MGMT Exam 3 Chap 17

Digital Communication -

Formal Info Systems Personal Electronic Tech

Interpersonal Communication takes 2 general forms -

Oral and Written

o Communication is a part of -

all managerial activities

o A typical day for a manager includes doing:

o Desk work o Attending scheduled meetings o Placing and receiving telephone calls o Reading and answering correspondence (print and digital) o Attending unscheduled meetings o Making tours

• Individual techniques for improving communication effectiveness:

o Good listening skills • Being prepared and listening, not interrupting • Concentrating on both words and meaning • Being patient • Ask appropriate questions • Delta, IBM and Boeing - training programs to be better listeners o Encourage two-way communication • Feedback • Receiver asks questions, request clarification, express opinions • More complicated message, more useful feedback is • EXAMPLE: when addressing stockholders a manager might use the word profits often - when addressing labor leaders, she may choose to use profits less often o Be aware of language and meaning o Maintain credibility • Can be accomplished by not pretending to be an expert when one is not, by "doing one's homework" and checking facts but by being as accurate and honest as possible o Be sensitive to receiver's perspective & senders perspective • A manager must tell a subordinate that she has not been recommended for a promotion should recognize that the subordinate will be frustrated and unhappy • The content of the message and its method of delivery should be chosen accordingly • The manager should be primed to accept a reasonable degree of hostility and bitterness without getting angry in return • Receiver should be sensitive to sender - EXAMPLE: Suppose manager just received bad news that his position is being eliminated next year • Others should understand that he ma be disappointed, angry, or even depressed for a while so they shouldn't take too much offense if he snaps at them

Forms of Communication in Organizations -

o Interpersonal communication o Communication in networks and teams o Organizational communication o Electronic communication

o Communication also relates directly to the basic management functions of -

planning, organizing, leading, and controlling

Communication Process: - Steps -

- Begins when one person (sender) wants to transmit a fact, idea, or opinion to someone else (receiver) (All have meaning to sender) -----EXAMPLE: Linda Porter, a marketing rep at Canon, recently landed a new account and wanted to tell her boss about it. This fact and her motivation to tell her boss represented meaning - Encode meaning into a form appropriate to situation (form of words, facial expression, gestures) ------EXAMPLE: Canon rep might have said "I just landed the Acme account," "We just got some good news from Acme," "I just spoiled Xerox's day," "Acme just made the right decision, or any number of other things o She actually chose the second o The encoding process is influenced by the content of the message, the familiarity of sender and receiver and other situational factors - After message is encoded it is transmitted through the appropriate channel or medium (printed page) ----- Common channels - meetings, emails. text, letters, reports, phone calls ----- EXAMPLE: Upon hearing of the Acme deal, the sales manager at Canon might have thought "This'll mean a big promotion for both of us," "This is great news for the company," or "She's blowing her own horn too much again" o His actual feelings were closest to the second statement o The meaning prompts a response, and the cycle is continued when a new message is sent by the same steps back to the original sender o The manger might have called the sales rep to offer congratulations, written a letter, personal note of praise, text or email o Her boss sent her a text and wrote a personal note - "Noise" may disrupt communication ----- o it can be the sound of someone coughing, truck driving by, or two people talking lose at hand o Can also be disruptions like a letter lost in the mail, dead telephone line, interrupted cellphone call, an e-mail misrouted or infected with a virus, a text not being received because of poor service or one of the participants in a conversation being called away before the communication process is completed o Language barriers ------ EXAMPLE: If the note written by Linda's boss has been lost, she might have felt unappreciated

Outcomes of Interpersonal Behavior

- Can be primary source of need satisfaction for many people ------EXAMPLE: Suppose an employee receives a poor performance evaluation or is denied a promotion o Others in the organization can lend support because they share a common frame of reference (an understanding of the causes and consequences of what happened) - Good interpersonal relations can be a source of synergy - Conflict - Common thread between all outcomes : communication

