Babcock University’s Inaugural Lecturer, Prof. Adekunle Binuyo has emphasized the vital role of effective communication in driving organizational success against the background of rising operational cost of business in Nigeria.
Prof. Binuyo, who is head of the Business Administration department, brought his expertise to bear on the importance of communication in achieving steady progress in organizations while delivering the University’s 50th inaugural lecture, themed, Unleashing Organizational Potential: Leveraging Management and Marketing Strategies for Sustainable Performance.
According to him, effective communication is not only essential for organizational growth and development but critical to its sustainability.
“Organizations cannot progress steadily without effective communication, whether horizontal, vertical, or diagonal,” he said. “Organizations should prioritize communication as well as great customer relations as core aspects of their operations.”
Prof. Binuyo noted that aside leading to misunderstandings and missed opportunities, communication breakdowns can also negatively affect organizational development as well as, public perception and brand acceptance.
He said open, clear, and timely communication fosters collaboration, improves decision-making, and increases employee engagement.
“Communication is fundamental to the smooth running of an organization,” he submitted. “No matter how inspiring and exciting the vision and mission of an organization might have been, they may not elicit the needed impetus and commitment on the part of the employees of the organization if they are not duly communicated to the entire workforce by the management.”
He submitted that institutions of higher learning in Nigeria can improve on their brand acceptance through improving on the quality of their integrated marketing communication and public relations strategy.
Quoting a 2017 statistics from Institute of International Higher Education, he said 11,710 Nigerian students were admitted to various studies in the US, an upsurge of 9.7% from the previous year.
“One of the means of addressing this trend of growing preference for foreign universities by applicants seeking university education is by the application of IMCs by the concerned universities especially privately owned types.”
He said this will both stem the tide of striving for foreign institutions and attract foreign students to Nigerian universities.
In his recommendation, he called on leaders should model effective communication behaviours and policies to encourage open dialogue; engage in regular training and establish feedback mechanisms to enhance communication skills as well as leverage on technology to facilitate communication across levels and departments.
“By recognizing and addressing communication gaps, organizations can unlock their full potential and drive sustainable progress,” he said.
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