C H A P T E R
11
Communicating
in Organizational
Settings
McShane/ Von Glinow 2/e
Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Pearse Flynn: Master Communicator
Pearse Flynn encouraged
communication by redesigning
buildings and asking staff to write
their opinions on sticky notes. The
former Alcatel executive (now
CEO of Damovo) also practices
management by wandering
around by chatting with
employees in offices and pubs.
McShane/ Von Glinow 2/e
C. Mikula, Ottawa Citizen
Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Four Functions of Communication
Knowledge management
Decision making
Coordinating work activities
Fulfills relatedness needs
C. Mikula, Ottawa Citizen
McShane/ Von Glinow 2/e
Copyright © 2003 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/ Von Glinow 2/e
Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Communication Barriers
Perceptions
Filtering
Language
Jargon
Ambiguity
Information Overload
© Photodisc. With permission.
McShane/ Von Glinow 2/e
Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
McShane/ Von Glinow 2/e
Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Information Overload
Episodes of
information
overload
Employee’s
information
processing
capacity
Information Load
Time
McShane/ Von Glinow 2/e
Copyright © 2003 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/ Von Glinow 2/e
Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Internet Communication in Nunavut
Through e-mail, Internet
chat rooms, and other
information technology,
Adamee Itorcheak brings
together the widely
dispersed people of
Nunavut Territory in
Northern Canada.
McShane/ Von Glinow 2/e
N. Didlick, Vancouver Sun
Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Communicating Through EE-mail
Advantages of E-mail
Efficient medium
Asynchronous
Random information access
Fewer social status barriers
Problems with E-mail
Information overload
Interpreting emotions
Flaming
Lacks empathy or social
N. Didlick, Vancouver Sun
support
McShane/ Von Glinow 2/e
Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Guessing EE-Mail Emoticons
:-)
:-}
<:-)
:-X
:-j
{}
Happy
Smirk
Dumb question
OOPS!
Tongue in cheek
Hug
McShane/ Von Glinow 2/e
Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Nonverbal Communication
Actions, gestures, facial expressions, 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 labor
McShane/ Von Glinow 2/e
Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Hierarchy of Media Richness
Rich
Overloaded
Zone
Face--toFace
to-face
Telephone
Media
Richness
E-mail
Newsletters
Oversimplified
Zone
Lean
Routine/
Clear
McShane/ Von Glinow 2/e
Situation
Nonroutine/
Ambiguous
Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Communicating in Hierarchies
Newsletters and e-zines
Multi-pronged strategy
Workspace design
Need to balance need to
concentrate with improved
informal communication
Employee surveys
Management by walking
around
McShane/ Von Glinow 2/e
Courtesy of Nortel Networks
Copyright © 2003 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 etc. becoming main grapevine medium
Social networks are now global
Vault.com extends gossip to anyone
McShane/ Von Glinow 2/e
Copyright © 2003 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/ Von Glinow 2/e
Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Cross--Cultural Communication
Cross
Verbal differences
Language
Voice intonation
Nonverbal differences
Interpreting nonverbal meaning
Importance of verbal versus nonverbal
Silence and conversational overlaps
McShane/ Von Glinow 2/e
Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Gender Communication Differences
Men
Report talk
Gives advice
quickly and directly
Women
Rapport talk
Gives advice indirectly
and reluctantly
Avoids asking for
information
Frequently asks for
information
Less sensitive to
nonverbal cues
More sensitive to
nonverbal cues
McShane/ Von Glinow 2/e
Copyright © 2003 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/ Von Glinow 2/e
Copyright © 2003 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/ Von Glinow 2/e
Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
C H A P T E R
11
Communicating
in Organizational
Settings
McShane/ Von Glinow 2/e
Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
