Download Organizational Behavior 11e

Management, Organizational Policies & Practices
Lecture 9
Dr. Amna Yousaf
PhD (HRM)
University of Twente,
the Netherlands
Recap Lecture 8
 Steps to rational decsion making
– Identify problem
– Define decision criteria
– Weigh criteria
– Identify options
– Evaluate options
– Compute decision
 Limits to rational decision making
 Maximize or satisfice
 Decsion making mistakes
 Rules to improve decsions: decision rule, dictionary rule,
threshold rule
 Group decsion making
Communication
Lecture 9
Outline
 Identify main functions of communication
 Describe the communication process and
distinguish between formal and informal
communication
 Contrast downward, upward and lateral
communication and provide examples of each
 Contrast oral, written and non verbal
communication
 Contrast formal communication networks and the
grapevine
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outline
 Analyze the advantages and challenges of
electronic communication
 Show how channel richness underlies the choice
of communication channel
 Identify common barriers to effective
communication
 Show how to overcome potential barriers in
cross-cultural communication
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Functions of Communication
Communication
The transference and the understanding of meaning.
Communication Functions
1. Control member behavior – job description,
standards, procedures followed
2. Foster motivation for what is to be done – by
clarifying objectives.
3. Provide a release for emotional expression.
4. Provide information needed to make
decisions-judge alternative; identify problems.
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The Communication Process
 Channel
– The medium selected by the sender through which the
message travels to the receiver.
 Types of Channels
– Formal Channels
• Are established by the organization and transmit
messages that are related to the professional activities of
members. follow chain of authority
– Informal Channels
• Used to transmit personal or social messages in the
organization. These informal channels are spontaneous
and emerge as a response to individual choices.
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Elements of the Communication Process
 The sender
 Encoding
 The message
 The channel
 Decoding
 The receiver
 Noise
 Feedback
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The Communication Process Model
Communication Process
The steps between a source and a
receiver that result in the transference
and understanding of meaning.
There should be a message
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E X H I B I T 11–1
Direction of
Communication
Upward
Downward
Lateral
Downward Communication
 Informs rules and policies to employees
 Can be oral, face to face, written
 Must explain why decision was made
– Normally one-way; two third of employees believe their
opinion never seeked
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Upward Communication
 Flows at higher level
 Keeps informed about employees, co-workers,
jobs, department and organization
 Might be increasingly difficult
–
–
–
–
For effectiveness try to reduce distractions
Meeting in conference office instead of boss’s office
Communicate in headlines not paragraphs
Support headlines with actionable items – what should
be done; what agenda?
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Lateral Communication
 Among same group members at same level –
counterparts such as clerical workers or
managers
 Why it is needed?
– Vertical communication can impede quick decision
making
 Can sometimes be dysfunctional and sanctioned
by managers when it is felt that decisions have
been taken by breaching organizational policies
etc
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Interpersonal Communication
 Oral Communication
– Advantages: Speed and feedback.
– Disadvantage: Distortion of the message when passed
through a number of people. The game “telephone”.
 Written Communication
– Advantages: Tangible, well thought, logical, clear and
verifiable.
– Can not be distorted
– People more carefully follow written message
– Disadvantages: Time consuming, interpretation by
receiver not certain and lacks quick feedback as in oral
message.
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Interpersonal Communication
 Nonverbal Communication
– In a verbal message, a non verbal message is also
communicated – a glance, a frown, a smile and general
body movements, facial expressions, body movement.
– Advantages: Supports other communications and
provides observable expression of emotions and
feelings.
– Disadvantage: Misperception of body language or
gestures can influence receiver’s interpretation of
message.
– Sometimes message in verbal and non verbal
communication can be conflicting such as “ we can
meet now but looking at your clock again and again”
• Standing close can give different meanings
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Nonverbal Communication
Body Movement
Intonations
Facial Expressions
Physical Distance
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Intonations: It’s the Way You Say It!
Change your tone and you change your meaning:
Placement of the emphasis
What it means
Why don’t I take you to dinner tonight?
