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MGT 321: WASIK ALI KHAN ‘COMMUNICATION’

ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR

LECTURE 6*, CHAPTER 11

‘COMMUNICATION’


Communication refers to the transmission of information

from a sender to a receiver, via a given medium.

Two-way communication involves some kind of feedback

from the receiver back to the sender.

Definition: Communication


Communication in the Workplace

• Not very different from regular communication process-wise

• Communication skills crucial to success

– Empathy: putting yourself into someone else’s shoes

• Not just for the organisation, but for each

individual/employee


coding

Sender

feedback

message Receiver

decoding channel

Perceptual filters

Perceptual filters


The Business Communication Process

Communicator 1 Communicator 2

1. Senses a communication need 7. Receives the message

2. Defines the problem 8. Interprets the message

3. Searches for possible solutions 9. Decides on a response

4. Selects a course of action (message type, content, style, format, channel)

10. May send a responding message

5. Composes the message

6. Delivers the message


Four major functions of communication

1. Control

2. Motivation

3. Emotional expression

4. Information


Communication Process Model

• The sender

– initiates the message

• Encoding

• The message

– actual physical product of the

sender

• The channel

– Formal and Informal

• Decoding

• The receiver

– translates into understandable form

• Noise

– Barriers

• Feedback


Direction of Communication

• Downward communication

– Goals, instructions, policies, procedures feedback

– Must explain decision

– Frequently and with variety

• Upward communication

– Feedback, report progress, relay problems

– Idea of how to improve conditions

• Lateral communication

– Save time and facilitates coordination

– Can benefit the organisation


Interpersonal Communication

• Oral communication

– Chief means of communication

– Speeches, discussions, grapevine

– Advantage: speed and feedback

– Disadvantage: when it passes through multiple people



• Written communication

– Advantages

• Tangible and verifiable

• Recordable and storable

• Important for complex and lengthy problems

• More time, hence more thought out

– Disadvantages

• Time-consuming

• No immediate feedback



• Non-verbal communication

– Body movements, intonations, words, facial expressions, physical

distance between sender and receiver

– Important to look for non-verbal cues as well as literal meaning


Barriers to effective communication

1. Semantic Barriers

i. Poorly expressed

ii. Symbols or words with different meaning

iii. Faulty translation

iv. Unclarified Assumption

v. Technical Jargon

vi. Body language and gesture decoding

2. Psychological and Emotional Barriers

i. Premature evaluation

ii. Lack of attention

iii. Loss by transmission and poor retention

iv. Distrust


Barriers to effective communication

3. Organisational Barriers

i. Organisational policies

ii. Rules and regulations

iii. Status

iv. Complexity in organisational structure

v. Organisational facilities

4. Personal barriers

i. Barriers related to superiors

a) Fear of Challenge of authority

b) Lack of confidence in subordinates

ii. Barriers related to subordinates

a) Unwilling to communicate

b) Lack of proper incentive

Source:http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/business-communication/4-different-types-of-barriers-to-effective-communication/1004/


Organizational Communication Process

• Formal small group networks

• The Grapevine

• Electronic communications

• Instant messaging

• Networking software

• Blogs

• Video conference


Formal Small-Group Networks • Chain:

– Rigidly follows the chain of command

– Accuracy

• Wheel:

– Relies on a central figure to act as the

conduit for all communication

– Team with a strong leader

• All Channel:

– All group members communicate actively

with each other

– Self-managed teams

– High member satisfaction

11-15

E X H I B I T 11-3


Small Group Network Effectiveness

• Small group effectiveness depends on the desired outcome

variable

11-16

E X H I B I T 11-4

TYPES OF NETWORKS

Criteria Chain Wheel All Channel

Speed Moderate Fast Fast

Accuracy High High Moderate

Emergence of a leader Moderate High None

Member satisfaction Moderate Low High


The Grapevine

• Three Main Grapevine Characteristics

1. Informal, not controlled by management

2. Perceived by most employees as being more believable and reliable than formal communications

3. Largely used to serve the self-interests of those who use it

• Results from:

