Chapter 9 Communicating in Teams and Organizations Mc

Chapter 9 Communicating in Teams and Organizations Mc. Graw-Hill/Irwin Mc. Shane/Von Glinow OB 5 e Copyright © 2010 by The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Social Networking Communication at IBM Standing in front of Beijing’s Forbidden City, IBM chief executive Sam Palmisano communicates through his Second Life avatar to several thousand employees worldwide. 9 -2

Communication Defined § The process by which information is transmitted and understood between two or more people § Effective communication • Transmitting intended meaning (not just symbols) 9 -3

Importance of Communication 1. Coordinating work activities 2. Organizational learning and decision making 3. Employee well-being 9 -4

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 9 -5

Improving Communication Coding/Decoding 1. Both parties have motivation and ability to communicate through the channel 2. Both parties carry the same “codebook” 3. Both parties share similar mental models of the communication context 4. Sender is experienced at communicating the message topic 9 -6

About Face on Workplace E-Mail Hi. Wired executives introduced “Home Week” each month, in which they must not travel. This initiative has helped them rediscover the benefits of face-to-face rather than e-mail communication. 9 -7

How E-Mail has Altered Communication § Now preferred medium for coordinating work § Tends to increase communication volume § Significantly alters communication flow § Reduces some selective attention biases 9 -8

Problems with E-Mail § Communicates emotions poorly § Reduces politeness and respect § Inefficient for ambiguous, complex, novel situations § Increases information overload 9 -9

Social Networking Communication Social network communication clusters people around interests/expertise Several types of social network communication • • • Facebook, My. Space, Linked. In Online discussion forums Avatar sites (e. g. Second Life) Instant messaging Wikis 9 -10

Nonverbal Communication § Actions, facial gestures, etc. § Influences meaning of verbal symbols § Less rule bound than verbal communication § Important part of emotional labor § Most is automatic and nonconscious 9 -11

Emotional Contagion The automatic process of sharing another person’s emotions by mimicking their facial expressions and other nonverbal behavior § 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 9 -12

I Love Rewards Gets Media-Rich Quickly Every day at 11: 15 am, employees at I Love Rewards Inc. meet face-to-face for 10 minutes to communicate priorities and coordinate their efforts. These quick meetings provide a personal connection and highly interactive feedback. 9 -13

Choosing the Best Communication Channel: Social Acceptance How well the communication channel is approved and supported by the organization, team, and individual: 1. Communication channel norms 2. Individual communication channel preferences 3. Symbolic meaning of the communication channel 9 -14

Choosing the Best Communication Channel: Media Richness The channel’s data-carrying capacity needs to be aligned with the communication activity High richness when channel: 1. conveys multiple cues 2. allows timely feedback 3. allows customized message 4. permits complex symbols Use rich communication media when the situation is nonroutine and ambiguous 9 -15

Hierarchy of Media Richness Rich Overloaded Zone Media Richness Oversimplified Zone Lean Routine/clear Situation Nonroutine/ Ambiguous 9 -16

Factors that Override Media Richness § Ability to multi-communicate with lean channels § More varied proficiency levels § Social distractions of rich channels 9 -17

Persuasive Communication Changing another person’s beliefs and attitudes. § Spoken communication is more persuasive because: 1. accompanied by nonverbal communication, adding emotional punch to the message. 2. has high quality immediate feedback whether message is understood and accepted. 3. has high social presence, so receiver is more sensitive to message content and more motivated to accept the message. § 9 -18

Communication Barriers § Perceptions § Filtering § Language • Jargon • Ambiguity § Information Overload 9 -19

Information Overload Episodes of information overload Information Load Time Employee’s information processing capacity 9 -20

Managing Information Overload § Solution 1: Increase info 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 9 -21

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 co-workers gave the boss a lot more thumbs up signs! ©Mark M. Lawrence/Corbis 9 -22

Cross-Cultural Communication § Verbal differences • Language • Voice intonation • Silence/conversational overlaps § Nonverbal differences • Interpreting nonverbal meaning • Importance of verbal versus nonverbal ©Mark M. Lawrence/Corbis 9 -23

Gender Communication Differences Men Report talk Gives advice quickly and directly Conversations are negotiations of status Less sensitive to nonverbal cues Women Rapport talk Gives advice indirectly and reluctantly Conversations are bonding events More sensitive to nonverbal cues 9 -24

Getting Your Message Across 1. Empathize 2. Repeat the message 3. Use timing effectively 4. Be descriptive Courtesy of Microsoft. 9 -25

Active Listening Process & Strategies Sensing • Postpone evaluation • Avoid interruptions • Maintain interest Active Listening Responding • Show interest • Clarify the message Evaluating • Empathize • Organize information 9 -26

Communicating in Hierarchies § Workspace design • Clustering people in teams • Open office arrangements § Web-based organizational communication • Wikis -- collaborative document creation • Blogs -- personal news/opinion for sharing • E-zines -- rapid distribution of company news § Direct communication with management • Management by walking around (MBWA) • Town hall meetings 9 -27

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 9 -28

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 9 -29

Chapter 9 Communicating in Teams and Organizations Mc. Graw-Hill/Irwin Mc. Shane/Von Glinow OB 5 e Copyright © 2010 by The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 9 -30