MAN 2021 - COMMUNICATION
KEY TERMS
Boundaryless organization - Organization in which there are no barriers to information flow. Coaching Dialogue - with a goal of helping another be more effective and achieve his or her full potential on the job. Communication - The transmission of information and meaning from one party to another through the use of shared symbols. Downward communication - Information that flows from higher to lower levels in the organization's hierarchy. Filtering - The process of withholding, ignoring, or distorting information. Grapevine - Informal communication network. Horizontal communication - Information shared among people on the same hierarchical level. Media richness - The degree to which a communication channel conveys information. One-way communication - A process in which information flows in only one direction - from the sender to the receiver, with no feedback loop. Open-book management - Practice of sharing with employees at all levels of the organization vital information previously meant for management's eyes only. Perception - The process of receiving and interpreting information. Reflection - Process by which a person states what he or she believes the other person is saying. Two-way communication - A process in which information flows in two directions - the receiver provides feedback, and the sender is receptive to the feedback. Transparency - People's beliefs that the information their employer and others send them is of high quality, as defined by accuracy, timeliness, and full disclosure of relevant information Upward communication - Information that flows from lower to higher levels in the organization's hierarchy. Virtual office - A mobile office in which people can work anywhere, as long as they have the tools to communicate with customers and colleagues. Voice - When people speak up with good intentions about work-related issues, rather than remaining silent Web 2.0 A set of Internet-based applications that encourage user-provided content and collaboration.
OBJECTIVES
MLO13.1 Discuss important advantages of two-way communication [CLO1, CLO3, CLO4, CLO5] MLO13.2 Identify communication problems to avoid [CLO1, CLO3, CLO4, CLO5] MLO13.3 Describe when and how to use the various communication channels [CLO1, CLO3, CLO4, CLO5] MLO13.4 Give examples of ways to become a better "sender" and "receiver" of information [CLO1, CLO3, CLO4, CLO5] MLO13.5 Explain how to improve downward, upward, and horizontal communication [CLO1, CLO3, CLO4, CLO5] MLO13.6 Summarize how to work with the company grapevine [CLO1, CLO3, CLO4, CLO5] MLO13.7 Describe the boundaryless organization and its advantages [CLO1, CLO3, CLO4, CLO5]
OTHER 2
Something to think about!! READABILITY PROBLEMS IN THE UNITED STATES The following are examples of readability problems with consumer-oriented documentation: A mother with an eighth-grade reading level cannot read the antidote information on a can of Drano®. Over half of the buyers of over-the-counter drugs need help in comprehending enclosed cautions and dosage instructions. Three out of four patients at family planning clinics cannot comprehend the printed information in the patient package insert (PPI) for the oral contraceptive being issued by the clinics. Telephone bill information can be understood only by those who read at or above the ninth-grade level. Twenty-five million American adults cannot read the menus posted at fast-food restaurants. The editorial content of the average daily newspaper cannot be read by a person with an eighth-grade reading level. More than one-third of American adults cannot read the U.S. Constitution. As the number of functionally illiterate Americans is increasing at the rate of 2.3 million a year, it is imperative that corporate America do a better job of lowering the readability levels of its documents in order to overcome the above examples of readability barriers that alienate its consumers.
OTHER
Students often want to understand how they can communicate more effectively, and why communications often break down (especially communications between employees and their managers.) Frequently asked questions include: "How can I reduce the potential of sending messages that get misinterpreted?" "Why do some people misread nonverbal communication?" "What is the best way for me to communicate with my manager?" "With more people doing business with foreign countries, what is the best way to overcome barriers in communication, when their customs, language, and ways of doing business are different than yours?" To reduce the potential of sending messages that will be misinterpreted, the sender has to be aware of the receiver before, during, and after the transmission of the message. As the textbook points out, there are four key steps to reducing misinterpretation: 1) Ensure that the receivers attend to the message they are sending; 2) Consider the other party's frame of reference and attempt to convey the message from that perceptual viewpoint; 3) Take concrete steps to minimize perceptual errors and improper signals in both sending and receiving; and 4) Send consistent messages. People misread nonverbal communication because it is often part of a mixed message — non-verbal communication may be saying one thing, but verbal communication is saying something else entirely. Also, people misread non-verbal communication because they don't pay close attention to it — for example, they may look and see that someone is smiling, but not notice that the smile is only on the mouth — not in the eyes. Finally, "display rules" for emotional expression vary by culture (Matsumoto,1994), so that while people from different cultures may express emotion in the same way physically (e.g., by smiling), cultures vary about the amount of expression they will display in public. The best way to communicate with your boss is the way he or she prefers. Some bosses like to get information verbally — others would prefer written communications. Find out what your boss likes, and communicate that way. In addition, most bosses prefer regular updates to spur-of-the-moment conversations. So take the time to prepare a brief update every week or two, to keep the boss current on your activities and projects. While it is important to understand cultural differences, it is equally important to understand that labeling a problem as "cultural" can mask the real issue. Consider, for example, the American marketing executive who was having trouble with an Indian engineer. She lived in New York, and he lived in the Silicon Valley. Finally, things got bad enough that the marketing executive flew to San Jose, to thrash out her differences with the engineer face-to-face. Within an hour they were laughing and talking, and the marketing executive admitted, "It has nothing to do with his being from Indian — he's an engineer and I'm in marketing!" Reference Matsumoto, D. (1994). People: Psychology from a Cultural Perspective. Brooks/Cole.