– Desire for information about important situations

– Ambiguous conditions

– Conditions that cause anxiety

• Insightful to managers

• Serves employee’s social needs

11-17


Reducing Rumors

1. Provide information

2. Explain decisions and behaviors that may

appear inconsistent or secretive

3. Refrain from shooting the messenger

4. Maintain open communication channels

11-18


Electronic Communications: E-mail

• E-mail

– Advantages: quickly written, sent, and stored; low cost for distribution

– Disadvantages:

• Risk of misinterpretation

• Not appropriate for sending negative messages

• Time-consuming nature

• Removes inhibitions and can cause emotional responses and flaming

• Limited expression of emotions

• Privacy Concerns

© 2009 Prentice-Hall Inc. All rights reserved.

11-19


Electronic Comms: Instant/Text Messaging

Forms of “real time” communication of short messages that often

use portable communication devices.

– Explosive growth in business use

– Fast and inexpensive means of communication

• Downside

– Can be intrusive and distracting

– Easily “hacked” with weak security

– Can be seen as too informal


11-20


Electronic Comms: Networking Software

• Linked systems organically spread throughout the nation and

world that can be accessed by a PC

• Key Points:

– These are public spaces – anyone can see what you post

– Can be used for job application screening

– Avoid “overstimulating” your contacts

11-21


Electronic Comms: Blogs and Videoconferencing

• Blogs: websites about a single person (or entity) that are typically updated

daily.

– A popular, but potentially dangerous activity:

• Employees may post harmful information

• Such comments may be cause for dismissal

• No First Amendment rights protection

• Can be against company policy to post in a blog during company time and on company

equipment/connections

• Videoconferencing: uses live audio and video Internet streaming to create

virtual meetings.

– Now uses inexpensive webcams and laptops in place of formal videoconferencing rooms


Choice of Communication Channel

• The model of “media richness” helps explain an individual’s choice of

communication channel

– Channels vary in their capacity to convey information

• A “rich” channel is one that can:

– Handle multiple cues simultaneously

– Facilitate rapid feedback

– Be very personal

• Choice depends on whether the message is routine

• Non-routine messages require rich channels

11-23


Media Richness Model


11-24

Low channel richness High channel richness


Persuasive Communication

Automatic Processing

A relatively superficial consideration of evidence and information making use of heuristics

Controlled Processing

A detailed consideration of evidence and information relying on facts, figures and logic

Factors to determine types of processing

– Interest level

– Prior Knowledge

– Personality

• need for cognition

– Message Characteristics


Persuasive Messages

• Automatic Processing when audience (is)

– Not especially interested

– Poorly informed

– Low in need for cognition

– Receive information through lean channels

• Controlled Processing when audience (is)

– Interested in a topic

– In need for cognition

– Receive information through rich channels

Use emotion-laden persuasion

Use rational arguments and evidence


Global Implications • Cross-cultural factors increase communication difficulties

• Cultural Barriers (page 381):

– Semantics: some words aren’t translatable

– Word Connotations: some words imply multiple meanings beyond

their definitions

– Tone Differences: the acceptable level of formality of language

– Difference in tolerance for conflict and resolving conflicts

• Cultural Context:

– The importance of social context to meaning

– Low-context cultures (like the US) rely on words for meaning

– High-context cultures gain meaning from the whole situation

11-27


Body Language Issues

11-28

All of these common U.S. hand signs are offensive

somewhere in the world.


A Cultural Guide

• To reduce your chance of making a faux pas in

another culture, err on the side of caution by:

– Assuming differences until similarity is proven

– Emphasizing description rather than interpretation

or evaluation

– Practicing empathy

– Treating your interpretations as a working

hypothesis

11-29


END OF CHAPTER

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