Communication Ba
iers in a multi-diversified workplace: The Case of Fujairah International Airport
31
Выводы и перспективы дальнейших исследова-
ний. Таким образом, модернизация государственного
управления социальным развитием регионов в кон-
тексте децентрализации власти должна осуществлять-
ся по четырем основным направлениям: институци-
ональном (расширение спектра форм повышения
институциональной способности территориальных
громад, развития партнерских отношений местной
власти и неправительственных организаций); функ-
циональном (законодательное определение функций
и полномочий всех субъектов управления на прин-
ципах субсидиарности, развитие механизмов взаи-
модействия органов государственной власти и мест-
ного самоуправления всех управленческих уровней);
организационном (создание новой сети социальных
учреждений, способной обеспечить доступность
и качество социально значимых услуг) и финансовом
(внедрение новых инструментов финансового обе-
спечения социальной сферы регионов).
При этом, требуется проведение дальнейших ис-
следований по выработке конкретных технологий реа-
лизации выше изложенных предложений с целью прак-
тического преобразования системы государственного
управления социальным развитием регионов.
References:
1. Decentralization of power, available at: http:
decentralization.gov.ua
2. Karabin T. O., “The problems of decentralization of executive power in Ukraine and their possible solution”,
Forum prava, – 2012. – Vol. 4, – P. 439–444.
3. President of Ukraine – 2015, “Decree “On the strategy of sustainable development “Ukraine – 2020””, available
at: URL: http:
zakon1.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/5/2015
4. Romaniuk S. A., “Regional development and decentralization: theoretical and practical aspects”, Rehional’na
ekonomika, – 2016. – Vol. 3, – P. 10–18.
5. The analytical report to the annual President of Ukraine to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine «On
the internal and external situation of Ukraine in – 2016», available at: URL: http:
www.niss.gov.
ua/content/articles/files/poslanya_new-cc2e3.pdf
6. The official site of the Мinistry for Regional Development, Building and Housing of Ukraine, available at: URL:
http:
www.minregion.gov.ua
7. The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine – 2015, “The Law of Ukraine «On a voluntary association of local communities»”,
available at: http:
zakon2.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/157–19.
DOI: http:
dx.doi.org/ XXXXXXXXXX/EJEMS XXXXXXXXXX
Layla Murad Yousif,
MBA Student, University of Fujairah, United Arab Emirates
Maryam Abdullah Alsamahi,
MBA Student, University of Fujairah, United Arab Emirates
Waleid Rashed Alkaabi,
MBA Student, University of Fujairah, United Arab Emirates
Waleed Ali Alnaqbi,
MBA Student, University of Fujairah, United Arab Emirates
Fermin G. Castillo, Jr. (Post-Doc),
Associate Professor, MBA Program
University of Fujairah, United Arab Emirates
E-mail: XXXXXXXXXX
Communication Ba
iers in a multi-diversified workplace:
The Case of Fujairah International Airport
Abstract: Communication plays a very vital role in every organization especially in a diversified work-
place wherein employees come from different social status, age, religion, gender and race/ethnicity. Or-
Section 4. Management
32
ganizational communication plays a major role when it comes to organizational behavior as it affects the
performance of individuals and groups alike in attaining advancement in the workplace and business success.
This paper also presents recommendations that may be implemented to overcome ba
iers and ways to com-
municate effectively in a multi-diversfied workplace like Fujairah International Airport (FIA).
Keywords: communication, workplace diversity, organizational behavior, structure, culture.
1. Introduction
Communication is perhaps one of the most impor-
tant aspect of our lives as we always interact with the
people around us. And of course employee and employer
has no exceptions. Communication can be compared to
a vehicle which transports people going to their desti-
nation efficiently and safely. Moreover, it enlightens the
gray area that affects both employee and employer as
their relationship one way or another. Communication is
defined as the process of passing information from one
person to another. It involves the sharing of information
etween two or more people for a common goal.
The receiver of the information must very well un-
derstand the meaning and the contents of the infor-
mation. Most organizations set up goals that they are
supposed to meet so that they can continue performing
etter and they can keep up with competition from other
companies. In order for these goals to be achieved that
should be communication at different levels of the orga-
nization and also the employees should communicate
with each other. As organization grows, the managers are
usually concerned with the possibility of communication
eakdown as the message moves from the top manage-
ment to the subordinate staff. Every part of an organiza-
tion wholly depends on communication and therefore
a manager of any organization needs to have excellent
communication skills [1].
Elements of communication
Communication is a work obtained from Latin word,
communis, which has the meaning of common [2]. Com-
munication has different elements namely the sender, the
message, the medium, and the recipient. The sender is the
originator of the message, it flows from him/her through
a medium, and finally it gets to the recipient. In an orga-
nization, different mediums can be used to aid in getting
the message to the receipt. These mediums may include
the face-to-face conversations, printouts, memos and the
schemes. The type of the medium used to send the mes-
sage to the receipt largely depends on the content and
purpose of the message. Receipt after receiving the in-
formation, he/she tries to understand the message [3].
