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COMMUNICATION AND COMPETENCIES

IN THE MANAGERIAL PROCESS

E. CMPEANU-SONEA1, A. SONEA2
Babe-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, eugeniasonea@yahoo.com
2 Petru Maior University, Trgu-Mure, adriansonea@yahoo.com

ABSTRACT
The authors present a few considerations on the
communications role in the organization, in order to
improve collaboration, competence, creativity and conflict
control for increasing the quality of service to the consumer.
The link communication-competence-creativity involves
integration processes in the organization, motivation,
career development and conflict resolution, good
relationships with the internal and the external customer of
the company.
The findings are based on case studies conducted in firms
having various fields of activity and located in Central and
Northern Transylvania.

Starting from a general classification of organizational


communications
forms
(internal
communication,
respectively, external to the company), in the present
paper we analyzed several issues raised by the
communication process in the activity of 15 companies
from Central and Northern Transylvania, on which we
conducted case studies on this subject. The case studies
were developed by masters degree students during their
practice for developing dissertations, over a period of 4
years (2009-2012).
The studies were based on interviews with the firms
employees and managers, but also on the information
provided by the students involved in the research, who
were also engaged in the lower levels of hierarchy, as
managers or employers.
In all these cases, the role of organizational culture was
crucial for the quality and the specific of communication
process, but the latter proved to be, in fact, a way to
develop and change a company culture.

the possibility of knowing in detail the key and specific


issues of communication process, based on the interest
shown by companies management and, therefore, the
possibility of conducting the analysis.
Among the 15 surveyed companies we had:
3 credit companies from Cluj County;
an insurance company and a real estate agency, both
set up in Cluj-Napoca;
two construction and equipment companies, one
operating in Slaj county and the other in BistriaNsud county;
a company manufacturing and marketing construction
equipment, with activity in the county of Cluj;
a company producing workwear, in Maramure County;
a hypermarket in Cluj County;
a company distributing imported alcoholic beverages,
coffee and energy drinks, on the Northwestern
Romanian market;
an agency from Cluj-Napoca of a U.S. cosmetics
company;
a mobile phone company set up in Baia Mare;
an IT company producing software, having a small
group of associates;
a large transport company resulted from a merger.
Research was conducted on a set of questions addressed
to employees, company management and/or employers. In
some cases, we were able to get responses from
employees at different hierarchical levels, in other cases
we had interviews with the organization management
or/and with employers.
In all the cases we were interested to determine to what
extent the manager - employee relationship is based on
appropriate training and motivation, which can determine a
good relationship with companys service consumers.
Because of communications importance in attracting and
retaining customers, we started with the hypothesis that it
plays a key role in the efficiency of organization.
Communication depends on organizational culture, but it is
also a way of training, developing and changing it
(Pnioar, 2004).

2. Investigated cases and working tools

3. Aspects pursued in the studied companies

We examined mostly cases of service providing


organizations because we considered communication and
relationship with the customer as being issues of particular
importance. Also, we examined several cases of
production units that had a close cooperation with service
units. Cases were chosen on a purely subjective criterion:

The main issues investigated through questions were


related to:
internal communication of organization, i.e. between
manager and employees, from one employee to
another, communication between firms management
and trade unions;

Key Words
internal communication, external communication, conflict
management, competence and creativity, relationship with
the client.

1. Introduction

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quality of service offered to customer;


respecting the psychological contract with employees;
management style used in the organization.
We considered the concept of psychological contract which
is defined as individual beliefs, shaped by the organization,
regarding terms of exchange agreement between
individuals and their organizational goals (Rousseau et al,
2001, p.171-180).
Psychological contract breach may be:
involuntary, when company management is able and
willing to respect the contract, but there are differing
interpretations made in good faith;
temporary suspension, when company management is
willing, but unable to meet the contractual obligations,
out of subjective or objective reasons;
abuse (refusal), if the owner or company management
is able, but does not intend to honor the contract.