Communication network - Wheel Pattern - Y Pattern - All channel Network - EXAMPLE:

- Is the pattern through which the members of a group or team communicate - all communication flows through one central person, who is probably the group's leader o The wheel is the most centralized network because one person receives and disseminates all information - slightly less centralized - two people are close to the center o The chain offers a more even flow of information among members, although two people interact with only one other person o This path is closed in the circle pattern - the most decentralized, allows a free flow of information among all group members o Everyone participates equally and the group's leader, if there is one, s not likely to have excessive power o Most social media platforms such as Facebook, and linked in allow individual users to form groups; these groups in turn then communicate like an all channel network EXAMPLE: when the group's task is relatively simple and routine, centralized networks tend to perform with greatest efficiency and accuracy o The dominant leader facilitates performance by coordinating the flow of information o When a group of accounting clerks are logging incoming invoices and distributing them for payment, one centralized leader can coordinate things efficiently o When the task is complex and non-routine, like making a major decision about organizational strategy, decentralized networks tend to be most effective because open channels of communication permit more interaction and a more efficient sharing of relevant information

Determining the right Form Oral, email, or text is preferred when - More formal written communication - -- EXAMPLE - Manager can also combine media to capitalize on - -- EXAMPLE-

- Message is personal, non-routine and brief - Letters --- EXAMPLE: private emails made public during legal proceedings have played major roles in litigation involving Enron, Tyco, WorldCom & Morgan Stanley - advantages of each --- EXAMPLE: Quick phone call to set up a meeting is easy and gets an immediate response - following up with a reminder email, digital meeting invitation or handwritten note helps ensure that the recipient will remember the meeting, and it provides a record of the meetings having been called o Digital communication blurs the differences between oral and written communication and can help each be most appropriate way to send a message

• Still other forms of communication in organizations are those that flow -

- among and between organizational units or groups o Each of these involves oral or written communication, but also extends to broad patterns of communication across the organization o Vertical and horizontal linkages in the organization

Grapevine - EXAMPLE

An informal communication network that can permeate an entire organization • Found in all organizations except the very smallest, but they do not always follow the same patterns nor do they necessarily coincide with, formal channels of authority and communication • Two most common are the gossip chain which occurs when one person spreads the message to many other people, who can each keep it confidential or spread it on to others - its likely to carry personal information (one person tells many) • Other common one is a cluster chain, in which one person passes the information to a selected few individuals - some of the receivers pass the information to a few other individuals; the rest keep it to themselves (many people tell a few) • There is some disagreement about how accurate the information carried by the grapevine is, but research is increasingly finding it to be fairly accurate, especially when the information is based on fact rather than speculation • EXAMPLE: One study found that informal communication is increasing in many organizations for several basic reasons • One factor is the recent increase in merger, acquisition and takeover activity • Because such activity can greatly affect the people within an organization, it follows that they may spend more time talking about it • Second contributing factor is that as more and more corporations move facilities from inner cities to suburbs, employees tend to talk less and less to others outside the organization and more and more to one another • Another contributing factor is simply the widespread availability of information technology that makes it easer than ever before for people to communicate quickly and easily • EXAMPLE: Another study looked at the effects of the recent recession and large scale job losses on informal communication. Over half of the survey participants reported a sharp increase in gossip and rumors in their organizations. The same survey also reported an increase in the amount of eavesdropping in most business • In another survey, 32% of people claimed to use their work email inappropriately and 48% admitted gossiping with other employees through their email • Finally, in another survey in 2015 over half of the participants reported that they had overheard confidential conversations at work • Attempts to eliminate the survey are not likely to succeed, but fortunately the manager does have some control over it • By maintaining open channels of communication and responding vigorously to inaccurate information, the manager can minimize the damage the grapevine can do • It can actually be an asset • Learning who key people in the grapevine are, the manager can partially control the information they receive and use the grapevine to sound out employee reactions to new ides, like change in human resource policies, or benefit packages • The manager can also get valuable info from the grapevine and use t to improve decision making

