C H A P T E R
ELEVEN
.
Communicating
in Teams and
Organizations
McShane 5th Canadian Edition
1
Copyright © 2004 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Communicating at Hiram Walker
Ian Gourlay, CEO of Hiram
Walker, values face-to-face
communication with
employees to find out what
is really happening in the
Walkerville, Ontario
company
Windsor Star
McShane 5th Canadian Edition
2
Copyright © 2004 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Four Functions of Communication
• Knowledge
management
• Decision making
• Coordinating work
activities
• Fulfilling drive to bond
McShane 5th Canadian Edition
3
Windsor Star
Copyright © 2004 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Communication Process Model
Sender
Form
message
Transmit
Message
Encode
message
Receiver
Receive
encoded
message
Decode
message
Encode
feedback
Form
feedback
Noise
Decode
feedback
Receive
feedback
Transmit
Feedback
McShane 5th Canadian Edition
4
Copyright © 2004 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Internet Communication in Nunavut
In Iqaluit, Adamee
Itorcheak provides
information technology to
bring together the widely
dispersed people of
Nunavut Territory.
N. Didlick, Vancouver Sun
McShane 5th Canadian Edition
5
Copyright © 2004 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Communicating Through E-mail
Advantages of E-mail
– Messages quickly formed,
edited, sent, and stored
– Needs little coordination
– Random information access
– Fewer social status barriers
Problems with E-mail
– Information overload
– Flaming
– Interpreting emotions
– Lacks social support
McShane 5th Canadian Edition
N. Didlick, Vancouver Sun
6
Copyright © 2004 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Guessing E-Mail Emoticons
:-)
:-}
<:-)
:-X
:-j
{}
Happy
Smirk
Dumb question
OOPS!
Tongue in cheek
Hug
McShane 5th Canadian Edition
7
Copyright © 2004 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Nonverbal Communication
• Actions, facial gestures, voice intonation,
silence, etc.
• Transmits most info in face-to-face meetings
• Influences meaning of verbal and written
symbols
• Less rule bound than verbal communication
• Important part of emotional labour
• Automatic and unconscious
McShane 5th Canadian Edition
8
Copyright © 2004 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Hierarchy of Media Richness
Rich
Overloaded
Zone
Face-to-face
Telephone
Media
Richness
E-mail
Newsletters
Oversimplified
Zone
Lean
Routine/
Clear
McShane 5th Canadian Edition
Situation
9
Nonroutine/
Ambiguous
Copyright © 2004 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Communication Barriers
• Perceptions
• Filtering
• Language
– Jargon
– Ambiguity
• Information Overload
McShane 5th Canadian Edition
10
Copyright © 2004 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Information Overload
Episodes of
information
overload
Employee’s
information
processing
capacity
Information Load
Time
McShane 5th Canadian Edition
11
Copyright © 2004 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Managing Information Overload
• Solution 1: Increase information
processing capacity
– Learn to digest information more quickly
– Temporarily work longer hours
• Solution 2: Reduce information load
– Buffering
– Omitting
– Summarizing
McShane 5th Canadian Edition
12
Copyright © 2004 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Cross-Cultural Communication
• Verbal differences
– Language
• Nonverbal differences
–
–
–
–
Voice intonation
Interpreting nonverbal meaning
Importance of verbal versus nonverbal
Silence and conversational overlaps
McShane 5th Canadian Edition
13
Copyright © 2004 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Gender Communication Differences
Men
Women
Report talk
Rapport talk
Gives advice
quickly and directly
Gives advice indirectly
and reluctantly
Avoids asking for
information
Frequently asks for
information
Less sensitive to
nonverbal cues
More sensitive to
nonverbal cues
McShane 5th Canadian Edition
14
Copyright © 2004 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Getting Your Message Across
• Empathize
• Repeat the message
• Use timing effectively
• Be descriptive
© Photodisc. With permission.
McShane 5th Canadian Edition
15
Copyright © 2004 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Active Listening Process and Strategies
SENSING
•Postpone evaluation
• Avoid interruptions
• Maintain interest
Active
Listening
RESPONDING
EVALUATING
• Show interest
• Clarify the message
• Empathize
• Organize information
McShane 5th Canadian Edition
16
Copyright © 2004 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
MBWA at Mitsubishi Australia
The uncertain future of Mitsubishi
Motors Australia Ltd. (MMAL) has
kept chief executive Tom Phillips
busy as a corporate communicator.
Phillips keeps everyone informed
of the company’s future through
management by walking around
(MBWA) and town hall meetings
(shown here).
McShane 5th Canadian Edition
17
R. Millard, The Advertiser
Copyright © 2004 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Communicating in Hierarchies
• Workspace design
• Newsletters and e-zines
• Employee surveys
• Management by
walking around
McShane 5th Canadian Edition
R. Millard, The Advertiser
18
Copyright © 2004 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Organizational Grapevine
• Early Research Findings
–
–
–
–
Transmits information rapidly in all directions
Follows a cluster chain pattern
More active in homogeneous groups
Transmits some degree of truth
• Changes Due to Internet
– E-mail becoming main grapevine medium
– Social networks are now global
– Vault.com extends gossip to everyone
McShane 5th Canadian Edition
19
Copyright © 2004 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Grapevine: Positives and Negatives
• Benefits
–
–
–
–
Supplements information
Strengthens corporate culture
Relieves anxiety
Signals that problems exist
• Problems
– Suggests lack of concern for employees
– Distortions might escalate anxiety
McShane 5th Canadian Edition
20
Copyright © 2004 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
C H A P T E R
ELEVEN
.
Communicating
in Teams and
Organizations
McShane 5th Canadian Edition
21
Copyright © 2004 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
