CREATING HARMONIOUS ORGANIZATIONS THROUGH

COMPASSIONATE COMMUNICATION

Authors:
D. JOSEPH DEVADASON
Research Scholar, SVPISTM, Coimbatore
(Kodaikanal Christian College, Paradise Hill,
Kodaikanal – 624 104
E-mail: [email protected])

Dr. D. JUBLEE
Professor-Marketing, SVPISTM, Coimbatore

J. DANIEL INBARAJ
Research Scholar, Department of Management Studies,
National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirapalli

1
 CREATING HARMONIOUS ORGANIZATIONS THROUGH
COMPASSIONATE COMMUNICATION

ABSTRACT
Harmony is to be pursued to enrich life within organizations. Factors influencing a
harmonious organization are many. This paper focuses on compassionate communication as
a means to achieve harmony. Harmony is a situation in which people live and work well with
other people. An approach to communicating that leads us to give from the heart, connecting
us with ourselves and with each other in a way that allows our natural compassion to flourish
is called Compassionate Communication. The causes of workplace conflicts can be broadly
classified into three: Environmental factors, Organizational factors and Personal factors.
Two types of conflicts in workplace are destructive conflicts and constructive conflicts.
Three main consequences of destructive conflicts include: failure in achieving organizational
goals, hostility among employees and high labour turnover. Workplace harmony can be
conceptualized as having three dimensions: Intrapersonal harmony, Interpersonal harmony
and Harmony between the organization and its employees. Harmony at the workplace has
various benefits like increased productivity, improved job satisfaction and organizational
growth. Barriers to compassionate communication include moralistic judgments, making
comparisons between people, denial of responsibility and life-alienating communication. The
final sections of this paper presents a communication systems approach to creating harmony
and steps to employ compassionate communication.

Key words: Workplace Harmony, Compassionate Communication, Non-violent

Communication, Conflicts

1 INTRODUCTION
Every organization should fight disharmony. Because disharmony can distort focus from the
common goal, cripple functioning and create a gulf between employees. Harmony is to be
pursued as a value that can enrich life within organizations. Factors that influence
maintenance of a harmonious organization are many and complex. This paper focuses on
compassionate communication as a means to achieve harmony. There has been a shift in
2
research on organizational communication from the rational and systematic aspects of
organizational life to a consideration of emotion and affect (Miller, 2007). Compassionate
communication can enable employees to connect well with their colleagues and also extend
the needed care and support in building a harmonious workplace.

2 DEFINITIONS
For the purpose of this discussion, the definition of organization propounded by Dale (1967)
is considered. It describes organization as a multistep process of (i) detailing all the work
that must be done to attain the organization’s goals; (ii) dividing the total workload into
activities that can logically and comfortably be performed by one person or by a group of
individuals; (iii) combining the work of the organization’s members in a logical and efficient
manner; (iv) setting up a mechanism to coordinate the work of organization members into a
unified, harmonious whole; and (v) monitoring the effectiveness of the organization and
making adjustments to maintain or increase effectiveness.

In this multistep process, one of the crucial steps is integrating the work of the members of
the organization into a unified, harmonious whole. This is not possible without harmony
among the members of the organization.

Harmony can be better explained with an understanding of the absence of it. Discord is the
lack of agreement or harmony (as between persons, things or ideas). Discord represents the
extent to which one is uncomfortable with emerging perspectives and change. In the
workplace, discomfort may be caused by exclusion, disregard, being discounted or
unresolved issues that suggest an individual is not valued. (Lloyd Williams)

Macmillan Dictionary defines harmony as a situation in which people live and work well
with other people, or in a way that does not damage things around them.

A related concept is Congruence, which is the state or quality of being in agreement,

correspondence, or harmony with one’s self in a personal environment or with one’s role in
an organizational environment. Congruence in the context of organizational action is the
consistency and continuity of organizational policies and strategies that (1) create an effective
roadmap for managers and employees to understand the content areas and (2) will drive their
3
organizational thinking and individual performance to ensure the success of the organization
(Williams, 1996).

