1. Communication in Organizations
Chapter 11
Communication in Organizations

2. Chapter Learning Objectives
After studying this chapter you should be able to:
Discuss the nature of communication in organizations.
Identify and describe the primary methods of communication.
Describe the communication process.
Note how information technology affects communication.
Identify and discuss the basic kinds of communication networks.
Discuss how communication can be managed in organizations.
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3. The Nature of Communication in Organizations
The social process in which two or more parties exchange information and share meaning
Purposes of Communication in Organizations
Achieve coordinated action
Information sharing
Express feelings and emotions
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4. 11.1 Three Purposes of Organizational Communication
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5. Communication Across Cultures
Interpersonal Relations Issues in Communications
Language
Different word meanings
Nonverbal communication
Coordination
Time zones
Communication systems
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6. Methods of Communication
Primary Organizational Communication Methods
Written
Oral
Nonverbal
Choice Considerations
Audience (physical or not physical presence)
Nature of the message (urgency and secrecy)
Costs of transmission
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7. 11.2 Methods of Communication in Organizations
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8. Methods of Communication (cont’d)
Written Communication
Types
Letter
Office memorandum
Reports
Manuals
Forms
Oral Communication
Aspects to Consider
Changes in tone, pitch, speed, volume
Possibilities of feedback
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9. Methods of Communication (cont’d)
Facial Expressions
Physical Movements
Body Language
Environmental Elements
Elements of Nonverbal Communication
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10. Elements of the Communication Process
Source
Individual/group/organization interested in communicating something to another party
Encoding
The process by which the message is translated from an idea/thought into transmittable symbols
Transmission
The process through which the symbols that represent the message are sent to the receiver; the medium is the channel or path through which the message is transmitted
Decoding
The process by which the message receiver interprets its meaning
Receiver
Individual/group/organization that perceives the encoded symbols
Feedback
The process in which the receiver returns a message to the sender that indicates receipt of the message
Noise
Any disturbance in the communication process that interferes with or distorts communication
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11. 11.3 The Communication Process
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12. Electronic Information Processing and Telecommunications
Workplace Changes Due to Technology Innovation
Organizational intranets and extranets
The Internet
New types of telecommunication systems
Computerized information processing systems
Combinations of all these
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13. Electronic Information Processing and Telecommunications (cont’d)
Today’s Office of the Future
Virtual offices link managers, clerical employees, professional workers, sales personnel, suppliers, customers
Advantages
Computerized data storage, retrieval, transmission systems
Improves productivity
Increases idea sharing/knowledge sharing
Risks
Reduction in face-to-face meetings leads to depersonalization
Reduction of office social structures
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14. Communication Networks
Communication links individuals and groups in a social system
Stages of organizational communication link development
Task-related communication links
Small group communication networks
Larger organizational networks
Function of communication networks
Structure flow/communication content
Support organizational structure, culture, beliefs, value systems
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15. 11.4 Small-Group Communication Networks
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16. Communication Networks (cont’d)
Small-Group Networks: Information Flow Patterns
Wheel Network
Information flows between the person at the end of each spoke and the person in the middle
Chain Network
Each member communicates with the person above and below, except for the individuals on each end who communicate with only one person
Circle Network
Each member communicates with the people on both sides but with no one else
All-Channel Network
All members communicate with all other members
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17. Communication Networks (cont’d)
Characteristics of Communication Networks
Networks form spontaneously as interactions among workers continue
Networks rarely are permanent
Task is crucial to the choice of a network pattern
Environment affects the frequency and types of interactions among members
Personal factors and group performance factors influence communication networks
Networks strongly influence group effectiveness
Electronic groups that have little face-to-face communication are an emerging trend
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18. Communication Networks (cont’d)
Organizational Communication Networks
Communication and information flows do not necessarily follow the lines of an organization chart
Downward communication provides directions
Upward communication provides feedback
Horizontal communication is related to task performance
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19. Communication Networks (cont’d)
Gatekeeper
Isolate/ Isolated Dyad
Liaison
Cosmopolite
Roles in an Organizational Network
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20. 11.5 Comparison of an Organization Chart and the Organization’s Communication Network
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21. Managing Communications
Improving the Communication Process
Communication fidelity
The degree of correspondence between the message intended by the source and the message understood by the receiver
Typical problem areas:
Source
Encoding/Decoding
Receiver
Feedback
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22. Managing Communications (cont’d)
Area
Symptom/Problem
Solution
Source
Information filtering
Understand underlying basis
Encoding-Decoding
Lack of common experience base
Improve semantics
Reduce jargon
Receiver
Selective attention, value judgments, source credibility, overload
Reduce dissonance and overload
Feedback
Lack of feedback leads to improper response
Source must be more concerned with message, symbols, medium, receiver feedback. Receiver needs to be source oriented
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23. 11.1 Improving the Communication Process
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24. Managing Communications (cont’d)
Reduce noise (rumor grapevine)
Foster informal communication
Develop a balanced information network
Improving Organizational Factors in Communication
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25. Organizational Behavior in Action
After reading the chapter:
Which of the communication technologies that students use now will have the most impact on communication patterns in organizations in the future?
What personal privacy issues for workers could arise from the use of increasingly pervasive and “always-on” communication networks by employers?
Does “get a life” mean that you have “get off the grid”?
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