11 Communicating in Teams and Organizations Mc GrawHillIrwin

Blogging as Org Communication Sun Microsystems president Jonathan Schwartz says that blogs have a

Definition of Communication • The process by which information is transmitted and understood between

Four Functions of Communication § Coordinating work activities § Fulfilling the drive to bond

Communication Process Model Sender Form message Transmit Message Encode message Receiver Receive encoded message

Admiral Warns Staff of E-mail Faults Courtesy of Admiral Insurance Executives at Admiral Insurance

Benefits of Email 1. Preferred medium for coordinating work 2. Tends to increase communication

Problems with Email 1. Communicates emotions poorly 2. Impersonal medium – reduces politeness and

Other Electronic Communication • Instant messaging – More efficient than email – Allows simultaneous

Nonverbal Communication § Actions, facial gestures, voice intonation, silence, etc. § Transmits most info

Emotional Contagion • The automatic process of sharing another person’s emotions by mimicking their

Hierarchy of Media Richness Rich Overloaded Zone Media Richness Oversimplified Zone Lean Routine/clear Mc.

Experience Affects Media Richness • For electronic media, the communicator’s experience with the medium

Communication Barriers • Perceptions • Filtering • Language – Jargon – Ambiguity • Information

Information Overload Episodes of information overload Employee’s information processing capacity Information Load Time Mc.

Managing Information Overload • Solution 1: Increase information processing capacity – – – Learn

Thumbs Up to the Boss! In Australia, a co-worker asked Patricia Oliveira why she

Cross-Cultural Communication • Verbal differences – Language • Nonverbal differences – Voice intonation –

Gender Communication Differences Men Women Report talk Rapport talk Gives advice quickly and directly

Getting Your Message Across • Empathize • Repeat the message • Use timing effectively

Active Listening Process & Strategies Sensing • Postpone evaluation • Avoid interruptions • Maintain

Communicating in Hierarchies 1. Work space design 2. E-zines, blogs, wikis 3. Employee surveys

Organizational Grapevine • Early research findings – Transmits information rapidly in all directions –

Grapevine Benefits/Limitations • Benefits – Fills in missing information from formal sources – Strengthens

