Introduction to Organisational Behaviour and Application to Management The Group – Communication

What is communication? The transference and understanding of meaning Information, knowledge or ideas can be communicated in many different ways between individuals and groups. Groups are defined as two or more individuals who come together to achieve a set goal. There are two main types of groups. The first is a formal group where the organisation establishes the group with defined work tasks and outcomes. The second group is an information group that is not part of the organisational structure. They are often established in reaction to a need for social interaction and form naturally. Informal groups can have a significant influence on behavior and performance. (c) 2008 Prentice-Hall, All rights reserved.

Ways to communicate Oral Communication Advantages: Speed and feedback Disadvantage: Distortion of the message Written Communication Advantages: Tangible and verifiable Disadvantages: Time consuming and lacks feedback Nonverbal Communication Advantages: Supports other communications and provides observable expression of emotions and feelings Disadvantage: Misperception of body language or gestures can influence receiver’s interpretation of message

Communication Process (Shannon and Weaver)

Communication Process The Sender – initiates message Encoding – translating thought to message The Message – what is communicated The Channel – the medium the message travels through Decoding – the receiver’s action in making sense of the message The Receiver – person who gets the message Noise – things that interfere with the message Feedback – a return message regarding the initial communication

Channels of Communication How the sender sends the message to the receiver. Types of Channels Formal Channels Are established by the organisation and transmit messages that are related to the professional activities of members Informal Channels Used to transmit personal or social messages in the organisation. These informal channels are spontaneous and emerge as a response to individual choices

Communication in an organisation CEO VP Mgr

Directions of communication Downward Upward Lateral What examples of this type of communication have you experienced at University?

Networks of communication Chain: Rigidly follows the chain of command Wheel: Relies on a central figure to act as the conduit for all communication Team with a strong leader All Channel: All group members communicate actively with each other Self-managed teams

The Grapevine (rumours) Three main Grapevine characteristics Informal, not controlled by management Perceived by most employees as being more believable and reliable than formal communications Largely used to serve the self-interests of those who use it Results from: Desire for information about important situations Ambiguous conditions Conditions that cause anxiety Insightful to managers Serves employee’s social needs

Reducing rumours Announce timetables for making important decisions Explain decisions and behaviors that may appear inconsistent or secretive Emphasize the downside, as well as the upside, of current decisions and future plans Openly discuss worst-case possibilities—they are almost never as anxiety-provoking as the unspoken fantasy

Methods of communication Common forms of structured communication within an organisation include: newsletters appraisals meetings message boards emails telephone conversations posters blogs intranet

Activity What are the advantages and disadvantages of each of the forms of communication tools?

Barriers to effective communication Filtering A sender’s manipulation of information so that it will be seen more favorably by the receiver Selective Perception People selectively interpret what they see on the basis of their interests, background, experience, and attitudes Information Overload A condition in which information inflow exceeds an individual’s processing capacity Emotions How a receiver feels at the time a message is received will influence how the message is interpreted

More barriers Language Words have different meanings to different people Communication Apprehension Undue tension and anxiety about oral communication, written communication, or both Gender Differences Men tend to talk to emphasize status while women talk to create connections

Cultural Implications Cross-cultural factors increase communication difficulties Cultural Barriers: Semantics: some words aren’t translatable Word Connotations: some words imply multiple meanings beyond their definitions Tone Differences: the acceptable level of formality of language Perception Differences: language affects worldview Cultural Context: The importance of social context to meaning Low-context cultures (like the U.S.) rely on words for meaning High-context cultures gain meaning from the whole situation

The cost of poor communication Failed communication can be costly. Consider this example of The Accident Group: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/2866298/Accident-Group-staff-receive-4m.html and the Cerner Corporation: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/1263473.stm

Reflection Think about communication in your presentation teams. How do you communicate? What model do you use? What tools do you use?

The Dabbawallahs What makes them unique? How do they manage teams? What motivations do their members have? How do they communicate? What tools do they use? What could we learn from them?

