Guffey - Ch01 - Thriving in A Digital, Mobile, and Social Workplace

Chapter 1
Business Communication
in the Digital Age
Guffey/Loewy, Business Communication: Process & Product, 10th Edition. © 2022 Cengage. All Rights Reserved.
May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this chapter, you should be able to:
1-1 Explain how communication skills fuel career success in a technology-driven, social, and
mobile workplace.
1-2 Understand the impact of powerful interpersonal skills and a college education for your
professional success in the hyperconnected digital age workplace.
1-3 Describe significant communication trends in today’s dynamic, networked work

environment.
1-4 Identify how information flows internally and externally in organizations through formal and
informal channels.
1-5 Recognize the tools for doing the right thing as an ethical business communicator.
1-1
Thriving in a Digital, Mobile,
and Social Workplace
1-1 Thriving in a Digital, Mobile,
and Social Workplace (1 of 3)
• Future-proof occupations require communication, creativity, and specialized
knowledge.
• Soft skills/emotional intelligence – powerful social and interpersonal skills
• Interpersonal skills/professional skills – a combination of communication,
logical reasoning, critical thinking, teamwork, and time management skills
• Individuals should remain flexible, ready to remake themselves when needed.
• Job candidates with communication skills stand out in the crowd.
Communication Skills: Your Ticket to Work
• Americans devote nearly 70 percent of their waking hours to screen time.
• Poorly developed writing skills can derail a career.
• A PayScale study revealed that the skill most lacking in recent college
graduates was writing proficiency.
• Communication skills are always in demand and transferable, regardless
of your profession.
Figure 1.1 Time Line: Evolving Technology
and Social Media
It’s Up to You: Communication Skills Can be Learned
• This course will teach you the basics, such as:
− Writing an effective e-mail
− Composing short messages on a mobile device
− Crafting a clear business letter
− Making a memorable presentation
Pair Activity
Facing Screen Time

• Are you a digital native? Do you remember a time without computer technology
and cell phones in wide use?
• Very likely, you live, learn, work, play, network, and shop in the digital world.
• Even if you are not crazy about the latest gadgets and gizmos, your daily life
depends on technology. Your smartphone, smart TV, gaming console, and other
electronics wouldn’t exist without modern technology and are increasingly
networked.
Pair Activity Debrief
• Pew Research reports that teens spend nine hours a day on average interacting
with their smart devices.
• How do you measure up?
1-2
Building Future-Proof Skills for the
Twenty-First-Century Workplace
1-2 Building Future-Proof Skills for the
Twenty-First-Century Workplace (1 of 6)
• Knowledge workers – employees who get paid for their education and their ability to
learn
• Information workers – employees who produce and consume information in the
workplace
• Jobs in information technology are expected to increase 13 percent by 2026.
• Lifelong learning makes you more competitive and valuable as an employee.
• Roughly 90 percent of all existing data generated on our planet was created just in the
last five years.
• The data we create and copy annually in the “digital universe” is doubling every 12
months.
Why Should You Care?
• Half of employers surveyed by PayScale indicated new-hires are not workplace
ready, lacking critical-thinking and reasoning skills.
• You will be challenged to stay informed in order to make sound decisions and
solve complex problems.
• You can expect to generate, process, and exchange information in the
workplace and effectively transmit it across various communication channels
and multiple media.
Thinking Critically in the Digital Age
• m-commerce – mobile technology businesses
• e-commerce – Internet-based businesses
• brick-and-mortar commerce – traditional company that operates out of
buildings rather than on the Internet
• Kaizen – Toyota’s management philosophy of continuous improvement by
engaged and empowered workers
• Nearly three out of four jobs involve mind work, with management and
employees often working together to solve business problems.
Figure 1.2 Osborn-Parnes Creative
Problem-Solving Process
Managing Your Career Well: Guarding Your Credibility
• Your career may resemble a corporate lattice, a workplace framework that is
more intricate, open, fluid, and interconnected than a corporate career ladder.
• How well you communicate and protect your brand (how you present yourself in
the virtual world) may determine how successful you will be.
• Every interaction influences how people view you.
Acquiring Crisis-Proof Skills to Weather Any Job Market
• GPA is still a distinguishing factor, but fewer employers screen candidates by
grades.
• Students are adequately trained for entry-level jobs, but not equipped for
advancement.
• Promotable candidates excel at oral communication, critical thinking, ethical
judgment, teamwork, independent work, self-motivation, writing, and real-world
application of learning.
Figure 1.3 Powerful Skills Employers Seek
Understanding How Your Education Drives Your Income
• College graduates earn more and are less likely to be unemployed.
• College degrees provide access to highest-paying and fastest-growing careers.
• College can prepare you with both technical skills and interpersonal skills.
Figure 1.4 The Education Bonus:
Higher Income, Lower Unemployment
Education Median Weekly Earnings ($) Unemployment Rate (Percent)
High school dropout 520 6.5
High school diploma 712 4.6
Some college, no degree 774 4.0
Associate’s degree 836 3.4
Bachelor’s degree 1,173 2.5
Master’s degree 1,401 2.2
Professional/doctoral 1,790 1.5
degree
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2017). Employment projections: Unemployment rates and
earnings by educational attainment.
Discussion
Fact Checking: Digging Deep to Spot Fake News

