Communication

1. Communication Management and Processes

2. Communication and Management • Topics Covered • The Importance of Good Communication • The Communication Process • The Role of Perception in Communication • The Dangers of Ineffective Communication • Information Richness and Communication Media • Face-to-Face Communication • Spoken Communication Electronically Communicated • Personally Addressed Written Communication

3. Communication and Management • Topics Covered (cont’d) • Impersonal Written Communication • Communication Networks • Communication Networks in Groups and Teams • Organizational Communication Networks • External Networks • Technological Advances in Communication • The Internet • Intranets • Groupware

4. Communication and Management • Topics Covered • Communication Skills for Managers • Communication Skills for Managers as Senders • Communication Skills for Managers as Receivers • Understanding Linguistic Styles

5. Communication Communication - the evoking of a shared or common meaning in another person Interpersonal Communication - communication between two or more people in an organization Communicator - the person originating the message Receiver - the person receiving a message Perceptual Screen - a window through which we interact with people that influences the quality, accuracy, and clarity of the communication

6. Communication Message - the thoughts and feelings that the communicator is attempting to elicit in the receiver Feedback Loop - the pathway that completes two-way communication Language - the words, their pronunciation, and the methods of combining them used & understood by a group of people

7. Communication Data - uninterpreted and unanalyzed facts Information - data that have been interpreted, analyzed, & and have meaning to some user Richness - the ability of a medium or channel to elicit or evoke meaning in the receiver

8. Communication and Management • Communication - Definition • The sharing of information between two or more individuals or groups to reach a common understanding. • Importance of Good Communication • Increased efficiency in new technologies and skills • Learning, Implementing, Training • Expands workers skills

9. Communication and Management • Importance of Good Communication • Improved quality of products and services Meaning and importance of quality How to attain quality • Subordinates communicate problems and solutions for increasing quality to superiors

10. Communication and Management • Importance of Good Communication • Increased responsiveness to customers • Empowered workers lower response time to satisfy customer wants and needs

11. Communication and Management • Importance of Good Communication • More innovation through communication • Cross-functional teams communicating effectively produce higher quality products more efficiently

12. The Communication Process • Phases of the Communication Process: • Transmission phase in which information is shared by two or more people. • Feedback phase in which a common understanding is assured.

13. The Communication Process • Phases of the Communication Process: • Transmission phase in which information is shared by two or more people. • The process starts with a sender (an individual or group) who wants to share information. • Senders must decide what information to share and puts the message into symbols or language (encoding). • Noise: anything harming the communication process • Once encoded the message is sent through a medium to a receiver

14. The Communication Process • Phases of the Communication Process: • The receiver interprets or decodes the message

15. The Communication Process • Phases of the Communication Process: • Feedback phase in which a common understanding is assured. • The receiver decides what the message means and communicates it back to the sender. • The original sender decodes the message and makes sure that a common understanding has been reached.

16. The Communication Process

17. The Communication Process (cont’d) • Messages are transmitted over a medium to a receiver. • Medium: the pathway over which the message is transmitted (e.g., telephone, written note, email). • Receiver: the person getting the message. • The receiver decodes (interprets) the message, allowing the receiver to understand the message. • This is a critical point: failure to properly decode the message can lead to a misunderstanding. • Feedback by receiver informs the sender that the message is understood or that it must be re-sent.

18. Communication Issues • Verbal Communication • The encoding of messages into words, either written or spoken • Nonverbal • The encoding of messages by means of facial expressions, body language, and styles of dress.

19. The Role of Perception in Communication • Senders and receivers communicate based on their subjective perceptions. • Subjective perception can lead to biases and stereotypes that can interfere with effective communication. • Effective managers avoid communications based on biases and stereotypes.

20. The Role of Perception in Communication • Communication relates to senders and receivers personality, perceptions, and motivations. • Example: A recently promoted manager communicates with a rival for the same promotion. The rival feels that the assignment is beneath them and was given as a power play by the newly promoted manager. The newly promoted manager feels that the rival is the only one capable of carrying out the project.

21. The Role of Perception in Communication What is sent What is sent Communication method/media Motivation Motivation Perception Perception

22. The Dangers of Ineffective Communication • Managers and their subordinates can become effective communicators by: • Selecting an appropriate medium for each message—there is no one “best” medium. • Considering information richness (the amount of information a medium can carry). • A medium with high richness can carry much more information to aid understanding. • Is there a need for a paper path or electronic trail to provide documentation of the communication?

23. Information Richness of Communication Media

24. Communication Media • Face-to-Face • Has highest information richness. • Can take advantage of verbal and nonverbal signals. • Provides for instant feedback. • Management by wandering around takes advantage of this with informal talks to workers. • Video conferences provide much of this richness and reduce travel costs and meeting times.

25. Communication Media (cont’d) • Spoken Communication Electronically Transmitted • Has the second highest information richness. • Telephone conversations are information rich with tone of voice, sender’s emphasis, and quick feedback, but provide no visual nonverbal cues.

26. Communication Media (cont’d) • Personally Addressed Written Communication • Has a lower richness than the verbal forms of communication, but still is directed at a given person. • Personal addressing helps ensure receiver actually reads the message—personal letters and e-mail are common forms. • Does not provide instant feedback to the sender although sender may get feedback later. • Excellent media for complex messages requesting follow-up actions by receiver.