In the fast phasing work environment like Fujai-
ah International Airport things operates their way.
Same as other local and international airports around
the world, Fujairah International Airport (FIA) follow
the same protocols and standards.
Functions of communication in an organization
The organizational behavior continues to play
a very important role especially to the changing role of
man in the society. Communication is one of the ele-
ments of organizational behavior and it is a key com-
ponent in every organization. The major role of com-
munication in an organization is to help in connecting
the employees so that they can achieve a common goal.
Communication in an organization helps to create a
community within an organization. In addition, com-
munication also helps to inform the employees about
their tasks, rules and other issues affecting the organiza-
tion. For instance, in a University the Dean may commu-
nicate to the students about the examination dates and
the opening and closing dates. The lecturers in a learn-
ing institution may also be informed about a meeting
through communication [4]. Communication also aids
the company in setting the goals and the ways it will use
to achieve them and the step it will take to make these
goals a reality. Communication also assists in maintain-
ing the human resource. It is through communication
that a company or an industry can very well evaluate the
performance of its human resource and other members
associated with the organization. It also helps in the cre-
ation of an atmosphere, which allows people to share
their views, helps in management, motivation and in
guidance [3]. The trust that the employees have with the
top management affects the way a message is received in
an organization [5].
2. Organization structure and communication
In the United Arab Emirates, workforce diversi-
ty is very common in various organizations where ex-
patriates compose majority of the workforce across in-
dustries, this is
ought about by globalization and the
aim of people to seek greener pastures outside of their
home countries.
All throughout the years, the Arab world has been
willingly accepting of the behaviors and cultures of vari-
ous ethnicities from different places in the world.
Having a diverse workforce makes communicating
among groups increasingly complex, employers and
managers should have a proper communication net-
Communication Ba
iers in a multi-diversified workplace: The Case of Fujairah International Airport
33
work in place in order to ensure that common goals of
the organization are met and business will succeed.
A structure is used to aid in the flow of information in
an organization. The structure of an organization affects
the patterns of communication in that organization.
Most organizations are designed in a way, which affects
the flow of information. Organizations structure is a
term that is used to describe the relationship that exists
etween the different units of an organization. An or-
ganizational chart is a diagram that is used to describe
the organizational structure in a company. They show
graphically represent the flow of information in an orga-
nization. A typical organization chart consists of boxes
and lines and the lines are used to represent the differ-
ent levels of authority (who is answerable to who). The
person below the box is answerable to the person above
the box.
The information in an organization can flow in differ-
ent directions namely the upward, downward, and side-
ward communication. In the upward communication,
the message goes up in the hierarchy, it moves from the
lower levels of an organization to the upper level in an or-
ganization. The information sent through the upper com-
munication includes the problems encountered by the
employees, the opinions of the employees and sugges-
tions by the employees. The information normally moves
from the junior staffs to the top management within an
organization. The employees in an organization should
e granted freedom of expression. Normally when in-
formation moves from the subordinates to the seniors
there is a lot of filtering which is usually done to it [5].
In the downward communication, the information usu-
ally flows from the higher level of the organization to the
upper level of an organization. The kind of information
sent using this type of communication includes orders
and warnings. This type of communication consumes
a lot of time. Its major setback is the denial of the in-
formation and most of the time people have to confirm
the information by tracing the path that the informa-
tion followed [3]. Horizontal communication occurs
etween people of the same status in a department of a
unit within an organization. Diagonal communication
occurs between of different statuses in an organization.
3. Fujairah International Airport (FIA) Organi-
zation Communication Structure
Fujairah International Airport (FIA) commenced its
operation on 29th October 1987 and has around 300 mul-
tiracial employees composed of Emiratis, Filipinos, In-
dians, Pakistanis and Maldivians among others. It is evi-
dent in FIA’s corporate culture though that the concept
of “inclusion” is practiced wherein the voices of work-
ers in a diversified workforce are heard by superiors and
espected. It is important that employee’s feel that they
elong be accepted in the organization [6].
Taking into consideration the diversified workforce
of FIA, communicating among groups can be tricky at
times since the employees come from different back-
grounds and speak various languages and dialects. FIA
uses the English language when conveying information
to its employees since most of the staff can speak and
ead English.
Both formal and informal communication network
exist in the FIA organizational communication struc-
ture. Since FIA is a hierarchical organization, the flow
of communication is usually downward and follows
the chain of command of the organization. However,
newer information are being cascaded and usually runs
up and down among managers before being conveyed
to the various section heads. The top management also
ecognizes upward flow of communication; the immedi-
ate superiors would communicate with their respective
department heads any concerns before escalating it to
the top management. The FIA management encourages
an