11: Chapter What Is Communication? Communication: The transfer and understanding of meaning o
Transfer means the message was received in a form that can be interpreted by the receiver; this means that if no information or ideas have been conveyed, communication hasnt taken place. Understanding the message is not the same as the receiver agreeing with the message; for communication to be successful the meaning must be impaired and understood. Perfect Communication: would be when a transmitted thought or idea was received and understood by the receiver exactly as it was envisioned by the sender.
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Interpersonal Communication: Communication between two or more people Organizational Communication: All the patterns, network, and systems of communications within an organization Four Functions of Communication: a. Control: Formal and informal communications act to control individuals behaviors in
organizations
b. Motivation: Communications clarify for employees what is to done, how well they have done it,
and what can be done to improve performance.
c. Emotional Expression: Social interaction in the form of work group communications provides a
way for employees to express themselves.
d. Information: Individuals and work groups need information to make decisions or to do their
work.
Interpersonal Communication: Message: A purpose to be conveyed; Source: senders intended meaning
Encoding: The message converted to symbolic form Channel: The medium through which the message travels Decoding: The receivers retranslation of the message Noise: Disturbances that interfere with communications (illegible print, phone static, inattention by the receiver, or background sounds of machinery or co-workers)
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Communication Process: the seven elements involved in transferring meaning from one person to another; the communication source, the message, encoding, the channel, decoding, the receiver, and feedback.
Distortions in Communications: Message Encoding: a sender initiates a message by encoding a thought. Four conditions
influence the effectiveness of that encoded message: the skills, attitudes, knowledge of the sender, and the social-cultural system.
The Message: the message is affected by the symbols used to transfer meaning (words, pictures,
numbers, and so forth), the content of the message itself, and the decisions that the sender makes in selecting and arranging both the symbols and the content. Noise can distort the communication process in any of these areas.
The Channel: the channel chosen to communicate the message also has the potential to be
affected by noise. Whether its face-to-face conversation, an email message, or a companywide memorandum, distortions can, and do occur.
The Receiver: the individual to whom the message is directed. Before the message can be
received, however, the symbols in it must be translated into a form that the receiver can understand. This is the decoding of the message. Just as the sender was limited by his or her skills, attitudes, knowledge, and social-cultural system, so is the receiver. The receiver must be skillful in reading or listening. The receivers attitudes and social-cultural background can distort the message.
Feedback Loop: feedback returns the message to the sender and provides a check on whether
the receiver understood the message. Because feedback can be transmitted along the same types of channels as the original message, it faces the same potential for distortion.
Methods of Communicating Interpersonally: Face-to-face * Telephone * Group meetings * Memos Formal presentations * Traditional Mail * Fax machines * E-mail Employee publications * Bulletin boards * Audio- and videotapes Hotlines * Computer conferencing * Voice mail Teleconferences * Videoconferences Evaluating Communication Methods: Feedback: how quickly can the receiver respond to the message? Complexity capacity: can the method effectively process complex messages? Breadth potential: how many different messages can be transmitted using this method? Confidentiality: can communicators be reasonably sure their messages are received only by those
intended? Encoding ease: can the sender easily and quickly use the channel? Decoding ease: can the receiver easily and quickly decode messages? Time-space constraint: do senders & receivers need to communicate at the same time & in the same space? Cost: how much does it cost to use this method? Interpersonal warmth: how well does this method convey interpersonal warmth? Formality: does this method have the needed amount of formality? Scanability: does this method allow the message to be easily browsed or scanned for relevant information? Time consumption: does the sender or receiver exercise the most control over when the message is dealt with?
