Communication within the organisation

Abstract

Effective and efficient healthcare not only depends on good interpersonal communication but also on the ability of organisations to communicate successfully and professionally. Yet organisations can become entrenched in rules, regulations and expected behaviours that stifle creative responses to work situations. Deep-seated bureaucracy can alienate the personal, and is made even more challenging if the organisation has multi-sites. This chapter will examine the many varied structures of organisation, and how communication flow within organisations can limit or expand inclusion of staff members within its boundaries. This chapter offers several barriers to good organisational communication and suggests ways these hurdles can be overcome. The ethics of healthcare practice is discussed in relation to the effect on the individual and the organisation, highlighting how both parties could respond to avoid conflict, clash and threats to professionalism. Above all, this chapter emphasises how open and honest personcentred communication in an organisation can lead to healthy outcomes for staff and patients alike.