Chapter 2 The Evolution of Communication in a

Chapter 2 The Evolution of Communication in a Global Workplace

Top-Down Model The sender is the originator or source of a message The receiver is the person to whom the sender directs the message. The message is what the sender says and does during a communication episode

Possibility for misunderstandings Messages are conveyed in different ways Idea of channel Added context Updated Model

Communication Components Noise • includes the physical, semantic, and hierarchical influences that either disrupt or shape the interpretation of messages. Feedback • the activity of providing senders and receivers with responses to their communication, ideas, and identities. Channel • the thoroughfare a message takes from sender to receiver. Environment • the physical arrangement of the space, the cultural context the participants bring to the situation, and the communication history that exists between the participants. Physical Historical Cultural

Theories of Management Classical management & information transfer Human relations/resources & transactional process Systems thinking & communication networks Organizational cultures, communication, & power Organizational narratives & dialogue

Classical Management Scientific management Bureaucracy Information transfer

Scientific Management Main Ideas Functions Downside Factories and organizations operated as efficient machines. Planning Dehumanizing (workers replaced like spare parts) Time and motion studies used to account for every task Organizing Work conditions were hard, labor laws didn't exist Established standards and evaluation instruments Commanding Workers fired based on sex, race, religion, attitude, or relationships Goal to find the one best way to complete a task. Coordinating Managers think, workers work. controlling

Bureaucracy Main Ideas Universalisms Downside Top-down authority structure. Fixed division of labor No communication between workers and managers. Centralized decisionmaking. Hierarchy of work responsibilities No opportunity for workers to and authority. learn to manage Control of managerial power to govern the organization of work. Set of general operating rules that govern performances. Separations of personal and professional lives Selection based on technical qualifications No opportunity for managers to learn to be better at their jobs.

Information Transfer Main Idea • Communication was a pipeline through which a message was passed. • One end was the sender, the other end was the receiver. Limitations • Assumed that thoughts and feelings were transferred from speaker to receiver. • Assumed that words contained the thoughts and feelings of the speaker. • Assumed that a listener could extract those thoughts and feelings from a message. • Gaps left in the message required new was of thinking about human communication.

Human Relations/Resources Hawthorne Studies Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Transactional Process

Hawthorne Studies Main Idea • Connected changes in productivity to changes in lighting. Significance • Showed that increased attention to morale lead to improved productivity. • Group interactions could have a favorable effect on work. • Moved from scientific management to human relation's approach to management. Human Relations Approach • Importance of open communication and supportive relations between managers and employees. • Need for managers to take into account employee's feelings • Need for managers to respond to the development needs of workers.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Explanation of what motivates human behavior. Motivation grows as employees move from lower order to higher order needs. Employees could be motivated more by helping to satisfy their higher order needs, in turn the employee would become more motivated. Set the stage for organizational learning and continuous improvement. Self Actualization Esteem Belonging Safety Physiological

Transactional Process Main Ideas • Everyone in an organization is engaged in sending and receiving messages • Each person is constantly affecting the other • Feedback, particularly nonverbal feedback, is a vital source of information • The person receiving a message, rather than the person sending the message, is the source of meaning

Systems Theory Main Idea • A way to view the sets of relationships that comprise the patterns of interaction within an organization. Components • • • Environment Interdependence Goals Feedback Openness, Order and Contingency

Networks Types of Communication Flow • Formal communication that follows set chains of command using established groups and teams. • Informal communication that occurs through social patterns of interaction that are not authorized or formal. Contingent decision making • takes advantage of the dynamic nature of systems and allows decisions to be revised as new information is developed. • Open lines of communication ensure feedback occurs.

Organizational Culture Organizational culture • implies an intricate, interconnected, and purposeful pattern or order. • pattern is drawn from the metaphors and language of “community, ” Involves: • a unique sense of place that both unites and divides members • histories and visions for the future, which may or may not be shared • locally defined customs, rituals, rules, rites, and procedures • shared core values

Communication and Power Communication • the process by which culture is formed and transformed Power • sources of influence derived by an individual within an organization.

Classical Approach to Power Classic managerial forms of power • • • Reward power Coercive power Referent power Expert power Legitimate power

HR Approach to Power Shifts from the manager’s position within the hierarchy to the relationship between the manager and the employee. Employee Gains Power Manager Gains Power Giving feedback to boss Being supportive and open Interpreting meanings about the relationships and work Showing interest in employees’ feelings and thoughts Negotiating how, when and with what resources assigned work can be accomplished Demonstrating trust

Systems Approach to Power Views power as a system of relationships Finds power in everyday exchanges between and among equals, superiors and subordinates Relationship quality and perceived value of information yields power Rumors and gossip serve to balance power

Cultural Approach to Power Assumes a constant struggle for power in every organization People and groups holding power are described as dominant Those seeking power are labeled resistant Power as it relates to and derives from gender, race, class, and sexual orientation

Organizational Narratives Organizational stories • Individual accounts of the workplace Work-hate narratives • Individual accounts of harms, misdeeds, or violence done to employees. Narrative recovery technique • Collected to “recover” the history of the organization from a personal perspective. Organizational change • Stories about change—myths, legends, turning points—of any organization or profession.

Mindless to Mindful Communication Continuum

Mindful Communication Requires: • analyzing communication situations • thinking actively about possible communication choices available to us • adapting our message to inform, amuse, persuade, or otherwise influence our listener or audience • evaluating the feedback we receive as an indication of how successful we were in accomplishing our purpose