Chapter 11
Communicating
and Information
Technology
PowerPoint Presentation by Charlie Cook
The University of West Alabama
Copyright © 2006 Thomson Business and Economics.
All rights reserved.
Learning Outcomes
After studying this chapter, you should be able to:
1. Describe the three ways communication flows through
organizations.
2. List the four steps in the interpersonal communication process.
3. State the major advantages of oral communication and written
communication.
4. State a general guide to channel selection.
5. List the five steps in the process of sending face-to-face
messages.
6. Describe paraphrasing, and explain why it is useful.
7. List and explain the three parts of the process of receiving
messages.
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11–2
Learning Outcomes (cont’d)
8. Define reflecting responses, and state when they should be
used.
9. Discuss what should and should not be done to calm an
emotional person.
10. Describe the three primary types of information systems and
their relationship.
11. List the components of an information network.
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11–3
Learning Outcomes (cont’d)
12. Define the following key terms:
communication
vertical communication
horizontal communication
grapevine
communication process
encoding
communication channel
decoding
nonverbal communication
message-sending process
feedback
paraphrasing
message-receiving process
reflecting responses
empathic listening
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11–4
Ideas on Management at Powell’s Books
1. What was the organizational communication flow of information
about pay limits and restructuring at Powell’s, and what was the
flow of communication about employees’ reactions?
2. Which message channel did Powell use to inform employees of
the pay limits and restructuring?
3. Which parts of the message-sending process did Michael Powell
ignore, thus creating communication problems at Powell’s?
4. How would you rate the listening skills of managers at Powell’s
Books with regard to employees’ reactions to pay limits and
restructuring?
5. How would you rate Powell’s managers’ ability to deal with
employee emotions? How could communications have been
better so that the situation would not have escalated to
unionization?
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11–5
Organizational Communication
• Vertical Communication
– The flow of information both downward and
upward through the organizational chain of
command.
• Horizontal Communication
– The flow of information between colleagues and
peers.
• Grapevine
– The informal flow of information in any direction
throughout the organization.
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11–6
Organizational Communication: Formal Communication
Exhibit 11–1
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Organizational Communication: Informal Communication
Exhibit 11–1 cont’d
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11–8
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11–9
Information Technology
• Data
– Unorganized facts and figures
• Information
– Data converted into a form that helps people do
their jobs.
– Useful information is:
1. Timely—current and available when you need it
2. Relevant—suited to the situation, accurate,
complete but concise
3. Understandable—in a form that is easy to
comprehend
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11–10
Information Technology (cont’d)
• Information Technology (IT)
– Technology used to store, process, and
distribute useful information
• The Internet
– A global collection of computer networks
linked together to exchange data and
information on the World Wide Web (WWW)
• Business Portal
– A specific company’s gateway
to Internet-based information
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11–11
Information Technology (cont’d)
• Databases
– Collected information that is accessible to
employees through company intranets,
company Web sites, and the World Wide Web.
• Wireless Communication
– Hand-held devices allow people to get
information when and where they need it.
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11–12
The Communication Process
Exhibit 11–2
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Major Communication Barriers
Exhibit 11–3
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Message Transmission Channels
Exhibit 11–4
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Oral Communication
• Advantages
• Disadvantages
– Easier
– Faster
– Encourages
feedback
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– Leaves no
permanent record
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Nonverbal Communication
• Nonverbal Communication
– Includes messages sent without words.
– Setting (physical surroundings)
– Body language
•
•
•
•
Facial expressions
Vocal quality (how said, not what said)
Gestures
Posture
– Disadvantage
•
Can be misinterpreted by receiver
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11–19
Written Communication
• Advantages
• Disadvantages
– Provides a
permanent record
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– Takes longer
– Hinders feedback
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Selecting the Message Transmission Channel
• Media Richness
– The amount of information and meaning
conveyed through a channel.
•
•
•
Oral channels (e.g., face-to-face) are the richest
channels, useful for sending difficult and unusual
messages.
Written channels are less rich, useful for simple
and routine messages.
Combined channels are best used for important
messages that must be attended to.
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Sending Messages
• Planning the Message
– What is the goal of the message?
– Who should receive the message?
– How should the message be sent?
– When should the message be sent?
– Where should the message be sent?
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The Message-Sending Process
1. Develop rapport.
2. State your communication
objective.
3. Transmit your message.
4. Check the receiver’s
understanding.
5. Get a commitment and
follow up.
Exhibit 11–5
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Checking Understanding: Feedback
• Feedback
– Information that verifies a message.
• Paraphrasing
– The process of having the receiver restate the
message in his or her own words.
• Feedback Problems
– Receivers feel ignorant.
– Receivers are ignorant.
– Receivers are reluctant to point out sender’s
ignorance.
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11–24
Checking Understanding: Feedback (cont’d)
• How to Get Feedback
– Be open to feedback
•
There are no dumb questions.
– Be aware of nonverbal communication
•
Make sure your nonverbal communication
encourages feedback.
– Ask questions
•
When you send messages, you should know
whether recipients understand the messages before
taking action.
– Paraphrase
•
The most accurate indicator of understanding is
paraphrasing.
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11–25
The Message-Receiving Process
Exhibit 11–6
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Five Typical
Response Styles
Exhibit 11–7
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Response Styles
• Advising
• Reassuring
– Providing evaluation,
personal opinion,
direction, or
instructions.
• Diverting
– Switching the focus of
the communication to a
new message.
– Responding to reduce
the intensity of the
emotions associated
with the message.
• Reflecting
• Probing
– Asking the sender for
more information about
some aspect of the
message.
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– Paraphrasing the
message to indicate
acceptance and
understanding.
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Dealing With Emotional People
• Dimensions of Emotional Intelligence
1. Self-awareness, or understanding your own
emotions
2. Self-management, the ability to manage your
own emotions
3. Self-motivation, the ability to persist through
failure and setbacks
4. Empathy, the ability to understand others’
emotions and to see things from their
perspective
5. Social skills that allow one to handle others’
emotions.
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Dealing With Emotional People (cont’d)
• Dealing with Emotional People
– Don’t make condescending statements.
– Do make reflective empathic responses.
– Paraphrase feelings.
• Reflective Empathic Listening
– The ability to understand and
relate to another’s situation
and feelings.
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Criticism
• Giving Criticism
– Never publicly criticize your boss.
– Don’t criticize your boss behind his back.
• Getting Criticism
– Don’t become defensive or emotional.
– Even constructive criticism
can be emotionally painful.
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Types of Information Systems (IS)
• Transaction Processing Systems (TPS)
– Used to handle routine and recurring business
matters (e.g. accounting transactions).
• Management Information Systems (MIS)
– Used to transform data into the information
employees need to do their work.
– Focus on strategy implementation.
• Executive Information Systems (EIS)
– Used by top-level managers.
– Focus on the development and revision of
strategy.
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Types of Information Systems (IS) (cont’d)
• Decision Support Systems (DSS)
– Use managers’ insights in an interactive
computer-based process to assist in making
nonroutine decisions.
– Allow managers to evaluate the possible effects
of alternative decisions.
– Expert systems are
computer programs
designed to imitate
the thought
processes of a
human being.
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Information Network
Exhibit 11–8
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Information Networks
• Information Networks
– Connect all employees from headquarters and
remote facilities to each other, to suppliers, to
customers, and to databases.
– P2P: peer to peer, intranets connecting
employees
– B2C: business to customer through CRM—
customer relationship management
– B2B: business to supplier through EDI—
electronic data exchange
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Situational Communication Model
Exhibit 11–9
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