Marshall Rosenberg studied the factors that affect our ability to stay compassionate and
recognized the crucial role of language and our use of words. He writes about a specific
approach to communicating-both speaking and listening-that leads us to give from the heart,
connecting us with ourselves and with each other in a way that allows our natural compassion
to flourish. He calls this approach Nonviolent Communication, using the term nonviolence
as Mahatma Gandhi used it – to refer to our natural state of compassion when violence has
subsided from the heart. This is also described as Compassionate Communication or
Collaborative Communication. While taking may not be considered as “violent”, words often
lead to hurt and pain, whether for others or ourselves.

3 ANTECEDENTS OF WORKPLACE CONFLICTS

The causes of workplace conflicts can be broadly classified into three: Environmental
factors, Organizational factors and Personal factors. Environmental factors include rapidly
changing business environment and intensifying competition. Organizational factors include
flattening organizational structures and increasingly diverse workforce. Personal factors
include lack of collaborative spirit and decline in the ability to manage stress.

3.1 Rapidly changing business environment:

Today’s businesses operate in an uncertain economy. The business environment is fast
changing. What seems to be a promising industry today soon goes through a time of
recession that results in downsizing. This threat creates a feeling of uncertainty among
workers.

3.2 Intensifying competition:

Numerous factors have increased competition among businesses. Global economy coupled
with technological advancements has intensified competition. Employees are constantly
challenged to produce more with limited resources. This has created enormous stress and
provoked outbursts of anger in the workplace.

4
3.3 Flattening organizational structures:
Flat organizations with less formal communication are very popular these days. Managers
and employees become more familiar with each other. While there are many benefits
associated with this, this also causes employees to take for granted some of the privileges
they are given to enjoy resulting in discord between managers and employees.

3.4 Increasingly diverse workforce:

Globalization has widely opened opportunities for employment all over the world.
Organizations strive to attract the best professionals from all around the world. Organizations
also aim at harnessing the benefits of diversity. With a diverse workforce come diverse
perspectives which also result in employees struggling to maintain harmony.

3.5 Lack of collaborative spirit:

Another aspect of competition is the competition that is within an organization for promotion
and career advancement. The drive to go up the corporate ladder at any cost has killed the
collaborative spirit. It has also resulted in misplaced loyalties leading to higher employee
turnover. Mistakes always create opportunities for finger-pointing which again cause
conflicts.

3.6 Decline in the ability to manage stress:

Modern workplaces pose enormous challenges. Employees who are not able to keep pace
with these challenges suffer job-related stress. This too contributes to workplace conflict.

4 TYPES OF WORKPLACE CONFLICTS

Sandra Collins classifies conflicts as Destructive Conflicts and Constructive Conflicts.
Destructive Conflicts are characterized by verbal and nonverbal insults, ego attacks,
inflexibility, a mindset of retaliation, and an exchange of negative emotion. These conflicts
are also known as affective conflicts, or personalized conflicts, because they are personal in
nature and are characterized by negative emotions, tension, personality clashes and
defensiveness. The outcome of these conflicts is often a damaged relationship.

5
Constructive conflicts, also known as cognitive conflicts, or substantive conflicts, are
characterized by arguments about facts, information, ideas, or plans. The benefits of optimal
levels of constructive conflict include better decisions and innovative approaches to solving
problems.

5 CONSEQUENCES OF DESTRUCTIVE CONFLICTS

Three main consequences of destructive conflicts include: failure in achieving organizational
goals, hostility among employees and high labour turnover.

5.1 Failure in achieving organizational goals

The first and foremost effect of destructive conflict is the impairing of the common purpose.
Organizations are groups of people working together to accomplish specific purposes. When
people work against each other, the common purpose or the organizational goal is not
achieved.

5.2 Hostility among employees

When employees stop working together, a gulf is created between them resulting in hostility.
An organization cannot function when people in it have distanced themselves from each
other. Smooth functioning is no more possible.

