Leadership Theories & Practice MGT 6772 Dr. Kimanya Ards

Definition of communication The exchange of information between two or more people through symbols or words via face-to face or written interchange

Why do we communicate? Physical needs Identity needs Social needs

Communication and Leadership Two important parts of leadership communication are sending and receiving messages

Planning the Message What is the goal of the message? Who should receive the message? Will you send the message? When will the message be transmitted? Where will the message be transmitted?

Models of communication Linear Communication Model Interaction Communication Model Transactional Communication Model

Linear Communication Model Developed in 1949 by engineers Claude Shannon & Warren Weaver Assumes communication is a one-way process Also known as the Action Model – Originally introduced as a mathematical model (Floyd, 2009; Towne, Adler, & Proctor, 2011)

Components of LCM Sender Encodes Message Channel Receiver Decoder Noise (Towne, Adler, & Proctor, 2011)

SENDER (encodes) RECEIVER (decodes) MESSAGE noise

Strengths & Weaknesses of lcm Strengths – Most common in lower-level communication – Affiliated with interpersonal events – Considered framework for defining communication Weaknesses – Not effective in measuring human communication – No consideration for practical problems – Too linear (Shannon & Weaver, 1949)

Interaction Communication Model Developed by Wilbur Schramm in 1954 Every action has a reaction Backchannel style of communication (Floyd, 2009)

Components of ICN Same components as Linear Model Additional elements – Communication is a two-way process – Adds feedback and context (Floyd, 2009)

SENDER (encodes) RECEIVER (decodes) MESSAGE noise CONTEXTCONTEXT FEEDBACK

Strengths & Weaknesses of ICM Strengths – Includes feedback – Includes context – Includes culture Weakness – Only includes communication between two people (Schramm, 1954)

Transactional Communication Model  Developed by Barnlund in 1970  Humanized view of how we communicate  Environment

MESSAGE noise CONTEXTCONTEXT FEEDBACK COMMUNICATOR SENDER (encodes) RECEIVER (decodes)

Strengths & Weakness of TCM Strengths – Suggests dialogue can occur with more than two people – More humanized – Suggests continuous communication Weakness – Suggests communication and meaning are the same

The Oral Message‐Sending Process Develop rapport State your communication objective Transmit your message Check the receiver’s understanding Get a commitment and follow‐up Test Question

Written Communication and Writing Tips Lack of organization Edit your work Write to communicate, not to impress

Feedback The process of verifying messages Forms of feedback – Questioning – Paraphrasing – Allowing comments and suggestions

How to Handle Feedback View it as an opportunity to improve Stay calm Do not get defensive Do not blame others Do not criticize

360‐Degree Multirater Feedback Is based on receiving performance evaluations from many people – Managers – Peers – Subordinates – People from outside the organization

Enhancing Communication Skills Develop better questioning skills Establish clear expectations to increase productivity Be intentional in your choice of words Enhance your skills in providing positive and constructive feedback Enhance conflict management skills Become an active listener

A situation in which two or more people have not yet found a way to resolve a dispute, disagreement, or argument How do you define conflict?

Avoiding Accommodating Competing Compromising Collaborating Ways we handle conflict Test Question

Avoiding – Ignoring the conflict – Lose-lose situation – Physical – Conversational Ways we handle conflict (cont…)

Accommodating – The act of giving in to one's needs while ignoring your own – Lose-win situation Low concern for self High concern for other party Ways we handle conflict (cont…)

Competing – Win-lose High concern for personal needs Low concern for other party – Friendly competition Ways we handle conflict (cont…)

Compromise – Both parties give up something to receive something – Partial lose-lose – Goals are not worth disruption Ways we handle conflict (cont…)

Collaborating – Working towards a solution that will satisfy both parties High concern for self High concern for other party – Win-win Ways we handle conflict (cont…)

Dysfunctional Conflict vs. Functional Conflict Dysfunctional conflict – conflict prevents the achievement of organizational objectives Functional conflict – when disagreement and opposition supports the achievement of organizational objectives

Identify your problem Make a date Describe feelings Be considerate Negotiate Maintain Effective ways to handle conflict

Negotiation Process in which two or more parties are in conflict working to reach an agreement

Negotiating (cont…) Negotiation is often a zero‐sum game; one party’s gain is the other party’s loss Sell your ideas to convince the other party to give you what you want Try to work toward a win‐win result All parties should believe they got a good deal

Criticism Contempt Defensiveness Stonewalling Psychological factors of conflict

Criticism – The act of engaging in complaints about your partner Gunnysacking – Bringing up several old occurrences without addressing issues at the time of occurrences happened Psychological factors (cont…) (Floyd, 2009)

Contempt – The act of insulting one another and attacking partner’s self-worth – Sarcasm – Using nonverbal cues to show low opinion of partner Psychological factors of conflict (Floyd, 2009)

Defensiveness Stonewalling – The act of withdrawing from a conversation – Shutting down Psychological factors of conflict (Floyd, 2009)

Crisis Leadership Crisis – Is a low‐probability, high‐impact event that threatens the viability of the organization

Crisis Leadership (cont.) Strategic crisis leadership requires three things: – Using environmental monitoring techniques to identify events that could trigger crises in the future – Integrating crisis management into the strategic management process – Establishing a culture that embraces crisis awareness and preparation as a way of life

Crisis Leadership (cont.) Crises come in many forms – Natural disasters – Terrorist attacks – Product failures – Human error disasters – Unexpected death of key individual(s) – System failures

Crisis Management Plan An effective crisis management plan is one that is: – Comprehensive, with clear leadership, team, and individual assignments in the form of roles and responsibilities – Upgraded frequently and supported by training and periodic drill sessions – Coordinated and controlled across levels and units of the organization

Pre‐Crisis Planning A pre‐crisis plan is the best way to mitigate the negative consequences of any crisis Entails three components – Appointing a crisis leader – Creating a crisis response team – Assessing risk

Pre‐Crisis Planning (cont.) Crisis response team – Should involve a good mix of the representatives from all sectors of the organization – Diversity in the makeup of the crisis management team is emphasized – Members must be calm, self‐confident, assertive, and dependable during a crisis – Leaders must develop comprehensive training programs for crisis response

Guidelines for Effective Crisis Communication It is generally believed that the first 24 hours of a crisis are crucial because of the media’s need to know what happened so they can tell their audiences There is an information vacuum that, if left unfilled by the organization(s) involved, will be filled for them by others Telling the truth up front is the simplest and most effective way of defusing public hostility

Assignments Test questions are due Presentations for week 7 assignment is due

Got questions

References Barnlund, D. C. (1968). Interpersonal Communication: Survey and Studies. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. Floyd, K. (2009). Interpersonal communication: The whole story. Boston: McGraw Hill. Schramm, W. (1954). How communication works. The Process and Effects of Communication, ed. Urbana: University of Illinois Press. Shannon, C., & Weaver, W. (1949). The Mathematical Theory of Communication. Urbana: University of Illinois Press. Towne, N., Adler, R., & Proctor, R. (2011). Looking out looking in (13 th ed.). Cengage Learning.