Organizations - Managing Communication - Chapter 15

Upward Communication

Communication flowing from lower to higher levels in an organization; includes suggestion boxes, group meetings, and grievance procedures.

Horizontal Communication

Communication that flows across functions in an organization; necessary for coordinating and integrating diverse organizational functions.

Downward Communication

Communication that flows from higher to lower levels in an organization; includes management policies, instructions, and official memos.

2 Interpersonal Strategies

Exposure Feedback

Nonverbal Communication

Messages sent with body posture, facial expressions, and hand and eye movements; as important as verbal communication. -

Interpersonal style

refers to how an individual prefers to relate to others

Barriers Created by the Sender, the Receiver, or Both of communication

• Frame of reference • Proxemic behavior • Communication overload

Barriers created by receivers of communication

• Selective listening • Value judgments • Source credibility

Barriers created by senders of communication

- Semantic problems - Filtering - In-group language - Status differences - Time pressures

Diagonal Communication

Communication that cuts across functions and levels in an organization; important when members cannot communicate through upward, downward, or horizontal channels.

Interpersonal Communication

Communications that flow between individuals in face-to-face and group situations.

5 elements of the Communication Process

Communicator Message Medium Receiver Feedback

5 types of expressive body language

Emblems: quickly convey an understood word or phrase Illustrators: gestures that give a picture of what is being said (a raised forefinger to indicate the first point of a sender's position, extended hands to illustrate the size of an object) Regulators: movements that regulate a conversation Adaptors: expressions used to adjust psychologically to the interpersonal climate of a particular situation Affect Displays: directly communicate an individual's emotions

Major innovations of communication technology

Internet: an organization of computer networks connecting everything from large supercomputers at government agencies to mainframes and servers at businesses to PCs at individuals' homes. Intranet: A private Internet-based network developed and maintained by a particular organization; intranets allow certain stakeholders to gain access to internal organizational information. Extranet: A private protected electronic communication system that is designed to connect employees with individuals external to the organization such as vendors, customers, or other strategic partners.

4 combinations of information known and unknown by the self

The arena: The region most conducive to effective interpersonal relationships and communication The blind spot: When relevant information is known to others but not to the self, a blind spot results. The facade: When information is known to the self but unknown to others, a person (self) may resort to superficial communications—that is, present a "false front," or facade The unknown: This region constitutes that portion of the relationship where relevant in- formation is known by neither the self nor other parties

4 different managerial styles

Type A: Managers who are autocratic leaders, typically aloof and cold; often poor interpersonal communicators. Type B: Managers who seek good relationships with subordinates but are unable to openly express feelings; often ineffective interpersonal communicators. Type C: Managers interested only in their own ideas, not ideas and opinions of others; usually not effective communicators Type D: Managers who feel free to express feelings to others and to have others express feelings; most effective interpersonal communicators.

Potential Sources of Cross-cultural Miscommunication

Words Space Time Behavior

4 directions of communication

downward, upward, horizontal, and diagonal

Ways to alleviate barriers of communication

follow up on their messages, regulate information flow, use feedback, develop empathy, use message repetition, encourage mutual trust, simplify their language, effectively time the delivery of their messages, and become effective listeners.

To become better communications, managers must

improve their messages—the information they wish to transmit, and seek to improve their own understanding of what other people try to communicate to them.

Classic Communication Model

made up of a communicator, an encoder, a message, a medium, a decoder, a receiver, feedback, and noise

Culture

the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one human group from another. - comprised of the morals, laws, and customs that influence behavior and that is shared by all or almost all members of a social group.

Communication

the process by which things get done in an organization -Transmitting information and understanding, using verbal or nonverbal symbols

KEY POINTS OF CHAPTER

• Communication is the transmission of information and understanding through the use of common symbols. • The communication process consists of certain basic elements that must always be present if effective communication is to result. These elements are the communicator, the mes- sage, the medium, the receiver, and feedback. • Nonverbal communication is an important source of information about a sender's or receiver's thoughts and feelings. The voice, body expressions, and proxemics are all important mechanisms of nonverbal communication. • Organizational design and the communication process are inseparable. The design of an organization must provide for communication in three distinct directions: vertical (downward and upward), horizontal, and diagonal. • The grapevine is an informal communication channel that pervades organizations. In a typical organization, information that's rarely communicated through formal channels is instead passed along through a grapevine. • Rumors, carried through the grapevine, are an everyday part of organizational life. Regardless of validity, they tend to flourish when they are viewed by the receiver as im- portant, entertaining, ambiguous, or all three. • Communication effectiveness is enhanced when both the sender and receiver utilize feedback and exposure. Balanced use of both is the most effective approach. • To alleviate the numerous barriers to communication in organizations, managers should follow up on their messages, regulate information flow, use feedback, develop empathy, use message repetition, encourage mutual trust, simplify their language, effectively time the delivery of their messages, and become effective listeners.