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Nonverbal Communication: Communication that is transmitted without words. Sounds with specific meanings or warnings; ex. Loud sirens, red lights Images that control or encourage behaviors; Ex: STOP signs Situational behaviors that convey meanings; Ex: eye language, packing away supplies before class is
finished Clothing and physical surroundings that imply status; Ex: size of an office or ties worn
Body language: gestures, facial expressions, and other body movements that convey meaning. Ex: A person frowning says something different from one who is smiling. Verbal intonation: emphasis that a speaker gives to certain words or phrases that conveys meaning. Ex: its not what you say, but how you say it. Barriers to Effective Interpersonal Communication: Filtering: The deliberate manipulation of information to make it appear more favorable to the receiver. Ex: Just telling the person what they want to hear. (Being condensed & synthesized) Emotions: Disregarding rational and objective thinking processes and substituting emotional judgments when interpreting messages. (Making decisions when extremely upset) Information Overload: Being confronted with a quantity of information that exceeds an individuals capacity to process it. (Excessive phone calls, emails, faxes, meetings, etc) Defensiveness: When threatened, reacting in a way that reduces the ability to achieve mutual understanding. (Verbally attacking others, sarcastic remarks, being judgmental, & questioning others) Language: The different meanings of and specialized ways (jargon) in which senders use words can cause receivers to misinterpret their messages. (Age, Educational Backgrounds, & Cultural
Backgrounds affect the way we speak to others)
Jargons: specialized terminology or technical language that members of a group use to communicate among
themselves.
National Culture: Culture influences the form, formality, openness, patterns and use of information in communications. (Ex. Chinese people hate VMs; Mexicans take siestas) Overcoming the Barriers to Effective Interpersonal Communications: Use Feedback: getting more than yes, no answers; actions speak louder than words Simplify Language: message must be received and UNDERSTOOD; use simple terms Listen Actively: listen for full meaning without making premature judgments or interpretations. Constrain Emotions: refrain from communicating until you regain composure Watch Nonverbal Cues: watch your actions to make sure they align with and reinforce the words that
go along with them.
Types of Organizational Communication:
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Formal Communication: communication that follows the official chain of command or is part of the communication required to do ones job. (Ex. A Mgr. asking an employee to
complete a task)
Any communication that takes place within prescribed organizational work arrangements would be classified as formal.
Informal Communication: communication that is not defined by the organizations hierarchy. (When employees talk to each other in lunchrooms, halls, or outside) The informal communication system fulfills 2 purposes in organizations:
1. Permits employees to satisfy their need for social interaction. 2. Can improve an organizations performance by creating faster and more effective channels of communication. Direction of Communication Flow: Downward: communications that flow from managers to employees to inform, direct, coordinate, and evaluate employees. (When mgrs assign goals to employees; when they provide
employees with job descriptions, informing them of organizational policies and procedures, pointing out problems that need attention, or evaluating their performance.) Can take place in any communication method
Upward: communications that flow from employees up to managers to keep them aware of employee needs and how things can be improved to create climate a of trust and respect. (It keeps managers aware of how employees feel about their jobs, their coworkers, and the org. in
general; Mgrs use this communication for ideas on how things can be improved; performance reports; suggestion boxes; attitude surveys; mgr-employee discussions) Still takes place in more highly structured & authoritarian environments, but is limited in both style & content
Lateral (Horizontal) Communication: communication that takes place among employees on the same level in the organization to save time and facilitate coordination.
(Frequently needed to save time & facilitate coordination. Cross functional teams rely heavily on this form of communication)
Diagonal Communication: communication that cuts across both work areas and organizational levels in the interest of efficiency and speed. (open email inbox) Types of Communication Networks: Chain Network: communication flows according to the formal chain of command, both upward and downward. Wheel Network: all communication flows in and out through the group leader (hub) to others in the group. All-Channel Network: communications flow freely among all members of the work team.
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The Grapevine: The grapevine: An informal organizational communication network that is active in almost every organization. (It identifies to mgrs those bewildering issues that employees consider
important and anxiety producing; filters and gives feedback)
Provides a channel for issues not suitable for formal communication channels.
The impact of information passed along the grapevine can be countered by open and honest communication with employees. Understanding Information Technology: Benefits of Information Technology (IT) Increased ability to monitor individual and team performance Better decision making based on more complete information More collaboration and sharing of information Greater accessibility to coworkers Networked Computer Systems: linking individual computers to create an organizational network for communication and information sharing. Email: the instantaneous transmission of written messages on linked computers. Instant messaging (IM): real time communication takes place among computer users who are
logged onto the network at the same time.
