Introduction

Communication, which is defined as the art of sharing information between two or more individuals, is a crucial element of any organization and of society as a whole (Quirke, 2017). From an organizational context, communication is quite important for the achievement of organizational goals and objectives, and this importance placed upon the subject in an organizational context has given rise to a separate discipline called “internal communication” (Kim and Rhee, 2011). Key elements of internal communication include the flow of information between management and employees, and the effectiveness of sharing this information between the two parties for maximum clarity. In addition, effective communication can in some cases be the factor that determines the success or failure of an organization, as seen by the case of Nokia. This report will critically appraise the key communication challenges including cross cultural communication barriers faced by Nokia, which eventually lead to Microsoft acquiring the brand in 2014.
The current organizational climate and communication strategies used by Nokia Sri Lanka
The present report will briefly evaluate and discuss the key imperatives within the broad domain of communication with a special reference to the cross cultural communication aspects and recommendations to increase the effectiveness of the overall communication process. A range of theoretical models and insights have been used within this context to understand the current internal communication strategy and organizational climate of the company. According to Quirke (2008), having a strong internal communication strategy will help businesses to unleash the maximum potential of their employees towards creating a superior business value. In other words right staff engagement is crucial to be competitive in today’s business set up. The theoretical model of seven links of communication introduced by Quirke (2008) can be used to critically evaluate the Nokia Sri Lanka’s existing internal communication efforts.

The case of Nokia

Established in 1992, Nokia was the forerunner in the mobile phone revolution in the world. The brand was ambitiously innovative, dishing out newer and newer models of phones at an increasing frequency, transforming the mobile phone industry (Rooij, 2015). However, this momentum of innovation did not last, and a number of failed attempts to innovate in a customer centric manner lead to the rapid decline of Nokia’s market share the moment Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone in 2007. How did Nokia come to this state after decades of excellence and being on top? Many analysts attribute this to the bureaucracy within the organization and a communication gap between the management and the employees, leading to a severe gap in information flow. The communication deficiencies within the leadership has greatly contributed to this sorry state as well (Moccia, 2018). Now, let’s individually pay attention to the each element of the internal communication strategy using the seven links model.