What is communication? - Some Definii =a Communication ‘= It is the transfer of a message through a medium, from one individual to another individual. '* The process of sending and receiving of messages between individuals, with feedbacks and effects. += It is the process of sharing of information, ideas and feelings- ~ Some dehnneee communication ‘= Itis the simultaneous sharing and creating of meaning through symbolic interaction ( Seilerand Beall, 2008) * Atransmission of information from one person or group to another person or group ( Riggio, 2008) == Components of communication * Source /Sender * Receiver * Message * Feedback ‘Channels * Environment * Context ‘+ Noise/interference—— — Principles of Communication Communication isa process » Communication isa system Communication is both interactional and transactional © Communication can be intentional and unintentional $$$ Communication is a process '* Because it involves a series of actions which are ‘ongoing and is constantly changing. '* The relationship of all the componentsat a certain time in a process of communication cannot be duplicated. '* Communication is ever-changing and capable of making changes. '* Communication takes place within a flow. —— Communication is a system © Asystem isa combination of parts interdependently acting to forma whole. * If one partis not functioning properly, the other parts areaffected. ‘© Therefore in acommunication, if one component is not functioning properly, the whole process is affected.- ommunieation Bethe Interactional and Transactional © The interactional and transactional nature of ‘communication should be considered together. —_—_z Communication is interactionalmunication can ntional and Unintentional * When one communicate with another, s/he intends a certain specific message. with specific purpose and ‘specific meanings. ‘= Communication occurs regardless whether itis intended or unintended. = What are the functions of communication? ‘unctions of Com ns * Communication isa social process to : + To seek information '* To disseminate information + Toeducate + Topersuade + Toentertain + Toinfluence + Todiscover information + Touncoverinformation setere What are the functions of communication? Some functions of communication * Toinform: * Toshare * Toinfluence + Small group communication ‘* Organizational communication '* Public communication '* Mass communication * Mediated communication * Intercultural communicationOrganizational Communication + One of the main characteristics of effective employers and employees isto be able to communicate effectively. * Ideas, visions, knowledge, opinions or complains will not get anywhere without communicating them torelevant others, Organizational Communication © Organizational communication may be classified into four types: ‘+ Upward communication + Downward communication + Business communication + Informal communication ( Aamodt, 2010) i Organizational Communication * Upward communication * Down communication * Lateral communication (Riggio, 2009)What is ee communication? * Organizational communicationis theability of an ividual or group withina collective establishment to transmit and receive information within that collective establishment. Usually organizational ‘communication is premised on common set goals that the collective establishment attempts to execute: Upward communication(UC) * UCis the communication of subordinates (lower levels ) to superiors or of employees to managers(upper levels). “The ideal practice is for employees to speak directly to the management withan “open door policy”. * Quality of UC contributes to employees satisfaction + However, it is not be practical if every employee communicates with the manager forseveral reasons such as the volume that reaches the management & employees feel threatened by managers. —=—E Serial communication *Insituations when open door policy is not possible, serial communication is adopted, in which message is relayed from an employee to the superiors ( according to hierarchy) until the css. reaches the top.aa cone Disadvantages 1. The message (content and tone) changesas it moves from person to person. > Bad news and complaintsare seldom conveyed, partly due to the stress associated with delivering the bad news (McKee ‘&Ptacek, 2001, in Aamodt, 2007). The reluctance to convey bad news is called MUM (minimize unpleasant message ) effect { Rosen & Tesser, 1970 in Aamodt, 2007}. - ‘Serial ae Disadvantages * Effectiveness of the communication depends on the physical proximity of the sender and the receiver, especially with informal communication channels. However, proximity does not play a role if the message is being communicated electronically such as the e-mail ( Valacich, Parantia, George &Nunamaker, 1993 in Aamodt, 3007) a Serial communication * The MUM effect affects the organization as important information is being kept from the upper levels. * Forthe employees , the MUM effect is a form of survival, i nobody has to be the bad news bearer (the ‘one who communicates the bad news to the management).——— Sed Facilitating Upward communication * To overcome the disadvantages of serial communication, several methods are utilise + surveys + Focus groups + Exit Interviews + Suggestion boxes + Third party Facilitators Surveys * Surveys are usually conducted annually by an outside consultant who administers questionnaires, asking ‘employees to rate their opinions on factors such as: ay, working conditions, supervisors etc ‘* Surveys also give opportunity toemployeesto give ‘suggestions and to list complaints. * The consultant then analyse the responses and then report to the management. + Results of the surveysare use to create the action plans. for the coming year (Robb 2004 in Aamodt 2007), ~ —— Surveys * Surveys are only useful if the results are being taken seriously by the management. * Some organization share the result of the survey with their employees, as anact to increase trust.