Vertical Communication - • EXAMPLE:

Flows up and down the organization o Usually along formal reporting lines o Communication that takes place between managers and their superiors and subordinates o May involve only 2 people or may flow through several different organizational levels o Upward Communication - consists of messages form subordinates to superiors • EXAMPLE: subordinates ay tend to withhold or distort information that makes them look bad • The greater the degree of difference in status between superior and subordinate and the greater the degree of distrust, the more likely the subordinate is to suppress or distort information • EXAMPLE: subordinates might choose to withhold information about problems from their boss if they think the news will make him angry and if they think

Informal Communication in Organizations -

Grapevine Mgmt by wandering around Nonverbal communication

o Several factors may disrupt the communication process or serve as barriers to effective communication - these may be divided into two classes: Individual Barriers - Organizational Barriers -

INDIVIDUAL • Conflicting or inconsistent signals • Credibility about the subject • Reluctant to communicate • Poor listening skills • Predispositions about the subject ORGANIZATIONAL • Organizational Barriers • Semantics • Status or power differences • Different perceptions • Noise • Overload • Language differences

• Horizontal Communication - EXAMPLE

Involves colleagues and peers at the same level of the organization o EXAMPLE: an operations manager might communicate to a marketing manager that inventory levels are running low and that projected delivery dates should be extended by two weeks o Probably occurs more among managers than among non-managers o This type of communication serves a number of purposes • Facilitates coordination among interdependent unites • EXAMPLE: a manager at Motorola was once researching the strategies of Japanese semiconductor firms in Europe. He found a great deal of information that was relevant to his assignment and uncovered some additional info that was potentially important to another department, so he passed it along to a colleague in that department, who used it to improve his own operations o It can also be used for joint problem, solving as when two plant managers at Northrop Grumman got together to work out a new method to improve productivity o Finally, horizontal communication plays a major role in work teams with members drawn from several departments

Communication -

Most manager's jobs include communication - involves two or more people and other behavioral processes like motivation, leadership and group and team interactions - the process of transmitting information from one person to another

o Downward communication -

Occurs when information flows down the hierarchy from superiors to subordinates • The typical content of these messages is directives on how something is to be done, the assignment of new responsibilities, performance feedback, and general information that the higher level manager thinks will be of value to the lower level manager • Vertical communication can and usually should be two-way nature • Give and take communication with active feedback is generally likely to be more effective than one way communication

One extreme of interpersonal relations can be - & another can be -

Personal and Positive • Occurs when parties know each other, have mutual respect and affection and enjoy interacting • Two managers who have known each other for years, play golf together on weekends and are close personal friends will likely interact at work in a positive fashion Personal but Negative • Most likely when the parties dislike each other, don't have a mutual respect and do not enjoy interacting • Suppose a manager has fought openly for years to block the promotion of another manager within the organization • Over the objections of the first manager, the other manager eventually gets promoted to the same rank • When the two of them must interact, it will most likely be in a negative manner • However, at some point they may decide to drop the hatchet and just decide to adopt a detached professional manner

o Effective communication -

The process of sending a message in sich a way that the message received is as close in meaning as possible to the message intended o Based on ideas of meaning and consistency of meaning o Meaning - the idea that the individual who initiates the communication exchange wishes to convey

Different types of interpersonal interactions may occur between -

individuals groups individuals and groups that can change over time

• Organizational Skills:

o Follow up • Checking at a later time to be sure that a message has been received and understood • EXAMPLE: after a manager sends a report to a colleague, she might send a follow up message a few days later to make sure the report was received • If it was, the manager might ask whether the colleague has any questions about it o Regulate information flows • The sender or receiver takes steps to ensure that overload does not occur • For the sender, this could mean not passing to much info through the system at one time • For the receiver, it might mean calling attention to the fact that he is being asked to do too many things at once • Some executives get so much email that they have it routed to an assistant that reviews the emails and throws out those that are not useful, responds t those that are routine and passes on the executive only those that require her or his personal attention o Understand the richness of media • When a manager is going to lay off a subordinate temporarily, the message should be delivered in person • A face-to-face channel of communication gives the manager an opportunity to explan the situation and answer questions