Blogs: short for Web Log; an online journal that usually focuses on a particular subject. Wikis: a type of Web site that allows anyone visiting to add, remove, or otherwise edit the content. Term comes from wiki wiki a native language of Hawaii; commonly used as an adjective for quick & fast. Voice-mail: digitizes a spoken message, transmits it over the network, and stores the message for the receiver to retrieve later. Can save message, delete it, or route it to someone else. Fax machines: allow the transmission of documents containing both text and graphics over ordinary telephone lines. Electronic Data Exchange (EDI): way orgs exchange standard business transaction documents, such as invoices or purchase orders, using direct computer-to-computer networks. (Used with vendors, suppliers, & customers because it saves time and money)
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Teleconferencing: allows a group of people to confer simultaneously using telephone or email group communications software. Videoconferencing: if meeting participants can see each other over video screens. Web conferencing: holding a group meeting or live presentation over the Internet.
Types of Network Systems Intranet: an internal network that uses Internet technology and is accessible only to
employees.
Extranet: an internal network that uses Internet technology and allows authorized users
inside the organization to communicate with certain outsiders such as customers and vendors.
Wireless (WIFI) capabilities: has the ability to improve work for managers and
employees.
How IT Affects Organization: Removes the constraints of time and distance Allows widely dispersed employees to work together. Provides for the sharing of information Increases effectiveness and efficiency. Integrates decision making and work Provides more complete information and participation for better decisions. Creates problems of constant accessibility to employees Blurs the line between work and personal lives. Current Communication Issues: Managing Communication in an Internet World Legal and security issues Inappropriate use of company e-mail and instant messaging Loss of confidential and proprietary information due to inadvertent or deliberate dissemination or to
hackers.
Lack of personal interaction Being connected is not the same as face-to-face contact. Difficulties occur in achieving understanding and collaboration in virtual environments.
Being connected versus being concerned
Managing Internet gripe sites as a valuable resource for unique insights into the organization.
Employee complaints (hot-button issues) Customer complaints
Responding to Internet gripe sites
Recognized them as a valuable source of information. Post messages that clarify misinformation. Take action to correct problems noted on the site. Set up an internal gripe site. Continue to monitor the public gripe site. Managing the Organizations Knowledge Resources 6
Build online information databases that employees can access. Create communities of practice for groups of people who share a concern, share expertise, and interact with each other. Communicating Effectively with Customers Recognize the three components of the customer service delivery process: The customer The service organization The service provider Develop a strong service culture focused on the personalization of service to each customer. Listen and respond to the customer. Provide access to needed service information Politically Correct Communication: Do not use words or phrases that stereotype, intimidate, or offend individuals based on their differences. However, choose words carefully to maintain as much clarity as possible in communications.
1. In order to make communities of practice work, it's important to maintain strong human interactions through
communication. TRUE
2. _____ returns the message to the sender and provides a check on whether the receiver understood the
message. Feedback
3. The emphasis someone gives to words or phrases that conveys meaning is known as _____.
intonation
verbal
4. When Bill got back from vacation, he opened his work e-mail inbox and found over 300 messages. If he tried
to sit down and fully read and respond to each one of them, Bill would probably suffer from _____. information overload
5. Specialized terminology or technical language that members of a group use to communicate among
themselves is known as _____. Jargon Formal
6. When a manager asks an employee to complete a task, this is an example of _____.
Communication
7. Communication is fundamentally linked to managerial performance. TRUE 8. Communication encourages motivation by clarifying to employees what is to be done, how well they're
doing, and what can be done to improve performance. TRUE
9. Every oral communication also has a nonverbal message, and the nonverbal component usually carries the
greatest impact. TRUE
10. Performance reports prepared by employees, suggestion boxes, and employee attitude surveys are examples
of _____. upward communication
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11. When an editor in the college textbook department of a publishing company communicates directly with the
regional marketing manager about a customer problem, this is an example of _____. communication diagonal
12. As organizations use more collaborative, cooperative work arrangements, information filtering may become
more of a problem as people consciously filter information in order to fit in. FALSE
13. All feedback must be conveyed verbally.
FALSE
14. Upward communication is used to inform, direct, coordinate, and evaluate employees. FALSE 15. In the _____ network, communication flows according to the formal chain of command, both downward and
upward. Chain
16. In _____, organizations link their computers creating organizational networks. networked computer systems 17. The extent of upward communication depends on the organizational culture. TRUE 18. Cross-functional teams rely heavily on lateral communication, but such communication can cause conflicts if
employees don't keep their managers informed about decisions they've made or actions they've taken. TRUE
19. The best way for managers to deal with the grapevine is to try to eliminate it completely from the
organization. FALSE
20. The patterns, networks, and systems of communication within an organization are known as _____.
organizational communication
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