——_— Focus groups '* Focus groups are group interviews (Morgan, 1998), "* A focus isa qualitative research method with a widespread use in various applicative fields (such as market research or NGOs research), and a fairly moderated use in social sciences (mainly sociology and psychology) (Barbour, 1995; Baban, 2002; Boan, 2006; Goldman & MacDonald, 1987; Greenbaum, 1988; Howard, Hubelbank, & Moore, 1989; Powell & Single, 1996) “= The responses obtained from the focus group is the then passed on tothe management, without telling the names of employs who participated in the focus groups. = Exit Interviews © Exit interviews are interviews done with employees voluntarily leaving the organization . '* It isan excellent source of information as the “real” reason/s will be revealed.ee — Suggestion boxes * Suggestion or complaints boxesis another method to facilitate UC. (or the toll fiee numbers ). © The greatest advantage of the suggestion or ‘complaints boxes is that employees can immediately, ‘communicate their feelings anonymously. * Suggestion and complaints boxes work equally well with customers '* For the boxes to be beneficial, management must respond to the suggestions and complaints ina timely manner. Suggestion boxes '* One way to respond to the suggestions or complains is to place the suggestions and complaints on the bulletin board or to post them on the organization's intranet along with the management's responses. * Some organizations take suggestions seriously and reward employees who give useful ideas such as money-saving ideas or cost ~saving ideas. ===" Third party Facilitators “© The use of third party facilitators, such as iaison and ombudsperson ,is another way to facilitate UC. “© A third party facilitator takes the complaints and suggestions of the employees and personally work with the management to find solutions . “* The advantage of this method is the neutrality of the ‘ombudsperson , who works fora solution acceptable to both theemployees and the management (Hirshman, 2003 in Aamodt, 2007)ee Downward communication(DC) * DC is the communication from superior or management to employees. * DC considered a major method in organizational ‘communication to keep employees informed and to convey vital information crucial for the employs to perform their jobs. -E ‘Methods In aowiveeee communication = Bulletin boards (electronic and non-electronic) “© Policy manuals * Newsletters “Intranets == Bulletin Board * Amethod in DC. ‘= The main use is to communicate non-work related ‘opportunities such asscholarship, optional meetings and items forsale. Itis notan appropriate place for important formation such as change of policy or procedures. ** Advantage: low cost and wide exposure toemployees and visitors, especially placed at strategic places . ‘= There is also electronic bulletin boards called “networks”Policy Manuals * Policy Manuals is the place for posting important ‘changes in policy or procedure. ‘The Policy Manual contains the rules employees must ate; written in highly technical language, although they should be written less technical so that employees feel encouraged to read. © The contents of the policy manuals are binding contracts by courts; thus must be updated each time policy changes. This is usually done by sending updated pages to employees so that they can replace the old ones with the new pages. ——a Policy Manuals * Policy manuals ate usually hundreds of pages long and so many employees do not want to read them. = Toreduce length problems, most organizations have ‘two types of company manual: (1) A policy manual (very specific and lengthy, containing all the rules and policies under which the organization operates) (2) ‘The employee handbook (shorter and contains only the most essential policies and rules, as well as general summaries of less important rules) Newsletter '* Newsletter s are designed to bolster employees’ morale by discussing happy or innocous events such, as birthdays, births and ballgame scores. * [Link] source of information for celebrating employee successes, providing feedback of how well the organization is doing , introducing new employees and to remind employees of organizational changes ‘= Newsletter can be printed or electronic (sent through email or intranet).=a Intranet '* Many organizations are using intranets to replace bulletin boards, newsletter and company manuals ‘* Intranets are organization-wide versions of internet. * One of the most useful aspects of intranets is the speed , besides its 24-hour availability , paperless and savings on postage and printing. * Intranets are common resourees for :online employee handbooks, FAQs, activity calendars ete ——— Ey Business Communication * This is the communication which relates to the business -related information among employees, management and customers. * Methods include: + Memos + Telephone calls and faxes + Email and voice mail + Business meeting Each method has its advantages and disadvantages a Informal communication * Informal communication happens everywhere including the workplace . * Often, informal communication is transmitted through “grapevine’ aterm which can betraced back tothe Civil War, * Informal communication provides information, power and entertainment. * Most people consider contents in informal communication to be inaccurate or distorted, research shows that it containsa great deal of truth.zz Informal Communication