communication detailed

7/23/2019 Communication detailed

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Communication in Organizations


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The Nature of Communication

in Organizations

Communication

The social process in which two or more parties

exchange information and share meaning

The transference and the understanding of meaning


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Three Purposes of Organizational Communication


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Communication Across Cultures

Interpersonal Relations

Issues in Communications

Language

Dif ferent word

meanings

Nonverbal

communicat ion

Coordination

Time zones

Communicat ion

systems


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Methods of Communication

Primary Organizational Communication MethodsWritten

Oral

Nonverbal Choice Considerations

Audience (physical or not physical presence)

Nature of the message (urgency and secrecy)Costs of transmission


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Methods of Communication in Organizations


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Interpersonal Communication

Oral CommunicationAdvantages: Speed and feedback

Disadvantage: Distortion of the message

Written Communication

Advantages: Tangible and verifiableDisadvantages: Time-consuming and lacks feedback

Nonverbal Communication

Advantages: Supports other communications and provides

observable expression of emotions and feelingsDisadvantage: Misperception of body language or gestures

can influence receivers interpretation of message


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The Communication Process


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Elements of the Communication Process

Source Individual/group/organization interested in communicating

something to another party

Encoding The process by which the message is translated from an

idea/thought into transmittable symbols

Transmission The process through which the symbols that represent the

message are sent to the receiver; the medium is the channel

or path through which the message is transmitted

Decoding The process by which the message receiver interprets its

meaning

Receiver Individual/group/organization that perceives the encoded

symbols

Feedback The process in which the receiver returns a message to the

sender that indicates receipt of the message

Noise Any disturbance in the communication process that

interferes with or distorts communication


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Digital Information Processing

and Telecommunications

Workplace

Changes Due to

Technology

Innovation

Organizational intranetsand extranets

The Internet

New types of

telecommunication systems

Computerized information

processing systems

Combinations of all these


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Digital Information Processing and

Telecommunications (contd)

Todays Office of the Future

Virtual offices link managers, clerical employees,

professional workers, sales personnel, suppliers,

customersAdvantages

Computerized data storage, retrieval, transmission systems

Improves productivity

Increases idea sharing/knowledge sharingRisks

Reduction in face-to-face meetings leads to depersonalization

Reduction of office social structures


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Barriers to Effective Communication

FilteringA senders manipulation of information so that it will be

seen more favorably by the receiver

Selective Perception

People selectively interpret what they see on the basis oftheir interests, background, experience, and attitudes

Information Overload

A condition in which information inflow exceeds an

individuals processing capacity

Emotions

How a receiver feels at the time a message is received will

influence how the message is interpreted.


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More Barriers to Effective Communication

LanguageWords have different meanings to different people.

Communication Apprehension

Undue tension and anxiety about oral communication,

written communication, or both

Gender Differences

Men tend to talk to emphasize status while women talk

to create connections


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Communication Networks

Communication links individualsand groups in a social system

Stages of organizational

communication link development

Task-related communication links

Small group communication networks

Larger organizational networks

Function of communication networks

Structure flow/communication content

Support organizational structure, culture,

beliefs, value systems


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Small-Group Communication Networks


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Small Group Network Effectiveness

Small group effectiveness depends on thedesired outcome variable

TYPES OF NETWORKS

Criteria Chain Wheel All Channel

Speed Moderate Fast Fast

Accuracy High High Moderate

Emergence of a leader Moderate High NoneMember satisfaction Moderate Low High


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The Grapevine

Three Main Grapevine Characteristics:

1. Informal, not controlled by management

2. Perceived by most employees as being more believableand reliable than formal communications

3. Largely used to serve the self-interests of those who

use it Results from:

Desire for information about important situations

Ambiguous conditions

Conditions that cause anxiety Insightful to managers

Serves employees social needs


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Reducing Rumors

1. Announce timetables for making importantdecisions

2. Explain decisions and behaviors that mayappear inconsistent or secretive

3. Emphasize the downside, as well as the upside,of current decisions and future plans

4. Openly discuss worst-case possibilitiestheyare almost never as anxiety-provoking as theunspoken fantasy

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Communication Networks (contd)

Characteristics of Communication Networks

Networks form spontaneously as interactions among

workers continue

Networks rarely are permanent

Task is crucial to the choice of a network patternEnvironment affects the frequency and types of

interactions among members

Personal factors and group performance factors

influence communication networksNetworks strongly influence group effectiveness

Electronic groups that have little face-to-face

communication are an emerging trend


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Organizational Communication NetworksCommunication and information flows do not

necessarily follow the lines of an organization chart

Downward communication provides directions

Upward communication provides feedback

Horizontal communication is related to task performance


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Comparison of an Organization Chart and

the Organizations Communication Network


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Managing Communications

Improving the Communication ProcessCommunication fidelity

The degree of correspondence between the message

intended by the source and the message understood by the

receiver

Typical problem areas:

Source

Encoding/Decoding

Receiver

Feedback (verification)


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Managing Communications (contd)

Area Symptom/Problem Solution

Source Information filtering Understand underlying basis

Encoding-

Decoding

Lack of common

experience base

Improve semantics

Reduce jargon

Receiver Selective attention,

value judgments, source

credibility, overload

Reduce dissonance and overload

Feedback Lack of feedback leads

to improper response

Source must be more concerned

with message, symbols, medium,receiver feedback. Receiver needs

to be source oriented


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Table 13.1 Improving the Communication Process


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Managing Communications (contd)

Reduce noise(rumor grapevine)

Foster

informal

communication

Develop a

balanced info

network (to balanceinfo overload and info

processing capacities)

Improving Organizational

Factors in Communication

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