Organizational Communications Chapter 10 Chapter 10 Organizational Communications

Lesson 10.1 The Communication Process Goals Describe the communication process and barriers to effective communication. Describe the various communication channels. Chapter 10 Organizational Communications

The Communication Model sharing of information in which the receiver understands the meaning of the message in the way the sender intended Feedback — receiver’s response to a sender’s message Distraction — anything that interferes with the sender’s creating and delivering a message and the receiver’s getting and interpreting a message Distortion — how people change messages, consciously or unconsciously Chapter 10 Organizational Communications

How Managers Communicate Chapter 10 Organizational Communications

Channels of Communication Oral communication With employees Phone calls Customers Meetings Interviews Informal—Breaks, Lunch, etc. Written communication Letters Emails Reports Memos Invoices Faxes Bulletin Boards Messages Nonverbal communication Body language Posture Frown Smile Hand movement Body movement Eye/No Eye contact Clothing Be aware of your and your employees nonverbal communications. Electronic communication can be verbal, written, or nonverbal Email Digital Pagers Voice mail Teleconferences Videoconferences Instant Messaging Text Messaging Cont’d Chapter 10 Organizational Communications

Channels of Communication Electronic Communications Why use email? Lowers costs Less paper pushing Speeds communication and decision making Email Policies Established to protect all stakeholders Business can, and do, track all inbound and outbound email messages. Do not use work email for your personnel email. Your work email is NOT private. No jokes. No off-color stories. No abusive, threatening, sexual or offensive content. Companies can use these to dismiss you. Email as you would write a letter. Careful expression of your thoughts. Spelling! Grammar! Punctuation! Proofreading! Watch for sarcasm and humor…. It may not be perceived as such by the reader. Poorly written emails reflect badly on you and your organization. Chapter 10 Organizational Communications

Lesson 10.2 Corporate Communications Explain how corporate culture influences formal and informal communication networks. Describe how to conduct effective meetings. Chapter 10 Organizational Communications

Communication Networks Formal communication network — system of official channels that carry organizationally approved messages; communication may be upward, downward, or lateral Downward communication Flows that originate with supervisors and are passed down to employees. Upward communication Flows that come from lower to upper organizational levels. Lateral–Diagonal Flows Are flows between individuals in the same department or different departments. Have grown more important as organizations have become specialized and due to the increased use of teams. Chapter 10 Organizational Communications

Flow of Formal Communication in an Organization Chapter 10 Organizational Communications 6–9 9

Communications You Like to Receive from Your Supervisor Role clarifications. What’s expected of you, how much authority and responsibility you have, and your job assignments. Praise and recognition. A supervisor’s commendations on a job well done, compliments about you in the presence of third parties, and expressions of appreciation. Constructive criticism and feedback. Tactful criticism that demonstrates interest and implies a personal and professional concern on the part of the supervisor. Demonstration of interest. Communications reflecting interest in your professional growth and development, efforts to work with you to do a better job, and giving you undivided attention during conversation (as opposed to lack of eye contact or partial attention). Requests for information or assistance. Asking your opinion and advice, and consulting with you about relevant matters on the job. Information that Makes you feel important because you’re “in the know” Pertains to your department’s progress, to other work team members, to plans for the department, and to contemplated changes Pertains to aspects of the overall organization, such as sales, forecasts, objectives, outlook for the future, and general internal changes of which the supervisor is aware Pertains to promotions, merit increases, desirable job assignments, and favors that can be granted by the supervisor Chapter 10 Organizational Communications 6–10 10

Communication Networks continued Informal communication network — unofficial ways that employees share information in an organization Providing a source of information not ordinarily available. Reducing the effects of monotony. Satisfying personal needs for relationships and status.

