Organizational Behavior

MGT 3113

CHAPTER 06 COMMUNICATING IN ORGANIZATIONAL SETTINGS

OBJECTIVES
6.1 Define the meaning of communication. 6.2 Explain the communication process (A model of communication). 6.3 Identify four common communication barriers. 6.4 Discuss types of communication channels. 6.5 Identify two conditions for choosing the best communication channels. 6.6 Discuss grapevine communication network. 6.7 discuss the degree to which men and women communicate differently. 6.8 Identify strategies to improving interpersonal communication.

6.1 Definition
Communication refers to the process by which information is transmitted and understood between two or more people. We emphasize the word understood because transmitting the senders intended meaning is the essence of good communication.

6.2 A model of communication (communication process)

Communication flows through channels between the sender and receiver. The sender forms a message and encodes it into words, gestures, voice intonations, and other symbols or signs. Next, the encoded message is transmitted to the intended receiver through one or more communication channels (media).the receiver senses the incoming message and decodes it into something meaningful. Ideally, the decoded meaning is what the sender had intended. In most situations, the sender looks for evidence that the other person received and understood the transmitted message. This feedback may be a formal acknowledgement, such as a yes, I know what you mean, or indirect evidence from the receivers subsequent actions. Notice that feedback repeats the communication process. Intended feedback is encoded, tranmitted, received, and decoded from the receiver to the sender of the original message. If any part of the communication process is distorted or broken, the sender and receiver and receiver will not have a common understanding of the message.

T.Dilanthy, Department of Management, FCM, EUSL

Organizational Behavior

MGT 3113

SENDER

Transmit Message

RECEIVER

Form message

Encode message Noise

Receive encoded message

Decode message

Decode message

Receive feedback Transmit Feedback

Encode feedback

Form feedback

(Figure 6.1 Source: Steven L.McShanne and Von Glinow, (2000), Organizational Behavior.) If any part of the communication process is distorted or broken, the sender and receiver and receiver will not have a common understanding of the message.

6.3 communication barriers (Noise)

In spite of the best intentions of sender and receiver to communicate, several barriers inhibit the effective exchange of information. We will refer to many communication barriers, but four pervasive problems are perceptions, filtering, language, and information overload. 6.3.1 Perceptions The perceptual process determines what messages we select or screen out, as well as how the selected information is organized and interpreted. This can be a significant source of noise in the communication process if the perceptions of the sender and receiver are not aligned. 6.3.2 Filtering Some messages are filtered or stopped altogether on their way up or down the organizational hierarchy. Filtering may involve deleting or delaying negative information, or changing the words so that events sound more favorable.

T.Dilanthy, Department of Management, FCM, EUSL

Organizational Behavior 6.3.3 Language

MGT 3113

Words and gestures carry no inherent meaning with them. Instead, the sender must ensure that the receiver understands these symbols and signs. In reality, lack of mutual understanding is a common reason why messages are distorted. 6.3.4 Information overload Information overload occurs when the volume of information received exceeds the persons capacity to process it.empolyees have certain information processing capacity, that is, the amount of information that they are able to process in a fixed unit of time. At the sometime jobs have a varying information load; that is, the amount of information to be processed per unit of time. Information overload occurs whenever the jobs information load exceeds the individuals information processing capacity. We can minimize information overload in two ways: by increasing our information processing capacity and reducing the jobs information load. We can increase information processing capacity by learning to read faster, scanning documents more efficiently, and removing distractions that slow information processing speed. Time management also increases information processing capacity. When information overload is temporary, information processing capacity can increase by longer hours. We can reduce information load by buffering, summarizing, or omitting the information.

6.4 Communication channels

A critical part of the communication model is the channel through which information is transmitted. There are two main types of channels: Verbal communication channel Nonverbal communication channel 6.4.1 Verbal communication Verbal communication includes any oral or written method of transmitting meaning through words. Different forms of verbal communication should be used in different situations. Face-to-face interaction is usually better than written methods for transmitting emotions and persuading the receiver. This is because nonverbal cues accompany oral communications, such as voice intonations and use of silence.

