Chapter 17 · Barriers to Communication in Business
Why business messages break down, the costs of ineffective communication and how organisations can remove the obstacles.
Learning objectives
- Understand how communication barriers arise.
- Understand the problems of ineffective communication.
- Understand how communication barriers can be removed.
Barriers to Communication
Communication barriers are obstacles that prevent effective communication between a sender and a receiver. A message is only successful if the receiver understands what was intended. Confusion, delay or failure to pass on information can cause costly mistakes, dissatisfied customers and poor working relationships.
ParapowerCorp, a fictional electricity supplier in this illustrative example, was criticised in 2015 for unanswered emails, long telephone waits, poorly informed customer-service workers and rude responses. The case illustrates how several barriers can combine and damage customer loyalty.
Lack of Clarity
Unclear messages may be misunderstood or ignored. Instructions that are vague, incomplete or poorly expressed leave the receiver guessing about what should happen. The sender should state what must be done, how, by whom and when.
A supervisor tells a sewing machinist to “clean up your act”. Does that mean work more carefully, keep the workstation tidy or improve punctuality? Clear instructions remove the ambiguity.
Technological Breakdown
Businesses increasingly rely on email, networks, websites and mobile phones. Internet failures, weak phone signals, malfunctioning equipment or a website crash can stop a message arriving or make communication unreliable. Cyberattacks can also interrupt communication systems. Firms therefore need reliable technology and alternatives when it fails.
Poor Communication Skills
Effective communication depends on both the sender and receiver. Common problems include:
- Poor verbal expression: limited vocabulary, speech that is difficult for the audience to follow or use of very informal language.
- Poor listening: impatience, lack of concentration, daydreaming or looking at a phone during meetings.
- Weak written communication: spelling and grammar mistakes, unnecessarily long reports or messages with missing details.
- Anger and threatening language: hostile messages may cause others to stop listening or delay responding.
The appropriate improvement depends on the weakness: more careful editing, active listening, professional tone or training.
Jargon
Jargon is specialised vocabulary used by people who belong to a particular profession, industry or group. It may be efficient when everyone understands the terms, but it confuses customers or new workers who do not. Replace unnecessary technical terms with plain language or explain them.
Telling a customer that an issue relates to “DNS propagation” may not help. Explaining that a website address update is still taking effect is easier for a non-technical customer.
Distractions
Noise, interruptions, stress and a lack of concentration can stop a person hearing or understanding instructions. Noisy factories and construction sites are examples of settings where instructions can be difficult to hear. Important safety messages should be delivered in a suitable setting, reinforced with clear written information where appropriate and checked for understanding.
Business Culture
A company may develop a culture where managers withhold information and employees hesitate to speak up. Workers may feel isolated, uncertain about future plans or suspicious of rumours. Such conditions encourage gossip, conflict and poor teamwork. Open, accurate communication helps to build trust.
Long Chain of Command
A chain of command is the route through which instructions and information pass in an organisation. Many management layers can slow a message down, distort it as it is passed between people and stop useful employee feedback reaching decision-makers. This problem may be especially serious in large organisations.
Using the Wrong Medium
A communication medium is the method used to send a message. Different situations require different media. A quick urgent request needs fast direct contact, while sensitive, detailed or legally important information may need a private conversation or a written record.
Need
- Urgent request for components
- Confidential staff matter
- Official job offer
- Standard information for many recipients
- Complex technical findings
Appropriate approach
- Telephone or other immediate direct contact
- Private meeting
- Written offer or letter
- Standard form
- Structured written report
A poor choice of medium may delay the message, fail to provide a necessary record or expose private information.
Different Countries, Languages and Cultures
Multinational organisations may operate across different languages, cultural expectations and time zones. People can misunderstand expressions or meeting etiquette; remote workers may not be available for immediate replies. Translation, sensitivity to local customs, clear scheduling and confirmation of understanding are helpful.
