Communication
Module 12
LIS 580: Spring 2006
Instructor- Michael Crandall
Roadmap
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The communication process
Barriers to communication
Interpersonal communication
Negotiation
Organizational communication
Barriers to organizational
communication
Electronic communication
Conflict
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Communication
• Creating joint meanings and shared
understanding
• Coordinating (the coordination of)
behavior
• The exchange of information
• Information as a common basis of
human relationships, understanding,
and feeling
Prentice Hall, 2002
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Emotional Intelligence Again
• In “Leading by Feel” several leaders discuss
emotional intelligence and its impact in
organizations
• What common themes did you see in these
short pieces?
• How does paying attention to emotional
intelligence help in communication?
• Is it only the leader’s emotional intelligence
that matters?
• Why do you think communication is so difficult
in organizations?
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The Communication Process
FIGURE 12–1
G.Dessler, 2003
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Barriers to Effective
Communication
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Ambiguous, Muddled Messages
Semantics
Physical Barriers
Loss of Transmission
Failing to Communicate
Competition Barriers
Cultural, Linguistic, and Diversity
Barriers
• Not Listening
G.Dessler, 2003
May 4, 2006
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Nonverbal Communication
• Nonverbal Communication
– The nonspoken aspects of communication, such
as a person’s manner of speaking, facial
expressions, or body posture, that express
meaning to others.
– Nonverbal communication can complicate the
task of communicating internationally.
• The nonverbal part of communicating is more important
in some societies than in others.
• In many societies, the context (or setting) in which a
message is delivered, with its nonverbal cues, has far
more meaning than the words of the message itself.
G.Dessler, 2003
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Psychological Barriers
• Perception
– Selectivity/exposure filtering out of unpleasant things and
focusing on or recalling things not heard.
– Retention filtering of things that feel good, and the tendency
to forget those things that are painful.
• Experiential Barriers
– The difficulty in understanding things not personally
experienced.
• Emotions
– Emotions influence both what is said and what is heard.
• Defensiveness
– Adjustments people make to avoid acknowledging personal
inadequacies that might reduce their self-esteem.
G.Dessler, 2003
May 4, 2006
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Interpersonal Communications
• Interpersonal communication
– Communication that occurs between two
individuals.
• Methods for Improving Interpersonal
Communications
– Pay attention
– Make yourself clear
– Be an active listener
– Don’t attack the person’s defenses
– Get feedback
G.Dessler, 2003
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Checklist 12.1
Active Listening
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Listen for total meaning.
Reflect feelings.
Note all cues.
Give the person your full attention.
Show that you are listening with an
open mind.
 Encourage the speaker to give
complete information.
G.Dessler, 2003
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Negotiation
• Negotiation defined
– A process in which two or more parties who have
different preference must make a joint decision and
come to an agreement
• Distributive bargaining
– Negotiation under zero-sum conditions, in which
the gains by one party involve losses by the other
party
• Integrative bargaining
– Negotiation in which there is at least one
settlement that involves no loss to either party
Prentice Hall, 2002
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Determining the Bargaining Zone
Prentice Hall, 2002
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How to Improve Your Negotiating
Skills
• Mistakes to avoid when negotiating:
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Neglecting the other side’s problems.
Letting price overwhelm other interests.
Searching too hard for common ground.
Failing to consider BANTRAs (best alternative to a
negotiated agreement).
• Negotiating Tactics (Using Leverage)
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Necessity
Desire
Competition
Time
G.Dessler, 2003
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Checklist 12.2
How to be More Persuasive
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Establish your credibility.
Frame for common ground.
Connect emotionally.
Provide evidence.
Use peer power whenever it’s
available.
 Have the person make the
commitment active, public, and
voluntary.
G.Dessler, 2003
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Organizational Communication
• Organizational Communication
– Communication that occurs among several
individuals or groups.
• Downward communications go from superior
to subordinate.
• Lateral (horizontal) communications move
between departments or between people in the
same department.
• Upward communications move from
subordinates to superiors.
G.Dessler, 2003
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Formal vs. Social Structure
Rarely do the
communication patterns
match the formal
structure
Cross, Rob. A bird's-eye view: Using social network analysis to
improve knowledge creation and sharing. IBM Executive strategy
report 04Jun2002 http://www1.ibm.com/services/us/index.wss/xs/imc/a1001262
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Multiple Network Dimensions
Four dimensional
analysis- knowledge,
access, engagement
and safety
Knowledge Network
analyzed on only one
dimension- knowledge
Cross, Rob. A bird's-eye view: Using social network analysis to improve knowledge creation and sharing . IBM
Executive strategy report 04Jun2002 http://www-1.ibm.com/services/us/index.wss/xs/imc/a1001262
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The Four Dimensions
Rob Cross
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Another View
• The work network
– With whom do you exchange information as part of your daily work
routines?
• The social network
– With whom do you “check in”, inside and outside the organization to
find out what is going on?
• The innovation network
– With whom do you collaborate or kick around new ideas?
• The expert knowledge network
– To whom do you turn for expertise or advice?
• The career guidance or strategic network
– Whom do you go to for advice about the future?
• The learning network
– Whom do you work with to improve existing processes or methods?
Kleiner, Art. Karen Stephenson’s Quantum Theory of Trust. strategy+business, 4th quarter, 2002.
