The Art of Communication: - Derry City Council

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2.1 Communication, Culture and InterpersonalCommunicationsEllis (1980) argued that, as society has become more complex, so too has the need for‘interpersonal professionals’ who practice increasingly significant proportions of theirprofessional duties in face-to-face interactions with others such as colleagues, service usersand stakeholders. Such professionals include, those from within regulatory spheres such asEHOs.Culture has been shown to have a clear influence on the enactment of interpersonalskills (Ayoko et al. 2004). However, it is important to note that culture has been widelycharacterised as a multifaceted concept with distinctions being made between collectivist(associated with Eastern culture) and individualistic (associated with Western culture)cultures (Cryssochoou, 2004). All of these factors have a direct bearing on the effectivenessof shared interpersonal communication between culturally diverse groups.It is also vital to take note of the influences that individual personalities can have oninterpersonal communications. Ivey (1994, p.12) noted that:Individuals differ as much as or more than do cultures. You will want to attuneyour responses to the unique human being before you.On this point Hargie (2006) advises that skilled individuals manage to consider the natureof the specific individual that they are engaging with, in parallel with the associated culturalconsiderations, when producing responses. Public sector organisations undoubtedly have toface the complexities of effectively delivering services to all of their constituents includingcatering to the specific and richly diverse needs of ethnic minorities. To achieve this theymust be able to communicate effectively with this sector. Parvis (2003, p.65) makes it clearthat the EH profession must act to improve their ability to communicate effectively byexplicitly stating that:Environmental Health professionals and those who have extensive contact withpeople from different cultures should educate themselves on how to interact withpeople from other cultures.The Art of Communication: A landscape shared between regulator and ethnic employer 11
2.2 Engagement with EMBs: Failure and EffectivenessEvidence exists that indicates an apparent reluctance on the part of EMBs to engage withexternal business support services. The fact that Environmental Health departments areregulators as well as support providers may very well compound such reluctance. Evidencealso supports a lack of awareness on the part of EMBs with respect to the role and scope ofavailable support services (Oc and Tiesdell, 1999; Fallon and Brown, 2004). The consequencesof failed communication include EMBs suffering from lack of awareness of support services,lack of understanding of the support services available, doubts about the relevance of what ison offer and, ultimately, low take-up of support services (Emslie and Bent, 2006).There is some evidence in the literature, however, to show that second generationentrepreneurs from EMBs are more willing to engage with and use external support, therebyshowing potential to be more innovative and growth orientated (CEEDR, 2001a, b).With regard to the local authority Environmental Health context, it is interesting to note thefindings of research involving 40 EMBs (operating within the Bolton Metropolitan BoroughCouncil area in Northern England) conducted by Rudder (2006). Here Rudder (2006)found that language difficulties and lack of knowledge and understanding of food safety aremajor barriers faced by EMBs. However, it was noted by Rudder (2006) that when supportis offered to EMBs in the form of innovative interventions (for a defined six-month period)the results showed that 65% (26) of participating EMBs had improved their food safetycompliance. Based on this investigation Rudder (2006) concluded that a lack of positiveresponse by EMBs to EHO requests was not solely due to intransigency. Rather, it wasconcluded that, a lack of understanding by EMBs as to the relevance of what they were beingasked to do by EHOs was the main cause of not adhering to requests (Rudder, 2006).The consequences of failed communication includeEMBs suffering from lack of awareness of supportservices, lack of understanding of the supportservices available, doubts about the relevance ofwhat is on offer and, ultimately, low take-up ofsupport services (Emslie and Bent, 2006).12The Art of Communication: A landscape shared between regulator and ethnic employer
Page 2 and 3: ContentsAcknowledgementsForeword1.
Page 4 and 5: ForewordWe are very pleased to co-w
Page 6 and 7: 1.0 IntroductionThe Art of Communic
Page 8 and 9: 1.3 Environmental Health and the We
Page 10 and 11: Table 2:Number of Chinese catering
Page 14 and 15: 2.3 Communicating with the ChineseC
Page 16 and 17: 2.4 The Sills and Desai ‘Seven St
Page 18 and 19: 3.0 Study DesignThe study was a col
Page 20 and 21: 4.1 Environmental Health Functions
Page 22 and 23: 4.4 Effectiveness of Shared Communi
Page 24 and 25: Figure 5:EHO knowledge of organisat
Page 26 and 27: 4.7.1.2 Barriers• EH job is targe
Page 28 and 29: 4.7.2.4 Opportunities• Can we rai
Page 35: The findings of this study suggest
Page 38 and 39: 7.1 The European Foundation For Qua
Page 40 and 41: 7.3 People ManagementIt is vital th
Page 42 and 43: To address the key concerns express
Page 44 and 45: ReferencesAyoko, O., Hartel, C., Fi
Page 46: ForewordI am very pleased to be wri

The Art of Communication: - Derry City Council

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