IE 001

Engineering Manage-
ment
 Communication
and
Information Technology
COMMUNICATION
INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES:
1. Define the nature & function of communication.
2. Compare & contrast the methods of in-
terpersonal communication.
3. Explain the barriers to effective interpersonal
communication and how to overcome them.
4. Explain how communication can flow most
effectively in organizations.
5. Explain how communication can flow most
effectively in organizations.
6. Discuss contemporary issues in communication.
COMMUNICATION

What is Communication?
- the transfer and understanding of meaning.
● Interpersonal communication:
- Communication between two or more people.
● Organizational communication
- All the patterns, network, and systems of
communications within an organization.
COMMUNICATION
Functions of Communication:
1. Control
- Formal & informal communications act to control
individuals’ behaviors in organizations.
2. Motivation
- Communications clarify for employees what is to be
done, how well they have done it, and what can be done to
improve performance.
3. Emotional Expression
- Social interaction in the form of work group com-
munications provides a way for employees to express
themselves.
4. Information
- Individuals and work groups need information to make
decisions or to do their work.
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The Interpersonal Communication Process:
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Seven (7) Elements of the Communication
Process:
1. Communication source or sender
2. Message – the purpose to be conveyed, sender’s
intended meaning
3. Encoding – message converted to symbolic form
4. Channel – medium thru which the message
travels.
5. Decoding – receiver’s retranslation of the
message.
6. Receiver
7. Feedback
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Evaluating Communication 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 for whom they’re intended?
5. Encoding ease  Can the sender easily and
quickly use this channel?
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6. Decoding ease  Can the receiver easily and

quickly decode messages?
7. Time–space constraint  Do senders & 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?
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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 re-
ceiver exercise the most control over when the
message is dealt with?
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Interpersonal Communication Meth-
ods:
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Comparison of Interpersonal Communication Methods:
COMMUNICATION
Non-Verbal Communication:
- Communication that is transmitted without words.
● sounds, images
● situational behaviors
● clothing & physical surroundings
- The most common type of non-verbal comm:
● Body language - gestures, facial expressions,
and other body movements that convey mean-
ing.
● Verbal intonation (paralinguistics) - emphasis
that a speaker gives to certain words or phrases
that conveys meaning.
COMMUNICATION
Interpersonal Communication Barriers:
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Barriers to Effective Interpersonal
Communication:
1. Filtering – is the deliberate manipulation of
information to make it appear more favorable to
the receiver.
2. Emotions - disregarding rational and objective
thinking processes and substituting emotional
judgments when interpreting messages.
3. Information Overload - being confronted with a
quantity of information that exceeds an
individual’s capacity to process it.
COMMUNICATION

4. Selective Perception - individuals interpret

“reality” based on their own needs, motivations,
experience, background, and other personal
characteristics.
5. Defensiveness - when threatened, reacting in a
way that reduces the ability to achieve mutual
understanding.
6. Language - the different meanings of and
specialized ways (jargon) in which senders use
words can cause receivers to misinterpret their
messages.
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7. National Culture - culture influences the form,

formality, openness, patterns, and use of
information in communications.
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Overcoming the Barriers to Effective Inter-
personal Communication:
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Active Listening Behaviors:
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Types of Organizational Communication:
1. Formal Communication
- Communication that follows the official chain
of command or is part of the communication re-
quired to do one’s job.
2. Informal Communication
- Communication that is not defined by the
organization’s hierarchy.
● Permits employees to satisfy their need for social
interaction.
● Can improve an organization’s performance by
creating faster and more effective channels of
communication.
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Direction of Communication Flow:

1. Downward
- Communications that flow from managers to
employees to inform, direct, coordinate, and
evaluate employees.
2. Upward
- Communications that flow from employees up
to managers to keep them aware of em-
ployee needs and how things can be improved
to create a climate of trust and respect.
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3. Lateral (Horizontal) Communication

- Communication that takes place among
employees on the same level in the organiza-
tion to save time and facilitate coordination.
4. Diagonal Communication
- Communication that cuts across both work
areas and organizational levels in the interest of
efficiency and speed.
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Types of Communication Network:

1. Chain Network
- Communication flows according to
the formal chain of command, both up-
ward and downward.
2. Wheel Network
- All communication flows in and out
through the group leader (hub) to others in
the group.
3. All-Channel Network
- Communication flows freely among all
members of the work team.
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Organizational Communication Networks and
How They Rate on Effectiveness Criteria:
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The Grapevine:
- An informal organizational communication
network that is active in almost every
organization.
● Provides a channel for issues not suitable for
formal communication channels.
● The impact of information passed along the
grapevine can be countered by open and honest
communication with employees.
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Benefits of Information Technology

(IT)
1. Increased ability to monitor individual and team
performance.
2. Better decision making based on more complete
information.
3. More collaboration and
sharing of information
4. Greater accessibility
to co-workers.
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Networked Computer Systems:
- Linking individual computers to create an
organizational network for communication and in-
formation sharing.
● E-mail
● Instant messaging
● Voice-mail and fax
● Electronic data exchange (EDI)
● Teleconferencing and
videoconferencing
●Intranets and extranets
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Tips for Sending Emails:

1. Always use the subject line.
2. Be careful using emoticons and acronyms for
business communication.
3. Write clearly and briefly.
4. Copy e-mails to others only if they really need
the information.
5. Sleep on angry e-mails before sending.
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Types of Network Systems

1. Intranet - an internal network that uses Internet
technology and is accessible only to employees.
2. Extranet - an internal network that uses Internet
technology and allows authorized users inside
the organization to communicate with certain
outsiders, such as customers and vendors.
3. Wireless capabilities - wireless communication
depends on signals sent through air or space
without any physical connection, using things
such as microwave signals, satellites, radio
waves and radio antennas, or infrared light rays.
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

How IT Affects Organizations:

1. Removes the constraints of time and distance
– Allows widely dispersed employees to work
together.
2. Provides for the sharing of information
– Increases effectiveness and efficiency
3. Integrates decision making and work
– Provides more complete information and par-
ticipation for better decisions
4. Creates problems of constant accessibility to
employees
– Blurs the line between work and personal lives
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Ethical Concerns for E-mail and
Voice-mail Use:
1. Not necessarily private
- Employer has access to them.
2. Many private sector employees are not covered
by privacy legislation.
3. Managers need to clearly convey:
- Whether communications will be monitored
- Company policies on personal Internet and
e-mail use
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Current Communication Issues:
1. Being Connected Versus Being Concerned
- Managing Internet gripe sites is a valuable
resource for unique insights into the organiza-
tion
● Employee complaints (“hot-button” issues)
● Customer complaints
- Responding to Internet gripe sites
● Recognize them as a valuable source of information
● Post messages that clarify misinformation
● Take action to correct problems noted on the site
● Set up an internal gripe site
● Continue to monitor the public gripe site
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

2. Managing the Organization’s Knowledge

Resources
- Build on-line information databases that
employees can access
- Create “communities of practice” for groups of
people who share a concern, share expertise,
and interact with each other
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Communication & Customer Service:
 Communicating Effectively with Customers
- Recognize the three components of the
customer service delivery process:
● The customer
● The service organization
● The service provider
- Develop a strong service culture fo-
cused on the personalization of service to
each customer
● Listen and respond to the customer
● Provide access to needed service information
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

“Politically Correct” Communication:

- Do not use words or phrases that
stereotype, intimidate, or offend individu-
als based on their differences
- Choose words carefully to maintain as
much clarity as possible in communica-
tions