Formal Info Systems - EXAMPLE:

o Most larger businesses manage at least a portion of their organizational communication through information systems o Some firms go as far as to create a position for a chief information officer or CIO (responsible for determining the info-processing needs and requirements of the organization and then putting in place systems that facilitate smooth and efficient organizational communication) o EXAMPLES: Xerox, General Mills, and Burlington Industries have this position o Part of CIO's efforts also involves the creation of one or more formal information systems linking all relevant managers, departments, and facilities in the organization o In the absence of such a system, a marketing manager, for example, may need to call a warehouse manager to find out how much of a particular product is in stock before promising shipping dates to a customer o An effective formal information system allows the marketing manager to get information more quickly, and more accurately by plugging directly into a computerized information system

• Personal Electronic Technology - EXAMPLE -

o The nature of organizational communication has changed dramatically, mainly because of breakthroughs in personal electronic communication technology and the future promises even more change o Electronic typewriters and then photocopying machines were early breakthroughs o Email networks, Internet, corporate intranets, social networking sites, wireless communication systems, social media platforms and others are carrying it further o It is also becoming common to have teleconferences in which managers stay at their own locations (offices in different cities) but "meet" via Skype, Face Time and similar methods o These technologies are behind the rise of a new version of an old work arrangement - Cottage Industry o Cottage Industry - people work at home (in their cottage) and periodically bring the products of their labors in to the company • Telecommuting is the label given to a new electronic cottage industry • People work at home on their computers and transmit their work to their companies digitally o Mobile phones have made it even easier for managers to communicate with one another • Many use cell phones to make calls while commuting to and from work and carry them in their pockets, bags, and brief cases so that they can receive calls regardless of where they are (iPhones, Android, Microsoft surface) o Psychologists are beginning to associate some problems with these communication advances • Managers who are seldom in their "real" offices are likely to fall behind n their fields and to be victimized by organizational politics because they are not present to keep in touch with what is going on and to protect themselves • They drop out of the organizational grapevine and miss out on much of the informal communication that takes place • The use of digital communication at the expense of face to face meetings and conversations makes it hard to build strong culture, develop solid working relationships and crate a mutually supportive atmosphere of trust and cooperativeness • Digital communication is also opening up new avenues for dysfunctional employee behavior (passing of lewd or offensive materials) • EXAMPLE - NY Times once fired almost 10 percent of its workers at one of its branch offices for sending inappropriate emails at work

Management by Wandering Around - EXAMPLE

• Basic idea that some managers keep in touch with what is going on by wandering around and talking with people - immediate subordinates, subordinates far down the organizational hierarchy, delivery people, customers, or anyone else who is involved with the company in some way • EXAMPLE: Bill Marriott, frequently visits the kitchens, loading docks and custodial work areas whenever he tours a Marriott hotel • He claims that, by talking with employees throughout the hotel, he gets new ideas and has a better feel for the entire company • When American Airlines CEO Doug Parker travels, he makes a point of talking to flight attendants and other passengers to gain continuous insights into how the business can be run more effectively • A related form of organizational communication that really has no specific term is the informal interchange that takes place outside the normal work setting • EXAMPLE: Employees attending the company picnic, playing on the company softball team, or taking fishing trips together will almost always spend part of their time talking about work • EXMAPLE: Texas Instruments engineers at TI's Lewisville, TX facility often frequent a local bar in town after work • They talk about Dallas Cowboys, newest gov contract received by the company, weather, their boss, company's stock price, local politics and problems at work • No set agenda and key topics of discussion vary from group to group and from day to day • Still, the social gatherings serve an important role • They promote a strong culture and enhance understanding of how the organization works

