MODULE 2

FUNCTIONS OF MANAGEMENT

Unit 3
COMMUNICATING
UNIT LEARNING OUTCOMES

 TLO 4: Describe the importance of communicating in the workplace.

Open Forum: Watch the link below and share your insights about communication that you got
from the video. Limit your answer to 5 sentences only. Submit your answer to Open Forum 2.3a
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCfzeONu3Mo&fbclid=IwAR1oSy821pJ_LKRi6Vk7ecN
q75mzS8J2gsrbzg3jPfVK1pbhK4bi6yA-ixw&app=desktop

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 COMMUNICATION
What is Communication?
Communication is the transfer and understanding of meaning. Note the emphasis on the transfer of
meaning: If information or ideas have not been conveyed, communication has not taken place. The
speaker who is not heard or the writer whose materials are not read has not communicated. More
importantly, however, communication involves the understanding of meaning. For communication to be
successful, the meaning must be imparted and understood.

A letter written in Spanish addressed to a person who does not read Spanish cannot be considered
communication until it is translated into a language the person does read and understand. Perfect
communication, if such a thing existed, would be when a transmitted thought or idea was received and
understood by the receiver exactly as it was envisioned by the sender.

Another point to keep in mind is that good communication is often erroneously defined by the
communicator as agreement with the message instead of clear understanding of the message. If
someone disagrees with us, we assume that the person just didn’t fully understand our position. In other
words, many of us define good communication as having someone accept our views. But I can clearly
understand what you mean and just not agree with what you say.

The final point we want to make about communication is that it encompasses both interpersonal
communication— communication between two or more people—and organizational communication,
which is all the patterns, networks, and systems of communication within an organization. Both types are
important to managers.

A. Functions of Communication
1. As a means of control
Communication acts to control employee behavior in several ways. Organizations have authority
hierarchies and formal guidelines that employees are expected to follow. For instance, when
employees are required to communicate any job-related grievance to their immediate manager, to
follow their job description, or to comply with company policies, communication is being used to
control. Informal communication also controls behavior. When a work group teases a member, who
is ignoring the norms by working too hard, they are informally controlling the member’s behavior.

2. To motivate
Communication acts to motivate by clarifying to employees what is to be done, how well they are
doing, and what can be done to improve performance if it is not up to par. As employees set
specific goals, work toward those goals, and receive feedback on progress toward goals,
communication is required.

3. As an avenue of expressing one’s feelings

For many employees, their work group is a primary source of social interaction. The
communication that takes place within the group is a fundamental mechanism by which members
share frustrations and feelings of satisfaction. Communication, therefore, provides a release for
emotional expression of feelings and for fulfillment of social needs.

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 4. Provides information
Individuals and groups need information to get things done in organizations. The information is
passed on through different modes of communication.

B. Interpersonal Communication

The Interpersonal Communication Process

Before communication can take place, a purpose, expressed as a message to be conveyed, must exist.
It passes between a source (the sender) and a receiver. The message is converted to symbolic form
(called encoding) and passed by way of some medium (channel) to the receiver, who retranslates the
sender’s message (called decoding). The result is the transfer of meaning from one person to another.
Note that the entire process is
susceptible to noise—disturbances that interfere with the transmission, receipt, or feedback of a
message. Typical examples of noise include illegible print, phone static, inattention by the receiver, or
background sounds of machinery or coworkers. However, anything that interferes with understanding
can be noise, and noise can create distortion at any point in the communication process.

Managers have a wide variety of communication methods from which to choose and can use 12
questions to help them evaluate these methods.

1. Feedback: How quickly can the receiver respond to the message?

2. Complexity capacity: Can the method effectively process complex messages?
3. Breadth potential: How many different messages can be transmitted using this method?
4. Confidentiality: Can communicators be reasonably sure their messages are received only by those
intended?
5. Encoding ease: Can sender easily and quickly use this channel?
6. Decoding ease: Can receiver easily and quickly decode messages?
7. Time-space constraint: Do senders and receivers need to communicate at the same time and in the
same space?
8. Cost: How much does it cost to use this method?
9. Interpersonal warmth: How well does this method convey interpersonal warmth?
10. Formality: Does this method have the needed amount of formality?
11. Scanability: Does this method allow the message to be easily browsed or scanned for relevant
information?
12. Time of consumption: Does the sender or receiver exercise the most control over when the message
is dealt with?

Nonverbal Communication
An important part of interpersonal communication is nonverbal communication—that is, communication
transmitted without words. Some of the most meaningful communications are neither spoken nor written.
Among these various forms of nonverbal communication, the best-known types are body language and
verbal intonation.

