Introduction

Allah s.w.t has created the mankind from different races, skins, cultures and values, so

that the mankind can know each other. Allah s.w.t has also commanded the mankind to

communicate by the concept of “Habblun minnallah wa habblun minannass”, or in other

words that the mankind should have good relation with Allah and among people. Good

relation is a result of a good communication.

People communicate from the ancient time until now just to convey messages and

interact between each other. People start communicating not only by words of mouth,

but also by sketching on the cave, smoke signal, drum beating, pigeon messenger,

sending letter and so on. Technologies has change the way people communicate, its turn

the globe to be a small borderless nation.

Communication can be defined as, “The process of transmitting understood

information among two or more people”. Its also can be defined as, “The transfer of

information and understanding from one person to another person. It is a way of

reaching others with ideas, facts, thoughts, feelings and values”.

It is a bridge of meaning among people so that they can share what they feel and know.

By using this bridge, a person can cross safely the river of misunderstanding that

sometimes separates people.

In an organisation, communication is an ever-present activity because it is the means by

which people relate to one another in the organisation. Communication is as necessary to

an organisation as the bloodstream is to a person. Most experts on organisations,

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management and leadership, assert that effective communications is the foundation for

effectiveness in any type of organisation. As leaders and managers mature, they realise

the need to effective convey and receive information, and efforts at communications

(internal and external) increase substantially.

In a changing world the only constant is change. Organisations cannot avoid change to

take place in it because of the internal or external factors. Organisation must change to

survive and prosper. Economic and political situations are among a main external

contributor to organisational change as well as the rapid changing in technologies. In

business organisation, their profit and losses play an important role in organisational

change. Most of the organisational change decision made based on the “ dollar and cent”

factor. Customer oriented organisation or service organisation tends to change due to

their customer requirement.

How the organisation communicating the change? This is the main question arise among

top management because communication is one of the most important tools for

organisational change. Communicating change is the most important and critical part in

making organisational change successful. An effective communication system will reduce

resistance to change and also minimising time and effort to implement change in the

organisation.
Communication Fundamental
A significant point about communication is that it always involves at least two persons or

more. The basic involvements in communication are sender and receiver. One person

alone cannot communicate. Only one or more receivers can complete the communication

act.

SENDER RECEIVER

Verbal
Non Verbal
Written
Symbol/Signal
Analog/Digital

Illustration 1 : Basic Communication Concept

This fact is obvious when one thinks of a person lost on an island calling for help when

there is no one near enough to hear the call. The relationship is not so obvious to

managers who send out bulletins to employees. They tend to think that when their

bulletins are sent, they have communicated, but transmission of the message is only a

beginning. A manager may send a hundred bulletins, but there is no communication until

each bulletin is received, read , and understood. Communication is what the receiver

understood, not what the sender says.

Basically communication can be made verbally or non-verbal, written, using signals or

symbols, digital or analog, and the most important thing is the receiver understands the

message.

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Importance of Communication

Organisations cannot exist without communication. If there is no communication,

employees cannot know what their co-workers are doing, management cannot receive

information inputs, and supervisors cannot give instructions. Co-ordination of work is

impossible, and the organisation will collapse for lack of it. Co-operation also becomes

impossible, because people cannot communicate their needs and feelings to others. We

can say with confidence that every act of communication influences the organisation in

some way.

When communication is effective, it tends to encourage better performance and job

satisfaction. People understand their jobs better and feel more involved in them. In some

instances they even will make sacrifices of long-established privileges because they see

that a sacrifice is necessary.

The positive response of those employees confirmed what one chief executive concluded

about the importance of communication: “As far as productivity is concerned, once

people know what you’re trying to do, they generally will respond favourably if you

communicate the facts.” This fact shows how important is the communication in

managing organisational change.

The Communication Process

The communication process is the method by which a sender reaches a receiver with a

massage. It requires seven steps whether the two parties talk, use hand signals, or

employ some other means of communication. The steps are shown in illustration 2 below.
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Step Step Step Step Step Step

1 2 3 4 5 6

UND E R S T AND I NG
T RANSM I S S I ON

R E C E I V I N

D E COD I NG
I D E A T I ON

E NCOD I NG

G
Sender Receiver

FEEDBACK
NOISE

Step 7

Illustration 2 : The Communication Process

Develop an idea or ideation (Step 1) is to develop an idea that the sender wishes to

transmit. This key step, because unless there is a worthwhile message, all the other steps

are somewhat useless. The step is represented by the sign, sometimes, seen on office or

factory walls, that reads, “ Be sure brain is engaged before putting mouth in gear.”

