Chapter 17.5 - Managing Organizational Communication

Petra often asks questions of her staff in staff meetings, and works to engage them in dialogue instead of just sharing information with them. She feels when her staff is engaged, they will understand and retain more information. What is Petra working to encourage during her meetings?

Active listening - By asking questions and engaging her staff in dialogue, Petra is fostering an environment where active listening is promoted. This approach helps ensure that her staff is not only hearing the information but also processing and engaging with it, leading to better understanding and retention. This concept known as "active listening," suggests, to be effective the listener must be an active participant in the conversation. The higher the level of the listener's engagement in the conversation, the more likely the listener is to understand, retain, and productively respond to the information received. Active listening requires conscious effort on the part of the listener.

What is the single most important individual skill for improving communication effectiveness?

Being a good listener - Effective listening is crucial for truly understanding the messages being communicated, allowing for better interaction, response, and overall communication. Being a good listener is the single most important individual skill for improving communication effectiveness. Being a good listener is the single most important individual skill for improving communication effectiveness.

Olesia is trying to improve her listening skills so she can become a more effective listening. Which of the following will inhibit her ability to listen effectively?

Having preconceptions about topics - Preconceptions or biases about the topics being discussed can interfere with open and objective listening, as they might lead Olesia to tune out information that contradicts her pre-existing beliefs or to not fully consider new perspectives. Having preconceptions is not a skill for effective listening.

Which of the following is an organizational barrier to communication?

Language differences - Language differences can pose a significant barrier in organizations, especially in diverse or international settings, as they can lead to misunderstandings and misinterpretations of messages. This barrier is related to the structural or systemic aspects of an organization. As businesses become more and more global, different languages can create problems. To counter this, many international firms have adopted an "official language" for doing business.

Which of the following is the hallmark of an effective listener?

Open minded - An open-minded listener approaches conversations without preconceptions, listens attentively to understand the speaker's perspective, and is receptive to new ideas. This trait is crucial for effective listening and communication. One who is more effective at listening, stays active and focused, pays attention, asks questions, keeps an open mind, and assimilates information.

At the quarterly company meeting, the CEO spoke repeatedly about the importance of return on investment. His purpose was to underscore smart budget decisions, wise investments, and taking advantage of opportunities to grow the business in a way that would reward all employees. However, the employees understood the term to mean that budget would be cut and resources reduced to increase profits for shareholders and senior management. This scenario illustrates what organizational barrier to communication?

Semantics - The issue here is the differing interpretations of the term "return on investment." While the CEO intended it to mean smart budget decisions and opportunities for business growth benefiting all employees, the employees interpreted it as impending budget cuts and resource reduction. This difference in understanding the meaning of words or phrases is a semantic barrier. Semantics problems arise when words have different meanings for different people. In this scenario, the CEO and employees had different meanings for the term "return on investment."

The sender or receiver can take steps to ensure that overload does not occur by _____.

effectively managing the number of messages sent - Managing the volume of communication helps prevent information overload, ensuring that both the sender and receiver can process and respond to messages effectively without becoming overwhelmed. Regulating information flow means that the sender or receiver takes steps to ensure that overload does not occur.

In order to improve communication effectiveness, managers should _____.

encourage a two-way communication process - Encouraging a two-way communication process allows for interaction, feedback, and clarification between the parties involved, leading to a better understanding and more effective communication overall. Two-way communication allows the receiver to ask questions, request clarification, and express opinions, signaling understanding. In general, the more complicated the message, the more useful two-way communication is.

Eamon was asked to conduct a cost analysis for a new product line. As a junior employee in the organization, he has very little experience with this, and wants to be sure he, and his work, is viewed as a credible source of information. How can Eamon help to ensure creditably?

Ensure accurate and honest representation of facts - By providing accurate and truthful information, Eamon can build trust and establish himself as a reliable and credible source within the organization. This approach is essential for credibility, especially when handling important tasks like a cost analysis for a new product line. Maintaining credibility by checking facts and remaining as accurate and honest as possible is the individual skill that can overcome a communication issue of subject credibility.

Juan sent a memo to his staff the new procedures for ordering new equipment. Later in the week, he checked in with individual staff members to ensure that they received the memo and to find out if they had any questions or concerns. What organizational skill is Juan demonstrating?

Following up - By checking in with his staff members to ensure they received the memo and to address any questions or concerns, Juan is actively following up on his initial communication. This helps ensure that the message was received, understood, and any uncertainties are clarified. Following up simply involves checking at a later time to be sure that a message has been received and understood.

Mark is spearheading an important project for his firm. Every day he receives countless emails from his direct supervisor, the managers of three other departments, and numerous colleagues with suggestions and guidelines regarding features the project must include, budget requirements, and scheduling needs. What can Mark do to regulate the information flow and reduce the overload he is experiencing?

He could call attention to the fact that he is being asked to do too many things at once. - By doing this, Mark can communicate to his supervisor and colleagues that the volume of information and requests is overwhelming, which may lead to adjustments in how information is communicated and delegated. This step is essential for managing workload and ensuring effective. Regulating information flow means that the sender or receiver takes steps to ensure that overload does not occur. He could call attention to the fact that he is being asked to do too many things at once.

