Fundamentals of
Management
Chapter Twelve: Communication in
Organizations
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Warm Up
• Think about a time when communication failed. What was the
scenario? Why do you think it failed?
• Given what you know about the communication process, what, if
anything, would you have changed about that communication?
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Learning Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you should be able to:
12-1 Describe the interpersonal nature of organizations.
12-2 Describe the role and importance of communication in the
manager’s job.
12-3 Identify the basic forms of communication in organizations.
12-4 Discuss informal communication, including its various forms and types.
12-5 Describe how the communication process can be managed to
recognize and overcome barriers.
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12-1 The Importance of Operations
• Interpersonal dynamics:
− Personal and positive: Mutual respect and affection, and enjoy
interacting
− Personal but negative: Parties dislike each other, do not have mutual
respect, and do not enjoy interacting
• Outcomes of interpersonal behaviors:
▪
Needs satisfaction: Interpersonal relations in organization can be
primary source of social needs
▪
Social support: Others share a common frame of reference, source of
synergy
▪
Conflict: Exchange of anger or hostility
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12-2 A Definition of Communication
• Communication:
− The process of transmitting information from one person to another
• Effective communication
− The process of sending a message in such a way that the
message received is as close in meaning as possible to the
message intended
− Based on the ideas of meaning and consistency of meaning
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12-2c The Role of Communication
in Management (1 of 2)
• Communication should be:
− Accurate: Provides a valid and reliable reflection of reality
− Timely: Available in time for appropriate managerial action
− Complete: Provides the manager with all the information that he or she
needs
− Relevant: Information that is useful to managers in their particular
circumstances for their particular needs
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12-2c The Role of Communication
in Management (2 of 2)
Communication related directly to basic management functions
− Organizing
− Organization change
− Planning
− Development
− Leading
− Reward systems
− Controlling
− Establishing procedures
− Delegation
− Monitoring performance
− Coordination
− Corrective actions
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12-2d The Communication Process
• Steps in the communication process:
• Deciding to transmit a fact, idea, opinion, or other information to the receiver.
• Encoding the meaning into a form appropriate to the situation.
• Transmitting through the appropriate channel or medium.
• Decoding the message back into a form that has meaning to the receiver.
• Noise is anything disrupting the communication process.
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Figure 12.1 The Communication Process
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Knowledge Check 1
In which step of the communication process would the sender make conscious
decisions on how to phrase a message so that it is accurately understood by
the receiver?
A. Deciding to transmit a fact, idea, or other type of information
B. Shaping the message based on knowledge of the situation and the receiver
C. Choosing the channel and medium
D. Eliminating the potential for noise
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Knowledge Check 1: Answer
• In which step of the communication process would the sender make conscious
decisions on how to phrase a message so that it is accurately understood by the
receiver?
B. Shaping the message based on knowledge of the situation and the
receiver
The encoding might take the form of words, facial expressions,
gestures, or even artistic expressions and physical actions. The choice
of how to encode the message is a very conscious decision based on
the sender’s knowledge of the situation and the receiver. The sender
must also make sure that the message has enough information that it
will not be misinterpreted by the receiver.
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12-3a Interpersonal Communication
• Oral communication:
• Face-to-face conversation, group discussions,
telephone calls, and other circumstances in which the
spoken word is used to transmit meaning
• Nonverbal communication:
•
Any communication exchange that does not use words
or uses words to carry more meaning than the strict
definition of the words themselves
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12-3a Oral Communication
• Advantages:
• Promotes prompt feedback and interchange in the form of
verbal questions and responses
• Is easy to use and can be done with little preparation
• Disadvantages:
• Suffers from problems with inaccuracy in meaning and
details
• Leaves no time for thought and consideration and no
permanent record of what was said
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12-3a Nonverbal Communication
• Three types practiced by managers:
− Image: Words or phrases people elect to use
− Settings: Boundaries, familiarity, the home turf
− Body language: Distance, eye contact, body and hand
movement, pauses in speech, mode of dress
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Poll 1
When the verbal and nonverbal components of a message do not match, what
are you more likely to believe?
A. Verbal
B. Nonverbal
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12-3a Written Communication (1 of 2)
• Written communication:
• Memos, letters, reports, notes, email, and other
circumstances in which the written word is used to
transmit meaning
• Advantages of written communication:
• Is accurate and creates a permanent record of the
exchange
• Leaves time for thought and consideration, can be
referenced
• Is easy to use and can be done with little preparation
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12-3a Written Communication (2 of 2)
• Disadvantages of written communication:
• Inhibits feedback and interchange due to the burden of the
process of preparing a physical document
• Referred to as message “leanness”
• Considerable delay can occur in clarifying message
meanings
• Lag time between sending and response
• Can result in inaccurate interpretation of original
meaning
• Difficult and time-consuming
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12-3b Choosing the Right Form
• The situation determines the most appropriate medium:
•
Oral communication, email or text may be preferred for
personal, brief, nonroutine, or high-priority communications.
•
Formal written communications (e.g., memos, letters, reports,
and notes) are used for messages that are impersonal,
routine, and of lower priority.
Managers should capitalize on advantages of each
• Phone call or text for immediate response
• Follow up in writing
•
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Discussion #1
• How could the overuse of oral communication delay managers
in the completion of their assignments?
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12-3b Communicating in Networks
and Work Teams
• Communication network:
•
The pattern through which the members of a group
communicate
• Research suggests:
•
•
For simple and routine tasks, centralized networks
perform with the greatest efficiency and accuracy.
For complex and nonroutine tasks, decentralized
networks with open communication are most effective.