Encoding (Step 2) is to encode the idea into suitable words, charts or other symbols for

transmission. At this point the sender determines the method of transmission so that

words and symbols may be organised in suitable fashion for the type of transmission. For

example, back-and-forth conversation usually is not organised the same way as a written

memorandum.

Transmission (step 3) is to transmit it by the method chosen, such as by memo, phone

call, personal visit or public speaking. Senders also choose certain channels, such as
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bypassing or not bypassing the superintendent, and they communicate with careful

timing. Today may not be the right day to talk to one’s manager about that pay raise.

Senders also try to keep their communication channel free of barriers, or interference or

“noise” as shown in illustration 2, so that their message have a chance to reach receivers

and hold their attention. In interviewing, for example, freedom from distraction is

desirable.

Receiving (Step 4) allows another person to receive a message. In this step the

initiative transfers to receiver, who tune to receivers the massage. If it is oral, they need

to be good listeners, as will be discussed shortly. If the receiver dose not function, the

message is lost.

Decoding (Step 5) is to decode the message so that it can be understood. The sender

wants the receiver to understand the message exactly as it was sent. For example, if the

sender transmits the equivalent of a square and the decoding step produces a circle, then

a message has been sent but not much understanding has taken place.

Although some receivers may be uncooperative and may try to misunderstand, normally

they make a genuine attempt to understand the intended message. Even with the best of

intention, a receiver may not understand exactly what the sender intended, because the

perceptions of the two people are different. The more realistic goal in most situations is

for understanding that is close enough for the communication to be called successful.

Understanding (Step 6) can occur only in a receiver’s mind. A communication may

make others listen, but it doesn’t mean that they are understood. The receiver alone

chooses whether to understand or not. Many employers overlook this when giving

instructions. They think that telling someone is sufficient, but the communication is not
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truly successful until there is understanding. This is known as “getting through” to a

person. Communicators should ask themselves every day, ” Am I getting through to

others?”

The encoding-decoding sequence is somewhat like the activity involved when the old

London Bridge was moved to the United States. The bridge could not be moved in one

piece, so it had to be disassembled stone by stone, with each stone marked as to its

proper location. This was similar to the action of a sender who has an idea and encodes

(dismantles) it into a series of words, each marked by location and other means to guide

the receiver. In order to move the idea (transmit it), the sender needs to take it apart by

putting it into words. The reassemble of the bridge stone by stone in the United States

was similar to the action of receiver who takes words receiver and mentally reassembles

them into whole ideas.

The last step in the communication process is for the receiver to use the communication.

The receiver may give feedback (Step 7) or communicate back to the sender, so that

the sender will know whether the receiver understands or not his or her message. The

receiver may ignore it, perform the task assigned, stone the information provide, or do

something else.

Senders always need to communicate with care, because communication is an important

form of self-revelation to others. It tells something about the kind of people

communicators are, the way they think, and what their values are. It is, therefore, basic

in all interpersonal and group relationships. In two ways communication sender can be a

receiver as well as the receiver can be a sender. This happen when the both sender and

receiver interact. The communication process continuing roles reversed.

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The less distortion (noise) that occurs in communication, the more that goals, feedback

and other management messages to employees will be received as they were intended.

Frank Jefkins said that, “The expert communicator must convey the message so that it is

easily understood and remembered.”

Communication Channel

Basically, there are two type of communication channel which are as follows :-

a. Formal Communication

i- Downward Communication ; superior to subordinate (from top to bottom)

ii- Upward Communication ; subordinate to superior (from bottom to top)

iii- Lateral Communication ; horizontal communication

The formal communication channel use formal communication medium such as

meetings, bulletins, letters, memos, circulars, training and etc.

b. Informal Communication

i. Grapevine ; an established informal communication channel which develops

between employees who have no reporting responsibility to one another but

nevertheless share information.

ii. Chain Communication ; an ad hoc communication channel which easily forms

and dissolves. Normally, it happens when certain issues arise in the

organisation.
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SINGLE GOSSIP CLUSTER PROBABILITY

STRAND CHAIN CHAIN CHAIN

Illustration 3 ; Informal Communication Chain

The informal communication channel is fast, efficient, accurate and fulfils employees

needs.