5.3 High labour turnover

The strength of an organization depends on its ability to retain its people, especially the high
performers who know the values of the organization, who have learnt with the organization
and grown with the organization. Destructive conflicts result in an undesired separation.

6 DIMENSIONS OF WORKPLACE HARMONY

Achieving harmony in the workplace is one of the most important concerns of any manager.
Workplace harmony can be conceptualized as having three dimensions: Intrapersonal
harmony, Interpersonal harmony and Harmony between the organization and its employees.

6.1 Intrapersonal harmony

By this we mean the harmony that exists within an individual. If there is no discord within
individuals, if the individuals in the organization are able to live at peace with themselves,
6
that is the first building block for building organizational harmony. Employees who
experience discord within themselves cannot have harmonious relations with others. They
are not yet ready for harmonious relationships. Organizations should train employees who
face discord within themselves to deal with all the obstacles that are responsible for such
discord.

6.2 Interpersonal harmony

When employees achieve harmony within themselves, they are ready for working on
interpersonal harmony. When employees who have achieved harmony within themselves
work together, they create a harmonious work environment. That does not mean there will
not be conflicts. Conflicts may arise but they’ll only be constructive.

6.3 Harmony between the organization and its employees

When the employees of an organization share the value system of the organization, there is
harmony between the organization and its employees as studied in various Person-
Organization Fit studies.

7 BENEFITS OF HARMONY AT THE WORKPLACE

Harmony at the workplace has various benefits like increased productivity, improved job
satisfaction and organizational growth.

7.1 Increased Productivity

When people are able to work together harmoniously, it results in increased productivity.
The organizational goals and objectives are achieved seamlessly. The output generated
through the organizational activity is greater than the inputs put in. Effectiveness and
efficiency are commonplace.

7.2 Improved Job Satisfaction

Employees also enjoy the harmonious setting that is prevalent in the organization. It boosts
employee morale; improves their esteem and self worth; increases their sense of contribution
and achievement. Job satisfaction is the outcome. Satisfied employees stay with the
organization and also add value to the organization.

7
7.3 Growing Organization
A harmonious organization will be a growing organization. Employees’ contribution to
productivity will not be the only reason for growth instead employees coming up with new
and innovative means of organizational expansion will also promote organizational growth.

8 BARRIERS TO COMPASSIONATE COMMUNICATION

Culture can act as a barrier to compassionate communication. The American social scientist
E. T. Hall has classified cultures in terms of ‘low context’ or ‘high context’. A low context
culture communicates through the words, while a high context culture will deliver the
message as much through the person who delivers it as through the words it uses. In a high
context culture key points are understood intuitively, action is built around relationships
rather than tasks and they emphasize reaching agreement rather than completing a task.
Japan is an example of a high context culture, while Europe and America are examples for
low context culture.

Diverse workforce of the modern era has employees from ‘low context’ as well as ‘high
context’ cultures working together. When employees bring with their communication their
cultural influences, it can act as a barrier to communication.

Marshall Rosenberg, in his book Non Violent Communication: A Language of Life, suggests
that certain ways of communicating tend to alienate people from the experience of
compassion. They are:

8.1 Moralistic Judgments

This is implying wrongness or badness on the part of people who don't act in harmony with
our values. Blame, insults, put-downs, labels, criticisms, comparisons, and diagnoses are all
said to be forms of judgment. (Moralistic judgments are not to be confused with value
judgments as to the qualities we value.) The use of moralistic judgments is characterized as
an impersonal way of expressing oneself that does not require one to reveal what is going on
inside of oneself. This way of speaking is said to have the attention focused on classifying,
analyzing, and determining levels of wrongness rather than on what we and others need and

8
are not getting. This includes demands that implicitly or explicitly threaten listeners with
blame or punishment if they fail to comply.

8.2 Making comparisons between people

Each individual is unique in his or her own way. Making comparisons to criticize someone
for falling short of the standards achieved by another also alienates people from the
experience of compassion.

