Communicating for
Results
9e
10
Informative
Presentations
Key Ideas
•Communication skills needed
by team members
•Define team member roles
•Describe leadership types
•Identify leader responsibilities
Copyright Cengage © 2011
1
Consider this . . .
The real test of leadership lies not in the
personality and the behavior of the
leaders, but in the performance of the
groups they lead.
Bass & Stodgill, Handbook of Leadership, Free Press, 1990, p. 39
Copyright Cengage © 2011
2
Leadership in Hurricane Katrina
LEE CELANO/Reuters/Corbis
FEMA Case Study
Read or describe the case study
 Answer the following questions:
What factors made handling evacuees difficult?
What leadership style did Brown use and was it
appropriate?
What organizational model describes FEMA and
what role did the model play in the disaster?
Copyright Cengage © 2011
3
Communication Skills
Commitment and participation
Active listening
Open-mindedness
Flexibility
Copyright Cengage © 2011
4
Commitment and Participation
Be committed to meetings
Prepared for meetings
Support majority opinion when a decision
is reached even if you disagree
Copyright Cengage © 2011
5
Active listening
Receive the speaker’s total message
Interpret the speaker’s meaning closely
Check the interpreted meaning for
accuracy
Copyright Cengage © 2011
6
Personality types
Personality factors important to groups include . . .
Extroversion –
Comfortable with interpersonal relationships
Sociable and talkative
Agreeableness
Focusing on Team goals
Cooperative and trusting
Emotional Stability
How secure the team member is
 Calm and enthusiastic
Copyright Cengage © 2011
7
Personality types
Personality factors important to groups include . . .
Conscientiousness
Focusing on getting team goals done
Responsible and dependable
Open to experience
Broad range of interests
Creative and imaginative
Copyright Cengage © 2011
8
Open-mindedness
Listen with an open mind
Respect the views of others
Reach a decision that benefits the entire
group or company
Copyright Cengage © 2011
9
Group Task Functions
 Initiate
 Give information
 Seek information
 Give opinion
 Seek opinion
 Elaborate
 Energize
 Review
 Record
Copyright Cengage © 2011
10
Group maintenance functions
Encourage
Harmonize
Relieve tension
Gatekeep
Copyright Cengage © 2011
11
Dysfunctional behaviors
 Blocking
Special-interest pleading
 Aggression
Distracting
 Storytelling
Withdrawing
 Recognition
Dominating
seeking
Confessing
Copyright Cengage © 2010
12
Handling dysfunctional behaviors
Plan opening remarks carefully
Seat the person next to the leader
Avoid direct eye contact
Assign dysfunctional members specific
tasks
Ask members to speak in a specific order
Copyright Cengage © 2011
13
Handling dysfunctional behaviors
Break in when person displaying
dysfunctional behavior stops to
summarize and go on
Place extremely talkative members
between two extremely quiet members
Encourage withdrawers
Give praise and encouragement when
possible
Copyright Cengage © 2011
14
Leadership Theories
Behavioral theories
Situational Theories
Recent Theories
Copyright Cengage © 2011
15
Behavioral theories
Trait
Function
Three-dimension
Copyright Cengage © 2011
16
Trait Theory of Leadership
Successful leaders are more likely to be . . .
 Ambitious
 Trustworthy
 Motivated
 Self-confident
 Knowledgeable
 Creative
Problem:
Can these traits be learned in a
reasonable length of time?
Copyright Cengage © 2011
17
Function Theory of Leadership
Basic task & maintenance functions needed for group success . . .
“Any time you perform a task or maintenance
function, you are the leader for that period of
time.”
Task & maintenance functions
CAN BE learned in a
reasonable length of time!
Copyright Cengage © 2011
18
Three Dimension Theory
Authoritarian Style
Central authority figure
High degree of control
Minimal member participation
Democratic Style
Decisions made together
Members viewed as equals
Laissez-faire Style
Leaders not involved in decisions
Blind communication style
Copyright Cengage © 2011
19
Situational theories
Situational contingency
Situational leadership
Path-goal
Copyright Cengage © 2011
20
Situational Constituency theory
 Situation dictates leadership style
 Leadership depends on:
Position of power (powerful?)
Task structure (organized?)
Leader-follower relations (liked?)
Time is also a situational variable
Time to reach a decision
Time to get group commitment
Time to implement the decision
Copyright Cengage © 2011
21
Situational Leadership Theory
Includes the following four styles . . .
 Delegating style
 Participating style
 Telling style
 Selling or coaching style
Copyright Cengage © 2011
22
Path-goal leadership theory
Leader effectiveness depends on leaders
abilities and group needs
Leader is responsible for assisting
followers in attaining their goals
Leader provides needed direction
Direction makes a path to the goals clear
Copyright Cengage © 2011
23
Recent theories
Normative decision – step by step guide
for selection decision making strategies
Transformational
 Inspire followers
 Articulate a vision
 Provide plan for attaining vision
 Mobilize commitment
Copyright Cengage © 2011
24
Leader responsibilities
Lead virtual meetings
Lead face-to-face meetings
Copyright Cengage © 2011
25
Lead virtual meetings
 Select team members carefully
 Avoid micro-management
 Provide detailed training
 Encourage regular and
extensive communication
Copyright Cengage © 2011
26
Leader in Regular Meetings
Responsibilities include . . .
 Inform members of meetings
 Select place for meeting
 Check that everything needed is in place
 Welcome people as they arrive
 Start & end meeting on time
Copyright Cengage © 2011
27
Leader in Regular Meetings
(Continued)Responsibilities include . . .
 Preview & stick to agenda
 Verify recorder is present
 Encourage discussion
 Ask questions skillfully
 See to task & maintenance functions
Copyright Cengage © 2011
28
Leader in Regular Meetings
(Continued) Responsibilities include . . .
 Listen carefully
 Summarize
 Thank participants & audience
 Disseminate results
Copyright Cengage © 2011
29
Communicating for
Results
9e
10
Informative
Presentations
Key Ideas
•Communication skills needed
by team members
•Define team member roles
•Describe leadership types
•Identify leader responsibilities
Copyright Cengage © 2011
30