27. E-Mail Dos and Don’ts • E-mail allows telecommuting employees to work from home and keep in contact. • The use of e-mail is growing rapidly and e-mail etiquette is expected: • Typing messages in all CAPITALS is seen as “screaming” at the receiver. • Punctuate your messages for easy reading and don’t ramble on. • Pay attention to spelling and treat the message like a written letter.

28. Communication Media (cont’d) • Impersonal Written Communication • Has the lowest information richness. • Good for messages to many receivers where little or feedback is expected (e.g., newsletters, reports)

29. Ten Commandments of Email • Don’t use your inbox as a catcall for everything you need to work on. Read items once, answer them immediately, delete them if possible or move them to another folder. • Set up a five weeks folder that deletes automatically. • Use common acronyms to identify important items • Send group mail only when it is important to all recipients

30. Ten Commandments of Email • Ask to be removed from distribution lists you do not need to be on. • To cut down on pile up, use out of office • Send messages that use only the subject line using EOM to signify end of message • Use graphics sparingly • Attachments over 5mb to groups are better put on company website • Specify important parts of the attachment Pg 17 and 20

31. Communication Networks • Communication Networks • The pathways along which information flows in groups and teams and throughout the organization. • Choice of communication network depends on: • The nature of the group’s tasks • The extent to which group members need to communicate with each other to achieve group goals.

32. Communication Networks • Communication Networks Pathways • Vertical • Manager to upper level managers • Manager to subordinates (direct reports) • Lateral • Manager to other managers

33. Communication Networks in Groups and Teams

34. Communication Networks in Groups and Teams Figure 15.3

35. Organization Communication Networks • Organization Chart • A pictorial representation of formal reporting channels in an organization. • Communication in an organization flows through formal and informal pathways • Vertical communications flow up and down the corporate hierarchy. • Horizontal communications flow between employees of the same level. • Informal communications can span levels and departments—the grapevine is an informal network carrying unofficial information throughout the firm.

36. Formal and Informal Communication Networks in An Organization Figure 0.4

37. Nonverbal Communication Nonverbal Communication - all elements of communication that do not involve words Four basic types • Proxemics - an individual’s perception & use of space • Kinesics - study of body movements, including posture • Facial & Eye Behavior - movements that add cues for the receiver • Paralanguage - variations in speech, such as pitch, loudness, tempo, tone, duration, laughing, & crying

38. a = intimate <1.5’ b = personal 1.5-4’ a c = social 4-12’ b c d = public >12’ d Proxemics: Territorial Space Territorial Space - bands of space extending outward from the body; territorial space differs from culture to culture

39. X X O O Communication Cooperation X O X O Non- Communication Competition O Proxemics: Seating Dynamics Seating Dynamics - seating people in certain positions according to the person’s purpose in communication

40. He’s unapproachable! He’s angry! I’ll stay out of his way! Boss breathes heavily & waves arms My opinion doesn’t count I wonder what he’s hiding? No eye contact while communicating Manager sighs deeply Examples of Decoding Nonverbal Cues Boss fails to acknowledge employee’s greeting

41. New Technologies for Communication • Informational databases • Electronic mail systems • Voice mail systems • Fax machine systems • Cellular phone systems

42. Technological Advances in Communication • Internet • Global system of computer networks used by many firms use it to communicate with their suppliers. • World Wide Web (WWW) • Provides multimedia access to the Internet. • Intranets • A company-wide system of computer networks for information sharing by employees inside the firm.

43. Technological Advances in Communication • Groupware • Computer software that enables members of groups and teams to share information with each other and improve communication. • Best used to support team-oriented working environments.

44. How Do New Technologies Affect Behavior? • Fast, immediate access to information • Immediate access to people in power • Instant information exchange across distance • Makes schedules & office hours irrelevant • May equalize group power • May equalize group participation

45. How Do New TechnologiesAffect Behavior? • Communication can become more impersonal--interaction with a machine • Interpersonal skills may diminish--less tact, less graciousness • Non-verbal cues lacking • Alters social context • Easy to become overwhelmed with information • Encourages polyphasic activity

46. Communication Skills for Managers • Barriers to Effective Communication • Perceptual and attribution biases • Conflicting assumptions • Inadequate information • Semantics • Emotional Blocks • Nonverbal communication barriers • Cultural barriers • Inadequate communication media • Technological barriers

47. Communication Skills for Managers • Barriers to Effective Communication • Perceptual and attribution biases Experience is different and causes wrong interpretation – Common experiences gives common meaning • Conflicting assumptions Sender assumes receiver will use the same code to decode as intended Receiver decodes based on wrong assumptions due to inadequate background information and creates a misunderstanding

48. Communication Skills for Managers • Barriers to Effective Communication • Codes of past experience • Facts • Knowledge • Beliefs • Attitudes • Social Roles • Values • Language • Memories All blended with feelings and emotions How many of these should overlap to decode the message

49. Communication Skills for Managers • Barriers to Effective Communication • Inadequate information • Managers do not provide enough info to decode

50. Communication Skills for Managers • Barriers to Effective Communication • Semantics – Word usage • You charge someone a fee for service. • You charge something you purchase to pay later. • You charge a battery. • You charge an official with duties to perform. • You charge a horse into battle. • You get a charge out of something funny. • You charge a criminal for crimes committed. • The navy uses a depth charge.