• The onslaught of often-conflicting news stories each day may leave you
wondering what to believe.
• How can we find the truth in an age of bots and disinformation campaigns from
domestic and hostile foreign sources?
Discussion Debrief
• What businessperson or topic did you select?

 elon musk
• What was the most compelling or outrageous hoax chosen by your group?
 having at least 9 children from different partners.
Had an affair with director of open ai, shivon zilis in 2016.
1-3
Trends and Challenges Affecting You
in the Information Age Workplace
1-3 Trends and Challenges Affecting You in
the Information Age Workplace (1 of 6)
Social Media Use in Business and Disruptive Technologies
• Technology has led to a sharing economy, an economic model in which
individuals rent or borrow assets owned by others through disrupting services
such as Uber, Lyft, Bird, Lime, Spin, and Airbnb.
• Tech-savvy companies use consumer feedback to improve products and
services and are proactive in their social media strategies.
• Skilled business communicators know how to select the best communication
channel, use each channel effectively, and build and safeguard credibility.
Anytime, Anywhere: 24/7/365 Availability
• Our present and future office is mobile, social, and always on.
• You may be expected to work long hours and be available practically anytime
and anywhere.
• Constant connectedness may lead to depression and anxiety.
Global Markets and Competition
• Competition for high-end technology jobs and more complex products
(e.g., automobiles, microprocessors)
• Complications of multiple time zones; vast distances between offices; and
different languages, religions, customs, lifestyles, and business approaches
• Success requires developing new skills and attitudes (cultural awareness,
flexibility, and patience).
Flattened Management Layers
• Flatter organizations mean fewer layers of management separate decision
makers from line workers, shorter lines of communication, faster decision
making, quick response to market changes, cost savings, and efficiency.
• Hierarchies can provide clarity and direction and minimize “interaction fatigue,”
where executives become too accessible.
• Tech firms and start-ups tend to gravitate toward a bossless organizational
structure, with one example being a radical system of self-management known
as a holacracy that was introduced by Tony Hsieh, the CEO of Zappos.
• Flatter organizations require proficient communication skills in every employee.
Collaborative Environments and Teaming
• Teaming – a term meaning “teamwork on the fly: a pickup basketball game
rather than plays run by a team that has trained as a unit for years”
• Ad hoc teams – project-based teams that disband once they have
accomplished their objectives
• The independent workforce is growing, offering flexibility to workers and
employers, leading to a gig economy, where free agents are hired on a project
basis or doing other short-term, independent work.
Figure 1.7 Racial and Ethnic Makeup of
U.S. Population, 2016-2055 (Projected)
Virtual and Nonterritorial Offices
• Virtual office – a workspace that’s mobile and decentralized
• Anytime, anywhere office – an office that requires only a smartphone, a laptop, and
an Internet connection
• Digital nomad – worker with a wandering lifestyle enabled by technology,
who often travels to exotic locales for extended periods of time
• Palette of places – variable spaces that may include soundproof rooms,
team spaces, standing desks, etc.
• Coworking – a shared communal office space on an as-needed basis
• Co-living – the sharing of coworking spaces and accommodations around the world
Case Study
Nordstrom: A Century-Old Retailer Keeps Reinventing Itself