external communication of organization, i.e. between


service provider and client, between company
representatives and business partners (suppliers,
creditors, investors), between the company and the
political, legal, administrative, social factors.
We designed our research hypothesis following previous
studies. Thus, we believe that external communication
the most important one dealing with the consumer of the
service depends decisively on how the internal process
of communication, motivation and training of company
personnel is organized. Figure 1 presents our view on the
relationships created in the communication process.
Issues pursued about the internal communication refer to:
communication in the operation process, i.e. the
process of performance;
integration into organization, involving communication
between employees and company management;
training and professional development for competence
and good relationship with the client;
motivation for raising the competence and creativity in
relation with the client;
management of internal conflicts and relationships with
professional organizations (unions).
LEGISLATION

STATES
ADMINISTRATION

4. Issues raised by the studied cases


In the cases we investigated, we met tensions due to
dissatisfaction of some employees, but also situations
where some employers were concerned because they had
failed to honor the promises made to employees.
Also, in five cases out of 15, people from company
management create problems and dissatisfactions to the
employees because of an authoritarian style, a tactless
and/or subjective way they control, criticize and evaluate
results. All this are reflected in the quality of services and in
the relationships between service providers and customers.
The loan companies taken into study here, but also in
previous researches, give a serious importance to
customer relationships, behavior of front-office employees,
as well as to customer information and advising, in order to
get their confidence and maintain good relationships.
Professional development, stimulating employees
competence and creativity are oriented towards customers
manipulation, instead of accurate information and
establishing mutually beneficial contracts. The same
happens to other service providing organizations
(insurance, telecommunications, trade and distribution,
construction).
There is also a true fortress created between service
providers and clients, defended by bureaucracy,
incompetence and incorrect customer information.
Therefore, the customers have to document themselves,
through their own sources, on how they can prove the
negligent work of employees which harmfully affects them
or how they can neutralize the barriers of communication
between different levels of hierarchical structure in firms.
There is a lack of stimulation for employees creativity
which could have contributed to the efficiency of business
through quality and productivity. Also the lack of care for
customer is not sanctioned accordingly.
Conflict management covers issues at different levels and
different times. In our cases, there is all over a concern for
conflict control, but the approaches do not always lead
towards a satisfactory result for those involved.
Concern for quality of service does not occur consistently,
through a continued monitoring of customer satisfaction

POLITICAL
LEADERSHIP

COMPANY'S
HUMAN RESOURCES
TOP MANAGEMENT
CREDITORS
CLIENTS
SUPPLIERS

COMPETITORS

MANAGERS
Collaboration
EXECUTANTS
Reports Decisions
Collaboration

TRADE UNIONS

Fig. 1. Formal and informal relationships in the process of


managerial communication
Source: E. Cmpeanu-Sonea; A. Sonea, 2011, p. 123.
On external communication, questions investigate the
extent of:
knowledge of customer needs;
honesty and civilized behavior towards the client;
mutually beneficial relationships are followed in
negotiation with business partners;
improving performance together with the customer;
prompt response to requests and complaints;
accurate informing and honoring obligations in
conditions of good cooperation with all external
partners.
Of the above questions, operational communication and
integration in the organization are reflected in:

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efforts to improve working conditions and boost


flexibility and adaptability;
expertise in negotiating and seeking the perfect
negotiator according to partners style;
integrative (win-win) negotiation, for mutually
beneficial results and long-term relationships with
business partners (Prutianu, 2000b);
appropriate negotiation strategies or mediation in case
of special problems;
honesty should not be confused with the lack of tact,
when dealing with partners, collaborators or customers;
establishment and enforcement of sanctions for
damages out of incompetence or misconduct in office;
fostering creativity for finding solutions, in order to
increase operability of services and to support
customers with problems;
mending the products and giving compensation for loss
to employees, partners or customers.