Both types of communication channel are important in managing the organisational

change. Change’s sponsor must know how to utilise the entire communication channel.
 The Issue :

“How to develop SAFE and HEALTHY

workplace using the communication system”

The Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994 (Act 514) required all sectors (government

and private) to be safe and healthy. It is stated in the Act that, “The responsibility to

ensure safety and health at the workplace is the responsibility of those who works with

the hazards (employees) and to whom that create the hazards (employers)” . In order to

change the workplace from unsafe and unhealthy condition to be safe and healthy, the

organisation must create the occupational safety and health (OSH) management system.

Generally, organisations change towards OSH just to comply with the OSHA 1994, but for

petro-chemicals or oil and gas industries, they have to strictly implement OSH due to the

nature of their hazardous industries. In some organisation the need to develop OSH

management system is to fulfil the requirement of their clients. This is what happen to

few “A” Class contractors, which they need to develop safety & health system at their

organisation in order for them to achieve ISO 9000, because the requirement of Public

Works Department (JKR). For certain multimillion projects, the contractor must have the

ISO 9000.

Why organisation resists to change toward safety and health?

Why it seems so difficult for the organisation to change towards OSH? Why the

organisation resists to change towards safe and healthy organisation? If not because of

complying with the legislation or customer requirement, they will not change.

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If we look in bigger scope or in the organisational point of views, the resistance to

change happened because of few reasons, such as:-

a. Misunderstanding of OSH

For example, some organisation they understand that OSH is expensive. The

organisation needs to spent “tons of money” to implement OSH at their workplace.

They don’t understand that OSH will increase their profit and reduce losses, because

every accident at workplace is costly. The losses of the skill workers due to workplace

accident can effected the organisation performance and it cost money to train or to

recruit another worker.

Management misunderstand that OSH is the responsibility of Safety and Health

Officer (SHO) or Safety and Health Department, actually OSH is everybody

responsibility. Safety and Health Officer will assist and advice the management to

implement OSH at the workplace.

b. Lack of Awareness

This happened because of the organisation don’t have the “feel” of safety and health,

their main concern is making money. Once, the organisation experienced any major

accident or diseases at the workplace, which resulting of loss of human life or

property damage such as the factory burned out in rapid fire, they will be awaken

from the dream and “feel” the importance of OSH.

Level of OSH awareness in Malaysian industries still far below if compared to other

industrial countries. That’s why many of our industries still not implementing OSH at

workplace, if any, still not comply with OSHA 1994 accept the “Major Hazards”

industries.
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c. No Expertise or Knowledge

In some organisation, they don’t have the expertise or knowledge regarding OSH,

especially Small Medium Enterprises (SMI). Some organisation doesn’t know about

the existence of OSHA 1994.

d. Limitation on the Enforcement Body (DOSH)

Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH), who enforce the law facing

the manpower constrain. For example, State of Pahang has more than 8,000

factories, which have to be controlled by 15 DOSH’s officers.

Malaysian organisations still don’t have clear picture of OSH at their workplace, even

though the government has enforcing the OSHA 1994. If we look at the national level,

Malaysian government is the sponsor of change. Where else DOSH, National Institute of

Occupational Safety & Health (NIOSH), Malaysian Society of Occupational Safety &

Health (MSOSH), Malaysian Occupational Safety & Health Professionals Association

(MOSHPA), Malaysian Occupational Health Nurse Association (MOHNA), Malaysian

Integrated Occupational Safety & Health Network (MIOSH net) and other OSH training

provider are change agent. The industries are the change target.

The government has shown their firm commitment by OSHA 1994 and its regulations.

The government also has changed the Factory and Machinery Department to be the

Department of Occupational Safety & Health. The government must communicating

change toward safe and healthy workplace using all means of communication to educate

and create the OSH awareness to the industries. At the same time DOSH play their role

to do the enforcement.
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If we look within organisation or in other words in employee’s point of view, most of the

employees resist to change towards OSH because of same reasons as mentioned above.

Most of the employees misunderstand about OSH, some of them feel that OSH is trouble

because they have to wear safety equipment, following safety procedure and so on.