• Management giant Peter Drucker’s maxim “Innovate or die” may explain the
longevity of Nordstrom, a 118-year-old clothing retailer that is keeping its brand
fresh and its customers happy.
• This case study activity will help you develop collaboration and speaking skills,
learn about the target company, and apply the chapter concepts.
Case Study Debrief
• Wall Street analysts have criticized Nordstrom for its lagging profits in recent
months; the company’s bold new ventures have been called a “gamble.” What
explains this clash between the Nordstrom family’s vision and the reaction of
the stock market?
• Why does Nordstrom allow only approved and trained employees to use
company-owned social media accounts, logos, and videos on behalf of
Nordstrom?
• Why do Nordstrom’s social media guidelines emphasize ethical behavior and
ethical communication?
1-4
Communication Channels in
Organizations and Media Richness
1-4 Communication Channels in
Organizations and Media Richness (1 of 7)
The Workplace in a Hyperconnected World
MOBILITY AND INTERACTIVITY
• Internet access nearly ever present through cell phones and wireless networks
• Interaction via podcasting, videoconferencing, and live chats
SMART DEVICES
• Smartphones, tablets, notebooks, and wearable technology keep us connected.
• Of the 7.7 billion people worldwide, 5.1 billion are mobile device users who own
8.5 billion smart electronic gadgets.
Internal and External Communication
• E-mail most common method for both internal and external communication
• Backchannel communication (simultaneous electronic background
conversation during a conference presentation, lecture, or entertainment
program) can pose the risk of information leaks.
Media Richness and Social Presence
MEDIA RICHNESS
• Helpful cues and immediate feedback make for richer media.
• Choose the richest medium necessary to communicate the message with as
little ambiguity as possible.
• Face-to-face conversations are the richest channel and best for persuasive,
bad-news, and sensitive messages.
• Reports are the leanest channel and best for sharing large amounts of data
internally or externally.
The Communication Process
Figure 1.9 Communication Channels
from Richest to Leanest
SOCIAL PRESENCE
• Social presence – the degree to which people are engaged online and ready to
connect with others
• Degree of salience between sender/receiver using a communication medium
(how much awareness of the sender is conveyed with the message)
• Greater in synchronous communication (live chat, instant messaging) than in
asynchronous communication (e-mail, forum post)
Figure 1.10 Information Flow in
Organizations
Organizational Informational Flows in Three
Directions
Formal Channels
Figure 1.11 Barriers Blocking the Flow of
Communication in Organizations
IMPROVING DOWNWARD INFORMATION FLOW
• Smaller operating units and work teams
• Announcements, meetings, videos, podcasts, and other channels
IMPROVING UPWARD INFORMATION FLOW

• Communication coaches, regular meetings with staff, fostering environments of
trust, incentive programs
IMPROVING HORIZONTAL INFORMATION FLOW
• Team achievement rewards, training in teamwork, and communication
Informal Communication Channels
RESPECTING THE POWER OF THE GRAPEVINE
• Studies show accuracy ratings of 75–80 percent for grapevine transmissions,
the informal channel of communication that carries organizational gossip.
• Powerful and pervasive, the grapevine is often the fastest channel.
UNDERSTANDING THE POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF THE GRAPEVINE

