Chapter 6 Communication Organizational Behaviour Dave Ludwick, P.Eng, MBA, PMP

Communication Communication is the transfer of meaning from one person to another Poor communication is the most frequent cause of interpersonal conflict If there is any one area where the human race suffers, it is in the area of communication Interpersonal skills are cited as requirements for most professional and many non-professional jobs. That’s because, without the ability to communicate (and our interpersonal skills affect how we can communicate) we can not hope to further progress Organizational Behaviour Dave Ludwick, P.Eng, MBA, PMP

Communication Process Model Organizational Behaviour Dave Ludwick, P.Eng, MBA, PMP

4 Factors Affecting Communication Skills – the specific skills relating to the communication mode in use (the ability to read, write, speak the language) Attitudes – The attitude of both the sender and receive affects the communication as connotations in the words can affect meaning Knowledge – the sender and receivers knowledge of the topic of the communication affects how well they can articulate and understand the meaning Social-cultural system – This background of relatedness affects our assumptions about the communication Organizational Behaviour Dave Ludwick, P.Eng, MBA, PMP

Barriers to Effective Communication Filtering – when a sender manipulates info so the receiver views it more favourably Also known as managing the conversation Selective Perception – Receivers selectively receive based on motivations, experience, background and they also project their interests onto a conversation Defensiveness – being sarcastic, judgmental, verbally attacking Organizational Behaviour Dave Ludwick, P.Eng, MBA, PMP

Networks of Communication Formal Network Typically vertical communication and usually limited to tasks or topics related to the business Grapevine Is a free flow of information Authority has no bearing on the communication Helps to satisfy members’ social needs by making them feel they belong Is no more and no less accurate than any other network of communication What about rumors? They have 4 purposes To structure and reduce anxiety To make sense of limited info To serve as an organizing medium To signal status or power Organizational Behaviour Dave Ludwick, P.Eng, MBA, PMP

How do we better communication? Provide a mechanism like what Jim Collins did to ensure ideas are heard Like suggestion boxes, complaint boxes, idea labs, signalling systems If you are not being understood, don’t just repeat the same words louder. Explain the point from another angle. Ask your listener for feedback Note that sometimes successful communication must require education first (Background of Relatedness) Sometimes the timing of a communication needs to be selected properly Recognize that a significant portion of communication is beyond just the words used Organizational Behaviour Dave Ludwick, P.Eng, MBA, PMP

Building Communication Developing a Background of Relatedness A background of relatedness is a shared reality, shared understanding of the environment, of the field of action Stingy Listening vs. Generous Listening (R. Shereck) People come to every situation already listening in a particular way Stingy listening is based on the past with evaluation and a focus on “what’s in it for me?” Generous listening is based on attention to others, listening for a possibility, with no agenda, giving the speaker power Effective Listening Make eye contact Provide physical responses for feedback Don’t distract or interrupt the speaker or yourself Always use the simplest word available Organizational Behaviour Dave Ludwick, P.Eng, MBA, PMP

Non-verbal Communication Some studies show that as much as 55% of the complete message comes from non-verbal forms of communication people resort to a variety of verbal and non-verbal behaviour in order to maintain a smooth flow of communication: head-nods, smiles, frowns, bodily contact, eye movements, laughter, body posture The facial expressions of listeners provide feedback to the sender Glazed or down turned eyes indicate boredom or disinterest, as does fidgeting Fully raised eyebrows signal disbelief and half raised indicate puzzlement. Posture provides a means by which attitude to the sender may be judged Folded or crossed arms indicate apprehension or closed-mindedness Kinesics is the study of body motions, gestures, facial configurations and other body movements in the course of communication Organizational Behaviour Dave Ludwick, P.Eng, MBA, PMP

Non-verbal Communication Proxemics is a term for the way in which people use space between them in communication The use of space varies by culture In a non-contact culture (Canada and US), closeness can mean aggressiveness Closeness in a non-contact culture is usually only permitted for intimate relations If a person from a non-contact culture stands far from a person from a contact culture, the person may take the positioning as a sign of disinterest and unhappiness Organizational Behaviour Dave Ludwick, P.Eng, MBA, PMP

Electronic Communications The advent of computers has improved the number of tools we have to communicate (but maybe have not improved our ability to communicate?) Faxes, phones, email, cellphones, pagers, modems, VPNs, intranets, extranets, internet While they can be used to bridge the physical gap between sender and receiver, they also compromise one of the elements in the communication process model They are also a significant cause for the erosion of personal time Chapter 7 Organizational Behaviour Dave Ludwick, P.Eng, MBA, PMP

Organizational Behaviour Dave Ludwick, P.Eng, MBA, PMP

Organizational Behaviour Dave Ludwick, P.Eng, MBA, PMP