Management & Organization Ch. 12: Communication in Organization

Communication roles

1. Interpersonal 2. Informational 3. Decisional

Intranet and Extranets

Firewall-protected private networks for internal use by employees that become extranets when selected outsiders are given limited access

images

the kinds of words people elect to use to give emphasis and effect to what they say

communication network

the pattern through which the members of a group or team communicate *for simple and routine tasks, centralized networks perform with greatest efficiency and accuracy *for complex and non-routine tasks, decentralized networks with open communications are most effective

communication

the process of transmitting info from one person to another

barriers to effective communication

*the sender -inconsistency -credibility -reluctance *the receiver -selective attention -attitudes -value judgements *Both sender & receiver -overload -semantics -status differences -power differences -perceptual differences -language differences -cultural differences

characteristics of useful info

-accurate: valid and reliable reflection of reality -timely: available in time for appropriate managerial action -complete -relevant

types of communication networks

-wheel -chain -Y -circle -all channel

telecommuting

ADVANTAGE: allows people to work at home and transmit their work electronically to the company DISADVANTAGES: the lack of face to face contact, loss of strong personal r-ships, falling behind professionally, losing out on org politics

written communication

ADVANTAGES tends to be more accurate, provides a record of communication DISADVANTAGES inhibits feedback and exchange, is more difficult and time consuming

oral communication

ADVANTAGES: promotes feedback and interchange, easy to use DISADVANTAGES may suffer from inaccuracies, leaves no permanent record

Executive Support Systems (ESS)

a quick reference, easy access application of info systems designed for instant access by upper level managers

nonverbal communication

any communication exchange that does not use works or uses words to carry more meaning than the definition of the words themselves -facial expression -inflection and tone

settings

boundaries, familiarity, home turf; symbols of power and influence how people choose to communicate in orgs

the communication process

comes through a channel sender encodes transmission noise (can happen anywhere) receiver decodes attributes meaning

horizontal communication

communication that flows laterally within the org, involves persons at the same level of the org -facilitates coordination among ind. units -useful in joint problem solving -plays major role in comm among members of work teas drawn from diff departments

vertical communication

communication that flows up and down the org, usually along formal reporting lines -takes place between managers and subordinates -may involve several levels of the org *UPWARD COMM: consists of messages from subs to superiors, more subject to distortion *DOWNWARD COMM: occurs when info flows down from superiors to subs

information

data presented in a form that has meaning

Personal Digital Technology

has created opportunities for quickly disseminating info and contacting others in the org -email, fax, teleconferences, personal computers, smart phones -has also created opportunities for dysfunctional employee behaviors

body language

how people of different cultures and backgrounds physically position themselves and react to the stance and body movements of others has a strong influence on comm between individuals

Artificial Intelligence and Expert Systems

information systems designed to imitate the thought process of human experts; are capable of learning

informal communications

interchanges among employees that take place outside normal work setting -may or may not follow official reporting relationships and prescribed org channels -may have nothing to do w official business -can promote strong culture and enhance employee understanding of how the org works

the grapevine

is an informal communication network that can permeate an entire organization. The two most common forms of the grapevine are the gossip chain, where one person spreads the message to many other people, and the cluster chain, where one person spreads the information to a select few -gossip chain: one person tells many -cluster chain: many tell a few

management by wandering around

managers keep in touch with what's going on by wandering around and talking to people at all levels

data

raw facts and figures reflecting a single aspect of reality

information technology

refers to the resources used by an organization to manage information that it needs in order to carry out its mission. IT consists of hardware (the various machines and devices that form the physical structure of the system) and software (the instructions with which the users guide the hardware).

effective communication

the received message is as close as possible in meaning to the message intended