• Praise coworkers, build reputations, foster cohesion, and strengthen social bonds
• Understand what employees and the public are thinking
USING THE GRAPEVINE PRODUCTIVELY
• Respect employees’ desire to know
• Increase amount of information through formal channels
• Share both good and bad news
• Monitor the grapevine
• Act promptly to correct misinformation
• Model desirable behavior
Group Activity
Speaking or Writing: Explore Media Richness

• After consulting the media richness diagram in Figure 1.9, consider how rich
the medium must be in a variety of communication situations to convey the
message most appropriately and reliably.
• Describe the advantages and disadvantages of each choice.
Group Activity Debrief
1-5
Ethics in the Workplace
Needed More Than Ever
1-5 Ethics in the Workplace
Needed More Than Ever (1 of 5)
Defining Ethics
• Ethics – conventional standards of right and wrong that prescribe what people
should do
• Includes rights, obligations, fairness, honesty, taking responsibility
• Most people believe ethical standards go beyond following the law.
• Many ethical dilemmas have no right answer, but one solution is often better
than another.
Figure 1.13 The Context of
Ethical Decision Making
Doing What Ethical Communicators Do
ABIDING BY THE LAW
• Become familiar with the laws and regulations within your field.
• Understand copyright laws and infringement penalties.
TELLING THE TRUTH

• Do not intentionally make statements that are untrue or deceptive.
• Scandals related to lying or cheating may have a lingering effect on a
company’s reputation.
LABELING OPINIONS
• Know the difference between facts (verifiable, quantifiable) and opinions
(unsubstantiated beliefs).
BEING OBJECTIVE
• Recognize your own biases and how they may distort your message.
• Present the whole picture and relate all facts fairly.
COMMUNICATING CLEARLY
• Use short sentences, simple words, and clear organization.
USING INCLUSIVE LANGUAGE

• Use language that includes rather than excludes, and avoid expressions that
discriminate based on sex, ethnicity, disability, race, sexual orientation, or age.
GIVING CREDIT
• Refer to originators’ names within text, use quotation marks, and document
sources.
Choosing Tools for Doing the Right Thing
• Analyze issues, evaluate choices, and act responsibly.
• Is an action legal? If the answer is ‘no,’ do not proceed.
• Golden Rule: Treat others the way you wish to be treated.
• Platinum Rule: “Treat others as they wish to be treated.”
Figure 1.14 Five Questions to
Guide Ethical Decisions
Poll
Do you feel it is acceptable to…
1. “Friend” a client/customer on a social network?
2. Blog or tweet negatively about your company or colleagues?
3. Buy personal items with your company credit card as long as you pay it back?
4. Do a little less work to compensate for cuts in benefits or pay?
5. Keep a copy of confidential work documents in case you need them in your next job?
6. Take a copy of work software home and use it on your personal computer?
7. Upload vacation pictures to the company network or server so you can share them
with co-workers?
8. Use social networking to find out what my company’s competitors are doing?
Poll Debrief
Self-Assessment
Sentence Structure
EXAMPLE: The job market is improving, however competition is fierce.

REVISION: The job market is improving; however, competition is fierce.
[d, Guide 3, Comma splice]

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Chapter 1

1-3 Describe significant communication trends in today’s dynamic, networked work

Facing Screen Time

• Lifelong learning makes you more competitive and valuable as an employee.

Fact Checking: Digging Deep to Spot Fake News

• What businessperson or topic did you select?

Nordstrom: A Century-Old Retailer Keeps Reinventing Itself

IMPROVING UPWARD INFORMATION FLOW

UNDERSTANDING THE POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF THE GRAPEVINE

Speaking or Writing: Explore Media Richness

TELLING THE TRUTH

USING INCLUSIVE LANGUAGE

2. Blog or tweet negatively about your company or colleagues?

4. Do a little less work to compensate for cuts in benefits or pay?

EXAMPLE: The job market is improving, however competition is fierce.

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