Management Chapter 15
Bosses communicate with subordinates, subordinates communicate with bosses What type of communication is this describing?
Vertical communication
Encoding barrier
the message is not expressed correctly Ex- if people have a different first language and can be misinterpreted
Communication
the transfer of information and understanding from one person to another
Encoding
translating a message into understandable symbols or language
Sending barrier
no message gets sent Ex- if a manager has an idea but is afraid to voice it
Rich medium is more effective with _____ situations
non-routine
Rich medium is best for______
non-routine situations and to avoid oversimplification
External communication
outside the organization Flows between people inside and outside the organization
Feedback can be facilitated by...
paraphrasing; clarifies message was accurately understood
Medium
pathway by which a message travels
Reciever
person for whom the message is intended
Sender
person wanting to share the information (message)
Nonverbal communication can cause noise. How?
when our physical movements and our words send different messages
Examples of semantic noise
when people from different cultures stumble over each other's languages
Formal communication channels: official
Memos Letters Reports Announcements
4 key noise sources
-Physical noise -Psychological noise -Semantic noise -Physiological noise
How can we reduce to negative effects of the grapevine?
-Rely on open door policy (employees are less likely to gossip when they have direct/easy access to manager) -Provide fast and transparent information (important during a crisis or organizational change) -Quickly respond to gossip (left untreated, it can spread fast and wide. Managers are encouraged to use rich and lean communication media to correct gossip) -Be a role model (don't gossip yourself to set a good example)
Texts/tweets as media. What do they require? What are the disadvantages and advantages?
-Require the writer to be brief and concise -Provide a record of communication that in-person and phone communication does not -Can be sent almost without regard to time-zone differences -Can fail to convey nuances of meaning through tone of voice and body language (can be easily misinterpreted)
How the communication process works
1. Sender transmitting a message through media to a receiver who responds 2. Encoding 3. The medium- pathway by which a message travels 4. Decoding 5. Feedback- receiver expresses his or her reaction to the sender's message
6 types of barriers
1. Sending barrier 2. Encoding barrier 3. Medium barrier 4. Decoding barrier 5. Receiver barrier 6. Feedback barrier
Examples of psychological noise
Beliefs/thoughts We tend to tune out when we don't agree with the speaker
Semantic noise
Caused by the words used when communicating
Impersonal written media: rich or not? Why?
Lowest in richness because there is only one cue and no feedback
2 types of informal communication
1. Grapevine 2. Face-to-face
5 most downward communication involves one of the following kinds of information
1. Instructions related to particular job tasks 2. Explanations about the relationship between two or more tasks 3. Explanations of the organization's policies, practices, and procedures 4. A manager's feedback about a subordinate's performance 5. Attempts to encourage a sense of mission and dedication to the organization's goals
Basic principles of face-to-face communication
1. Make time for face-to-face 2. Listen more and talk less 3. Be mindful and show interest 4. Hold employee town hall meetings
Most upward communication involves the following kinds of information:
1. Reports of progress on current projects 2. Reports of unsolved problems requiring help from people higher up in the organization 3. New developments affecting the work unit 4. Suggestions for improvements 5. Reports on employee attitudes and efficiency
Horizontal communication is encouraged through...
Meetings Committees Task forces Matrix structure
Horizontal communication is impeded by 4 causes
1. Specialization (people focus on their job instead of collaboration) 2. Competition/rivalry (prevents sharing of information) 3. Organization culture that doesn't encourage collaboration/cooperation/innovation 4. Incentive systems that reward individuals over collaboration (can prevent sharing information/resources)
How much time does a manager spend in horizontal communication?
1/3 of time- a lot!
Grapevine delivers ___% of all communication
70
Main purpose of horizontal communication
Coordination
Informal communication channels
Develop outside the formal structure and do not follow the chain of command
The more management levels through which a message passes, the more prone it is to...
Distortion
Information oversimplification
Doesn't provide enough of the information that receiver wants/needs
2 types of vertical communication
Downwards and Upwards communication
When does semantic noise occur?
During encoding and decoding
Noise affects what two things of communication?
Efficiency and effectiveness
High media richness to low media richness
Face-to-face Video conferencing Telephone Social media (Personal written media, then Impersonal written media)
What step in the communication process is the most essential for effective communication?
Feedback
Vertical communication
Flow of messages up and down the hierarchy within the organization
Horizontal communication
Flows within and between work units Consulting colleagues and co-workers at the same level as you within an organization
Since we communicate constantly, it leads people to think that they are ______
Good at it! BUT: Communication skills represent an important career readiness competency
Males and people with extroverted/agreeable personalities tend to use media _____ in richness
High
What type of communication is essential for innovation?
