Chapter 12 Communication in Organizations Fundamentals of MANAGEMENT Core Concepts & Applications Griffin Third Edition Chapter 12 Communication in Organizations Copyright © 2003 Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. PowerPoint Presentation by Charlie Cook

Chapter Outline Communication and the Manager’s Job A Definition of Communication The Role of Communication in Management The Communication Process Forms of Communication in Organizations Interpersonal Communication Communication in Networks and Teams Organizational Communication Electronic Communication Formal Information Systems Personal Electronic Technology Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Chapter Outline (cont’d) Informal Communication in Organizations The Grapevine Management by Wandering Around Nonverbal Communication Managing Organizational Communication Barriers to Communication Improving Communication Effectiveness Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Learning Objectives After studying this chapter, you should be able to: Describe the role and importance of communication in the manager’s job. Identify the basic forms of communication in organizations. Describe electronic communication in organizations. Discuss informal communication, including its various forms and types. Describe how the communication process can be managed so as to recognize and overcome barriers. Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Communication and the Manager’s Job The process of transmitting information from one person to another. Effective Communication The process of sending a message in such a way that the message received is as close in meaning as possible to the message intended. Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Managing the Flow of Information in Organizations Source: Barney, Jay B. and Ricky W. Griffin, The Management of Organizations. Copyright © 1992 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Used with permission. Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

The Role of Communication in Management Characteristics of Useful Information: Accurate A valid and reliable reflection of reality Timely Available in time for appropriate managerial action Complete A complete and undistorted picture of reality Relevant Content which meets the needs and circumstances of the user Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

The Communication Process Start Noise 2 Encoding Sender Receiver 3 Transmission through channels 7 1 Meaning 8 Decoding 4 5 6 The numbers indicate the sequence in which steps take place. Figure 12.1 Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

The Communication Process (cont’d) Steps in the Communication Process Deciding to transmit a fact, idea, opinion, or other information to the receiver. Encoding the meaning into a form appropriate to the situation. Transmitting through the appropriate channel or medium. Decoding the message back into a form that has meaning to the receiver. “Noise” is anything disrupting the communication process. Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Interpersonal Communication Form Advantages Disadvantages Oral 1. Promotes feedback and interchange 1. May suffer from inaccuracies 2. Is easy to use 2. Leaves no permanent record Written 1. Tends to be more accurate 1. Inhibits feedback and exchange 2. Provides a record of communication 2. Is more difficult and time consuming Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Forms of Communication in Organizations: Interpersonal Communication Oral Communication Face-to-face conversations, group discussions, telephone calls, and other situations in which the spoken work is used to express meaning. Advantages of oral communication Promotes prompt feedback and interchange in the form of verbal questions and responses. Is easy to use and can be done with little preparation. Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Forms of Communication in Organizations: Interpersonal Communication (cont’d) Oral Communication (cont’d) Disadvantages of oral communication Suffers from problems with inaccuracy in meaning and details. Leaves no time for thought and consideration and no permanent record of what was said. Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Forms of Communication in Organizations: Interpersonal Communication (cont’d) Written Communication Memos, letters, reports, notes, email, and other methods in which the written word is used to transmit meaning. Advantages of written communication Is accurate and leaves a permanent record of the exchange. Leaves for thought and consideration, can be referenced. Is easy to use and can be done with little preparation. Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Forms of Communication in Organizations: Interpersonal Communication (cont’d) Written Communication (cont’d) Disadvantages of written communication Inhibits feedback and interchange due to burden of the process of preparing a physical document. Considerable delay can occur in clarifying message meanings. Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Forms of Communication in Organizations (cont’d) Choosing the Right Form The situation determines the most appropriate medium Oral communication and email is preferred for personal, nonroutine, or high priority communications. Formal written communication (e.g., memos, letters, reports, and notes) are used for messages that are impersonal, routine, and lower priority. Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Forms of Communication in Organizations (cont’d) Communication in Networks and Teams Communication network—the pattern through which the members of a group or team communicate. Research suggests: When the group’s task is simple and routine, centralized networks perform with the greatest efficiency and accuracy. When the group’s task is complex and nonroutine, decentralized networks with open communications that foster interaction and exchange of relevant information tend to be most effective. Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Forms of Communication in Organizations (cont’d) Types of Communication Networks 2 1 3 4 5 Circle 2 1 5 3 4 Wheel 3 4 5 1 2 Y 2 1 3 4 5 All channel 3 2 4 5 1 Chain Figure 12.2 Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Organizational Communication Vertical Communication Communication that flows up and down the organization, usually along formal reporting lines. Takes place between managers and subordinates and may involve several levels of the organization. Upward communication Consists of messages from subordinates to superiors and is more subject to distortion. Downward communication Occurs when information flows down the hierarchy from superiors to subordinates. Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Organizational Communication (cont’d) Horizontal Communication Communication that flows laterally within the organization; involves persons at the same level of the organization. Facilitates coordination among independent units. Useful in joint problem solving. Plays a major role in communications among members of work teams drawn from different departments. Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Vertical and Horizontal Communication Source: Van Fleet, David D., and Tim Peterson, Contemporary Management, Third Edition. Copyright © 1994 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Used with permission. Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Forms of Communication in Organizations (cont’d) Formal Communication in Organizations Follows the official reporting relationships and/or prescribed channels. Vertical communication Horizontal communication Figure 12.3 Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Electronic Communication Information Technology (IT) The resources used by the organization to manage information that it needs to carry out its mission. Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Formal Information Systems Transaction Processing System A system designed to handle routine and recurring transactions. Management Information System (MIS) Supports an organization’s managers by providing daily reports, schedules, plans, and budgets. Decision Support System (DSS) An interactive system that automatically searches for, manipulates, and summarizes information needed by managers for specific decisions. Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Types of Information Systems Major Systems by Level Executive Information Systems (EIS) A quick-reference, easy-access application of information systems specially designed for instant access by upper-level managers. Intranets Firewall-protected private networks for internal company use by employees. Expert Systems Information systems designed to imitate the thought process of human experts. Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