Level of Malaysian workers OSH awareness is still very lack as well as their knowledge

regarding OSH. They tend to aware after any workplace accident or industrial diseases

occur to them or to their friend. Like the famous Malaysia proverb, “Dah terantuk baru

nak tergadah”.

Most of the industries still not realise their present status of unsafe and unhealthy

workplace, and they are also uncertain about the future, which is safe and healthy

workplace. The efficient and effective communication system is essential in order to make

organisation change towards safety and health.

The main question to be thrown to the industries is “Why we need Safety and

Health?” The answer is simple, “Prevention is better then cure”. The industries

need proper OSH management system to prevent accident and occupational diseases

occur at workplace.

Accident can end by fatalities, major or minor injuries and property damages. Where else

occupational disease also may result acute or chronic health effects which will be ended

by death, permanent or temporary disability.

If accident occurs at workplace which involving fatalities or death of employee, the

workplace will be seal by DOSH for accident investigation. DOSH has the authority to
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issue “Stop Work Order” (SWO) if they find that the workplace is unsafe and can cause

severe accident. If the SWO applied at crucial or critical production process, it can cause

losses to the organisation. For example, let say the value of daily production is RM

100,000.00, if DOSH applied 10 days SWO for fatalities accident investigation, the losses

will be accumulated to be RM 1 million. This is direct production loss due to SWO by

DOSH. How about cost of employees salary who is not working for 10 days? How about

losses of business opportunity due to fail to fulfil customer order? The management must

understand about the direct and indirect or hidden cost of accident in workplace. This

scenario just to illustrate on how important is OSH at workplace.

If the management understand about the importance of OSH, they will start changing

towards safe and healthy workplace. Top management commitment is very important in

order to make change successful.

The Unique Principle and Philosophy in OSHA 1994

OSHA 94 have unique principles and philosophy such as :

a. Self Regulation ; the organisation must develop and establish their on safety and

health policy, procedure and regulation at the workplace.

b. Consultation ; the act encourage this concept through formation of Safety and

Health Committee (SHC) meeting.

c. Co-operation ; SHC establish co-operation between employer and employees in

developing safe and healthy workplace.

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The unique principle and philosophy in OSHA 1994 has open a “wide window” for

organisational communication. The Acts required effective and efficient communication

system in order to overcome resistance to change and to comply with it.

There is no one perfect way to communicate change. Change is uncomfortable and

adapting to change is messy. The organisation will feel a painless change experience.

Why? Because tasks are easy to list, but behaviour and long-held habits are not easy to

change.

In managing organisational change towards safety and health, I would like to call it OSH

communication development.

OSH Communication Development

There are few steps in developing OSH communication at the workplace. The

communication development made based on the requirement of OSHA 1994 and inline

with La Marsh’s element of change in his book, “Changing the Way We Change”.

The steps in OSH communication development are as follows :-

a. Top Management Commitment – Safety and Health Policy

b. Safety and Health Committee (SHC)

c. Safety and Health Orientation

d. OSH Training

e. OSH Awareness Campaign

f. Safety Observation or Audit

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Top Management Commitment – Safety and Health Policy

According to Jeanenne La Marsh, the organisations use communication to adjust the

balance in leaving the present state. La Marsh said, “The present is no longer desirable.

You know that. The company knows that. But to spill people out of the stability of the

present, you need to tell them why the present is no longer desirable. Tell them

everything they need to know so they can make the decision to change.”

At the same time the organisation must defining the future. La Marsh also said that,

“Show people where they are going show them what you know about the future, and tell

them what you do know”.

In this step of developing OSH communication, the top management must clear about

the present state, which is in this case are unsafe and unhealthy or to be better safety

and health condition. Then the management must make the entire organisation

understand about the present state. The top management makes decision to change to a

safe and healthy condition (the future). The top management must shows their

commitment towards safety and health to the entire organisation by making the safety

and health policy.

The safety and health policy must be sign by the highest management level such as the

president, CEO or Managing Director. The policy illustrates the organisation commitment

and responsibility towards ensuring the safety and health of the entire organisation.

Every level of the organisation must know about the policy and refer to it in every

decision making process. For example, in purchasing process, the purchasing department

must ensure the every product they purchase is safe to be use.

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The requirement for the safety and health policy stated under section 16 of the OSHA

1994. The failure to comply with this section would lead to a maximum penalty of RM

50,000.00 or two years imprisonment or both.

