Communicating in Organizational Settings

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Communicating inOrganizational Settings
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C H A P T E R
E I G H T
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Communicating Knowledge at Buckman Labs

• Buckman Laboratories supports knowledge
  management with a worldwide information database
  and network, called Knetix, that allows
  employees to search out and share information
  quickly and efficiently.

Courtesy of Buckman Labs
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Four Functions of Communication

• Knowledge management
• Decision making
• Coordinating work activities
• Fulfills relatedness needs

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Communication Process Model
Receiver
Sender
Transmit Message
Form message
Transmit Feedback
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Communication Barriers

• Perceptions
• Filtering
• Language
• Jargon
• Ambiguity
• Information Overload

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The Stereotyping Process
Professors are absent-minded
Develop categories and assign traits
Our instructor is a professor
Our instructor absent-minded
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Attribution Process

• External Attribution
• Perception that outcomes are due to situation or
  fate rather than the person
• Internal Attribution
• Perception that outcomes are due to
  motivation/ability rather than situation or fate

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Attribution Errors

• Fundamental Attribution Error
• attributing own actions to external factors and
  others actions to internal factors
• Self-Serving Bias
• attributing our successes to internal factors and
  our failures to external factors

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Self-Fulfilling Prophecy Cycle
Supervisor forms expectations
Expectations affect supervisors behavior
Employees behavior matches expectations
Supervisors behavior affects employee
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Other Perceptual Errors

• Primacy
• first impressions
• Recency
• most recent information dominates perceptions
• Halo
• one trait forms a general impression
• Projection
• believing other people are similar to you

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Improving Perceptual Accuracy
Diversity Management
Improving Perceptual Accuracy
Empathize With Others
Know Yourself
Postpone Impression Formation
Compare Perceptions With Others
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The Stereotyping Process
Professors are absent-minded
Develop categories and assign traits
Our instructor is a professor
Our instructor absent-minded
13
Attribution Process

• External Attribution
• Perception that outcomes are due to situation or
  fate rather than the person
• Internal Attribution
• Perception that outcomes are due to
  motivation/ability rather than situation or fate

14
Attribution Errors

• Fundamental Attribution Error
• attributing own actions to external factors and
  others actions to internal factors
• Self-Serving Bias
• attributing our successes to internal factors and
  our failures to external factors

15
Self-Fulfilling Prophecy Cycle
Supervisor forms expectations
Expectations affect supervisors behavior
Employees behavior matches expectations
Supervisors behavior affects employee
16
Other Perceptual Errors

• Primacy
• first impressions
• Recency
• most recent information dominates perceptions
• Halo
• one trait forms a general impression
• Projection
• believing other people are similar to you

17
Improving Perceptual Accuracy
Diversity Management
Improving Perceptual Accuracy
Empathize With Others
Know Yourself
Postpone Impression Formation
Compare Perceptions With Others
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Information Overload
Episodes of information overload
Employees information processing capacity
Information Load
Time
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Problems with Electronic Mail

• Information overload
• Flaming
• Interpreting emotions
• Lacks empathy or social support

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Guessing E-Mail Emoticons
-)

• Happy
• Smirk
• Dumb question
• OOPS!
• Tongue in cheek
• Hug

-
lt-)
-X
-j

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Nonverbal Communication

• Actions, gestures, facial expressions, etc.
• Transmits most info in face-to-face meetings
• Influences meaning of verbal and written symbols
• Less rule bound than verbal communication
• Important part of emotional labor

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Hierarchy of Media Richness
Rich
Overloaded Zone
Face-to-face
Telephone
Media Richness
E-mail
Newsletters
Oversimplified Zone
Lean
Nonroutine Ambiguous
Routine Clear
Situation
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Communicating in Hierarchies

• Employee surveys
• Newsletters and e-zines
• Management by wandering around
• Workspace design

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Communication flow

• Upward Communication
• Downward Communication
• Horizontal Communication
• Informal Communication (Grapevine)

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Upward Communication

• Function feedback, participation, problem
  solving, relief of pressure
• Barriers
• Opinion hinders attainment of personal goal
• Lack of feedback of supervisor
• Attitude towards feedback by supervisor
• Physical barriers

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Downward communication

• Function information, co-operation, persuasion,
  damage control
• Barriers
• Information overload
• Management speak
• Confusing messages
• Lack of trust
• Lack of interest/preconceived ideas

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Horizontal communication

• Function task co-ordination, problem solving,
  information sharing, conflict resolution
• Barriers
• Stereotyping
• Competition for resources
• Lack of time
• Not acknowledged in performance review

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Open Office Communications at Nortel Networks

• Telecommunications giant Nortel Networks has
  turned its former manufacturing facility into an
  open-plan cityscape headquarters. The governing
  metaphor here is to break down the walls so
  employees can communicate with each other more
  easily.

Courtesy of Nortel Networks
Courtesy of Nortel Networks
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Cluster Chain Grapevine Pattern
Receiver-sender
Receiver only
Nonreceiver
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Grapevine communication

• Inevitable (75 of messages correct)
• More likely to occur in periods of uncertainty
• Advantages fast, job satisfaction, fast
  feedback, releases tension
• Disadvantages incorrect info, used towards
  political gain, conformity, backbiting,
  inside-outside groups
• More likely to be used when formal communication
  is slow or inaccurate

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Cross-Cultural Communication

• Verbal differences
• Language
• Nonverbal differences
• Voice intonation
• Interpreting nonverbal meaning
• Importance of verbal versus nonverbal
• Silence and conversational overlaps

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Gender Communication Differences
Men
Women

• Report talk Rapport talk
• Gives advice quickly Gives advice indirectlyand
  directly and reluctantly
• Avoids asking for Frequently asks forinformation
  information
• Less sensitive to More sensitive tononverbal
  cues nonverbal cues

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Getting Your Message Across

• Empathize
• Repeat the message
• Use timing effectively
• Be descriptive

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Active Listening

• Don't interrupt
• Empathize
• Maintain interest
• Postpone evaluation
• Organize information
• Show interest
• Provide feedback

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Persuasive Communication
Communication Medium
Audience Characteristics Self-esteem
Inoculated
Communicator Characteristics Expert
Trustworthy Attractive
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Communicating inOrganizational Settings
8
C H A P T E R
E I G H T