Conducting Effective Meetings Share information, talk about opportunities, discuss problems and make decisions. Problems with meetings: Excessive time. Careful planning can help you overcome this problem. Suggestions for running an effective meeting: Have a good reason for the meeting. Have an agenda and stick to it. Decide the personnel who should attend. Schedule at an convenient time. Stick to start and stop times. Encourage communication—i.e. Round table if you wish everyone to participate. Summarize results. Differences in personnel attending meeting. Leader should encourage but control discussions. Keep the outspoken person from dominating discussion Keep the quiet person from saying nothing. Two methods to encourage problem solving and group thinking are Brainstorming and NGT. Next slide. Chapter 10 Organizational Communications

Organizational Communications NGT and Brainstorming Nominal group technique (NGT) — group problem-solving method in which members write down and evaluate ideas to be shared with the group Helps the quiet and the outspoken person have an equal voice. Private voting encourages best solution. Brainstorming — group discussion technique used to generate as many ideas as possible for solving a problem Think outside the box. Don’t judge any ideas until the list is complete. Chapter 10 Organizational Communications

Lesson 10.3 Organizational Communication Goals Describe different ways to resolve communication conflicts. Describe the problems that can occur with cross-cultural communication. Identify ways to improve communication in organizations. Chapter 10 Organizational Communications

Organizational Communications Conflict Conflict is interference by one person with the achievement of another person’s goals. Person vs person. Person vs group. Group vs group. Typically job-related disagreements are likely to be temporary and easy to settle. Conflict can be an obstacle to job performance, managers must deal with conflicts. Some conflict can be beneficial…. It may challenge employees and stimulate new ideas. Chapter 10 Organizational Communications

Organizational Communications Resolving Conflict Avoidance strategy — Taking a neutral position or agreeing with another person’s position even if it differs from your own May be a good strategy if the conflict is unimportant to you. Compromise strategy — All parties agreeing to a mutually acceptable solution Better than Avoidance. People are more likely to support a compromise solution. Win/lose strategy — One person winning, one person losing, no one compromising Dangerous. Never acceptable to everyone. Should be avoided. Can cause more problems due to hurt feelings and resentment. Chapter 10 Organizational Communications

Cross-Cultural Communication Problems Before you work with customers or partners in foreign countries, make sure you are aware of: Language differences Many corporations provide intensive training. Notable attempts of learning a language is appreciated. Cultural differences Be aware of what people from other countries find rude or disrespectful. Is emphasis on family, status or power? Nonverbal differences Personnel space “your bubble” Handshakes Colors Chapter 10 Organizational Communications

Improving Organizational Communications Encourage two-way communication. Two-way communication provides much needed feedback. One-way communication is efficient but you contact with customers and employees is greatly reduced Develop plans to obtain feedback when you are too busy for two-way communication. Good managers communicate threw appropriate channels. Listen actively. Hearing is not listening! Hearing and understanding is listening. See figure 10-7 Facilitate upward communication. MBWA Open door policy Regular meetings Select communication channels carefully. Oral—something immediate. Bad news. Reprimand. Good news. Written—something for a future plan. When you want a written record of the communication. Combination of both channels. Chapter 10 Organizational Communications

10 Rules for Good Listening Stop talking. Put the talker at ease. Show the talker that you want to listen. Remove distractions. Empathize with talkers. Be patient. Hold your temper. Go easy on argument and criticism. Ask questions. Stop talking! Chapter 10 Organizational Communications

COMMUNICATION SKILLS FOR BUSINESSPEOPLE 1. Encourage two-way communications. 2. Listen actively. 3. Facilitate upward communication. 4. Select communication channels carefully. 5. Write and speak clearly. 6. Develop an open corporate culture. 7. Learn to read body language. 8. Reduce distractions and distortions. 9. Control harmful conflict. 10. Keep employees informed about the company. Chapter 10 Organizational Communications

Brainstorming! Return to Slide Brainstorming is a tool that can maximize creative thinking by solving a design problem, naming a product, or developing a business idea…The process works like this: Part 1 Break into groups of 5. Come up with ideas to improve the WTHS cafeteria. No one can express negative judgments about any one else’s idea. Designate a secretary. Keep track of ALL ideas. Choose best options. Share with class. Part 2 “I want to start a daycare in town. What qualities would make it successful?” Work individually several times during the brainstorming session and write down your ideas and report them back to the group. After the brainstorming session, go through the list and select the best and most realistic ideas. Choose best option. Brainstorming can be used to develop an idea from scratch, to refine an idea, or generate a strategy to compete with a competitor. A variation of brainstorming is “rolestorming” in which each member of the group is assigned an identity and asked to come up with ideas from that person’s point of view. For example, the roles of customers, suppliers, or competitors. Return to Slide