11 Chapter Eleven Extras Mc. Graw-Hill/Irwin © 2008 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All

Guessing E-Mail Emoticons : -) : -} <: -) : -X : -j {}

Slides: 27

Download presentation

Blogging as Org Communication Sun Microsystems president Jonathan Schwartz says that blogs have a lot to offer as a communication medium in organizations Courtesy of Sun Microsystems Mc. Shane/Von Glinow OB 4 e Slide 11 -2 © 2008 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Definition of Communication • The process by which information is transmitted and understood between two or more people • Transmitting the sender’s intended meaning (not just symbols) is the essence of good communication Courtesy of Sun Microsystems Mc. Shane/Von Glinow OB 4 e Slide 11 -3 © 2008 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Four Functions of Communication § Coordinating work activities § Fulfilling the drive to bond § Knowledge management § Decision making Courtesy of Sun Microsystems Mc. Shane/Von Glinow OB 4 e Slide 11 -4 © 2008 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Communication Process Model Sender Form message Transmit Message Encode message Receiver Receive encoded message Decode message Encode feedback Form feedback Noise Decode feedback Receive feedback Transmit Feedback Mc. Shane/Von Glinow OB 4 e Slide 11 -5 © 2008 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Admiral Warns Staff of E-mail Faults Courtesy of Admiral Insurance Executives at Admiral Insurance are concerned that e-mail is making staff at the Welsh company less polite. Along with reminding employees of e-mail’s limitations, Admiral holds 'no email days’, encouraging employees to increase face-to-face communication. Mc. Shane/Von Glinow OB 4 e Slide 11 -6 © 2008 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Benefits of Email 1. Preferred medium for coordinating work 2. Tends to increase communication volume 3. Significantly alters communication flow – Less face-to-face/telephone – More upward communication 4. Reduces some selective attention biases Courtesy of Admiral Insurance Mc. Shane/Von Glinow OB 4 e Slide 11 -7 © 2008 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Problems with Email 1. Communicates emotions poorly 2. Impersonal medium – reduces politeness and respect (flaming) 3. Inefficient for ambiguous, complex, novel situations 4. Increases information overload Courtesy of Admiral Insurance Mc. Shane/Von Glinow OB 4 e Slide 11 -8 © 2008 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Other Electronic Communication • Instant messaging – More efficient than email – Allows simultaneous communication events – Real-time communities through clustered communication • Blogging (web logs) – Seem more personal than large meetings – Empower employees to share information – Ability to archive information Mc. Shane/Von Glinow OB 4 e Slide 11 -9 © 2008 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Nonverbal Communication § Actions, facial gestures, voice intonation, silence, etc. § Transmits most info in face-to-face meetings § Influences meaning of verbal and written symbols § Less rule bound than verbal communication § Important part of emotional labor § Automatic and unconscious Mc. Shane/Von Glinow OB 4 e Slide 11 -10 © 2008 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Emotional Contagion • The automatic process of sharing another person’s emotions by mimicking their facial expressions and other nonverbal behavior • Emotional contagion serves three purposes: 1. Provides continuous feedback to speaker 2. Increases emotional understanding of the other person’s experience 3. Communicates a collective sentiment -- sharing the experience Mc. Shane/Von Glinow OB 4 e Slide 11 -11 © 2008 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Hierarchy of Media Richness Rich Overloaded Zone Media Richness Oversimplified Zone Lean Routine/clear Mc. Shane/Von Glinow OB 4 e Situation Slide 11 -12 Nonroutine/ Ambiguous © 2008 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Experience Affects Media Richness • For electronic media, the communicator’s experience with the medium and receiver increases media richness: • Experience with the medium – Enables user to “push” amount of message through that medium • Experience with the receiver – Both parties have similar “codebooks” when familiar with each other Mc. Shane/Von Glinow OB 4 e Slide 11 -13 © 2008 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Communication Barriers • Perceptions • Filtering • Language – Jargon – Ambiguity • Information Overload Mc. Shane/Von Glinow OB 4 e Slide 11 -14 © 2008 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Information Overload Episodes of information overload Employee’s information processing capacity Information Load Time Mc. Shane/Von Glinow OB 4 e Slide 11 -15 © 2008 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Managing Information Overload • Solution 1: Increase information processing capacity – – – Learn to read faster Scan through documents more efficiently Remove distractions Time management Temporarily work longer hours • Solution 2: Reduce information load – Buffering – Omitting – Summarizing Mc. Shane/Von Glinow OB 4 e Slide 11 -16 © 2008 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Thumbs Up to the Boss! In Australia, a co-worker asked Patricia Oliveira why she laughed when he gave thumbs up that everything is OK. She explained that this gesture “means something not very nice” in her home country of Brazil. After hearing this, several coworkers gave the boss a lot more thumbs up signs! ©Mark M. Lawrence/Corbis Mc. Shane/Von Glinow OB 4 e Slide 11 -17 © 2008 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Cross-Cultural Communication • Verbal differences – Language • Nonverbal differences – Voice intonation – Interpreting nonverbal meaning – Importance of verbal versus nonverbal – Silence and conversational overlaps ©Mark M. Lawrence/Corbis Mc. Shane/Von Glinow OB 4 e Slide 11 -18 © 2008 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Gender Communication Differences Men Women Report talk Rapport talk Gives advice quickly and directly Gives advice indirectly and reluctantly Conversations are negotiations of status Conversations are bonding events Less sensitive to nonverbal cues Mc. Shane/Von Glinow OB 4 e More sensitive to nonverbal cues Slide 11 -19 © 2008 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Getting Your Message Across • Empathize • Repeat the message • Use timing effectively • Be descriptive © Photodisc. With permission. Mc. Shane/Von Glinow OB 4 e Slide 11 -20 © 2008 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Active Listening Process & Strategies Sensing • Postpone evaluation • Avoid interruptions • Maintain interest Active Listening Responding Evaluation • Show interest • Clarify the message • Empathize • Organize information Mc. Shane/Von Glinow OB 4 e Slide 11 -21 © 2008 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Communicating in Hierarchies 1. Work space design 2. E-zines, blogs, wikis 3. Employee surveys 4. Direct communication with management Mc. Shane/Von Glinow OB 4 e Slide 11 -22 © 2008 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Organizational Grapevine • Early research findings – Transmits information rapidly in all directions – Follows a cluster chain pattern – More active in homogeneous groups – Transmits some degree of truth • Changes due to internet – Email becoming the main grapevine medium – Social networks are now global – Public blogs and forums extends gossip to everyone Mc. Shane/Von Glinow OB 4 e Slide 11 -23 © 2008 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Grapevine Benefits/Limitations • Benefits – Fills in missing information from formal sources – Strengthens corporate culture – Relieves anxiety – Signals that problems exist • Limitations – Distortions might escalate anxiety – Perceived lack of concern for employees when company info is slower than grapevine Mc. Shane/Von Glinow OB 4 e Slide 11 -24 © 2008 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Guessing E-Mail Emoticons : -) : -} <: -) : -X : -j {} Mc. Shane/Von Glinow OB 4 e Happy Smirk Dumb question OOPS! Tongue in cheek Hug Slide 11 -27 © 2008 The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.