Why control
function and emotional expression is important in organizational communication
In our previous
discussion, we got to know the essence of the informational and motivational functions in an organizational setting. I already disclosed that there are four
functions of organizational communication of which two have already been
discussed, we will look at the remaining two in this article.
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The aim is
for you to know how communication affects organizational functions and why
communication should effectively be used in the right way and at the right
time. Some organizations have collapsed today as a result of poor communication
between management and the employees as well. As a professional, you need to
know this. I always encourage students especially to master the art of
communication and know how communication is used in organizations. Every
profession you find yourself in has a group of people, structure, and common goal
which qualifies it to be an organization, hence you must know the functions of
organizational communication. Now let us consider that right away.
What we
discussed previously was the informational and motivational functions, this
time around, we will look at the emotional expression function and control
function. For those who are new to these terms, I know you are asking what role
emotional expression plays in an organization since professional conduct has nothing to do with emotions. Well, I used to be you but by the end of this
article, you will appreciate all the four organizational communication
functions.
Now, let
us begin with the control function. This is the communication function that
talks about rules and processes employees must follow in an organization. Every
organization has its rules and regulations which others refer to as a code of
conduct. And every member of the organization should abide
by those. Why control? Control is used here because without these laid down
principles and rules of conduct, some people may probably act waywardly in an
organization and so when the rules are set, it indirectly controls the conduct of
the employees.
You may
want to argue that how is this control function different from the informational function
since rules of conduct and other principles are all information provided to
employees. Well, you may have a point but I don’t think updates about changes
in the organization or appraisal for hardworking employees have any control
effect on you in the organization, right? But consider information that
states that employees are no longer reporting to work at 7 o’clock am but
rather 6 o’clock am, do you just receive such information and not do anything? Of
course, no! You are forced to report to work at exactly 6 o’clock and that is
the control function of this communication within the organization. Can you
guess of other examples? Yeah, so what I need you to know is that any communication
that outlines certain criteria of behavior accepted within an organization is
the control function of organizational communication.
Using this
function separately will instill some discipline in employees. There is a time
for everything and so when you tend to mix the time of informational
communication with control communication, you might be deviating as a leader of
an organization since your subjects may misinterpret the nature of whatever communication you release to them. Basically, and ideally, use the control function separately.
One other function
which is the last one I will discuss with my readers is the emotional expression
function and to me, it is the most underrated organizational function. Employees
are not giving their all, are not happy, and are not working up to expectations
because of this function some organizations seem to be undermined. This communicational
function is the one that allows employees or members to express themselves,
air their grievances, and interact with others.
Organizations
are not authoritarian firms, members must be able to voice out their problems,
their suggestions, and their grievances to the management. Employees should feel a
sense of belonging to a family, they should be seen as important players in the
organization and that is achievable with the emotional expression function.
From my
experience in my undergraduate days as a strategic communicator practitioner, one
thing I have learned is that, if the people within an association or group cannot
express themselves freely, there is no way they can approach the management if
something goes waywardly. Look, leaders of organizations must take this from me;
employees are not laborers and there should not be anything like laborers in this
21st century. Make them feel that they are part of the process. Give
them the chance to express themselves emotionally at certain times. Sometimes it
is out of this communication that an employee can freely bring out a problem he
or she has with the management and the necessary amendments be done right away.
I must say
that the emotional expression function is the most important of them all
because if people cannot express themselves freely because they are underpinned,
how would they be happy to follow rules from the control function, receive
updates from the informational function, and also be happy for others who are
praised through the motivational function of organizational communication. At
the end of the day, it all falls back to using all four functions for the effective growth of an organization. Communication is an important aspect in
every organization that should be well looked at. Employees need to know and
management within organizations also have to know.
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