Management Leadership communication Useful vocabulary communication message encoding

Management Leadership - communication

Useful vocabulary • • • communication message encoding channel decoding communication process noise nonverbal communication lateral diagonal communication networks grapevine • • • body language verbal intonation filtering selective perception information overload jargon active listening formal informal downward upward

Today’s lecture We will: • Define the nature and function of communication • Compare and contrast methods of interpersonal communication • Identify barriers to effective interpersonal communication and how to overcome them • Explain how communication can flow most effectively in organisations • Describe how technology affects managerial communication and organisations • Discuss contemporary issues in communication

What Is Communication? • Communication - the transfer and understanding of meaning. • Transfer means the message was received in a form that can be interpreted by the receiver. • Understanding the message is not the same as the receiver agreeing with the message. • Interpersonal communication - communication between two or more people. • Organisational communication - all the patterns, networks, and systems of communications within an organisation.

Activity • How good at communicating are you? • The aim of this game is to get your partner to make an exact copy of your drawing! • “Charades” is also a popular game

Functions of Communication • Control – Formal and informal communications act to control individuals’ behaviours in organisations. • Motivation – Communications clarify for employees what is to be done, how well they have done it, and what can be done to improve performance.

Functions of Communication (2) • Emotional Expression – Social interaction in the form of work group communications provides a way for employees to express themselves. • Information – Individuals and work groups need information to make decisions or to do their work.

Interpersonal communication (1) • Communication process - the seven elements involved in transferring meaning from one person to another. • Noise - any disturbances that interfere with the transmission, receipt, or feedback of a message.

Interpersonal Communication (2) • Message - a purpose to be conveyed. • Encoding - converting a message into symbols. • Channel - the medium a message travels along. • Decoding - retranslating a sender’s message.

Exhibit 15 -1: The Interpersonal Communication Process

Communication Process • • The Sender – initiates message Encoding – translating thought to message The Message – what is communicated The Channel – the medium the message travels through Decoding – the receiver’s action in making sense of the message The Receiver – person who gets the message Noise – things that interfere with the message Feedback – a return message regarding the initial communication

以訛傳訛 • I will give you a message written in english. You can only whisper it to the person next to you once! • By the time it gets to the final person in the class, they must write down what they think they were told – even if it sounds silly!

Nonverbal Communication • Nonverbal communication transmitted without words. • Body language - gestures, facial configurations, and other body movements that convey meaning. • Verbal intonation - an emphasis given to words or phrases that conveys meaning.

Comparison of communication methods (1)

Comparison of communication methods (2)

Comparison of communication methods (3)

Comparison of communication methods (4)

Activity • What are the advantages and disadvantages of each of the forms of communication tools?

Barriers to Communication • Filtering - the deliberate manipulation of information to make it appear more favorable to the receiver. • Information overload - occurs when information exceeds our processing capacity. • Jargon - specialised terminology or technical language that members of a group use to communicate among themselves. • Selective perception - People selectively interpret what they see on the basis of their interests, background, experience, and attitudes • Emotions - How a receiver feels at the time a message is received will influence how the message is interpreted

Active Listening Active listening for full meaning without making premature judgments or interpretations.

Active listening behaviours

Activity • When is active listening used? Give examples of situations where you would find active listening. • Do you find active listening easy or difficult? Why?

Formal Versus Informal Communication • Formal communication - communication that takes place within prescribed organisational work arrangements. • Informal communication that is not defined by the organisation’s structural hierarchy.

Direction of communication (1) • Downward communication that flows downward from a manager to employees. • Upward communication - communication that flows upward from employees to managers.

Direction of communication (2) • Lateral communication - communication that takes place among any employees on the same organisational level. • Diagonal communication - communication that cuts across work areas and organisational levels.

Directions of communication • Downward • Upward • Lateral What examples of this type of communication have you experienced at University?

Organisational communication networks • Communication networks - the variety of patterns of vertical and horizontal flows of organisational communication. • Grapevine - the informal organisational communication network. Why is this important?

The Grapevine (rumours) Three main Grapevine characteristics • Informal, not controlled by management • Perceived by most employees as being more believable and reliable than formal communications • 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 employee’s social needs

Reducing rumours • Announce timetables for making important decisions • Explain decisions and behaviors that may appear inconsistent or secretive • Emphasize the downside, as well as the upside, of current decisions and future plans • Openly discuss worst-case possibilities—they are almost never as anxiety-provoking as the unspoken fantasy

Organisational communication networks

Workplace design & communication • Open workplaces - workplaces with few physical barriers and enclosures. • Enclosed workplaces – with many rooms and barriers between spaces

Ethical Communication • Ethical communication - communication that includes all relevant information, is true in every sense, and is not deceptive in any way. • Omitting information, offering misleading information – this is considered unethical communication

Impact of internet communication • Legal and security issues – Inappropriate use of company e-mail and instant messaging – Loss of confidential and proprietary information due to inadvertent or deliberate dissemination or to hackers • Lack of personal interaction – Being connected is not the same as face-to-face contact – Difficulties occur in achieving understanding and collaboration in virtual environments

Communication and Customer Service Communicating effectively with customers • Recognise three components of the customer service delivery process: – The customer – The service organisation – The service provider • Develop a strong service culture focused on the personalisation of service to each customer. – Listen and respond to the customer. – Provide access to needed service information.

The cost of poor communication Failed communication can be costly. Consider this example of The Accident Group: http: //www. telegraph. co. uk/finance/286629 8/Accident-Group-staff-receive-4 m. html and the Cerner Corporation: http: //news. bbc. co. uk/1/hi/world/americas/ 1263473. stm

Cultural Implications Cross-cultural factors increase communication difficulties Cultural Barriers: • Semantics: some words aren’t translatable • Word Connotations: some words imply multiple meanings beyond their definitions • Tone Differences: the acceptable level of formality of language • Perception Differences: language affects worldview Cultural Context: • The importance of social context to meaning • Low-context cultures (like the U. S. ) rely on words for meaning • High-context cultures gain meaning from the whole situation

Activity • What impact will qq and wiichat and Facebook have on how people communicate in the workplace? • What are the negatives and positives of using Social Media?

Summary Today: • What communication is • Informal and formal communication • Model of communication • Issues around communication Tomorrow: • Leadership – being a leader

Reading • Please read Chapter 17 before tomorrow’s lecture.