The management commitment is not only in the written policy but they must implement

it. The management can communicate the importance of safety and health by practising

it, or in other words leading by example. The management must carefully designing the

rollout because targets of change do not only want to hear from their managers, or from

head of the company, but they are also checking the consistency in those “change”

messages. So, the management must practice what they said about OSH. Be a good OSH

role model.

Safety and Health Committee (SHC)

La Marsh wrote in his book that the organisation must develop the communication

system to support the Delta State, because people need help getting through the delta.

They need to know that the company understands their difficulties and ready to provide

them with support, encouragement and help. Safety & Health Committee (SHC) allows

both employer and employees to communicate.

The SHC encourage consultation and co-operation concept towards improving safety and

health condition at workplace. It’s providing two ways communication channel and

discussion platform between employer and employees. The SHC also creating the interest

and motivating every level of the organisation towards OSH. The SHC formed by

employer and employee representative. The SHC is the most effective communication

method in developing OSH at the workplace.

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Under section 30 of the Act and SHC Regulations 1997, every organisation that have 40

or more employees must form and established the SHC. The committee must hold a

meeting at least once within 3 months period. The minute of the SHC meeting must be

recorded and keep for at least 7 years. The failure to comply with this section would lead

to a maximum penalty of RM 5,000.00 or six months imprisonment or both.

Safety and Health Orientation

The organisation must communicate the importance of OHS from to every employees,

contractors, vendors or suppliers from the first time they enter the organisation through

safety and health orientation.

The orientation must be made so that they will know the organisation safety and health

policy, safety procedures, rules and regulation as well as the punishment of failure to

follow the safety and health rules.

OSH Training

OSH training or OSH courses is essential in developing formal education towards safety

and health at workplace. In handling specific machinery or hazardous works such as

working in confined space or handling of hazardous chemicals, safety training is crucial.

The employees will gain proper knowledge and understanding of OSH from the training.

The training can be organised in house or by sending the employees to external OSH

training provider.
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As La Marsh suggested in the book that the management must varied the way they

communicate the change, so the training can be made in various way such as fire drill,

computer based training (CBT) and so on.

OSH Awareness Campaign

OSH awareness campaign such as safety day or safety week or safety month is very

important to communicate OSH to the organisation citizen (internally) and to the public.

The campaign will increase level of OSH awareness among the organisation as well as to

their external public. Normally, the organisation will invite public to participate their open

safety day. This will expose the public internally or externally regarding the organisation’s

safety and health standards.

In some organisation the varied their OSH campaign by not only organising safety day or

safety weeks but they do it all year long by rewarding their employees. For example,

Bredero Price (M) Sdn Bhd, Gebeng rewarding their employees RM 6.00 per day if they

not involves in any accident at the workplace. This encourange and motivate the

employees to work in a safe and healthy manner as well as for them to learn more about

OSH.

Safety Observation or Audit

Safety observation or audit allows every level of the organisation to report any unsafe

acts or unsafe condition to the management. This will control any potential hazard from

being a disaster to the organisation. Normally the implement it by using the OSH

suggestion box. Everybody will feel responsible to identify hazard and communicate it to

the safety department or to the SHC.

Conclusion
As conclusion, the effective communication system is very important in managing

organisational change. In a study conducted by the Council of Communication

Management, U.S.A, at least half of the employees in a variety of organisations surveyed

felt that they were not adequately informed, that management doesn't do a good job

explaining the reasons behind major decisions, and that communication about change

was not timely. And these were organisations with highly paid and often well-regarded

internal communication specialists.

In order to make communicating change successful, the management must plan the

communication system. They (the sponsor) must know the change stage (present, delta

or future), the message to convey, the audience (the target), who (the change agent),

how and when should be delivered, and the feedback process.

Based on the above OSH communication system, communicating change is a never-

ending task. La Marsh wrote in her book that the communication must be

comprehensive, integrated and varied. The message delivered must be clear.

The effective communication system is very crucial in developing “SAFE and HEALTHY”

workplace. When there’s noises in communication process, the result will be hazardous to

the workplace and environment as a whole. The top management must have full

commitment and clear vision towards achieving “ZERO ACCIDENT” and well

communicate to all levels of its’ organisation, so that everybody will “THINK SAFE and

ACT SAFE”

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