T.Dilanthy, Department of Management, FCM, EUSL

Organizational Behavior

MGT 3113

Moreover, in face-to-face settings, the sender receives immediate feedback from the receiver and can adjust the emotional tone of the message accordingly. Written communication is more appropriate for recording and presenting technical details because ideas are easier to logically understand when written down than when communicated verbally. Traditionally, written communication has been slow to develop and transmit, but electronic mail and other computer-mediated communication channels have significantly improved written communication efficiency. Electronic mail (e-mail) is revolutionizing the way we communicate in organizational settings. Today, 90 percent of large companies and over half of other companies use email. Its easy to understand e-mail popularity. E-mail users can quickly form, edit, and store messages. Information can be appended and transmitted to many people with a simple click of a mouse.E-mail asynchronous (message are sent and received at different times), so there is no need to coordinate a communication session. This technology also allows fairly random access of information; you can select any message in any order and skip to different parts of a message. Problems with e-mail:- Anyone who has used e-mail knows that it has several problems and limitations. Many e-mail users are overwhelmed by hundreds of message each week, some of which are irrelevant to them. A second concern is that e-mail seems to reduce our politeness and respect for others. This is mostly evident through the increased frequency of flaming. Flaming is the act of sending an emotionally charged message (called flame mail) to others. A third problem is that it is difficult to interpret the emotional meaning behind e-mail message. Other computer-mediated communication: - Internets, intranets and other forms of computer-mediated communication have fueled the hyper fast world of corporate information sharing. Some companies are experimenting with intranet videoconferencing in which people meet virtually with live audio and video image of themselves. Others use multimedia training programs that stream the information through the companys intranet. Chat software is quickly becoming a valuable organization tool for real time communication.

T.Dilanthy, Department of Management, FCM, EUSL

Organizational Behavior 6.4.2 Nonverbal communication Computer-mediate communication is change

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the

face

organization

communication, but it has not yet adequately captured the information conveyed through nonverbal communication. Nonverbal communications include facial gestures, voice intonation, physical distance, and even silence. This communication channel is necessary where physical distance or noise prevents effective verbal exchanges and the need for immediate feedback precludes written communication. Nonverbal communication differs from verbal communication two ways. First, we normally know what words we say or write, whereas nonverbal cues are typically automatic and unconscious. A second distinction is that nonverbal communication is less rules bound than verbal communication. We receive a lot of formal training on how to understand spoken words, but very little to understand the nonverbal signals that accompany those words. Consequently, nonverbal cues are more ambiguous and more susceptible to misinterpretation.

6.5 Choosing the best communication channels

Employees perform better if they can quickly determine the best communication channels for the situation and are flexible enough to use different methods as the occasion requires. 6.5.1 Media richness Communication channels can be organized into a hierarchy based on their media richness. This refers to their data-carrying capacity-the volume and variety of information that can be transmitted. Face-to-face meetings have the highest datacarrying capacity because the sender can simultaneously transmit verbal and nonverbal signals, the receiver can provide immediate feedback, and the information exchange can be customized to suit the situation. In contrast, financial reports and other impersonal documents represents the leanest media because they allow only one form of data transmission, the sender does not receive timely feedback from the receiver, and the information exchange is standardized for everyone.

T.Dilanthy, Department of Management, FCM, EUSL

Organizational Behavior 6.5.2 Symbolic meaning of the medium

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The medium is the message. This famous phrase by communications guru Marshall McLuhan means that the senders choice of communication channel transmits meaning beyond the message content. For example, a personal meeting with an employee may indicate that the issue is important, whereas a brief handwritten note may suggest less importance. The difficulty we face when choosing a communication medium is that its symbolic meaning may vary from one person to the next.

6.6 Communicating through the grapevine

Employees receive a considerable amount of information through the grapevine, even in the presence of well-designed formal communication structures. The grapevine is an unstructured and informal network founded on social relationship rather than organization charts or job description. Employees often receive news from the grapevine before they hear about it through formal channels; 75 percent claim that the grapevine is their first source of important information in the organization. 6.6.1 Grapevine characteristics The grapevine has several unique features. It transmits information very rapidly in all direction throughout the organization. Grapevine news is relatively accurate, possibly because the parties tend to use media-rich communication channels (e.g., face to face) and are motivate to communicate effectively. The grapevine typically transmits information through the cluster chain pattern. Senders transmit grapevine information only to people they know and believe are interested. Some employees rarely receive grapevine information because they not integrated with the organizations social network. The grapevine relies on social relations, so it is more active where employees have similar backgrounds and are able to communicate easily with each other. It is also more active when employees are anxious and information from formal channels does not satisfy their need to know. Even when the formal network provides some information about a particular situation, employees will participate in the grapevine because social interaction relieves some of their anxiety.

