Case study analysis

BUMAN204A Business Relationship Management

ASSESSMENT 1
Erica Cong / 806084000

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Table of Contents
Introduction....................................................................................................................3
Supportive communication and supportive listening.............................................3
Major obstacles to effective interpersonal communication...................................3
Recommendations for Rita..........................................................................................4
Conclusion - Internal and external factors................................................................4
References......................................................................................................................6

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Introduction
Communication is the process of conveying information, ideas, or ideas to other parties. As
a means of conveying ideas, effective communication is certainly needed. This is to ensure
that the ideas, opinions, or information conveyed are accepted without distortion of meaning.
Of course, if the information received is different from what was conveyed, it won’t be good
for the company.

This report will provide information regarding supportive communication and supportive
listening, major obstacles to effective interpersonal communication, the recommendation for
Rita, and lastly, the conclusion.

Supportive communication and supportive listening

There is some supportive communication that is not adhered to in this case study. The way
Rita said to Mike that he was “too chummy” and “disarray”, which is evaluative, not
descriptive. Evaluative communication allows a decision or marks certain people or their
behaviour (Gradinaru 2019). To be an effective positive communicator, we can critically
identify problems rather than act in an evaluative way. An example of descriptive and,
therefore, more constructive to say, “I think you did a great job when you keep the plant
clean”. Moreover, Rita was a person-oriented, not problem-oriented, and it can be seen from
the way she would describe the clothes Mike was wearing. Problem-oriented communication
focuses on an issue that can be addressed rather than on the individual responsible for the
problem (Latif 2003). Person-oriented discourse places the listener on the defensive and
focuses on the blame rather than on preventing or fixing potential issues. Rita as a general
manager, should say, “Your clothes are not in keeping with the company’s dress code”
instead of “I think you’re creating a substandard impression by not wearing a tie”. In the case
study, Rita always makes assumptions about Mike, such as “having things in disarray
reflects poorly on you”. Supportive communication is the basis for creating a healthy
relationship, and this supportive communication involves the most active listening (Talukder
2012). Faulty listening behaviours in communication will lead to misunderstanding.
Supportive listening means Rita needs to listen or ask Mike for an explanation. Rita should
say, “Do you have a way to keep the plant clean?”.

Major obstacles to effective interpersonal communication

There are two major obstacles to effective interpersonal communication that apply to Mike’s
response to Rita. Defensive communication arises when a message causes a sense of
threat and, thus defensiveness, on the part of the recipient (Carlopio, Andrewartha, Whetten
& Cameron 2012). One of the obstacles is defensiveness, which can be seen in how Rita

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accuses Mike of being chummy with some of the women. The case study shows that Mike
responded with emotion because he feels threatened. To have effective, productive, and
non-threatening communication, Rita should avoid communication that appears to be
judgmental or accusing. The other obstacles is disconfirmation which one party feels
incompetent as a result of communication (Carlopio, Andrewartha, Whetten & Cameron
2012). This can be seen when Mike talked to Rita with no respect such as “who are you to
judge?”. Mike did that because he felt incompetent as a plant manager.

Recommendations for Rita

The way Rita said “too chummy” and “disarray” to Mike looks very judgmental. Judgment is
based on personal opinion and how we think about everything that should be. Judgmental
communication usually does more harm than good when it comes to the workplace. Using
judgmental language may end up in conflict and difference in opinion. Rita, as the general
manager, should listen to Mike out before concluding. She also should ask “why” first to get
a deeper understanding behind Mike’s acts or his thinking. Instead of using “too chummy”
and “disarray” to describe what mike did, Rita can use an interesting word and follow it with
her observations. By using non-judgmental language means respecting the other person’s
feelings.

When Rita said that Mike didn’t keep clean, he was too chummy, and wearing inappropriate
clothes as a general manager is wrong because she rarely came into the plant and did not
take an observation before giving feedback to Mike. When Rita gave Mike’s performance
feedback, she must not forget the data and facts related to his performance. By providing
data, she will appear to understand the problem and care about the employees. Moreover,
instead of giving out dubious feedback, Rita can complement what she thinks is good in her
employee’s presentation. After giving compliments, Rita can compensate with constructive
comments. These constructive comments contain the things she thinks are missing and their
solutions. This way, Mike will find it helpful. By implementing the above supportive
communication techniques into future conversations, Rita can work toward developing
stronger relationship and retaining more information from the workplace interactions.

Conclusion - Internal and external factors

The impact of this ineffective communication is due to misunderstanding. The way Rita said
“too chummy” to Mike can lead to misunderstanding. The impact of that misunderstanding
will cause distrust. At the same time, building trust between fellow performance is very

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important in the company. Distrust will result in ineffective performance and an
uncomfortable feeling in doing business.

Rita often spits out negative words such as “you’ve got no experience around here” without
constructive words, and it is caused by ineffective communication. Negative impressions are
also one of the very influential impacts. Ineffective communication between Mike and Rita
may become more reluctant to communicate when the communication process is often less
effective. As a result, the social relationship between Mike and Rita will become more
tenuous. Ineffective communication also can lead to an uncomfortable work atmosphere.
ineffective communication allows for many misunderstandings that lead to conflict. Conflict
within Mike and Rita will create a work atmosphere that is not conducive to work productivity.

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References

Carlopio, J, Andrewartha, G, Whetten, D & Cameron, K 2012, Develop management skills ,

5th edn, Pearson Higher Education, Australia.

Gradinaru, IA 2019, ‘The Principles of Supportive Communication: A Critical Perspective’,

Journal of the Seminar of Discursive Logic, vol. 17, no. 1.

Latif, DA 2003, ‘Using supportive communication to foster the department head/junior faculty
relationship’, American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, vol. 67, no. 4.

Talukder, AMH 2012, ‘An Empirical Study of Supportive Communication Impacting Customer
Satisfaction in Multinational Companys' Service Industry of Bangladesh/Banglades Hizmet
Sektöründeki Çokuluslu Sirketlerde Müsteri Memnuniyetini Etkileyen Destekleyici Iletisim
Üzerine Görgül Bir Arastirma’, Ege Akademik Bakis, vol. 12, no. 4.