1. Communicating in teams and organisations
Chapter 9
Communicating in teams and organisations

2. 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

3. 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.

4. 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.

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

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

7. 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

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

9. 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

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

11. 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?

12. 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:
OR.
This clips explain non-verbal communication and gestures.

13. 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

14. 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.

15. 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

16. 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?

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

18. 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

19. Communication Barriers
Perceptions
Filtering
Language
Jargon
Ambiguity
Information overload
Video clip:
What are the communication barriers (noise) in the scene?

20. Information Overload

21. 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

22. 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.

23. 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.

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

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

26. 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

27. 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
becoming the main grapevine medium
Social networks are now global
Public blogs and forums extend gossip to everyone
Video clip:
Rumours at the workplace:

28. 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

29. 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

30. Communicating in teams and organisations
Chapter 9
Communicating in teams and organisations