Chapter 13 COMMUNICATION. CHAPTER 13 Communication Copyright © 2002 Prentice-Hall Communication The...

chapter

1313COMMUNICATION

CHAPTER 13 Communication

Copyright © 2002 Prentice-Hall

Communication The sharing of information between two or

more individuals or groups to reach a common understanding (but not necessarily agreement).

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The Functions of Communication• Providing knowledge about company goals, how to

perform a job, standards for acceptable behavior, needed changes, etc.

• Motivating organizational members -- for example, by determining valences, raising expectancies and instrumentalities, assigning specific and difficult goals, and giving feedback.

• Controlling and coordinating individual efforts -- for example, by reducing social loafing, communicating roles, rules, and norms, and avoiding duplication of effort.

• Expressing feelings and emotions such as positive and negative moods, excitement, and anger.

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Advice to Managers• Make sure your subordinates have all the information they need

to perform their jobs and achieve their goals. Give them clear information about any changes in the organization.

• To motivate your subordinates, let them know that you are confident they can perform at a high level and that they will benefit from performing well. Make sure your subordinates understand the goals they should strive for, and give them clear feedback on how they are performing.

• Encourage your subordinates to communicate with each other in order to coordinate their activities, avoid duplication of effort, and limit social loafing.

• To avoid misunderstandings, express your own feelings and emotions to others, and encourage your subordinates to do the same.

• Make sure your subordinates have all the information they need to perform their jobs and achieve their goals. Give them clear information about any changes in the organization.

• To motivate your subordinates, let them know that you are confident they can perform at a high level and that they will benefit from performing well. Make sure your subordinates understand the goals they should strive for, and give them clear feedback on how they are performing.

• Encourage your subordinates to communicate with each other in order to coordinate their activities, avoid duplication of effort, and limit social loafing.

• To avoid misunderstandings, express your own feelings and emotions to others, and encourage your subordinates to do the same.

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Communication - Key Terms Sender: The individual, group, or

organization that needs or wants to share information with some other individual, group, or organization.

Receiver: The individual, group, or organization for which the information is intended.

Message: The information that a sender needs or wants to share with other people. Needs to be both clear and complete

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Communication - Key Terms Encoding: Translating a message into

symbols or language that a receiver can understand.

Medium: The pathway through which an encoded message is transmitted to a receiver.

Decoding: Interpreting or trying to make sense of a sender’s message.

Noise: Anything that interferes with the communication process.

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Forms of Communication

Verbal Communication: The sharing of information by means of words, either spoken or written.

Nonverbal Communication: The sharing of information by means of facial expressions, body language, and mode of dress.

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Potential Communication Problems• FilteringFiltering occurs when senders withhold part of a

message because they think the receiver does not need the information or will not want to receive it.

• Information distortionInformation distortion refers to the change in meaning that occurs when a message travels through a series of different senders to a receiver.

• Poor listening skillsPoor listening skills occur when the receiver does not give the sender his/her undivided attention, does not look him/her in the eye, interrupts, focuses on what he/she is going to say next, doesn’t ask questions, etc.

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Potential Communication Problems• Lack of or inappropriate feedbackLack of or inappropriate feedback occurs when

the receiver focuses on the sender rather than his/her message and does not respond appropriately.

• RumorsRumors, which are unofficial information on topics that are important or interesting to an organization’s members

• Cross-cultural differences in linguistic stylesCross-cultural differences in linguistic styles, which are a person’s characteristic way of speaking

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Advice to Managers• Make sure your message is clear in your own mind before you

try to communicate it to others.• Encode your message in a form that the receiver will

understand. Use jargon only with members of your own profession or occupation.

• Determine which media the people you communicate with regularly prefer to use, and use those media when communicating with those people.

• When you communicate to others, make sure that there is a way for you to receive feedback.

• Encourage your subordinates to share bad news with you, and do not blame them for things beyond their control.

• Be a good listener, and train your subordinates to do the same.• When interacting with people from other cultures, learn as much

as you can about the linguistic styles of those cultures.

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Choosing the Medium: Trade Offs• Information richness versus the amount of

time required to communicate– Important and complex messages need to be

sent using media high in information richness– Less important and simpler messages can be

sent using media lower in information richness

• Information richness versus the need for a paper trail– More complex and important messages will

require a paper trail

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Selecting the Right Medium• Make sure it is one that the receiver will pay

attention to• Make sure it is appropriate for the message you

are trying to convey• Use multiple media for very important messages

to ensure that they are understood and well documented

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New Information Technologies

• Computer Networks– Internet– Intranets

• Electronic Communication for Work Groups– Email– Teleconferencing

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Disadvantages of Electronic GroupsGroups that communicate electronically generally

take longer to accomplish tasks than groups that meet face to face.

In electronic group meetings, members lack many of the verbal and nonverbal cues that regulate group discussions and turn-taking.

Electronic communication often causes group members to feel anonymous and depersonalized, two conditions that are not conducive to high motivation and the expression of feelings.

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Advice for Managers• Use face-to-face communication when a message is important

and there is a good chance the receiver will have difficulty understanding it.

• Use written communication when you need to document that a message has been transmitted and when the message needs to be referred to more than once - for example, instructions and rules.

• In situations where electronically transmitted oral or written communication would be just as effective as face-to-face communication, rely on them to save time.

• Take advantage of advances in information technology for sharing knowledge among members of your organization, with people outside the organization, and with other organizations.

• Be careful that advances in information technology do not overload your subordinates. Help them determine what information they should pay attention to.

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Informal Communication NetworksAdvice networks provide paths of communication for obtaining technical information and solving problems.

Trust networks provide paths of communication for delicate information as well as the handling of potential and actual crisis situations.

Communication networks provide paths of communication that are used on a day-to-day basis for ordinary work-related matters.

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