Chapter
15
Communication
PowerPoint Presentation by Charlie Cook
© Copyright The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 2003. All rights reserved.
Learning Objectives
• After studying the chapter, you should be able to:
Explain why effective communication helps an
organization gain a competitive advantage.
Describe the communication process, and explain
the role of perception in communication.
Define information richness, and describe the
information richness of communication media
available to managers.
Describe the communication networks that exist in
groups and teams.
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Learning Objectives (cont’d)
Explain how advances in technology have given
managers new options for managing
communications.
Describe important communication skills that
managers need as senders and receivers of
messages.
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Chapter Outline
• Communication and Management
The Importance of Good Communication
The Communication Process
The Role of Perception in Communication
The Dangers of Ineffective Communication
Information Richness and Communication Media
Face-to-Face Communication
Spoken Communication Electronically
Communicated
Personally Addressed Written Communication
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Chapter Outline (cont’d)
• Communication and Management (cont’d)
Impersonal Written Communication
• Communication Networks
Communication Networks in Groups and Teams
Organizational Communication Networks
External Networks
• Technological Advances in Communication
The Internet
Intranets
Groupware
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Chapter Outline (cont’d)
• Communication Skills for Managers
Communication Skills for Managers as Senders
Communication Skills for Managers as Receivers
Understanding Linguistic Styles
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Communication and Management
• Communication
The sharing of information between two or more
individuals or groups to reach a common
understanding.
• Importance of Good Communication
Increased efficiency in new technologies and skills
Improved quality of products and services
Increased responsiveness to customers
More innovation through communication
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The Communication Process
• Phases of the Communication Process:
Transmission phase in which information is shared
by two or more people.
Feedback phase in which a common understanding
is assured.
• The process starts with a sender (an individual
or group) who wants to share information.
Senders must decide what information to share and
puts the message into symbols or language
(encoding).
• Noise: anything harming the communication process.
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The Communication Process
Figure 15.1
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The Communication Process (cont’d)
• Messages are transmitted over a medium to a
receiver.
Medium: the pathway over which the message is
transmitted (e.g., telephone, written note, email).
Receiver: the person getting the message.
• The receiver decodes (interprets) the message,
allowing the receiver to understand the message.
• This is a critical point: failure to properly decode the
message can lead to a misunderstanding.
Feedback by receiver informs the sender that the
message is understood or that it must be re-sent.
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Communication Issues
• Verbal Communication
The encoding of messages into words, either
written or spoken
• Nonverbal
The encoding of messages by means of facial
expressions, body language, and styles of dress.
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The Role of Perception in Communication
• Senders and receivers communicate based on
their subjective perceptions.
Subjective perception can lead to biases and
stereotypes that can interfere with effective
communication.
Effective managers avoid communications based on
biases and stereotypes.
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The Dangers of Ineffective Communication
• Managers and their subordinates can become
effective communicators by:
Selecting an appropriate medium for each
message—there is no one “best” medium.
Considering information richness (the amount of
information a medium can carry).
• A medium with high richness can carry much more
information to aid understanding.
Is there a need for a paper path or electronic trail
to provide documentation of the communication?
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Information Richness of Communication Media
Figure 15.2
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Communication Media
• Face-to-Face
Has highest information richness.
Can take advantage of verbal and nonverbal
signals.
Provides for instant feedback.
• Management by wandering around takes advantage
of this with informal talks to workers.
• Video conferences provide
much of this richness and
reduce travel costs and
meeting times.
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Communication Media (cont’d)
• Spoken Communication Electronically
Transmitted
Has the second highest information richness.
• Telephone conversations are information rich with
tone of voice, sender’s emphasis, and quick
feedback, but provide no visual nonverbal cues.
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Communication Media (cont’d)
• Personally Addressed Written Communication
Has a lower richness than the verbal forms of
communication, but still is directed at a given
person.
• Personal addressing helps ensure receiver actually
reads the message—personal letters and e-mail are
common forms.
• Does not provide instant feedback to the sender
although sender may get feedback later.
• Excellent media for complex messages requesting
follow-up actions by receiver.
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E-Mail Dos and Don’ts
• E-mail allows telecommuting employees to
work from home and keep in contact.
• The use of e-mail is growing rapidly and email etiquette is expected:
Typing messages in all CAPITALS is seen as
“screaming” at the receiver.
Punctuate your messages for easy reading and
don’t ramble on.
Pay attention to spelling and treat the message like
a written letter.
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Communication Media (cont’d)
• Impersonal Written Communication
Has the lowest information richness.
• Good for messages to many receivers where little or
feedback is expected (e.g., newsletters, reports)
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Communication Networks
• Communication Networks
The pathways along which information flows in
groups and teams and throughout the
organization.
Choice of communication network depends on:
• The nature of the group’s tasks
• The extent to which group members need to
communicate with each other to achieve group goals.
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Communication Networks in
Groups and Teams
Type of Network
Wheel Network
Information flows to and from one central
member.
Chain Network
Members communicate only with the people next
to them in the sequence.
Wheel and chain networks provide little interaction.
Circle Network
Members communicate with others close to them
in terms of expertise, experience, and location.
All-Channel
Network
Networks found in teams with high levels of
communications between each member and all
others.
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Communication
Networks in
Groups and
Teams
Figure 15.3
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Organization Communication Networks
• Organization Chart
A pictorial representation of formal reporting
channels in an organization.
• Communication in an organization flows through
formal and informal pathways
• Vertical communications flow up and down the
corporate hierarchy.
• Horizontal communications flow between employees
of the same level.
• Informal communications can span levels and
departments—the grapevine is an informal network
carrying unofficial information throughout the firm.
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Formal and Informal Communication
Networks in An Organization
Figure 0.4
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Technological Advances in Communication
• Internet
Global system of computer networks used by many
firms use it to communicate with their suppliers.
• World Wide Web (WWW)
Provides multimedia access to the Internet.
• Intranets
A company-wide system of computer networks for
information sharing by employees inside the firm.
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Technological Advances in Communication
• Groupware
Computer software that enables members of
groups and teams to share information with each
other and improve communication.
• Best used to support team-oriented working
environments.
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Communication Skills for Managers
• Barriers to Effective Communication
Messages that are unclear, incomplete, difficult to
understand
Messages sent over the an inappropriate medium
Messages with no provision for feedback
Messages that are received but ignored
Messages that are misunderstood
Messages delivered through automated systems that
lack the human element
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Communication Skills for Managers
• Managers as Senders
Send clear and complete messages.
Encode messages in symbols the receiver understands.
Select a medium appropriate for the message and,
importantly, one that is monitored by the receiver.
Avoid filtering (holding back information) and distortion
as the message passes through other workers.
Ensure a feedback mechanism is included in the
message.
Provide accurate information to avoid rumors.
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Communication Skills For Managers
• Managers as Receivers
Pay attention to what is sent as a message.
Be a good listener: don’t interrupt.
Ask questions to clarify your understanding.
Be empathetic: try to understand what the sender
feels.
Understand linguistic styles: different people speak
differently.
Speed, tone, pausing all impact communication.
• This is particularly true across cultures and
managers should expect and plan for this.
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