Lionel has had difficulty establishing credibility in his investigative role at Crane Cyber Security. His background is in finance, so the engineers at the firm do not perceive him to have enough knowledge about the technological systems needed to investigate malware protection issues. Which type of barrier to communication is Lionel's lack of credibility?

Individual - Lionel's lack of credibility due to his background in finance and the perception by engineers that he does not have enough knowledge about technological systems is an "Individual" barrier to communication. This barrier stems from individual perceptions about Lionel's expertise and qualifications, affecting how his communications are received and trusted by his colleagues. A lack of credibility is an individual barrier to effective communication. Subject credibility is an individual characteristic or process that can interfere with effective communication.

At Crane Cyber Security (CCS), investigators frequently miss deadlines. They complain about information processing delays caused by the intranet system, but their managers think the investigators spend too much time on unnecessary tasks. Communication between the investigator and management levels at CCS is weak because of which type of barrier?

Organizational - The issues with information processing delays due to the intranet system and differing perceptions about time spent on tasks point to systemic or structural issues within the organization, which are characteristic of organizational barriers to communication. These barriers are related to the organization's processes, systems, or culture that impede effective communication. Communication between the investigator and management levels at CCS is weak because of organizational barriers. Status or power differences are a common source of ineffective communication in organizations. It is one barrier to communication due to organizational context.

Anke heard the new manager joining her department is difficult to deal with. As a result, when Anke met her, Anke immediately disliked her, and dismissed all the new manager had to say. Which of the following created this barrier to communication?

Predispositions - Anke's immediate dislike and dismissal of the new manager based on preconceived notions or biases about her being difficult to deal with is an example of a predisposition. This mindset created a barrier to effective communication by influencing how Anke received and interpreted the new manager's words. In the scenario, a case of predisposition is exemplified. Receivers bring certain predispositions to the communication process. They may already have their minds made up, firmly set in a certain way.

When a manager chooses to deliver particularly complicated or disappointing information in a personal meeting in order to be able to explain the situation and answer any questions, the manager is exhibiting which organizational communication skill?

Understanding the richness of media - This skill involves recognizing that certain messages are better conveyed through more direct and personal channels, like face-to-face meetings, which allow for immediate feedback and a more nuanced understanding, especially for complex or sensitive topics. Three useful organizational skills can also enhance communication effectiveness for both the sender and the receiver—following up, regulating information flow, and understanding the richness of different media. This scenario demonstrates understanding the richness of media.

Petra has heard through the grapevine that one of her employees is in danger of not making a deadline, but this employee is reluctant to tell her. What can Petra do to overcome reluctance on the part of her staff?

View the news as a challenge that must be overcome - By fostering a culture where challenges, such as missing deadlines, are seen as opportunities for problem-solving and teamwork rather than as failures, Petra can encourage open communication. This approach can reduce the reluctance of staff to share bad news or difficulties, as they will feel more supported and less fearful of negative consequences. The key to overcoming reluctance is to create a culture in which bad news is viewed as a challenge that the team must work together in order to overcome rather than simply an end point after which someone has to be disciplined.

Eli is spearheading an important project for his firm. He was waiting on an email with critical information from a co-worker, but he never received it. The firm's intranet went down, and there has been no email transmission today. Eli is experiencing the organizational communication barrier of _____. reluctance predispositions noise overload

noise - In this context, the firm's intranet going down and causing a disruption in email transmission represents "noise" in the communication process. Noise refers to any external factor that interferes with the effective transmission and receipt of a message. Environmental factors may also disrupt effective communication. As mentioned earlier, noise may affect communication in many ways. If a manager's phone loses power or connectivity, communication may be disrupted.

Lupita is spearheading an important project for her firm. Every day she receives countless emails from her direct supervisor, the managers of three other departments, and numerous colleagues with suggestions and guidelines regarding features the project must include, budget requirements, and scheduling needs. Lupita is not certain which information is critical to the project and what is just opinions or advice that does not need to be followed. Lupita is experiencing the organizational communication barrier of _____.

overload - In this scenario, the sheer volume of emails with various suggestions, guidelines, and requirements is overwhelming Lupita, making it difficult for her to discern which information is critical and which is not. This scenario is a classic example of information overload, where the amount of input exceeds one's processing capacity. Overload may be a problem when the receiver is being sent more information than he or she can effectively handle. Many managers report getting so many email and text messages each day that they sometimes feel overwhelmed.

Individual barriers to communication include _____.

poor listening skills - Poor listening skills can significantly hinder effective communication as they prevent a person from fully understanding or accurately interpreting the messages being conveyed. Individual barriers to communication include poor listening skills. Poor listening habits can be a major barrier to effective communication. Some people are simply poor listeners. When someone is talking to them, they may be daydreaming, looking around, reading, or listening to another conversation.

Mark is facing a crucial deadline. The work is more than he can handle in the amount of time, but he has not told his manager. He does not think his manager will assign any more resources to the project but will just tell Mark to work more hours to get it done. Mark is exhibiting the individual communication barrier of _____.

reluctance - His hesitance to inform his manager about the workload and deadline issue, due to his belief that the manager will not provide additional resources, is an example of reluctance to communicate. This barrier can prevent important information from being shared and addressed effectively in a workplace. Some people are simply reluctant to initiate a communication exchange. A subordinate may be reluctant to transmit information upward for fear of reprisal or because it is felt that such an effort would be futile.