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Figure 12.2 Organizational Communication
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12-3c Vertical Communication
•
Vertical communication: Communication that flows up and down the
organization, usually along formal reporting lines; takes place between
managers and their superiors and subordinates and may involve several
different levels of the organization.
− Upward communication: Consists of messages from subordinates to
superiors
▪
Is more subject to distortion
− Downward communication
▪
Occurs when information flows down the hierarchy from superiors to
subordinates
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Figure 12.3 Formal Communication
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12-3c Horizontal Communication
•
Horizontal communication
− Communication that flows laterally within the organization;
involves colleagues and peers at the same level of the
organization and may involve individuals from several
different organizational units.
▪
▪
▪
Facilitates coordination among independent units
Useful in joint problem solving
Plays a major role in communication among members of
work teams drawn from different departments
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12-3d Digital Communication (1 of 2)
•
Personal electronic technology
− Has created opportunities for quickly disseminating
information and contacting others in the organization
− Email, texting, teleconferences from personal computers and
smartphones
− Has also created opportunities for dysfunctional employee
behaviors
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12-3d Digital Communication (2 of 2)
•
Advantage:
− Allows people to work at home and transmit their work
electronically to the company
•
Disadvantages:
− The lack of face-to-face contact
− Loss of strong personal relationships
− Falling behind professionally
− Losing out in organizational politics
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Discussion #2
Many employees worked from home, or still may be working from
home, during the COVID-19 pandemic. What effect is this likely to
have on the future of telecommuting? What information
technology (IT) challenges might employers encounter as more
workers telecommute? How can an employer mitigate those
challenges?
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12-4 Informal Communication (1 of 2)
•
Interchanges among employees that take place outside the
normal work setting
•
May or may not follow official reporting relationships and/or
prescribed organizational channels
•
May have nothing to do with official organizational business
•
Can promote a strong culture and enhance employee
understanding of how the organization works
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Figure 12.4 Informal Communication (2 of 2)
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12-4a The Grapevine
•
Grapevine:
•
An informal communication network among people in an
organization
•
Does not always follow the same patterns as formal channels of
authority and communication
•
Found to be 75 to 95 percent accurate, especially with
information that is based on fact
•
Managers can control, but not eliminate, information traveling
through the grapevine
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Knowledge Check 2
How can managers use the grapevine to their advantage?
A. Use the grapevine to learn gossip about other employees.
B. Learn who key people in the grapevine are and use them to get
reactions to new ideas.
C. Learn who is eavesdropping on other employees and use those
people as sources of information.
D. Managers should work to minimize the effects of gossip that
travels through the grapevine instead of using it to their
advantage.
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Knowledge Check 2: Answer
• How can managers use the grapevine to their advantage?
B. Learn who key people in the grapevine are and use them to get reactions to
new ideas.
Attempts to eliminate the grapevine are not likely to succeed, but fortunately
the manager does have some control over it. By maintaining open channels of
communication and responding vigorously to inaccurate information, the
manager can minimize the damage the grapevine can do. And if used
carefully, in some situations the grapevine can actually be an asset. By
learning who the key people in the grapevine are, for example, the manager
can use it to sound out employee reactions to new ideas, such as a change
in human resource policies or benefit packages. The manager can also get
valuable information from the grapevine and use it to improve decision making.
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Figure 12.5 Common Grapevine Chains
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12-4b Management by Wandering Around
•
Management by wandering around
• An approach to communication that involves the
manager literally wandering around and having
spontaneous conversation with others
•
Encourages informal interchange that takes place
outside normal work hierarchy
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12-5a Barriers to Communication
• Individual barriers:
• Organizational barriers:
• Conflicting or inconsistent
• Semantics
signals
• Credibility about the
subject
• Reluctance to
communicate
• Poor listening skills
• Status or power differences
• Different perceptions
• Noise
• Overload
• Language differences
• Predisposition about the
subject
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Poll 2
Which skill do you need to improve in order to strengthen your
communication efforts?
A. Sending conflicting or inconsistent signals
B. Credibility about the subject
C. Reluctance to communicate
D. Listening skills
E. Having a predisposition about the subject
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12-5b Improving Communication
Effectiveness (1 of 3)
Individual skills:
• Develop good listening skills: Considered to be the single most
important individual skill for improving communication effectiveness
• Encourage two-way communication: Ask questions, allow for
feedback
• Be aware of language and meaning: Meaning varies based on
context and sender
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12-5b Improving Communication
Effectiveness (2 of 3)
Individual skills:
• Maintain credibility: Avoid pretending to be an expert; be as accurate
and honest as possible.
• Be sensitive to the receiver’s perspective: News might be unwelcome,
a surprise, or upsetting.
• Be sensitive to sender’s perspective: Information might be difficult for
sender to share; avoid taking out anger and frustration on the sender.
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12-5b Improving Communication
Effectiveness (3 of 3)
Organizational skills:
• Follow up: Check in later to ensure message was received and
understood.
• Regulate information flows: Take steps to ensure overload does not
occur. Avoid passing too much information through the system at one
time.
• Understand the richness of media: Face-to-face allows for questions
and responses. Objective and precise message should be in writing.
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Figure 12.6 More and Less Effective
Listening Skills
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Summary
Now that the lesson has ended, you will have learned how to:
• Describe the interpersonal nature of organizations.
• Describe the role and importance of communication in the
manager’s job.
• Identify the basic forms of communication in organizations.
• Discuss informal communication, including its various forms and
types.
• Describe how the communication process can be managed
to recognize and overcome barriers.
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