I was going to take someone else.
Why don’t I take you to dinner tonight?
Instead of the guy you were going with.
Why don’t I take you to dinner tonight?
I’m trying to find a reason why I
shouldn’t take you.
Why don’t I take you to dinner tonight?
Do you have a problem with me?
Why don’t I take you to dinner tonight?
Instead of going on your own.
Why don’t I take you to dinner tonight?
Instead of lunch tomorrow.
Why don’t I take you to dinner tonight?
Not tomorrow night.
Source: Based on M. Kiely, “When ‘No’ Means ‘Yes,’ ” Marketing, October 1993, pp. 7–9. Reproduced in A. Huczynski
and D. Buchanan, Organizational Behaviour, 4th ed. (Essex, England: Pearson Education, 2001), p. 194.
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E X H I B I T 11–2
Formal small group network
 Rigidly follows formal chain of command
 Communication in rigid there level organization
 Wheel can be found in case of a team with strong
team leader.
 All channel in case of self managed teams
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Three Common Formal Small-Group Networks
E X H I B I T 11–3
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Small-Group Networks and Effectiveness
Criteria
TYPES OF NETWORKS
Criteria
Chain
Wheel
All Channel
Speed
Moderate
Fast
Fast
Accuracy
High
High
Moderate
Emergence of a leader
Moderate
High
None
Member satisfaction
Moderate
Low
High
E X H I B I T 11–4
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Grapevine
 Grapevine Characteristics
– Informal, not controlled by management.
– Perceived by most employees as being more believable and
reliable than formal communications.
– Largely used to serve the self-interests of those who use it.
– 75% employees listen about news first through rumors on
grapevine
– About an executive resign 81% knew but 11% shared with
others
– Can be positive for organization; managers know what is
important for employees
– Results from:
• Desire for information about important situations
• Ambiguous conditions
• Conditions that cause anxiety
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The Grapevine
Control
Reliability
SelfInterests
Suggestions for Reducing the Negative
Consequences of Rumors
1. Announce timetables for making important decisions.
2. Explain decisions and behaviors that may appear
inconsistent or secretive.
3. Emphasize the downside, as well as the upside, of current
decisions and future plans.
4. Openly discuss worst-case possibilities—it is almost never
as anxiety-provoking as the unspoken fantasy.
Source: Adapted from L. Hirschhorn, “Managing Rumors,” in L. Hirschhorn (ed.),
Cutting Back (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1983), pp. 54–56. With permission.
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E X H I B I T 11–5
Computer-Aided Communication
 E-mail
– Advantages: quickly written, sent, and stored; low cost
for distribution.
– Disadvantages: 50% chances of information being
misinterpreted.
– Caution: communicating negative messages
– information overload, 58% spend 2-4hours
– lack of emotional content - emoticons, cold and
impersonal. In response to aggressive mails stay calm
– Privacy concerns-from corporate to personal
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Computer-Aided Communication
 Instant messaging – via desktops/laptops
– Advantage: “real time” e-mail transmitted straight to
the receiver’s desktop.
– Disadvantage: can be intrusive and distracting.
 Text messaging – via cell phones
– Prefderable for one-two line message
– Can be distracting – 86% of meetings emplloyees
check TM
– Informality of TM should not spill over to emails
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Computer-Aided Communication (cont’d)
 Social networking: face book, my space, professional:
LinkedIn
 Intranet
– A private organization-wide information network.
 Extranet
– An information network connecting employees with external
suppliers, customers, and strategic partners.
Web blogs: sites about companies where employees and
customers post comments
Some companies have policies as to content of logs, some
don’t have – can be harmful. 39% people post negative
comments
Videoconferencing
– An extension of an intranet or extranet that permits face-toface virtual meetings via video links.
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Knowledge Management (KM)
Knowledge Management
A process of organizing and distributing an
organization’s collective wisdom so the right
information gets to the right people at the right time.
Why KM is important:
Intellectual assets are as important as physical assets.