Business cultures differ in their expectations about informal conversation before meetings. Staff should understand these norms rather than assume that a different approach is wrong.
Remember: a message can face several barriers at once. For example, a safety instruction may be written unclearly, delivered in a noisy workplace and not checked through feedback.
The Problems of Ineffective Communications in Business
Ineffective communication may create financial, operational and human costs. Some consequences are immediate, such as sending the wrong order to a supplier; others build gradually, such as loss of employee motivation or poor relationships with customers.
- Lost sales and profits: customers may choose a different business when responses are rude, slow or confusing.
- Disrupted production: late or incorrect orders can cause essential supplies to arrive late.
- More errors and safety risks: employees who misunderstand instructions may damage goods or suffer injuries.
- Higher staff turnover and absenteeism: poor internal messages, rumours and uncertainty weaken morale.
- Conflict and resistance to change: staff may not understand management decisions or have a chance to express concerns.
- Legal and administrative costs: poor handling of sensitive employment communications can lead to disputes.
In agriculture, unclear instructions about operating quad bikes or other machinery can lead to serious accidents. Managers should use straightforward safety messages, practical demonstrations and checks for understanding.
Agricultural machinery and vehicles can create serious hazards. Clear safety instructions, demonstrations and feedback help workers understand the risks. Training and safe equipment are also essential.
Around 40 workers reportedly received text messages telling them that their shifts were cancelled. The wording was distressing and required employees to consult email for more details. Workers challenged the dismissals, and a court granted a temporary order. The example shows why sensitive employment decisions require careful, respectful and properly documented communication.
Effective internal communication can support employee engagement and coordination. However, business performance also depends on many factors beyond communication alone.
Check your understanding · Halfway
Try each question before opening the suggested answer.
What is a communication barrier?
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An obstacle that prevents effective communication between a sender and receiver, leading to an unclear, delayed or misunderstood message.
Explain why the instruction “clean up your act” may create problems in a clothing factory.
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It is vague. A worker may be unsure whether the supervisor means workplace tidiness, care, speed or behaviour. A specific instruction with feedback would reduce confusion.
Give two examples of technological breakdown as a barrier to communication.
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Examples include an internet outage preventing emails, a weak phone signal interrupting calls, or a website crash when many customers attempt to use it.
Why might using jargon cause difficulties with customers?
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Customers may not understand industry-specific terms, so they may misinterpret information or become frustrated. Plain language is more suitable.
Recommend a suitable method for communicating an urgent request for components and explain why.
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A telephone call or similarly direct real-time communication allows an immediate request and rapid feedback. A long report or letter could arrive too late.
Name two barriers that could occur in a noisy factory with several management levels.
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Distractions from machinery noise may prevent workers hearing messages, while a long chain of command can delay or distort instructions.
How Can Barriers to Communication Be Removed?
There is no single solution to every communication problem. Management should first identify why the message is being misunderstood or delayed, then choose a remedy appropriate to the people, the task and the organisation.
Recruitment
Employing staff with suitable written and spoken communication skills reduces the likelihood of misunderstandings. Applications can demonstrate writing skills; interviews can assess verbal clarity and listening. Some firms may use tests, particularly for customer-facing jobs. Recruitment alone is not enough: employees must still understand the organisation’s systems.
Training
Communication skills can be taught and practised. Training might cover professional telephone conversations, writing clear emails, presentations, active listening, language skills and conflict handling. New recruits also need induction into company communication procedures.
Written Communication
Standard letters, forms, templates and checklists help people give consistent, relevant information. They can reduce omissions, make instructions easier to understand and create written records. Businesses should still adapt standard messages to a recipient’s situation and avoid excessive jargon.
Technology
Faulty communication systems should be repaired, replaced or supported with reliable backup processes. Staff may need practical guidance on how to use messaging, online meetings, shared documents and other IT tools. Buying technology without training people to use it may create new barriers.