o Nonverbal Communication - EXAMPLE

• Communication exchange that does not use words to carry more meaning than the strict definition of the words themselves • Powerful but little understood forms of communication in organizations • Often relies on facial expression, body language, physical contact, and gestures • On study found that as much as 55% of the content of a message is transmitted by facial expressions and body posture and that another 38% derives from inflection and tone • Words themselves for only 7% of the content of the message • 3 kinds of nonverbal communication practiced by managers: • Images • Settings • Body language • EXAMPLE: at a meeting of Wal-Mart executives, former CEO Lee Scott once announced, "I can tell everyone what color underwear they're wearing." His meaning? - There was a political issue dividing the group, and Scott wanted those in attendance to know that he was aware of which executives were on each side of the issue • Our choice or words conveys much more than just the strict meaning of the words themselves • The setting for communication also plays major roles in nonverbal communication • Boundaries, familiarity, the home turf, and other elements of the setting are all important • Size and location of an office, the kinds of furniture, and accessibility of the oerson in the office all communicate useful information • EXAMPLE: Donald Trump positions his desk so that it is always between him and a visitor o It keeps him in charge o When he wants less formal, he moves around to the front of the desk and sits beside his visitor • Michael Dell has his desk facing a side window so that when he turns around to greet a visitor there is never anything between them • 3rd form of nonverbal communication is body language • The distance we stand from someone as we speak has meaning • EXAMPLE: In the US, standing very close to someone you are talking to generally signals either familiarity or aggression • English and Germans stand farther apart than Americans when talking, whereas Arabs, Japanese, and Mexicans stand closer together • Eye Contact is very effective means of nonverbal communication • EXAMPLE: prolonged eye contact might suggest either hostility or romantic interest • Other kinds of body language include body and hand movement, pauses in speech and mode of dress • Manager should be aware of the importance of nonverbal communication and recognize its potential impact • The tone of the message, where and hoe the message is delivered, facial expressions, and gestures can all amplify or weaken the message or change the message altogether • Emotions can play a growing role also • EXAMPLE: in face-to-face conversations we can use a facial expression to indicate that we are kidding or being sarcastic with our words • In an email or text, the context clues provided by facial expressions are lost o But now we have emojis to convey additional info

o Written Communication -

• Putting it in writing i a letter, report, memorandum, handwritten note or email or text can solve many of the problems inherent in oral communications • But, written communication is not as common as one might imagine or is one respected by managers • Over 80% of the managers who responded to one survey indicated that the written communication they received was of poor quality • 65% of the executives surveyed indicated they preferred to interact with customers, business partners and vendors with email or text than by phone • Biggest drawbacks are that they inhibit feedback and interchange • When one manager sends another manager a letter, it must be written or dictated, printed, mailed received, routed, opened and read and if there is a misunderstanding, it could take several days for it to be recognized or rectified - a phone call could solve the matter in just a few minutes • Its much more time consuming • Advantages - very accurate and provides a permanent record of exchange • Can take you time to read and reply • Preferable when important details are involved • EXAMPLE - Julie Regan, founder of Toucan-Do, relies heavily on formal business letters in establishing contacts and buying merchandise from vendors in SE Asia - she believes that such letters gives her an opportunity to carefully think through what she wants to say and avoid later misunderstandings

Oral Communication -

• Takes place in conversations, group discussions, telephone calls, Skype and Face Time and others in which the spoken word is used to express meaning • Its prevalent for several reasons • Primary advantage is that it promotes prompt feedback and interchange in the form of verbal questions or agreement, facial expressions and gestures • Its also easy and can be done with little preparation • 55% of executives sampled felt their own written communication skills were fair or poor, so they chose oral communication to avoid embarrassment • Also has its drawbacks - may suffer form problems of inaccuracy if the speaker chooses wrong words to convey meaning or leaves out pertinent details, if noise disrupts the process or if the receiver forgets part of the message • Although most managers are comfortable talking to people individually or in small groups, fewer enjoy speaking to larger audiences