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Energy
• Do you weave relationship development into work and day-today interactions?
• Do you do what you say you are going to do?
• Do you address tough issues with integrity?
• Do you look for possibilities or just identify constraints?
• When you disagree with someone, do you focus attention on the
issue at hand rather than the individual?
• Are you cognitively and physically engaged in meetings and
conversations?
• Are you flexible in your thinking or do you force others to come to
your way of thinking?
• Do you use your own expertise appropriately?
Cross, R., Baker, W. & Parker, A. (2003). What Creates Energy in Organizations? Sloan Management Review 44(4), pp. 51-57.
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Special Barriers to Organizational
Communication
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Interpersonal Barriers
Authority
Free
Task
Speech?
Political
Identity
Organizational Culture
Organization Structures
G.Dessler, 2003
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Getting Upward Feedback
• Request feedback from people whom you trust and who will
be honest with you.
• If the feedback is too general, ask for examples of specific,
recent behavior.
• Don’t be defensive, make excuses, or blame others when you
hear criticism.
• Do not overreact or underreact to feedback.
• Once the feedback is complete, summarize what the speaker
said to make sure that you understand.
• Explain what you are going to do in response to the feedback,
do it, evaluate the consequences on performance, and then
let the feedback-giver know of the outcome.
• Thank the person for his or her concern and advice.
Source: Adapted from Paula J. Caproni, The Practical Coach (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2001), p. 21.
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FIGURE 12–2
G.Dessler, 2003
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Fostering Upward Organizational
Communication
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Social gatherings
Union publications
Regular meetings
Performance
appraisal
meetings
• Grievances
• Attitude surveys
• A suggestion
system
• An open door
policy
• Indirect measures
• E-Mail
G.Dessler, 2003
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Improving Downward
Communication
• Open-Book Management
– A management style in which a company
opens its books to the employees, sharing
financial data, explaining numbers, and
rewarding workers for improvement.
G.Dessler, 2003
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Improving Horizontal
Communication
Appoint Liaison
Personnel
Organize Committees
and Task Forces
Horizontal
Communications
Use Independent
Integrators
G.Dessler, 2003
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Improving Informal Communications
Maintain
Communication
Intensity
Emphasize
Informality
Informal
Communications
Provide Physical
Support
G.Dessler, 2003
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Hierarchy of Media Richness and
Application for Managerial Applications
Source: Adapted from Richard L. Daft and Robert H. Lengel, “Information Richness: A New Approach to
Managerial Information Processing and Organization Design,” in Barry Staw and Larry L. Cummings, eds.,
Research in Organizational Behavior, vol. 6 (Greenwich, CT: JAI Press, 1984), pp. 191–233. Reprinted from
R. Daft and R. Steers, Organizations: A Micro/Macro Approach (Glenview, IL: Scott, Foresman, 1986) p. 532.
May 4, 2006
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FIGURE 12–5
G.Dessler, 2003
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Managing Conflict
• Conflict defined
– Perceived differences resulting in
interference or opposition
• Functional conflict
– Conflict over what best supports an
organization’s goals
• Dysfunctional conflict
– Conflict that prevents an organization from
achieving its goals
Prentice Hall, 2002
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Three Views of Conflict
• Traditional view
– Assumed that conflict was bad and would always
have a negative impact on an organization
• Human relations view
– Argued that conflict was a natural and inevitable
occurrence in all organizations; rationalized the
existence of conflict and advocated its acceptance
• Interactionist view
– Encourages mangers to maintain ongoing
minimum level of conflict sufficient to keep
organizational units viable, self-critical, and
creative
Prentice Hall, 2002
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Conflict & Organizational Performance
Prentice Hall, 2002
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Sources of Conflict
• Communication differences
– Arising from semantic difficulties,
misunderstandings, and noise in the
communication channels
• Structural differences
– Horizontal and vertical differentiation creates
problems of integration leading to disagreements
over goals, decision alternatives, performance
criteria, and resource allocations in organizations
• Personal differences
– Individual idiosyncrasies and personal value
systems create conflicts
Prentice Hall, 2002
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Dimensions of Conflict
• Based on work of Kenneth W. Thomas at the
Naval Postgraduate School Graduate School
of Business and Public Policy
http://research.nps.navy.mil/cgi-bin/vita.cgi?p=display_vita&id=1023567855
• Cooperativeness
– The degree to which an individual will attempt to
rectify a conflict by satisfying the other person’s
concerns
• Assertiveness
– The degree to which an individual will attempt to
rectify the conflict to satisfy his or her own
concerns
Prentice Hall, 2002
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Thomas’ Conflict Model
Thomas, K. W. and Kilmann,R. H. Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument. March 19,
2001 http://www.acer.edu.au/publications/acerpress/onlinetesting/documents/TKI.pdf
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Next Time
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Managing groups and teams and more
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Read Chapter 13 and the assigned articles
Discussion questions:
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May 4, 2006
These lessons were derived from the military. How much
do you think can be transferred to other environments?
How do you think a similar examination of leadership
behaviors on a basketball team would compare?
Given our discussions over the last week about leadership,
do you think the “Big 12” behaviors would be effective for
team and individual leadership in a library? Why or why
not?
Is there something missing in this list? If so, what is it?
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