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