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MGM 3113
ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR
Chapter 11
Communication
After reading this chapter
you should be able to:
11.1Describe how the communication process works.
11.2Identify the key aspects of interpersonal communication.
11.3Explain how gender and age affect the communication
process.
11.4Describe how using social media can increase your
effectiveness at work.
11.5Explain how communication skills can increase your
effectiveness.
11.6Describe the implications of chapter content for you and
managers.
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Describe the Functions and Process
of Communication
Communication serves five major functions within a group
or organization:
• Management
• Feedback
• Emotional sharing
• Persuasion
• Information exchange
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Basic Dimensions of the
Communication Process
Why is communication important?
• Every managerial function and activity involves some form
of direct or indirect communication.
• Every person’s communication skills affect both personal
and organizational effectiveness.
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Describe the Functions and Process
of Communication (2 of 7)
Communication acts to manage member behavior in several
ways.
• Authority hierarchies and formal guidelines.
• Job descriptions and company policies.
• Workgroup teasing or harassing.
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Describe the Functions and Process
of Communication (3 of 7)
Communication creates feedback by clarifying to
employees what they must do, how well they are doing it,
and how they can improve their performance.
• Formation of goals, feedback on progress, and
reward for desired behavior all require
communication and stimulate motivation.
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Describe the Functions and Process
of Communication (4 of 7)
Communication within the group is a fundamental
mechanism by which members show satisfaction and
frustration.
Communication, therefore, provides for the emotional
sharing of feelings and fulfillment of social needs.
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Describe the Functions and Process
of Communication (5 of 7)
Like emotional sharing, persuasion can be good or bad
depending on if, say, a leader is trying to persuade a
workgroup to believe in the organization’s commitment to
corporate social responsibility (CSR) or to, conversely,
persuade the workgroup to break the law to meet an
organizational goal.
Persuasion can benefit or harm an organization.
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Describe the Functions and Process
of Communication (6 of 7)
The final function of communication is information
exchange to facilitate decision making.
• Communication provides the information individuals
and groups need to make decisions by transmitting
the data needed to identify and evaluate choices.
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Contrast Downward, Upward, and Lateral
Communication (1 of 7)
Downward communication: flows from one level to a lower
level.
• Assign goals, provide instructions, communicate
policies and procedures, and provide feedback.
• Downward communication must explain the reasons
why a decision was made.
• One problem is the one-way nature of downward
communication.
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Contrast Downward, Upward, and Lateral
Communication (2 of 7)
Upward communication: flows to a higher level in the group
or organization.
• Provide feedback to higher-ups, inform them of
progress, and relay current problems.
• Communicate in headlines, not paragraphs.
• Support your headlines with actionable items.
• Prepare an agenda to make sure you use your boss’s
attention well.
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Contrast Downward, Upward, and Lateral
Communication (3 of 7)
Lateral communication: takes place among members of
the same work group, among members of work groups at
the same level, among managers at the same level, or
among any horizontally equivalent personnel.
– Often necessary to save time and facilitate
coordination.
▪ May be formally sanctioned.
▪ Can create dysfunctional conflicts.
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Figure 9.2 Communication Process in Action
Access the text alternate for slide image.
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(left): Wolf/Fuse/Getty Images; (right): paffy/Shutterstock
Sender, Message, Receiver 1
Communication begins when the sender encodes
an idea or thought.
• This involves translating thoughts into code or language
others can understand.
• Sender selects the medium for the message.
• Examples include face-to-face, telephone, email, charts
and graphs, social media.
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Sender, Message, Receiver 2
Receivers decode and create meaning:
• After receiving a message.
• Process of interpreting and making sense of a message.
• Can be influenced by cultural norms and values.
Feedback.
• The receiver’s reaction to the sender’s message.
Noise.
• Anything that interferes with the transmission and
understanding of a message.
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Selecting the Right Media
Media Richness.
• The capacity of a given communication medium to
convey information and promote understanding.