Body Language
Body language refers to gestures, facial expressions, and other body movements that convey meaning.
A person frowning “says” something different from one who is smiling. Hand motions, facial expressions,

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 and other gestures can communicate emotions or temperaments such as aggression, fear, shyness,
arrogance, joy, and anger. Knowing the meaning behind someone’s body moves and learning how to
put forth your best body language can help you personally and professionally.

Verbal Intonation
Verbal intonation refers to the emphasis someone gives to words or phrases in order to convey
meaning. A soft, smooth vocal tone conveys interest and creates a different meaning from one that is
abrasive and puts a strong emphasis on saying the last word.

Managers need to remember that as they communicate, the nonverbal component usually carries the
greatest impact. It is not what you say, but how you say it.

C. Barriers to Communication
1. Filtering. Filtering is the deliberate manipulation of information to make it appear more favorable to the
receiver. For example, when a person tells his or her manager what the manager wants to hear,
information is being filtered. Or if information being communicated up through organizational levels is
condensed by senders, that is filtering.

2. Emotions. How a receiver feels when a message is received influences how he or she interprets it.
Extreme emotions are most likely to hinder effective communication.

3. Information overload. It is not possible to fully read and respond to each message without facing
information overload, which is when information exceeds our processing capacity. Today’s employees
frequently complain of information overload. The demands of keeping up with e-mail, text messages,
phone calls, faxes, meetings, and professional reading create an onslaught of data.

4. Defensiveness. When people feel they are being threatened, they tend to react in ways that hinder
effective communication and reduce their ability to achieve mutual understanding. They become
defensive—verbally attacking others, making sarcastic remarks, being overly judgmental, or
questioning others’ motives.

5. Language. In an organization, employees come from diverse backgrounds and have different patterns
of speech. Even employees who work for the same organization but in different departments often
have different jargon—specialized terminology or technical language that members of a group use to
communicate among themselves.

D. Overcoming Barriers
1. Feedback. A manager can ask questions about a message to determine whether it was received and
understood as intended. Or the manager can ask the receiver to restate the message in his or her
own words. If the manager hears what was intended, understanding and accuracy should improve.
Feedback can also be more subtle, and general comments can give a manager a sense of the
receiver’s reaction to a message.

2. Simplify Language. Because language can be a barrier, managers should consider the audience to
whom the message is directed and tailor the language to them. Jargon can facilitate understanding if

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 it’s used within a group that knows what it means but can cause problems when used outside that
group.

3. Listen actively. Listening is an active search for meaning, whereas hearing is passive. In listening, the
receiver is also putting effort into the communication.

4. Constrain emotions. A manager who is upset over an issue is more likely to misconstrue incoming
messages and fail to communicate his or her outgoing messages clearly and accurately. What to do?
The simplest answer is to calm down and get emotions under control before communicating.

5. Watch nonverbal cues. If actions speak louder than words, then it is important to make sure your
actions align with and reinforce the words that go along with them.

E. Organizational Communication
Formal vs. Informal Communication
Communication within an organization is described as formal or informal. Formal communication refers
to communication that takes place within prescribed organizational work arrangements. Informal
communication is organizational communication not defined by the organization’s structural hierarchy.

Direction of Communication Flow

1. Downward communication. This downward communication is communication that flows from a
manager to employees. It is used to inform, direct, coordinate, and evaluate employees. When
managers assign goals to their employees, they are using downward communication. They are also
using downward communication when providing Employees with job descriptions, informing them of
organizational policies and procedures, pointing out problems that need attention, or evaluating their
performance. Downward communication can take place through any of the communication methods
we described earlier.

2. Upward communication. Upward communication is communication that flows from employees to

managers. It keeps managers aware of how employees feel about their jobs, their coworkers, and the
organization in general. Managers also rely on upward communication for ideas on how things can be
improved. Some examples of upward communication include performance reports prepared by
employees, suggestion boxes, employee attitude surveys, grievance procedures, manager-employee
discussions, and informal group sessions in which employees have the opportunity to discuss
problems with their manager or representatives of top-level management.

3. Lateral Communication. Communication that takes place among employees on the same
organizational level is called lateral communication.

4. Diagonal communication is communication that crosses both work areas and organizational levels. A
credit analyst who communicates directly with a regional marketing manager about a customer’s
problem—note the different department and different organizational level—uses diagonal
communication. Because of its efficiency and speed, diagonal communication can be beneficial.
Increased e-mail use facilitates diagonal communication. In many organizations, any employee can
communicate by e-mail with any other employee, regardless of organizational work area or level,
even with upper-level managers.

