Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Chapter17
Chapter17
17
Communication
McGraw-Hill/Irwin
Principles of Management
17 - 3
Learning Objectives
1. Outline the main elements of a communication system.
2. Explain why it is important to match media to a
message.
3. Discuss the formal and informal channels through
which information flows in organizations.
4. Identify the sources of noise that lead to
miscommunication within organizations.
5. Discuss the steps managers can take to counteract
noise and improve communication within their
organizations.
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Communication
The process by which information is exchanged and
understood between people
Transmitting the senders intended meaning is the
essence of good communication
Managers Use
Communication to:
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Professional Business
Communication Advice
Dont interrupt this is really looked down upon
Use meetings to get to know your co-workers
Let speakers in meetings speak freely about their
needs
Americans value time, so stick to the issues on the
agenda
Avoid personal confrontations
Dont tell foreign jokes, they dont work in
translation
Source: www.professional-business-communications.com
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Model of the
Communication Process
Sender
Transit
message
Receiver
Encode
message
Form
message
Receive
encoded
message
Decode
message
Decode
feedback
Receive
encoded
feedback
Encode
feedback
Form
feedback
Noise
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Communication Channels
Verbal
Communication
Nonverbal
Communication
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Verbal Communication
Any oral or written means of transmitting meaning
through words including face-to-face meetings,
telephone conversations, written memos, and e-mail
messages
Media richness The volume and variety of
information that a sender and receiver can transmit
during a specific time
Flaming The act of sending an emotionally charged
message to others
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Europe Heads
for the E-mail
Company
Audience
Reach* 5/04
Country
1. Google
36.7%
U.S.
2. MSN
35.7%
U.S.
3. Microsoft.com
33.3%
U.S.
4. Ebay
20.7%
U.S.
5. Yahoo!
19.7%
U.S.
6. Wanadoo**
13.2%
France
7. Tiscali**
10.1%
Italy
8. Lycos Europe**
9.8%
Spain
9. Amazon
9.6%
U.S.
10. T-Online**
9.3%
Germany
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Nonverbal
Communication
Any part of communication that does not use words
Messages sent through human actions and behavior
rather than words
Facial gestures, voice intonation, posture, physical
distance, and silence
Emotional contagion the automatic process of
catching or sharing another persons emotions by
mimicking that persons facial expressions and other
nonverbal behavior
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Media Richness
1. Rich media simultaneously use multiple communication
methods
2. Rich media such as face-to-face communication allow
immediate feedback from receiver to sender, whereas
feedback in lean media, such as written reports, is
delayed or nonexistent
3. Rich media let the sender customize the message to the
receiver. Most face-to-face conversations are developed
specifically for one or a few people.
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Question
______ media allows immediate feedback,
whereas feedback from _____ media is
delayed or nonexistent.
a. Rich; lean
b. Routine; ambiguous
c. Lean; rich
d. Ambiguous; rich
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Matching Media
to the Situation
Rich
Medium
Overload zone
Face-to-face
Video conference
Richness of the
Communication
Medium
Lean
Medium
Telephone
Instant massaging
E-mail
Web-logs
Newsletters
Oversimplified zone
Routine/
Communication situation
Financial statement
clear
ambiguous
Nonroutine/
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Can We Talk?
Face-to-face meetings can trump technology
The CEO of PBD Worldwide Fulfillment Services in
Alpharetta, GA., launched a no e-mail Fridays policy
- He suspected that overdependence on e-mail at PBD, which
offers services like a call center management and
distribution, was hurting productivity and perhaps sales
- In less than four months, the simple directive has resulted in
quicker problem-solving, better team-work, and best of all,
happier customers.
Recent research suggests that the perils of e-mail are greater
than many assume.
Source: Business Week, December 4, 2006
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Organizational
Communication
Formal
Communication
Channels
Informal
Communication
Channels
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Formal
Communication
Systems of officially sanctioned channels within an
organization that are used regularly to communicate
information
Downward communication occurs when information flows
from higher levels within an organization hierarchy
Upward communication occurs when information flows
from lower to higher levels within an organization hierarchy
Horizontal communication relationships between
individuals
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Informal
Communication
Unofficial communication channels
not formally established by
managers
Personal networks relationships
between individuals
Grapevine the spread of
unsanctioned information (rumor or
gossip) through personal networks
Communication Barriers
& Breakdowns (Noise)
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Perceptions
Filtering
Language
Barriers
Information
Overload
Cultural
Differences
Gender
Differences
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Perceptions
The process of attending to, interpreting,
and organizing information
Selective
Perception
Stereotyping
Attribution
Process
Fundamental
Attribution Error
Self-Serving Bias
Recency Effect
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4.2 Detail-oriented
3.8 Results-oriented
3.8 Self-motivated
4.3 Driven
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Language Barriers
Jargon technical language and acronyms as
well as recognized words with specialized
meaning in specific organizations or social
groups
Drop-off distortion in the content of a
message as it passes through a communication
system
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Question
In order to effectively
communicate with
others, you should adapt
your jargon to meet the
situation. Do you agree?
Explain.
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Information Overload
Information Load
Episodes of
information
overload
Employees
information
processing
capacity
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
Time
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Improving
Communication
Facilitate
communication
through workspace
design
Reduce
information
overload
Engage in
active listening
IMPROVING
COMMUNICATION
Get your
message across
Communicate
directly with
employees
Proactively
use the
grapevine
Match media
to message
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Active Listening
Sensing
*Postpone evaluation
*Avoid interruptions
*Maintain interest
Active
Listening
Responding
*Show interest
*Clarify the message
Evaluating
*Empathize
*Organize information
Communicate Directly
With Employees
Management By
Walking Around
effective way to counteracting
filtering, and it can teach the
manager things that might not
be transmitted upward through
formal channels
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