globalization has led to the diversity in most of the organizations. In the present scenario as most of the companies operate in different social and cultural background it is necessary for these organizations to follow good communication strategy as they will have to communicate with people from different cultural background having different values, believes, practices etc. The workforce of a company is getting more heterogeneous sexually, racially, culturally, and individually. Though, this is a desired development, organizations also face challenges through this increased diversity. It can be both a source of innovation and a source of conflict and communication problems. E.g.: Google.
FLEXIBILITY: organizations should be flexible to survive in this changing environment. They should be able to adopt themselves to the changing environment. Flexible organizations are the ones in which organization systems, processes, and people are able to respond differently to different situations. By being flexible, the corporations have fewer detailed rules, greater autonomy, and special job schedules. The work environment is very flexible in most of the companies today and this motivates them to perform better. Thus, employees within organizations have greater autonomy. Diversity, as mentioned above is another reason for making the work place flexible as people from different environment and with different ideas and thoughts work together under one roof. E.g.: Wipro
FLAT: The structural hierarchies in most of the organizations are disappearing. This means better communication within the organization due to the decrease of middle and lower level managers. This also reduces the communication cost within the organization. The flat structure in organizations also contribute to the better communication between management and workers, less bureaucracy, easier decision-making and better team work. With the help of flat organization structure the decision making process mostly involves most of the employees. Every employee’s feedback as well as opinion is taken into consideration. Due to this kind of structure employees and the top management interact on regular basis and there is a very understanding bonding that takes place in the organization. E.g.: The Hindu Opportunities.
NETWORKING: In the world of computers, networking is the practice of linking two or more computing devices together for the purpose of sharing data. Networks are built with a mix of computer hardware and computer software. Networking is adopted by the organizations for easy data sharing and it also helps in equal distribution of information. Exchanging information is a key benefit of networking. Other members of the network gain useful information which they may not have had access to. Sharing information also helps to decrease the duplication of services, either in the same geographical area or in targeting the same group. Many companies are organizing themselves in cross-unit teams, exploiting the strengths of different units working together. Furthermore, opportunities arose in the areas of outsourcing, off-shoring, and the resulting downsizing. This new trends help organizations to decrease their costs. E.g.: IBM
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE: in my MBA class at PES, Bangalore there are lots of students from other states and even from other countries. That’s when I realized the importance of 21st century communication trends as I had to socialize with people from different geographical area having different values and perceptions. I had to adopt myself to different cultural believes and thought processes whenever I was involved in group work with them.
RELATED LINKS:
http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/jobs/0205/05290001.htm
http://tilz.tearfund.org/Publications/Footsteps+41-50/Footsteps+44/Networking+organisations.htm
http://www.andalucia.com/spain/business/networking.htm
GLOBA
LISATION: in its literal sense is the process of making, transformation of some things or phenomena into global ones. It can be described as a process by which the people of the world are unified into a single society and function together. This process is a combination of economic, technological, sociocultural and political forces. Advent in the communication technology has contributed to the globalization to a great extend. Today companies are able to carry on the business all over the world due to the increase use of communication technologies such as internet and cell phones. Effective communication has made this world a “borderless world”. E.g.: coca colaDIVERSITY: Globalization has led to the diversity in most of the organizations. In the present scenario as most of the companies operate in different social and cultural background it is necessary for these organizations to follow good communication strategy as they will have to communicate with people from different cultural background having different values, believes, practices etc. The workforce of a company is getting more heterogeneous sexually, racially, culturally, and individually. Though, this is a desired development, organizations also face challenges through this increased diversity. It can be both a source of innovation and a source of conflict and communication problems. E.g.: Google.
FLEXIBILITY: organizations should be flexible to survive in this changing environment. They should be able to adopt themselves to the changing environment. Flexible organizations are the ones in which organization systems, processes, and people are able to respond differently to different situations. By being flexible, the corporations have fewer detailed rules, greater autonomy, and special job schedules. The work environment is very flexible in most of the companies today and this motivates them to perform better. Thus, employees within organizations have greater autonomy. Diversity, as mentioned above is another reason for making the work place flexible as people from different environment and with different ideas and thoughts work together under one roof. E.g.: Wipro
FLAT: The structural hierarchies in most of the organizations are disappearing. This means better communication within the organization due to the decrease of middle and lower level managers. This also reduces the communication cost within the organization. The flat structure in organizations also contribute to the better communication between management and workers, less bureaucracy, easier decision-making and better team work. With the help of flat organization structure the decision making process mostly involves most of the employees. Every employee’s feedback as well as opinion is taken into consideration. Due to this kind of structure employees and the top management interact on regular basis and there is a very understanding bonding that takes place in the organization. E.g.: The Hindu Opportunities.
NETWORKING: In the world of computers, networking is the practice of linking two or more computing devices together for the purpose of sharing data. Networks are built with a mix of computer hardware and computer software. Networking is adopted by the organizations for easy data sharing and it also helps in equal distribution of information. Exchanging information is a key benefit of networking. Other members of the network gain useful information which they may not have had access to. Sharing information also helps to decrease the duplication of services, either in the same geographical area or in targeting the same group. Many companies are organizing themselves in cross-unit teams, exploiting the strengths of different units working together. Furthermore, opportunities arose in the areas of outsourcing, off-shoring, and the resulting downsizing. This new trends help organizations to decrease their costs. E.g.: IBM
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE: in my MBA class at PES, Bangalore there are lots of students from other states and even from other countries. That’s when I realized the importance of 21st century communication trends as I had to socialize with people from different geographical area having different values and perceptions. I had to adopt myself to different cultural believes and thought processes whenever I was involved in group work with them.
RELATED LINKS:
http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/jobs/0205/05290001.htm
http://tilz.tearfund.org/Publications/Footsteps+41-50/Footsteps+44/Networking+organisations.htm
http://www.andalucia.com/spain/business/networking.htm
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