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 F. Organizational Communication Networks
The vertical and horizontal flows of organizational communication can be combined into a variety of
called communication networks.

Types of communication networks. Which form of network you should use depends on your goal.
1. Chain network. In the chain network, communication flows according to the formal chain of
command, both downward and upward.

2. Wheel network. The wheel network represents communication flowing between a clearly
identifiable and strong leader and others in a work group or team. The leader serves as the hub
through whom all communication passes.

3. All-channel network. Communication flows freely among all members of a work team.

Grapevine. Certainly, the grapevine is an important part of any communication network and well worth
understanding. Acting as both a filter and a feedback mechanism, it pinpoints those bewildering issues
that employees consider important. More importantly, from a managerial point of view, it is possible to
analyze what is happening on the grapevine—what information is being passed, how information seems
to flow, and what individuals seem to be key information conduits. By staying aware of the grapevine’s
flow and patterns, managers can identify issues that concern employees, and, in turn, use the grapevine
to disseminate important information. Because the grapevine cannot be eliminated, managers should
“manage” it as an important information network.

Workplace Design and Communication

Research shows that a workplace design should successfully support four types of employee work:
focused work, collaboration, learning, and socialization. Focused work is when an employee needs to
concentrate on completing a task. In collaboration, employees need to work together to complete a task.
Learning is when employees are engaged in training or doing something new and could involve both
focused work and collaboration. And socialization happens when employees informally gather to chat or
to exchange ideas.

1. Open workplaces. One of the things we know for sure about this type of arrangement and its effect on
communication is visibility. People in open cubicles placed along main routes of circulation or
adjacent to atria reported almost 60 percent more face-to-face communication with team members
than did those in lower-visibility locations. Another thing is density. More people populating an
immediate work area meant that more face-to-face interactions took place. Workspaces with a high
density yielded 84 percent more team-member communication than did workspace arrangements
with a low density. If it is important that employees communicate and collaborate, managers need to
consider visibility and density in workplace design.

2. Adjustable workplace. Another workplace design element is the availability of adjustable work
arrangements, equipment, and furnishings. As organizations have moved toward nontraditional work
arrangements, the adjustability and customizability of employee workspace have become essential
and influence organizational communication. For instance, one study found that adjustable partitions
were associated with both greater perceived privacy and better communication.

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 NAME: _________________________________________________________ Score:
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Course & Year: Code:

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 Written Assignment: Answer the following Case study in a short bond paper. Copy and answer the
questions. Upload your work in the Google Classroom under the file name Case study M2.3.

Delivery Disaster

When two Domino’s Pizza employees filmed a gross prank in the kitchen of the restaurant in
Conover, North Carolina, the company suddenly had a major public relations crisis on its hands. The
video ended up posted on YouTube and other sites and showed a Domino’s employee preparing
“sandwiches for delivery while putting cheese up his nose, nasal mucus on the sandwiches, and
violating other health-code standards,” with another employee providing narration. By the next day,
over a million disgusted people had viewed the video and discussion about Domino’s had spread
throughout Twitter and Google.

As Domino’s quickly realized, social media has the power to take tiny incidents and turn them into
marketing crises. A company spokesperson said, “We got blindsided by two idiots with a video
camera and an awful idea.” When the company first learned about the video, executives decided not
to respond aggressively, hoping the controversy would quiet down. What they missed, though, was
the “perpetual mushroom effect of viral sensations.” The chief marketing officer of a social media
marketing firm said, “If you think it’s not going to spread, that’s when it gets bigger.” And as
Domino’s discovered, it did. In just a matter of days, Domino’s reputation was damaged. Customers’
perception of its quality went from positive to negative. One brand expert said, “It’s graphic enough
in the video, and it’s created enough of a stir, that it gives people a little pause.”

So what happened to the two employees? Although they told Domino’s executives they never
actually delivered the tainted food, they were fired and charged with a felony. And Domino’s posted
its own video featuring its top manager addressing the incident on YouTube not long after it
occurred.

Discussion Questions. Briefly explain your answers to the following questions.

1. Beyond its being vulgar and disgusting, what do you think of this situation from the perspective of
managing communications?
2. Why do you think Domino’s executives took a wait-and-see attitude? Why was this response a
problem?
3. How could this type of communication problem be prevented at other Domino’s Pizza
restaurants?
4. Do incidents like this one and the possibility of them happening anywhere, anytime, mean that all
forms of social media should be banned from workplaces? What are the implications for policies
regarding communication technology?

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