1. Communications and Decision Making Chapter 17 John R. Walker Introduction to Hospitality, 6e and Introduction to Hospitality Management, 4e

2. Introduction to Hospitality, 6e and Introduction to Hospitality Management, 4e - Walker © 2013 by Pearson Higher Education, Inc Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All Rights Reserved Managerial Communication Personal face-to-face. Telephone. Mail/fax. Memos, reports, log books, & other internal/external written communication. Email, Internet web sites.

3. Introduction to Hospitality, 6e and Introduction to Hospitality Management, 4e - Walker © 2013 by Pearson Higher Education, Inc Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All Rights Reserved Communication The definition of communication is the exchange of information & meaning. The essence of communication is the exchange of information. Another important aspect of communication is understanding the meaning.

4. Introduction to Hospitality, 6e and Introduction to Hospitality Management, 4e - Walker © 2013 by Pearson Higher Education, Inc Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All Rights Reserved Types of Communication Interpersonal: – Between two or more people. Organizational: –All the different forms, networks, & systems of communication that occur among individuals, groups, or departments within an organization.

5. Introduction to Hospitality, 6e and Introduction to Hospitality Management, 4e - Walker © 2013 by Pearson Higher Education, Inc Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All Rights Reserved 7 Elements: Interpersonal Communication Process 1.The communication source 2.The message 3.Encoding 4.The channel 5.Decoding 6.Receiver 7.Feedback

6. Introduction to Hospitality, 6e and Introduction to Hospitality Management, 4e - Walker © 2013 by Pearson Higher Education, Inc Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All Rights Reserved Noise Part of the interpersonal communication process. Noise can consist of various activities going on in the background, sounds of machinery or coworkers, or as simple as static in the telephone line or illegible print. Noise is considered a constant disturbance in the communications process & the cause of distortions of the message.

7. Book Title Author name © 2012 by Pearson Higher Education, Inc Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All Rights Reserved Communicating Interpersonally When people are engaged in a conversation, only a small fraction of the total message they share is contained in the words they use. A large part of the message is contained in gestures, postures, facial expressions, vocal elements, etc. (this may = 2/3 of the conversation). –Nonverbal –Body language –Verbal intonation

8. Book Title Author name © 2012 by Pearson Higher Education, Inc Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All Rights Reserved Barriers to Effective Interpersonal Communication Perception Semantics Nonverbal communication: –Misinterpretations –Multicultural issues Ambiguity Defensiveness

9. Introduction to Hospitality, 6e and Introduction to Hospitality Management, 4e - Walker © 2013 by Pearson Higher Education, Inc Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All Rights Reserved Overcoming Barriers Use feedback: –Restate message for clarity. Active listening: –Listening for the total meaning. Avoid triggering defensiveness. Interpersonal Dynamics: –See next slide.

10. Introduction to Hospitality, 6e and Introduction to Hospitality Management, 4e - Walker © 2013 by Pearson Higher Education, Inc Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All Rights Reserved Overcoming Barriers Interpersonal Dynamics: –Have a great attitude toward your associates. –Treat them fairly, with respect, & establish a climate of trust. –Include them in decision making. –Be sensitive to cultural differences. –Learn the best ways to communicate with your associates. –Make sure that your associates know what is expected. –Actively listen to associates. –Involve your associates. –Train & develop associates so they can reach their full potential!

11. Introduction to Hospitality, 6e and Introduction to Hospitality Management, 4e - Walker © 2013 by Pearson Higher Education, Inc Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All Rights Reserved Formal vs. Informal Communication Formal: – Used by managers to communicate job requirements. – Follows chain of command. Informal: –Discussion may be job related but may not be essential to performing job duties. –Does not follow chain of command.

12. Book Title Author name © 2012 by Pearson Higher Education, Inc Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All Rights Reserved Flow of Communication Upward: takes place when superiors rely on their subordinates for receiving information. –It flows upward from employees to managers. Downward: flows down from supervisor to employee. Lateral: takes place between the employees of a company who are on the same hierarchical level in the organization. Diagonal: takes place between employees who are on different hierarchical levels & in different departments of the organization.

13. Book Title Author name © 2012 by Pearson Higher Education, Inc Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All Rights Reserved Communication Networks Chain: flows according to the existing chain of command of an organization. –This includes downward as well as upward communication flow. Wheel: communication flows between a strong leader & each individual in a group or team. –In this network coworkers communicate solely with their leader. All-channel: freely flowing communication between all members of a group or team. The grapevine: one survey reported that 75% of employees hear about matters first through rumors on the grapevine!

14. Introduction to Hospitality, 6e and Introduction to Hospitality Management, 4e - Walker © 2013 by Pearson Higher Education, Inc Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All Rights Reserved Decision-Making Process 1.Identify & define problem. 2.Identify decision criteria. 3.Allocation of weights to criteria. 4.Development of alternatives. 5.Analysis of alternatives. 6.Selection of alternative. 7.Installation of alternative. 8.Evaluation of decision effectiveness.

15. Introduction to Hospitality, 6e and Introduction to Hospitality Management, 4e - Walker © 2013 by Pearson Higher Education, Inc Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All Rights Reserved Making Decisions Rationality: fully objective & logical. Bounded rationality: managers make decisions based on the decision-making process that is bounded, or limited, by an individual’s ability to gain information & make decisions. Intuitive decision making is a subconscious process of making decisions on the basis of experience & accumulated judgment. –Values- & ethics-based –Experience-based –Affect initiated-based –Cognitive-based –Subconscious-based

16. Introduction to Hospitality, 6e and Introduction to Hospitality Management, 4e - Walker © 2013 by Pearson Higher Education, Inc Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All Rights Reserved Types of Problems & Decisions Programmed: situations that recur on a regular basis. Non-programmed: nonrecurring & made necessary by unusual circumstances. Conditions under which decisions are made: – Certainty – Risk – Uncertainty

17. Introduction to Hospitality, 6e and Introduction to Hospitality Management, 4e - Walker © 2013 by Pearson Higher Education, Inc Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All Rights Reserved Decision-Making Styles Way of thinking: decision makers differ in their way of thinking; some are rational & logical, while others are intuitive & creative. Tolerance for ambiguity: managers with a high tolerance for ambiguity save a lot of time while making a decision. –These individuals are able to process many thoughts at the same time.

18. Introduction to Hospitality, 6e and Introduction to Hospitality Management, 4e - Walker © 2013 by Pearson Higher Education, Inc Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All Rights Reserved Decision-Making Styles 4 major decision-making styles: –Directive: low tolerance for ambiguity, rational thinker, usually logical, & efficient. –Analytical: large tolerance for ambiguity, require more information before making their decisions, & consider more alternatives. –Conceptual: look at numerous alternatives, are typically very broad in their outlook, & focus is on the long run. –Behavioral: work well with others, receptive to suggestions, concerned about the achievements of employees, commonly communicate through meetings, & try to avoid conflict.

19. Book Title Author name © 2012 by Pearson Higher Education, Inc Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All Rights Reserved Trends Trends such as improving technology to aid with communication are likely to continue. An integral part of management’s decision- making process is the management support system (MSS). –The MSS has two distinctive elements: the management information system (MIS) & the decision support system (DSS).

20. Introduction to Hospitality, 6e and Introduction to Hospitality Management, 4e - Walker © 2013 by Pearson Higher Education, Inc Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All Rights Reserved The End