Chapter 17-Managing Interpersonal Relations and Communication

Nonverbal communication

Any communication exchange that does not use words or uses words to carry more meaning than the strict definition of the words themselves

Decisional roles require managers to:

Seek out information to use in making decisions and then communicate those decisions to others.

6 Organizational Barriers to Communication

Semantics Status or Power differences Different Perceptions Noise Overload Language Differences

Three kinds of nonverbal communication practiced by managers

images, settings, and body language.

Common forms of informal communication in organizations

include the grapevine, management by wandering around, and nonverbal communication

Biggest single drawback of traditional forms of written communication

inhibit feedback and interchange

Interpersonal roles involve:

interacting with supervisors, subordinates, peers, and others outside the organization

The primary advantage of oral communication

it promotes prompt feedback and interchange in the form of verbal questions or agreement, facial expressions, and gestures.

Gossip Chain

likely to carry personal information.

Telecommuting

the label given to a new electronic cottage industry. people work at home on their computers and transmit their work to their companies digitally.

What does being a good listener require?

the person be prepared to listen, not interrupt the speaker, concentrate on both the words and the meaning being conveyed, be patient, and ask questions as appropriate

Regulating Information Flow

the sender or receiver takes steps to ensure that overload does not occur.

When decentralized networks tend to perform with greatest efficiency and accuracy:

the task is complex and nonroutine

When to use written communication

when the message is more impersonal, routine, and longer

When to use oral communication

when the message is personal, nonroutine, and brief.

Definition of effective communication is based on the ideas of

Meaning and consistency of meaning

written communication

Memos, letters, reports, notes, and other circumstances in which the written word is used to transmit meaning usually more difficult and time consuming than oral communication.

Upward communication

More subject to distortion

2 forms of interpersonal communication

Oral and Written

percent of the managers who responded to one survey indicated that the written communication they received was of fair or poor quality.

Over 80

Proportion of time managers usually spend on communication

Over Half

Effects of 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 businesses. Further, in another survey, 32 percent of people claimed to use their work e-mail inappropriately and 48 percent admitted gossiping with other employees through their e-mail. Finally, in another survey conducted in 2015 over half of the participants reported that they had overheard confidential conversations at work.

Images

Kinds of words people elect to use.

Ways the grapevine can be an asset

-By learning who the 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 ideas. -get valuable information from the grapevine and use it to improve decision making.

The two most common Grapevine chains?

-Gossip Chain -Cluster Chain

Wheel Pattern

-all communication flows through one central person, who is probably the group's leader. -most centralized network because one person receives and disseminates all information.

Forms of Communication in Organizations

-interpersonal communication -communication in networks and teams -organizational communication -electronic communication.

Ways manager can minimize the damage grapevine can do

-maintaining open channels of communication -responding vigorously to inaccurate information

Drawbacks of oral communication

-may suffer from problems of inaccuracy if the speaker chooses the wrong words to convey meaning or leaves out pertinent details -if noise disrupts the process -or if the receiver forgets part of the message.

Basic reasons informal communication is increasing in many organizations

-recent increase in merger, acquisition, and takeover activity. -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 the widespread availability of information technology that makes it easier than ever before for people to communicate quickly and easily.

Percent of content derived from inflection and tone

38

Percent of executives that felt written communication skills were fair or poor and opted for oral communication.

55

percent of the content of a message transmitted by facial expressions and body posture

55

percent of executives surveyed indicating they preferred to interact with customers, business partners, and vendors with e-mail or text messaging rather than by phone.

65

Percent of content derived from words

7

% study found grapevine to be accurate

75-95

management by wandering around

An approach to communication that involves the manager's literally wandering around and having spontaneous conversations with others

Grapevine

An informal communication network among people in an organization

What do managers around the world agree is one of their most important tasks?

Communication

Horizontal communication

Communication that flows laterally within the organization; involves colleagues and peers at the same level of the organization and may involve individuals from several different organizational units Probably occurs more among managers than among nonmanagers.

Vertical communication

Communication that flows up and down the organization, usually along formal reporting lines; takes place between managers and their superiors and subordinates and may involve several different levels of the organization

5 Individual Barriers to Communication

Conflicting or inconsistent signals Credibility about the subject Reluctance to communicate Poor Listening Skills Predispositions about the subject

6 Individual skills for overcoming communication barriers

Develop good listening skills Encourage two-way communication Be aware of language and meaning Maintain credibility Be sensitive to receiver's perspective Be sensitive to sender's perspective

Oral communication

Face-to-face conversation, group discussions, telephone calls, and other circumstances in which the spoken word is used to transmit meaning

Purposes of Horizontal Communication

Facilitates coordination among interdependent units. Joint problem solving Plays a major role in work teams with members drawn from several departments.

3 organizational skills for overcoming communication barriers

Follow up Regulate information flows Understand the richness of media

In general, the more complicated the message...

The more useful two-way communication is

Communication network

The pattern through which the members of a group communicate

Effective communication

The process of sending a message in such a way that the message received is as close in meaning as possible to the message intended

Communication

The process of transmitting information from one person to another

Form of communication preferred when important details are involved

Written

Informational roles focus specifically on:

acquiring and disseminating information

What organizations are Grapevines found in?

all organizations except the very smallest

all-channel network

allows a free flow of information among all group members. Everyone participates equally, and the group's leader, if there is one, is not likely to have excessive power eg: Facebook, Linkedin

Sematics problems

arise when words have different meanings for different people

single most important individual skill for improving communication effectiveness

being a good listener.

Typical day for a manager includes

doing desk work, attending scheduled meetings, placing and receiving telephone calls, reading and answering correspondence (both print and digital), attending unscheduled meetings, and making tours

The Chain

offers a more even flow of information among members, although two people (the ones at each end) interact with only one other person.

Cluster Chain

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.

Cottage Industry

people work at home (in their "cottage") and periodically bring the products of their labors in to the company.

Chief Information Officer (CIO)

responsible for determining the information-processing needs and requirements of the organization and then putting in place systems that facilitate smooth and efficient organizational communication. also involves the creation of one or more formal information systems linking all relevant managers, departments, and facilities in the organization

The Y Pattern

slightly less centralized—two people are close to the center.

When centralized networks tend to perform with greatest efficiency and accuracy:

the group's task is relatively simple and routine