Chapter 16
Managing Communication
©2004 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited
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What Would You Do?
Buckman Labs is facing
communication problems
Answers to customer questions
took too long
People were unwilling to share
information
How can sales reps be matched
with the right technical experts?
©2004 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited
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Learning Objectives:
Communication
After reading the next two sections,
you should be able to:
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
Basic perception process
Perception problems
Perceptions of others
Self-perception
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Basic Perception
Process
Perception is the process by which
individuals attend to, organize,
interpret, and retain information
about their environments
Perceptual filters
how people experience stimuli
personality-, psychology-, or
experienced-based differences
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Basic Perception
Process
Exhibit 16.1
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Perception Problems
Selective perception
tendency to notice and accept
information consistent with our values
and beliefs
ignore inconsistent information
Closure
tendency to fill in the gaps when
information is missing
we assume that what we don’t know
is consistent with what we do know
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Perceptions of Others
Attribution theory
we have a basic need to understand
and explain the causes of other
people’s behaviour
causes can be internal or external
internal causes are voluntary or under
the individual’s control
external causes are involuntary and
outside the individual’s control
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Attribution Error
and Bias
Defensive bias
tendency for people to perceive
themselves as personally and
situationally similar to someone who
is in trouble
Fundamental attribution error
Tendency to ignore external causes of
behaviour and attribute behaviour to
internal causes
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Self-Perception
People generally want to maintain
a positive self-image and anything
that threatens that can create
defensiveness
Self-serving bias
tendency of people to attribute
success to internal causes and failure
to external causes
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Kinds of
Communication
The communication process
Formal communications channels
Informal communication channels
Coaching and counseling: One-on-
one communication
Nonverbal communication
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The Interpersonal
Communication Process
Exhibit 16.2
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Noise
Noise occurs if:
1. the sender isn’t sure about what message to
communicate
2. the message is not clearly encoded
3. the wrong communication channel is chosen
4. the message is not received or decoded
properly
5. the receiver doesn’t have the experience or
time to understand the message
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Meanings of the
Word “Fine”
1. If you exceed the 100-kph speed limit, you
may have to pay a fine (penalty)
2. Mario Lemieux turned in a fine performance
(excellent)
3. The machine runs at a slow speed, because
the tolerance is fine (delicate)
4. The puzzle is difficult to put together
because the pieces are so fine (small)
5. Recent experiments have tried to produce
drugs that are fine (pure)
6. The pages of that antique book are
extremely fine (flimsy)
Adapted from Exhibit 16.3
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Formal Communication
Channels
The system of official channels
carrying organizationally approved
information
Downward communication
from higher to lower levels
Upward communication
from lower to higher levels
Horizontal communication
among people at the same level
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Improving Formal
Communication
Decrease reliance on downward
communication
Increase chances for upward
communication
Encourage greater use of
horizontal communication
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Informal
Communication
Channels
Transmission of messages outside
the formal communication
channels
The “grapevine”
arises out of informal networks
carries highly accurate information
information is interesting and timely
senders can seek feedback
accuracy can be verified
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Managing the
Grapevine
Don’t withhold information from it
Feed information to it to keep
employees informed
Use it as a source of information
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Coaching and Counselling:
One-on-One
Communication
Coaching
communicating with someone for the direct
purpose of improving the person’s
performance
Counselling
communicating with someone about non-
job-related issues that may be affecting
performance
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Nonverbal
Communication
Any communication that doesn’t
involve words.
Kinesics
movements of the body and face
Paralanguage
the pitch, rate, tone, volume, and
speaking pattern of one’s voice
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Learning Objectives:
Improving
Communication
After reading the next two
sections, you should be able to:
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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Managing One-on-One
Communication
Choosing the right communication
medium
Listening
Giving feedback
Improving cross-cultural
communication
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Choosing the Right
Communication Medium
The method used to deliver an oral
or written message
Oral communication
spoken messages such as face-to-
face and group meetings and
telephone calls
Written communication
includes letters, e-mails and memos
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Listening
Hearing versus listening
Active listening
Empathetic listening
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Becoming an
Active Listener
Clarify responses
ask speaker to explain confusing
statements
Paraphrase responses
restate what has been said in your
own words
Summarize responses
review the speaker’s main points
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Becoming an
Empathetic Listener
Show your desire to
understand
listen first
talk about what’s important to the
other
Reflecting feelings
focus on the affective part of the
message
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Clarifying, Paraphrasing, and
Summarizing Responses
for Active Listeners
Clarifying
Could you explain that again?
I don’t understand what you mean
Paraphrasing
What you’re really saying is …
If I understand you correctly …
Summarizing
Let me summarize …
Okay, your main concerns are …
Adapted from Exhibit 16.5
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Giving Feedback
Destructive feedback
disapproves without any intention of
being helpful and almost always
causes a negative or defensive
reaction
Constructive feedback
intended to be helpful, corrective,
and/or encouraging
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Making Feedback
Effective
Provide immediate feedback
don’t delay, give feedback while memories
are strong
Provide specific feedback
focus on particular behaviours under the
person’s control
Provide problem — oriented
feedback
focus on behaviour not personality
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Improving Cross-
Cultural Communication
Familiarize yourself with cultural
work norms
Know the address terms
Understand cultural attitudes
toward time
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Cross-Cultural
Temporal Concepts
Appointment time
how punctual you must be
Schedule time
time when projects should be completed
Discussion time
how much time should be spent in
discussion with others
Acquaintance time
how much time you must spend with
someone before getting down to business
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Managing Organization
—Wide Communication
Improving transmission: getting
the message out
Improving reception: hearing what
others feel and think
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Improving
Transmission: Getting
the Message Out
E-mail
Online discussion forums
Televised/videotaped speeches
and conferences
Corporate talk shows
Broadcast voice-mail
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Establishing Online
Discussion Forums
1. Perform a “knowledge” audit — identify
intellectual assets and spread that
information throughout the organization
2. Create an online directory — detail workers’
expertise and make it available to all
employees
3. Set up discussion groups on the net —
people can collaborate on problem solving
4. Reward information sharing — make
knowledge sharing part of performance
ratings
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Improving Reception:
Hearing What Others Feel
and Think
Company hotlines
people can call and leave anonymous
comments
Survey feedback
information gathered from questionnaires
Informal meetings
hear directly what people think
Surprise visits
opportunity to talk with people who have
little chance to talk with upper management
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What Really Happened?
Differences of perception existed
between sales reps and technical
experts
Online discussion forums were created
K’Netix system appealed to experts,
sales reps and customers
K’Netix encouraged open and
unrestricted communication and has
helped people develop innovative
solutions
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