T.Dilanthy, Department of Management, FCM, EUSL

Organizational Behavior

MGT 3113

6.6.2 Grapevine advantages and disadvantage Should the grapevine be encouraged, tolerated, or quashed? The difficulty in answering this question is that the grapevine has both advantages and disadvantages. One benefit is that the grapevine helps employees to make sense of their workplace when the information is not available through formal channels. It is also the main conduit through which organizational stories and other symbols of the organizations culture are communicated. Along with its informational value, the grapevine is an important social process that bond people together and fulfills their need for affiliation. Finally, because it is most active when employees are worried, the grapevine is a valuable signal for managers to take appropriate action. This may include resolving the problems behind the rumors, or communicating more fully through formal network. The grapevine is not always beneficial. Morale tumbles when management is slower than the grapevine in communicating, because it suggests a lack of sincerity and concern for employees. Moreover, grapevine information may become so distorted that it escalates rather than reduces employees anxieties.

6.7 Cross-cultural and Gender differences in communication

We learned that organizations operate in a world of increasing globalization and culture diversity. These dynamics bring new opportunities as well as communication challenges. Employees must become more sensitive and competent in cross-culture communication. Furthermore, they must overcome their reluctance to communicate with co-workers from another cultural group. These communication competencies are also gaining importance as companies increasingly work with clients, suppliers, and joint venture partners from other countries.

T.Dilanthy, Department of Management, FCM, EUSL

Organizational Behavior

MGT 3113

Language this is most obvious cross-cultural barrier. Words are easily misunderstood in verbal communication, either because the receiver has a limited vocabulary or the senders accent makes it difficult for the receiver to understand the sound. Herring and other scholars have observed that men and women often differ in their communication styles. Whether in a corporate meeting or virtual chat rooms, men are more likely than women to view conversation as negotiations of relative status and power. They assert their power by directly giving advice to others and using combative language.

6.8 Improving interpersonal communication

Effective interpersonal communication depends on the senders ability to get the message across and the receivers performance as an active listener. We out line these two essential features of effective interpersonal communication. 6.8.1 Getting your message across To accomplish this difficult task, the sender must learn to empathize with the receiver, repeat the message, choose an appropriate time for the conversation, and be descriptive rather than evaluative Empathize empathy involves putting yourself in the receivers shoes when encoding the message. For instance, be sensitive to words that may be ambiguous or trigger the wrong emotional response. Repeat the message-rephrase the key points a couple of times. The saying, tell them what youre going to tell them; tell them; then tell them what youve told them, reflects this need for redundancy. Use timing effectively-your message competes with other message and noise, so find a time when the receiver is less likely to be distracted by these other matters. Be descriptive-focus on the problem, not the person if you have negative information to convey. People stop listening when the information attacks their self-esteem.

T.Dilanthy, Department of Management, FCM, EUSL

Organizational Behavior 6.8.2 Active listening

MGT 3113

Listening is at least as important as talking. As one sage wisely wrote, nature gave people two ears but only one tongue, which is a gentle hint that they should listen more than they talk. But listening is more than just hearing the other person making sounds; it is an active process of receiving and decoding those verbal messages so that they have meaning. It also requires more effort than most people realize. Dont interrupt Empathize with speaker

Provide Feedback

Organize information

Elements of Active Listening Postpone evaluation

Maintain interest

(Figure 6.2 Source: Steven L.McShanne and Von Glinow, (2000), Organizational Behavior.)

6.8.2.1 Empathize with the speaker:-empathy is just as important for listeners as it is for speakers. Recall that empathy is the ability to understand and be sensitive to the feelings, thoughts, and situation of others. 6.8.2.2 Maintain interest:-as with any behavior, active listening requires motivation. Too often, we close our minds soon after a conversation begins because the subject is boring. 6.8.2.3 Postpone evaluation:-it is natural to want to label a message as right wrong or good-bad. People have a need to make sense of things quickly, so they rapidly form first impressions and fill in the missing information.

T.Dilanthy, Department of Management, FCM, EUSL

Organizational Behavior

MGT 3113

6.8.2.4 Organize information:-listeners easily become impatient and distracted because they can process information three times faster than the average rate of speech. To maintain interest, the active listener should concentrate on what the speaker is saying and regularly organize the information received so far in to key points. 6.8.2.5 Show your interest:-along with being interested, you should motivate the speaker by showing your interest in the conversation. 6.8.2.6 Provide feedback: - active listeners provide feedback by rephrasing the speakers ideas at appropriate breaks.

Reference: Steven L.Mcshane & Mary Ann Von Glinow, (2000), Organizational Behavior, published by McGraw-Hill Higher Education, United states of America.

T.Dilanthy, Department of Management, FCM, EUSL

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