and for an improvement of service through knowledge and


use of customer opinion.
There are cases of misconduct and neglect, and new,
inexperienced employees are not properly monitored and
trained. For example, the failure of a bank's computer
system did not create problems for a long time because it
was neutralized by the experience of senior operators.
When an inexperienced operator used that part of the
system, this damaged some customers, but the company
management tried to deceive them instead of remedying
the fault and compensating the customers.
Because of an exaggerated concern for the security of
company resources, there is a low concern for efficient
resolution of customers issues. For example, a family who
lost their documents and cash left one bank for another,
which issued money from account, in a safe and
expeditious manner, although the credit cards were stolen.
The negotiation between employer and employees,
undertaken in order to determine due rights, or settle cases
of misconduct or lack of fairness, mostly favors the
management, to the detriment of clients and of employees
that lower in hierarchy.
When negotiating with foreign partners, there is a concern
for increased specialization and competence, as well as for
using appropriate styles, for improving techniques and
tactics. The effort is directed towards achieving favorable
contracts for their own business, but still they work too little
for a proper preparation of negotiation, i.e. for collecting
information about partners and companies they represent.
In the case of the transport company which was derived by
merger, main conflicts are of the companies that have
merged and have difficulties to adapt to a new situation.
Also, the existence of trade unions is tolerated with
difficulty or deemed undesirable for large companies,
which is totally undemocratic.

6. Conclusions
Internal communication, well organized and with properly
trained and motivated people, plays a key role for a good
relationship with the external client. Customer satisfaction
favors the company, allowing the existence of regular
customers and attracting new ones (Hiebeler et al, 1998).
Analyzed cases have clearly showed the crucial role of top
management in the training and motivation of company
personnel, for the benefit of internal communication. There
are some clear rules under which the firm must have an
attitude of customer assistance in case of complaints.
That is to carefully listen the customer, to find out precisely
what is its discontent and to find the best way to
compensate it, materially or morally (Rees, 1996).
Sometimes an assisted customer can be turned into a
loyal one in cases when the company was wrong, because
of the way that company acted to repair its fault (Prutianu,
2000a).
Also, customer complaints can act as an external audit,
necessary to assess the health of firm, financially and
organizationally. Customer complaints provide an objective
opinion on the companys situation, they indicate the
direction the company should follow and how it can reach
its goals (Clarke, 2002).
One unhappy customer discourages, on average, another
50 potential customers (Johns, 1997). Clear criteria for
assessing the quality simplify or even solve the problems
of communication between employees, business partners
and with the user of services.
Finally, the prerequisites for improving the situation are,
inter alia, competence of personnel in this regard,
understanding the importance of permanent relationships
with clients and continuous learning from previous
mistakes (Cmpeanu - Sonea & Sonea, 2005), but also the
constant adaptation to the market, not only in terms of
products diversity and quality, but also as the attitude
towards client is concerned (Cmpeanu - Sonea & Sonea,
2011).

5. Solutions that can be adopted


In all investigated cases, it was proven that a proper
attitude of the management towards internal customer
(employee), determines a good relationship with external
customer. Also, an internal lack of uprightness (neglect or
authoritarianism) keeps the customers away and harms the
companys image.
Some possible remedies are:
accurate and clear job description and role profile in
the organization, thus describing the tasks to be
performed by each employee and their position in the
organizational structure;
a set of clear disciplinary measures, discussed with
trade union leaders;
a good knowledge of the law and a correct
implementation of it, both in relations with the
employees and with the external customers;
stimulation through wage and bonus pay, along with
promoting quality, efficiency and fairness;
evaluation and control on objective criteria, but also
admission of errors only to the extent that it stimulates
creativity;

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[6] Pnioar, I.O. (2004). Comunicarea eficient,


Bucharest, Romania: POLIROM.
[7] Prutianu, t. (2000a). Manual de comunicare i
negociere n afaceri, vol. I, Comunicarea, Iai, Romania:
POLIROM.
[8] Prutianu, t. (2000b). Manual de comunicare i
negociere n afaceri, vol. II, Negocierea, Iai, Romania:
POLIROM.
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[10] Roussseau, D.M., Conger, J.A., Dessler, G. (2001).
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I.M. Rubin (eds.), The Organizational Behavior Reader,
New Jersey: Prentice Hall Inc., 171-180.

References
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[2] Cmpeanu-Sonea, E., Sonea, A. (2005). Comunicare,
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[3] Clarke, L. (2002). The Essence of Change, Bucharest,
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[4] Hiebeler, R., Kelly, T. B., Ketteman, Ch., Andersen, A.
(1998). Cele mai bune practici, Bucharest, Romania:
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[5] Jones, T. (1997). Relaiile perfecte cu clienii, Bucharest,
Romania: NAIONAL.

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