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Chapter Thirteen

Managing Communication

© 2011 Cengage Learning

Zappos (Las Vegas, Nevada)

• What would the best customer service in the business look like? What would customers expect?

• How can you make sure that every new person hired understands the corporate culture around great service?

• How can you improve communication between headquarters, the call center, and the distribution warehouse?

• What steps can you take to effectively and frequently talk about Zappos so that employees and customers have a deeper, more meaningful connection to the company?

What Is Communication?

1. Explain the role that perception plays in communication and communication problems

2. Describe the communication process and the various kinds of communication in organizations

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Perception and Communication Problems

1.1 The basic perception process1.2 Perception problems1.3 How we perceive others1.4 How we perceive ourselves

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Basic Perception Process

• Perception

• Perceptual filters

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Exhibit 13.1Basic Perception Process

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Perception Problems

• Selective perception

• Closure

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Perceptions of Others

• Attribution theory– we all have a basic need to understand

and explain the causes of other people’s behavior

• Defensive bias• Fundamental attribution theory

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Attributions in the Workplace

• Employees and coworkers are likely to attribute problems to external causes.

• Managers tend to commit the fundamental attribution error.

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Self-Perception

Self-serving bias• The tendency to overestimate

our value by attributing success to ourselves and failures to others or the environment

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Management FactOne of the most frequent causes of communication problemsis jargon, vocabulary that is particular to a group. Any ideawhat “rightsizing,” “delayering,” and “unsiloing,” mean?Rightsizing means laying off workers. Delayering means firingmanagers. Unsiloing means getting workers in different partsof the company to work with people in other areas. Andbecause there is always new jargon being developed, it isimportant that managers not assume that other people, eventheir own employees, are familiar with their meaning.

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Kinds of Communication

2.1 The communication process2.2 Communication channels2.3 Coaching and counseling, or

one-on-one communication2.4 Nonverbal communication

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Exhibit 13.2The Interpersonal Communication Process

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NoiseAnything that interferes with the transmission

of the intended message.

• The sender isn’t sure what message to communicate.

• The message is not clearly encoded.• The wrong communication channel is

chosen.• The message is not received or decoded

properly.• The receiver doesn’t have the experience or

time to understand the message.

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Conduit Metaphor

The mistaken assumption that senders can pipe their intended

messages directly into the heads of receivers with perfect clarity

and without interfering with perception of message.

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Formal Communication Channel

The system of official channels that carry organizationally approved messages and

information.

Downward communication

Upward communication

Horizontal communication

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To Improve Communication

• Decrease reliance on downward communication

• Increase chances for upward communication

• Encourage much better use of horizontal communication

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Informal Communication Channel

The transmission of messages from employee to employee

outside of formal communication channels.

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Exhibit 13.3 Grapevine Communication Channels

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Managing Grapevines

• Worst thing to do is withhold information

• Keep employees informed about possible changes and strategies

• Do not overlook the grapevine as a tremendous source of information and feedback

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CoachingCommunicating with someone for the

direct purpose of improving the person’s on-the-job performance.

Mistakes managers make• Wait for a problem before coaching• Wait too long before talking to

employee about problem

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Counseling

Communicating with someone about non-job-related issues

• Managers should not be clinicians• Discuss specific performance

problems• Listen if the employee shares

personal issues

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Nonverbal Communication

• Kinesics

• Paralanguage

How to Improve Communication

3. Explain how managers can manage effective one-on-one communication

4. Describe how managers can manage effective organization-wide communication

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Protect Personal, Confidential Information

• As a manager, you have a moral and legal obligation to protect employee’s privacy. Moreover, sharing others’ personal, confidential information may dissuade employees from confiding in managers or seeking help from a company’s employee assistance program.

• If you’re a manager, sometimes you have to inform your boss or human resources about a situation. But inform only those who have a need to know and who are also obligated to protect employee privacy.

• Not all information that employees disclose to you should be protected. Information about discrimination, sexual harassment, potential workplace violence, or conflicts of interest between employees and the company may need to be shared with upper management to protect the rights and well-being of others.

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Managing One-on-One Communication

3.1 Choose the right communication medium

3.2 Be a good listener3.3 Give effective feedback3.4 Improve cross-cultural

communication

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Communication Medium

The method used to deliver a message

• Oral communication• Written communication

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Listening

• Most people are terrible listeners, retaining only about 25% of what they hear

• About 45% of total communication time is spend listening

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Hearing and Listening

• Hearing

• Listening

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Active ListeningAssuming half the responsibility for successful communication by actively

giving the speaker nonjudgmental feedback that shows you’ve accurately

heard what he or she said

• Clarify responses• Paraphrase • Summarize

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Exhibit 13.4Clarifying, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing Responses for Active Listeners

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Empathetic ListeningUnderstanding the speaker’s perspective and

personal frame of reference and giving feedback that conveys that understanding

to the speaker

• Show desire to understand• Reflect the speaker’s emotions

“So right now it sounds like you’re feeling…”

“Do you feel a bit…?” “I could be wrong, but I’m sensing that

you’re feeling...”

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Giving Feedback

• Destructive feedback

• Constructive feedback

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Giving Constructive Feedback

• Immediate• Specific• Problem-oriented

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Cross-Cultural Communication

Transmitting information from a person in one culture to a person from another culture

• Familiarize yourself with a culture’s general work norms.

• Determine whether a culture is emotionally affective or neutral.

• Develop respect for other cultures.• Understand how address terms and

attitudes toward time differ from culture to culture

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Improving Cross-Cultural Communication

• Determine whether culture is emotionally affective or neutral

• Respect other cultures• Know address terms• Understand cultural attitudes toward

time

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Exhibit 13.5Affective and Neutral Cultures

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Address Terms

The cultural norms that establish whether you address people by

their first names, family names, or titles

“Chuck” or “Mr. Ramsey” or “Doctor”?

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Exhibit 13.6Attitudes to Time

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Temporal Concepts

• Appointment time• Schedule time• Discussion time• Acquaintance time

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Managing Organization-Wide Communication

4.1 Improving transmission by getting the message out

4.2 Improving reception by finding ways to hear what others feel and think.

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Improving Transmission

• E-mail• Online discussion forums• Televised/videotaped speeches

and meetings• Voice messaging

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Organizational Silence

Withholding information about organizational problems or issues

Occurs when employees believe that telling management about

problems won’t make a difference, or that they’ll be

punished.

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Improving Reception

• Company hotlines• Survey feedback • Frequent informal meetings• Surprise visits• Blogs

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Friday Night Lights

1. Both the speaker and the listener(s) are necessary components in the communication process. Coach Gaines is the speaker and each team member and the assistant coaches are listeners. Only Gaines spoke. Did he still meet the basic requirements of effective communication? Draw examples from his speech to support your conclusions.

2. How well do the members of the team and the assistant coaches seem to be listening to the message the coach is communicating to them? How can you tell?

3. Assess the effectiveness of the coach’s communication to the team. How do you expect the team to play in the second half of the game as a result?

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Greensburg Public

Schools

1. Why was communication so difficult in the days following the tornado?

2. Describe the advantages and disadvantages of text messaging as the preferred communication channel in Greensburg after the tornado.

3. In what ways has communication in Greensburg improved since then?

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