Four factors affect media richness:
1. Speed of feedback.
2. Channel.
3. Type.
4. Language source.
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Key Communication Competencies
Non-verbal.
• For example, body movements, touch, facial expressions,
and eye contact.
Active listening.
• The process of actively decoding and interpreting verbal
messages.
• Requires cognitive attention and information processing
unlike hearing.
Non-defensive listening.
• Avoiding defensive language from either party, which can
foster inaccurate and inefficient information.
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More on Active Listening
Listening styles.
• Active:
• I am fully invested.
• Involved:
• I am partially invested.
• Passive:
• Not my responsibility.
• Detached:
• I’m disinterested.
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Tips for effective
listening.
• Show respect.
• Listen from the first
sentence.
• Be mindful.
• Keep quiet.
• Ask questions.
• Paraphrase and summarize.
• Remember what was said.
• Involve your body.
Gender, Generations, and Communication
What is linguistic style?
• Characteristic speaking pattern where we:
• Use culturally learned signals to communicate what we mean.
• Interpret others’ meaning.
• Evaluate one another as people.
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Gender Differences in Communication
Female perspective.
Male perspective.
• Focus on rapport and
relationships.
• Expected to communicate more
aggressively.
• Seek and give confirmation
and support.
• Hide emotions.
Competing explanations for why men and women
are thought to communicate differently.
• Inherited biological differences (evolutionary
psychology).
• Social role theory.
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Generational Differences in Communication
Current workplace involves people from four
generations.
Different generations favor different media.
Different generations hold different norms and
expectations for communication.
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Improving Communication
Clarify communication expectations and norms.
Make sure people get credit for their ideas and not
their gender.
Use a variety of communication tools.
Be aware of implicit bias.
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Social Media at Work
The driving force behind technology including social
media is the desire to boost productivity.
Employee productivity.
Employer productivity.
• Increased job satisfaction
and better work-life balance.
•
Connect in real time and over
distances with stakeholders.
• Performance and retention.
•
• More creativity and
collaboration.
Connect sources of knowledge
across the organization.
•
Expand and open traditional
boundaries to involve outsiders
in problem solving
(crowdsourcing).
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Costs of Social Media
Lost productivity due to cyberloafing (using the Internet
at work for personal use) is a primary concern for
employers in their adoption of social media.
How do employees waste time on social media?
• 50% talking on the phone or texting.
• 39% surfing the Internet.
• 38% on social media.
• 23% are sending personal email.
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Social Media Policy Concerns: Blocking Access
Given concerns over cyberloafing and lost productivity
some organizations are turning to blocking access.
Downside to restricting access:
•
Alienate employees.
•
Fairness.
•
Perceptions of lack of trust .
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Social Media Policy Concerns
• Create safe channels for
employees to air their
concerns.
• Clarify what is confidential.
Effective policies should:
• Outline consequences for
violations.
• Identify spokesperson.
• Discuss appropriate ways
to engage others.
• Explain what is illegal.
• Align social policy with
organizational culture.
• Educate employees.
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Privacy Concerns – What Can Employers Do?
Employers and their employees have reputations which are built
over time and can be extremely consequential professionally.
What can employers do?
• Communicate what personal information from mobile
devices is accessed by the employer.
• Ensure employees understand what is accessible
depending on the operating system used.
• Create and communicate clear and sensible policies
regarding potential employer actions regarding information
on employees’ mobile devices.
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Boosting Your Communication Effectiveness: The Ted
Five-Step Protocol
Step 1: Frame your story.
Step 2: Plan your delivery.
Step 3: Develop your stage presence.
Step 4: Plan your multimedia.
Step 5: Put it together.
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Crucial Conversations
Typical crucial
conversations.
How to be effective during
crucial conversations
Occur when:
Share your facts.
• The stakes are high.
• Opinions vary.
• Emotions run strong.
For example, when:
• Ending a relationship.
• Addressing offensive behavior.
• Giving negative feedback.
• Critiquing others’ work.
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Tell your story.
Ask for other’s facts and stories.
Talk tentatively.
Encourage testing.