When individuals leave, their knowledge and experience
goes with them.
A KM system reduces redundancy and makes the
organization more efficient.
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Choice of Communication Channel
Channel Richness
The amount of information that can be transmitted
during a communication episode.
Characteristics of Rich Channels
1. Handle multiple cues simultaneously.
2. Facilitate rapid feedback.
3. Are very personal in context.
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Information Richness of Communication
Channels
Low channel richness
High channel richness
Routine
Source: Based on R.H. Lengel and D.L. Daft, “The Selection of Communication Media as an Executive Skill,”
Academy of Management Executive, August 1988, pp. 225–32; and R.L. Daft and R.H. Lengel, “Organizational
Information Requirements, Media Richness, and Structural Design,” Managerial Science, May 1996, pp. 554–72.
Reproduced from R.L. Daft and R.A. Noe, Organizational Behavior (Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt, 2001), p. 311.
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Nonroutine
E X H I B I T 11–7
Barriers to Effective Communication
Filtering
A sender’s manipulation of information so that it will
be seen more favorably by the receiver.
Selective Perception
People selectively interpret what they see on the
basis of their interests, background, experience, and
attitudes.
Information Overload
A condition in which information inflow exceeds an
individual’s processing capacity.
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Barriers to Effective Communication (cont’d)
Emotions
How a receiver feels at the time a message is received
will influence how the message is interpreted.
Language
Words have different meanings
to different people.
Communication Apprehension
Undue tension and anxiety about oral
communication, written communication, or both.
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Communication Barriers Between Men and
Women
 Men talk to:
– Emphasize status,
power, and
independence.
– Complain that women
talk on and on.
– Offer solutions.
– To boast about their
accomplishments.
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 Women talk to:
– Establish connection
and intimacy.
– Criticize men for not
listening.
– Speak of problems to
promote closeness.
– Express regret and
restore balance to a
conversation.
Silence as Communication
 Absence of speech or noise
– Powerful form of communication
– Can indicate
• Thinking
• Anger
• Fear
– Watch for gaps, pauses, & hesitations in conversations
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“Politically Correct” Communication
 Certain words stereotype, intimidate, and insult
individuals.
 In an increasingly diverse workforce, we must be
sensitive to how words might offend others.
– Removed: handicapped, blind, and elderly
– Replaced with: physically challenged, visually impaired,
and senior.
– Foreign for international
– Little people -dwarfs
 Removing certain words from the vocabulary
makes it harder to communicate accurately.
– Removed: garbage, quotas, and women.
– Replaced with terms: postconsumer waste materials,
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Hall Inc. All rights reserved.
educational
equity, and people of gender.
Source: The Far Side by Gary Larson
© 1994 Far Works, Inc. All rights
reserved. Used with permission.
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E X H I B I T 11–8
Semantics
Words as efficiency
not translatable
into Russian
Word
Connotations
Hai means yes
im listening than
than yes I agree as in US
Barriers to Effective
Cross-Cultural
Communication
Perception
Tone
Differences
Differences
Thais
have
no
word
as
People speak different at
no in dictionary
home, office, formally,
informally
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Hand Gestures Mean Different Things in
Different Countries
E X H I B I T 11–9
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Hand Gestures Mean Different Things in
Different Countries (cont’d)
E X H I B I T 11–9 (cont’d)
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Communication Barriers and Cultural Context
High-Context Cultures
Cultures that rely heavily on
nonverbal and subtle
situational cues to
communication.
Low-Context Cultures
Cultures that rely heavily on
words to convey meaning in
communication.
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Highvs.
LowContext
Cultures
E X H I B I T 11–10
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A Cultural Guide
Assume
Differences
Develop a
Hypothesis
Emphasize
Description-rather than you
subjective evaluations
Cultivate
Empathy-put yourse
in other’s shoes
Chapter Check-Up:
Communication
Consider the way in which this man
is communicating? What channel is
he using? How rich is it? For what
kinds of message would it be
appropriate? Not appropriate?
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Thank You
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