Horizontal
Psychological noise
Individual differences such as personality, attitudes, emotions, beliefs, or thoughts
The danger of a rich medium for routine matters
Information overload- delivery of more information than necessary
Effective communicator
Intended message is accurately understood by the other person
Who are more negatively affected by noise?
Introverts
Lean email/social media vs with richer media
Leaner if they impersonally blanket a large audience and are anonymous Richer if they mix personal, textual, and video information that prompts quick conversational feedback
Characteristics of informal communication
More spontaneous, can skip management levels, and can cut across lines of authority
Downward communication
Moves from bottom to top (higher to a lower level)
Examples of physical noise
Multiple people talking at once Distracting sounds from environment Open office designs have been found to contain more noise than traditional office environments where people work in separate places
Does age have impact on media richness?
No
Is the grapevine only negative?
No! Can be positive too
Is communication a simple process?
Nope!
Town halls
Often held monthly/quarterly Consist of presentation by managers and an open question-and-answer session Can be held virtually
How does face-to-face communication benefit the receiver? The sender?
Receiver: Allows the receiver of the message to observe cues like body language and tone of voice Sender: Allows the sender to get immediate feedback to see how the message was comprehended
Physiological noise
Reflects our physical symptoms at a point in time as well as any physical impairment
Face-to-face communication builds...
Relationships and trust, shows respect for employees as individuals, and is highly motivating
Danger with lean medium in a non-routine situation
Results in information oversimplification Doesn't provide enough of the information that receiver wants/needs
Face-to-face communication; rich or not?
Richest form and most personal form
Horizontal communication entails...
Sharing information Coordinating tasks Solving problems Resolving conflicts Getting support of peers
Downward communication is small organizations vs large organizations
Small: Top-down communication may be delivered face-to-face Large: Top-down communication may be delivered via meetings, email, official memos, company publications, and town hall meetings
Physical noise
Source is literal
Jargon
Terminology specific to a particular profession or group Example: buzzwords (designed to impress rather than inform)
Examples of medium
Text, email, note, voice, videoconference
What 2 things does effective upward communication depend on?
Trust and psychological safety (employees are less likely to pass on bad news when they don't trust the boss)
The grapevine
Unofficial communication system of the informal organization Network of in-person/online gossip and rumor
Vertical communication is moves in what direction?
Up and down the chain of command
Formal communication channels
Up, Down, Sideways, and Outward
From a subordinate to immediate manager, who then will go to the next level up This is describing what type of communication?
Upwards communication
Why do people think the grapevine dominates communication?
When there is a lack of official communication
Managers need to know when and how to use the many tools for communicating available. What do they need to think about?
When to use email or when to meet face to face Selecting the wrong tool can be costly
What kinds of channels can edge out grapevine?
Written/online company communications like emails and newsletters
Noise
any disturbance that interferes with the transmission or understanding of a message
Communication ______ prevent noise that interferes with how messages are transmitted or understood
barriers
Why is external communication important?
because organizations want to communicate with stakeholders (customers, suppliers, shareholders, other owners) to meet strategic goals
Efficient communicator
can transmit message accurately in the least amount of time
Information communication
can voice idea naturally to the CEO in an elevator/movie theatre
The richer a medium, the better it is at...
conveying information
Information overload
delivery of more information than necessary
Upward communication is shared through what 3 channels?
email, phone, videoconferencing
Small business owners rely on _____ communication to grow a business
external
Employees value more authentic human contact with the boss, so _______ communication is important
face-to-face
Managers need to make time for _______ rather than hoping to catch people at random
face-to-face
Upward communication
from bottom to top (lower level to higher level)
Formal communication
if you had a suggestion that you wanted the CEO to hear, you had to go up through management channels
Media richness
indicates how well a particular medium conveys information and promotes learning
Decoding
interpreting and trying to make sense of the message
Example of when to use rich media
introduction of a new employee
During face-to-face communication, managers need to _____ more and ____ less
listen, talk Pay attention to the emotions behind the words, make eye contact, and observe body language (help with empathy). Be brief when it is your turn and be prepared for questions
________ are most frequently used mechanism for communication formally/informally with a group
meetings
______ affects our ability to encode/decode
psychological noise
Feedback
receiver expresses his or her reaction to the sender's message Enables the person sending the message to assess whether the receiver understood it in the same way the sender intended and whether they agree/disagree
Paraphrasing
restating in their own words the crux of what they heard/read
Lean medium is most effective in _____ situations
routine
Lean medium is best used for _______
routine situations and to avoid overloading
Communication process
sender (encoding) --------->message------> (decoding) receiver
Researchers have begun to examine communication as a form of...
social information processing- receivers interpret messages by cognitively processing them