Communicating in teams and organisations Chapter 9 Communicating in teams and organisations

Learning Objectives 9.1 Explain why communication is important in organisations and discuss four influences on effective communication encoding and decoding 9.2 Compare and contrast the advantages of and problems with electronic mail, other verbal communication media, and non-verbal communication 9.3 Explain how social acceptance and media richness influence the preferred communication channel 9.4 Discuss various barriers (noise) to effective communication, including cross-cultural and gender-based differences in communication 9.5 Explain how to get messages across more effectively, and summarise the elements of active listening 9.6 Summarise effective communication strategies in organisational hierarchies, and review the role and relevance of the organisational grapevine

Communicating Through Social Media at Domino’s The CEO of Domino’s Pizza uses the social media to stay connected while travelling. He uses Facebook to obtain customer feedback and to engage customers in novel ways, like the ‘Social Pizza’. He has also learned about cultural differences in the use of social media, as his Dutch customers prefer tweeting.

Communication Defined The process by which information is transmitted and understood between two or more people Effective communication Transmitting intended meaning (not just symbols) Teaching note: Ask the students to recall the definition of organisations. If it is a group of people working together interdependently to achieve common goals, then all of the above cannot be achieved without effective communication. You can also refer to other topics of OB, such as motivation, teams, leadership etc. to illustrate the importance of effective communication to all the other topics.

Importance of Communication Coordinating work activities Organisational learning Decision making Change behaviour Employee wellbeing

Communication Process Model Teaching note: When discussing the part on message transition, also discuss communication channels.

Influences on Effective Encoding and Decoding Communication proficiency: motivation and ability of sender and receiver Similar codebooks Shared mental models of the communication context Experience encoding the message

Think Before You Send UXC Connect addressed the email overload strategically by developing guidelines on using emails For example, a key principle is that emails should be sent only if they help co-workers to do their job Teaching note: Discuss problems with communicating through emails. Ask students to provide an example of email miscommunication.

How Email has Altered Communication Now preferred medium for coordinating work Tends to increase communication volume Significantly alters communication flow Reduces some selective attention biases

Problems with Email Communicates emotions poorly Reduces politeness and respect (increased cyber bullying) Inefficient for ambiguous, complex, novel situations Increases information overload

Workplace Communication Through Social Media Social media include internet-based tools that allow users to generate and exchange information Social media take many forms, serve several functions and are more interactive and dynamic Social media may offer considerable versatility and potential in the workplace Points for discussion: Ask students how many of them use the following sites: Facebook, Twitter, Blogs and Wiki. What social and other functions do these social media sites serve?

Non-Verbal Communication Facial gestures, voice intonation, physical distance and even silence Influences meaning of verbal symbols Less rule-bound than verbal communication Important part of emotional labour Most is automatic and non-conscious Video clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfDWQG47pAQ OR. This clips explain non-verbal communication and gestures.

Emotional Contagion The automatic process of sharing another person’s emotions by mimicking their facial expressions and other non-verbal behaviour Serves three purposes: Provides continuous feedback to speaker Increases emotional understanding of the other person’s experience Communicates a collective sentiment—sharing the experience as part of the drive to bond

Choosing the Best Communication Channel Social acceptance How well the communication channel is approved and supported by the organisation, team and individual: Communication channel norms Individual communication channel preferences Symbolic meaning of the communication channel Example: In the movie ‘Up in the Air’ (2009), the ambitious freshly graduated new hire, Natalie, is promoting a plan to cut costs by conducting layoffs via videoconferencing. Ryan argues that Natalie knows nothing about the actual process, live or not, as she has never fired anyone and does not know how to handle upset people. This is an example of choosing the best communication channel for a certain message, situation or person.

Choosing the Best Communication Channel continued Media richness The channel’s data-carrying capacity needs to be aligned with the communication activity High richness when channel: conveys multiple cues allows timely feedback allows customised message permits complex symbols Use rich communication media when the situation is non-routine and ambiguous

Hierarchy of Media Richness Points for discussion: Ask students to provide examples of routine and clear situations versus non-routine and ambiguous ones. How would they communicate in each type of situation?

Factors that Override Media Richness Ability to multi-communicate with lean channels Communication proficiency Social presence effects

Persuasive Communication Changing another person’s beliefs and attitudes through using facts, arguments and emotional appeal Spoken communication is more persuasive because it: Is accompanied by non-verbal communication Has high quality immediate feedback Has high social presence

Communication Barriers Perceptions Filtering Language Jargon Ambiguity Information overload Video clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-oH-TELcLE. What are the communication barriers (noise) in the scene?

Information Overload

Managing Information Overload Solution 1: Increase information processing capacity Learn to read faster Scan through documents more efficiently Remove distractions Time management Temporarily work longer hours Solution 2: Reduce information load Buffering Omitting Summarising

Cross-Cultural Communication Verbal differences Language Voice intonation Silence/conversational overlaps Non-verbal differences Interpreting non-verbal meaning Importance of verbal versus non-verbal Points for discussion: If you have international students in your class, ask them to describe the difference in communication style in Australia and elsewhere.

Gender Communication Differences Men Women Task oriented: report talk Relationship oriented: rapport talk Power speech: gives advice directly Powerless speech: gives advice indirectly Conversations are negotiations of status Conversations are bonding events Less sensitive to non-verbal cues More sensitive to non-verbal cues Teaching note: Women are also more engaged in the social media than men, and are more likely to share.

Improving Interpersonal Communication Empathise Repeat the message Use multiple communication channels Use timing effectively Be descriptive

Active Listening Process and Strategies Pre lesson activity: 9.4 Are you an active listener?

Improving Workplace Communication Workspace design Clustering people in teams Open office arrangements Internet-based organisational communication Wikis, collaborative document creation Direct communication with management Management by walking around (MBWA) Town hall meetings

Organisational Grapevine Early research findings Transmits information rapidly in all directions Follows a cluster chain pattern More active in homogeneous groups Transmits some degree of truth Changes due to internet Email becoming the main grapevine medium Social networks are now global Public blogs and forums extend gossip to everyone Video clip: Rumours at the workplace: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDBWFpdZmdo.

Grapevine Benefits/Limitations Fills in missing information from formal sources Strengthens corporate culture Relieves anxiety Signals that problems exist Limitations Distortions might escalate anxiety Perceived lack of concern for employees when company informtation is slower than grapevine

Summary Effective communication (transmitting and understanding information) is vital to various aspects of managing organisations and people Main types of communication channels are verbal and non-verbal as well as internet-based channels. The right channel depends on social acceptance and media richness Several barriers create noise in the communication process and need to be addressed through awareness and active listening

Communicating in teams and organisations Chapter 9 Communicating in teams and organisations