This study has been motivated by the author’s perception of the problems experienced in his professional career in the IT industry. Although project participants are not lacking in skill or expertise, often IT projects seem not to have the expected outcome. Communication obstacles prevent a full understanding of each others problems. The real issues to be solved are filtered by hierarchical levels, differences in education and different meanings of specific topics.
Even if technical and non-technical project participants think they understand each other, in reality they don’t. This results in unnecessary work for all persons involved and higher project costs. This text tries to find the reasons for these communication obstacles and underlying root causes. Based on these findings recommendations and fields of further research are being developed.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
1.1 Objectives and Observations
1.2 Research Background
1.3 Scope and Structure
1.4 Focus and Limitations
2 Existing approaches to improve communication and cooperation
2.1 Interdisciplinary education approaches
2.2 Agile Software Development
2.3 The learning organization
2.4 Thesis from existing approaches
3 Theories on the causes of communication problems
3.1 Communication theory
3.2 Models of conflicts in communication
3.3 Personality and Values in communication
3.4 Motives
3.4.1 McClelland Achievement-Power-Affiliation theory
3.4.2 Muslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
3.4.3 Summary of motivation theories
3.4.4 Motivation priorities of professionals
3.5 Competence at work
3.5.1 Definition of competencies
3.5.2 Competencies of non technical staff
3.5.3 Competencies of technical staff
3.5.4 Key differences in competencies between technical and non-technical staff
3.6 Key findings of previous research
4 Study on finding communication obstacles and chances
4.1 Tentative Hypotheses
4.2 Block A Interviewee Background
4.3 Block B Competencies
4.4 Block C Motivation
4.5 Block D opinions on corporate communication and cooperation
5 Conclusion and further research
Research Objectives and Themes
This master's thesis examines the underlying obstacles and opportunities within corporate communication, with a specific focus on the interaction between IT departments and other business units. The research explores why technical and non-technical project participants often experience misunderstandings despite being skilled professionals, seeking to uncover root causes related to psychological, motivational, and competence-based factors.
- Analysis of communication models and the nature of professional conflict.
- Evaluation of personality, core values, and motivation theories in a business context.
- Comparative assessment of competencies between technical and non-technical staff.
- Empirical qualitative study based on interviews within a retail company.
- Development of recommendations to foster better cross-departmental cooperation.
Excerpt from the Book
3.2 Models of conflicts in communication
Most people instinctively recognize a conflict when they experience certain danger’ signs e.g. (Rejection or resistance, Disinterest, Aggressiveness)
Different kinds of conflicts have been identified by literature:
1. Target conflicts – the two parties of a conflict have different targets and can’t seem to come to a compromise.
2. Judgment and perception conflicts – the two parties of a conflict judge a situation differently or have a different perception of the same situation .
3. Role conflicts – these conflicts occur when a member of a group does not stick to the expectations associated with the role he is supposed to play in the group.
4. Distribution conflicts – the parties of a conflict compete for the same resources.
5. Relationship conflicts – the ‘chemistry’ between the conflict parties is not good and this dislike spills over to all situations whenever the conflict parties come in contact with each other.
According to Gamber, conflicts are happening on two levels: the level of physical assets and the level of emotions. Figure 3 shows an abstract.
Summary of Chapters
1 Introduction: Outlines the motivation for the study, which stems from frequent communication breakdowns observed in IT projects, and defines the scope and research background.
2 Existing approaches to improve communication and cooperation: Reviews current organizational and educational frameworks, such as Agile Development and the Learning Organization, aimed at bridging the gap between technical and business staff.
3 Theories on the causes of communication problems: Provides a theoretical foundation covering communication models, conflict types, personality theories, motivation models, and specific competency profiles for different professional groups.
4 Study on finding communication obstacles and chances: Presents an empirical qualitative study conducted within a mid-sized retail company, validating theoretical hypotheses through interviews with IT and non-IT staff.
5 Conclusion and further research: Synthesizes the study's findings, offering recommendations for improving corporate communication and suggesting directions for future research in organizational behavior.
Keywords
Corporate communication, IT projects, communication problems, interpersonal relations, conflict management, McClelland, Maslow, professional competencies, Agile software development, organizational culture, technical staff, non-technical staff, motivation, soft skills, transparency.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this thesis?
The thesis investigates why communication often fails between IT departments and other business departments, exploring beyond technical skill sets into interpersonal dynamics and psychological factors.
What are the primary themes discussed?
Key themes include communication theory, conflict models in organizations, motivation theories (McClelland/Maslow), and the comparative analysis of competencies for technical vs. non-technical employees.
What is the main objective of the research?
The goal is to identify both the obstacles that hinder cooperation and the chances for optimization in cross-departmental communication within a corporate setting.
Which scientific methodology was utilized?
The research combines a literature-based theoretical analysis with an interpretative, qualitative empirical study consisting of open interviews with 10 participants from a retail company.
What is covered in the main body of the work?
The main body moves from theoretical frameworks regarding communication and personality to an empirical block that tests these theories against the real-world experiences of IT and non-IT professionals.
Which keywords characterize this work?
The work is characterized by terms such as corporate communication, IT-business cooperation, organizational psychology, competency profiles, and interpersonal conflict.
How do "specialists from beyond" impact the IT department?
The study suggests that hiring IT professionals with diverse educational backgrounds—rather than just technical ones—can lead to a more open-minded environment and better customer service orientation.
What role does "interpersonal relationship" play in communication success?
The research concludes that strong interpersonal relations can act as a crucial buffer, dampening other negative communication modifiers and helping to compensate for gaps in formal organizational structure.
- Quote paper
- Dipl.Inform.(FH), MBA Lars Deutsch (Author), 2005, Corporate communication problems – A study to find obstacles and chances, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/85574