New Information Technologies Source: Van Fleet, David D., and Tim Peterson, Contemporary Management, Second Edition. Copyright © 1991 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Used with permission. Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Electronic Communication Personal Electronic Technology Technological advances (e.g., fax machines, cellular telephones, copiers, and personal computers) have created opportunities for quickly disseminating and contacting others in the organization. Corporate intranets and the Internet have made possible teleconferences and the rapid retrieval of information from all corners of the globe. Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Electronic Communication (cont’d) Personal Electronic Technology (cont’d) Telecommuting allows people to work at home and transmit their work to the company by means of a telephone and a modem. Disadvantages are the lack of face-to-face contact, strong personal relationships, falling behind professionally, and losing out in organizational politics. Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Informal Communication in Organizations Informal Communications May or may not follow official reporting relationships and/or prescribed organizational channels and may have nothing to do with official organizational business. Common forms of informal communications are the grapevine, management by wandering around, and nonverbal communication. Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Informal Communication in Organizations (cont’d) Figure 12.4 Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Informal Communication in Organizations (cont’d) Grapevine An informal communication network that can permeate an organization. Types of grapevines are: The Gossip Chain One person tells many The Cluster Chain Many people tell a few Source: Adapted from Human Behavior at Work: Organizational Behavior, Eighth Edition, by Keith Davis and John W. Newstrom. Copyright © 1989 by McGraw-Hill. Reprinted by permission of the McGraw-Hill Companies. Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Informal Communication in Organizations Management by Wandering Around Managers keep in touch with what’s going on by wandering around and talking to people on all levels in the organization Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Informal Communication in Organizations (cont’d) Nonverbal Communication Any communication exchange that does not use words, or uses words to carry more meaning than the strict definition of the words themselves. Much of the content of a message may be transmitted by facial expression alone; other message content is derived from inflection and tone of the voice. Only a small portion of the message content is due to the words in the message. Facial expression 55% Inflection and tone 38% Words in the message 7% Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Informal Communication in Organizations (cont’d) Nonverbal Communication (cont’d) Kinds of nonverbal communication practiced by managers: Images—the kinds of words people elect to use to give emphasis and effect to what they say. Settings—boundaries, familiarity, home turf (e.g., office location, size, and furnishings) are symbols of power and influence how people choose to communicate in organizations. Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Managing Organizational Communication Barriers to Effective Communication Table 12.1 Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Informal Communication in Organizations (cont’d) Nonverbal Communication (cont’d) Kinds of nonverbal communication practiced by managers: Body language—how people of different cultures and backgrounds physically position themselves and react to the stance and body movements of others has a strong influence on communications between individuals. Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Barriers to Effective Communication Source: Van Fleet, David D., and Tim Peterson, Contemporary Management, Third Edition. Copyright © 1994 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Used with permission. Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

More and Less Effective Listening Skills Stays active, focused Pays attention Is passive, laid back More Effective Listening Less Effective Listening Is easily distracted Asks questions Keeps an open mind Asks no questions Has preconceptions Assimilates information Disregards information Figure 12.5 Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Managing Organizational Communication (cont’d) Overcoming Barriers to Communication Table 12.2 Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.