THOMAS GREEN: A CAREER IN CRISIS

HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW CASE STUDY

(COMMUNICATION THEORY SECTION)

BUS 567- Behavioral Science

Presented by: Alin Sturek

October 15, 2014

Communication Theory

• Greeks believed god Mercury, considered messenger of the gods,

took ideas from the speaker, placed them on spears, and plunged

them into the listener’s brain (linear communication)

• Today communication is viewed much more as a transactional process

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Transactional Model of Communication

• Involves two communicators who participate equally from their own

context or field or experience

• Shared field of experience needed for effective communication

• Also includes noise, anything that interferes with intended

communication

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Arc of Distortion

• Difference between what is

intended and what is actually

understood

• Numerous causes of

distortion = barriers to

mutual understanding

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Barriers to Communication• Poor relationships

• Complicated situation as Green not selected by Davis

• Challenged his manager during budget meeting

• First evaluation could have been more positive, but for prior interactions

• Defensiveness

• Green was unwilling to heed and act on his manager’s advice

• Constantly tried to justify his work style and processes

• Perception

• Was promoted by VP of division

• Disregarded the need to build strong relationship with his manager due to support from VP

• Green believed that Davis was criticizing his performance as retribution for speaking out at budget meeting

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Emotional Noise and Active Listening

• Anxiety and worry, categorized as emotional noise, stemmed

from the first evaluation and led to further deterioration in

communication

• Green was avoiding personal interactions with his manager

• His mood was negatively affected

• Work became less exciting

• Active listening is a set of learned skills that would enable Green

to deal with distortions

• Being non-evaluative = easier acceptance of Davis and advice

• Paraphrasing the context = shows communication from his manager has

been understood

• Reflecting the implications = communicates understanding of the thinking

behind his manager’s communication

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