The Dabbawalahs You can also read more about the Dabbawalahs here: http://www.rediff.com/money/2005/nov/11spec.htm http://www.citesales.com/90-dabbawallah-case-study.html

Introduction to Organisational Behaviour and Application to Management The Group –Leadership

Leadership and management The ability to influence a group toward the achievement of goals Management Use of authority inherent in designated formal rank to obtain compliance from organisational members Both are necessary for organisational success

Are Leaders born or made? Trait theory: leadership is inherent, so we must identify the leader based on his or her traits Behavioral theory: leadership is a skill set and can be taught to anyone, so we must identify the proper behaviors to teach potential leaders

Essential leadership qualities Extroversion Conscientiousness Openness Emotional Intelligence Do you agree? Are there any others you think are essential?

Contingency theory of leadership While trait and behavior theories do help us understand leadership, an important component is missing: the environment in which the leader exists Contingency Theory adds this additional aspect to our understanding leadership effectiveness studies Four key theories: Fiedler’s Model Situational Leadership Theory Path-Goal Theory Leader Participation

Fiedler Model Assumes that leadership style is fixed For effective leadership: must change to a leader who fits the situation or change the situational variables to fit the current leader Considers Three Situational Factors: Leader-member relations: degree of confidence and trust in the leader Task structure: degree of structure in the jobs Position power: leader’s ability to hire, fire, and reward

Situational leadership Followers can accept or reject the leader Effectiveness depends on the followers’ response to the leader’s actions “Readiness” is the extent to which people have the ability and willingness to accomplish a specific task

Path-Goal Theory Leaders provide followers with information, support, and resources to help them achieve their goals Leaders help clarify the “path” to the worker’s goals Leaders can display multiple leadership types Four types of leaders: Directive: focuses on the work to be done Supportive: focuses on the well-being of the worker Participative: consults with employees in decision making Achievement-Oriented: sets challenging goals

Leader Participation Model How a leader makes decisions is as important as what is decided Leader behaviors must adjust to the way tasks are structured in the organisation. Complicated model which has not been proven

Styles of leadership Charismatic Transformational (and transactional)

Charismatic Vision Unconventional Behavior Sensitivity to Followers Personal Risk Sensitivity to Followers Unconventional Behavior

Charismatic leaders influence by… Articulate a Vision Create a Vision Statement Create a new set of Values Demonstrate the Vision

Transformational leaders Inspire followers to transcend their self-interests for the good of the organisation Contingent Reward Management by Exception (active) Management by Exception (passive) Laissez-Faire Transactional Idealized Influence Inspirational Motivation Intellectual Stimulation Individualized Consideration Transformational

Transformational approaches Transaction Approaches Laissez-Faire Management by Exception Contingent Reward Transformational Approaches Individualized Consideration Intellectual Stimulation Inspirational Motivation Idealized Influence

What style of leader are you? Look at your Myers-Briggs and your Belbin results Think about your experiences of when you have taken the lead in an activity What style of leadership suits you best?

Other factors Authenticity Ethics Culture Authentic leaders know who they are, what they believe in and value, and act upon those values and beliefs. Ethics Leadership is not free from values. When we assess leadership, we must assess not just the goals themselves but also the means by which those goals are achieved. Culture Different cultures value different leadership traits more than others

Trust Trust – a psychological state that exists when you agree to make yourself vulnerable to another because you have a positive expectation for how things are going to turn out. Key attribute associated with leadership Followers who trust their leader will align their actions and attitudes with the leader’s behaviors/requests

How is trust developed? Leadership Action: Integrity, Benevolence, Ability Trust occurs (hopefully) Action: Risk Taking, Information Sharing, Group Effectiveness, and Productivity

Reflection What leaders do you know who are charismatic? Are there any leaders which you trust? What sort of leader would you like to have? Have a look at this list of famous leaders. Are there any you do/don’t want to be like? http://www.thefamouspeople.com/political-leaders.php

Mentoring Mentoring is the more experienced (mentor) helping the less experienced (protégé)

Effective leaders How do you find and select leaders? How can you train leaders? What are your ideas?