8.3 Denial of responsibility

This is done through language that obscures awareness of personal responsibility. It is said
that we deny responsibility for our actions when we attribute their cause to: vague impersonal
forces ("I had to"); our condition, diagnosis, personal or psychological history; the actions of
others; the dictates of authority; group pressure; institutional policy, rules, and regulations;
gender roles, social roles, or age roles; or uncontrollable impulses.

8.4 Life-alienating communication

Communicating with a premise of deserving, that certain actions merit reward while others
merit punishment also act as a barrier to compassionate communication.

9 COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS APPROACH TO CREATE HARMONY

A communication systems approach to creating harmony considers the communication
process as happening within a system where there are a lot of interconnected elements. A
conflict can simply be an episode in the communication process. The following are the
elements of the communication system: the people in the conflict, the messages exchanged
between them, and the medium selected to deliver the messages.

According to Sandra Collins, the entire communication process happens within a physical
and psychological context. The physical context refers to characteristics of the actual
physical setting, such as the size of the room, the arrangement of the chairs and the noise
level in the hallway. Psychological elements, such as the organizational culture, comprise the
context or backdrop within which all communication takes place. Thus, each element in the
system contributes to the meaning that is constructed by senders and interpreted by receivers.

9
All the elements in the conflict system affect the conflict process. Thus, both the process and
the outcomes can be changed by a change in any of the elements in the system. If a sender is
in a highly emotional state, communication will be affected. A conflict occurs between
people in a particular context, such as a private office, may be completely altered by
changing the context to a dinner meeting with others present.

10 STEPS TO EMPLOY COMPASSIONATE COMMUNICATION

The following section suggests steps to adopt compassionate communication while dealing
with conflicts and thereby achieve workplace harmony.

10.1 Assess the situation

When the situation around is in a turmoil, there are possibilities of people involved reacting
without coming to a proper understanding of the situation. Objective assessment removes
subjective reactions. Even in an intense conflict situation where there are intense emotional
displays, rational assessment gives a proper focus and sets the tone for bringing in harmony.

10.2 Be aware of the context of the disputant

Trying to understand the context from which the disputant has operated and created the
actions or spoke the words which have caused disruption is an important step towards conflict
resolution. Seek First to Understand, a principle advocated by Stephen Covey, eases the
problem to a great extent. Someone who has comprehended well the context from which the
opponent has functioned from is likely to speed up the process of bringing harmony.
Empathy is the key.

10.3 Communicate your point-of-view

After thoroughly understanding the background of the disputant, explaining to the disputant
your point-of-view would help him or her understand the broader picture. An opportunity is
given to the disputant to empathize. The steps 2 and 3 would ease much of the tension and
bring in some kind of common ground.

10.4 Discuss mutually agreeable, beneficial plan of action

After empathizing with each other, both are ready to discuss mutually agreeable and
organizationally beneficial plan of action to resolve the conflict that has arisen.
10
10.5 Expedite the conflict resolution process
Take immediate steps to implementing the plan of action. Delaying the mutually acceptable
and beneficial plan can take the individuals back to square one, which is not favourable.

10.6 Follow-up
Following-up on the mutual commitment established in step 4 would help seeing the plan
come to fruition. Follow-up also gives a push to that party which has not fulfilled its
commitment by bringing in accountability.

10.7 Goal is always your focus

While going through all these steps, the common organizational goal, the well being of the
organisation should always be the focus. Then all conflicts can be settled to achieve a
harmonious end.

10.8 Harmony is the result

When these steps are followed, harmony will be the result. Compassionate communication
will always bring about harmony in the workplace.

11 CONCLUSION
Intensively aggressive workplaces lack the benefits of harmony. One of the most effective
ways of achieving harmony is compassionate communication. Poor communication act as a
source of conflict. Proper communication can help resolve conflict. Adding compassion to
communication further improves the conflict resolution process because compassion brings in
empathy which solves all conflicts. Training employees to communicate compassionately
will do much good for the establishment of harmonious workplaces.

11