Chain of Command
Reducing unnecessary management layers can make communication faster and improve upward communication, enabling workers to contribute ideas and report problems. However, responsibility and accountability should remain clear when an organisation becomes flatter.
Social Events
Social events give employees from different teams the opportunity to know one another, build trust and improve informal communication. They are most effective as a complement to—not a replacement for—clear procedures and reliable formal channels.
Culture Change
A business with a culture of secrecy or poor communication needs management-led changes. Possible responses include making managers more accessible, creating opportunities for open discussion and removing unnecessary obstacles to communication. An open-door policy and honest information-sharing can encourage upward communication and reduce rumours.
Immediate improvements
- Clarify urgent instructions and check feedback.
- Use the right medium for each message.
- Repair systems and train employees.
- Introduce clear reports and templates.
Longer-term improvements
- Build trust through honest management communication.
- Develop a culture where employees can speak up.
- Shorten excessive reporting chains.
- Improve recruitment, induction and ongoing training.
Balanced judgement: training alone is unlikely to resolve persistent communication problems if workers do not trust management. Better skills, shorter reporting routes and a more open organisational culture are likely to work best together.
End-of-chapter questions
Try each question before opening the suggested answer.
State three reasons communication may be ineffective within an organisation.
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Examples include lack of clarity, technological breakdown, weak listening skills, jargon, distraction, poor business culture, a long chain of command, the wrong medium and language differences.
Distinguish between a poorly chosen communication medium and a technological breakdown.
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The wrong medium means an unsuitable method was selected even though it works. Technological breakdown means equipment, software or a network fails and interrupts communication.
Explain how unclear health and safety instructions can increase workplace risks.
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Workers may misunderstand how to operate equipment or fail to recognise hazards. Clear instructions, demonstrations and feedback can reduce errors and accidents.
Explain two ways poor communication could affect relations with customers.
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Customers may receive incorrect or delayed information and lose confidence; rude or confusing responses may lead them to switch to a competitor.
Why was an unexpected text message a poor way for Hutchison Ports to communicate job-loss information?
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Dismissal information is sensitive and significant. An impersonal text can appear disrespectful, leave workers uncertain and cause anger or disputes. A direct, private and documented process is more appropriate.
How could training reduce communication barriers in a customer call centre?
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Training can develop listening, clear language, telephone etiquette and appropriate responses to complaints, improving accuracy and customer experience.
Explain how written templates could help a business that receives incomplete customer orders.
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A standard form can require essential order details, reducing omissions, delays and disputes. It also creates a record that staff can check.
Analyse one benefit and one possible limitation of shortening the chain of command.
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Messages may travel faster and staff suggestions may reach decision-makers more directly. However, if responsibilities are not clear, a flatter structure could create confusion about who has authority.
Suggest how a multinational could reduce communication problems caused by languages and time zones.
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It could use plain and translated documents, confirm understanding, schedule meetings at suitable times and provide written summaries for colleagues who cannot attend.
An office has jargon-filled reports, angry customer calls and rumours among staff. Identify three communication problems and suggest a response to each.
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Long or technical reports: use plain-language summaries. Angry telephone conversations: provide coaching and supervision. Rumours: publish timely, accurate updates and invite questions.
A workplace suffers from poor telephone service and secretive management. Which should be prioritised: staff training or a more open communication culture?
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Training can improve calls quickly, but secrecy can prevent workers sharing problems. Managers should establish reliable two-way communication while providing targeted training. Both actions are likely to be needed.
Chapter 17 recap
Barriers to business communication include unclear messages, technology failures, poor skills, jargon, distractions, business culture, long reporting chains, unsuitable media and international differences. These can damage relationships, reduce efficiency and create safety risks. Removing barriers requires the right mix of training, technology, clear written systems, shorter communication channels and a culture of openness.
Independent revision notes and questions for Pearson Edexcel International GCSE Business (9–1). Historical business examples are for learning purposes and may not describe current company practices.