COMMUNICATION

Communication is the lifeblood of any organization- and

miscommunication has contributed to the equivalent of
cardiovascular damage in more than one organization
• Communication is considered to the most important effective
ingredient of the management process
• Interpersonal communication is fundamental to all the managerial
activities
• Effective management is a function of effective communication
• Many operations have failed due to poor communication
 COMMUNICATION

• Communication: The process by which people attempt to share

meaning via the transmission of symbolic message
• Communication may also be defined as "the process of passing
information and understanding from one person to another"
• It means transmitting and sharing of ideas, opinions, facts, and
information in a manner that is perceived and understood by the
receiver of the communication
• It is a meaningful interaction among people where the thoughts are
transferred from one person to another in a manner such that the
meaning and value of such thoughts is same in the minds of both the
sender as well as the receiver of the communication
 COMMUNICATION

• Effective communication is very essential for management to

successfully perform its functions
• It is essential ingredient in management-employee relations
• According to [Link],"Most of the conflicts in business are not
basic but are caused by misunderstood motives and ignorance of
facts. Proper communications between interested parties reduce
the points of friction and minimize those that arise"
 COMMUNICATION

• According to A. Dasgupta, the scope for a two- way means of

consulting and exchanging facts, opinions and ideas between
management and employee pertain to:
-knowledge of policies and objectives of an enterprise
-knowledge of results and achievements from these policies
-knowledge of plans and prospects for the future
-knowledge of conditions of service
-knowledge of ways and means of improving efficiency
&productivity
-knowledge of all aspects of industrial safety, health and welfare
 COMMUNICATION

• Chester Barnard proposed seven communication factors which are a

function of objective authority. These are:
[Link] channels of communication must be clearly set and be known to all
[Link] member of the organization should be reached by some channel of
communication
[Link] line of communication should be as direct as possible
[Link] should be no blockage in the line of communication and the
complete formal line should be used
[Link] communicator should be highly skilled in the art of communication
[Link] line of communication should be constantly kept open
[Link] communication should be authenticated
The Importance of Effective Communication
• Effective communication is important to managers for three primary
reasons:
[Link] provides a common thread for the management
process of planning, organizing, leading, and controlling
[Link] communications skills can enable managers to draw on the
vast array of talents available in the multicultural world of organizations
[Link] so happens that managers do spend a great deal of time
communicating. Managers time is spent largely in face-to-face,
electronic or telephone communication with employees, supervisors,
suppliers or customers
 Interpersonal Communication
• Communication is defined as the process by which people seek to
share meaning via the transmission of symbolic message
• Our working definition of communication calls attention to three
essential points:
(1) that communication involves people
(2) that communication involves shared meaning
(3) that communication involves symbols-gestures, sounds, letters,
numbers and words can only represent or approximate the ideas that
they are meant to communicate
Mintzberg's Definition of The Role
of Communication in Three Managerial Roles
 The Communication Process
• Most of us are familiar with the game of "telephone" in which one
person whispers a message into the ear of another, who whispers the
message to the next person, and so on. Inevitably, when the last
person says the message out loud, it is quite different from what was
the first whispered. "Telephone" illustrates numerous complexities in
the communication process. We highlight thee such complexity in the
communications model shown in another slide: encoding, noise in
communication channels, and decoding
The Communication Process
 The Communication Process

• Communication takes place in the relationship between a sender and

receiver
• Communication can flow in one direction and end there, or a message can
elicit a response –formally known as feedback-from the receiver
 Message- The encoded information sent by the sender to the receiver
 The sender, or source of the message-initiates the communication
 The receiver-is the person whose senses perceive the sender's message
• There may be large number of receivers
• The message must be crafted with the receiver's background in mind
• If the message does not each the receiver, communication has not taken
place
 The Communication Process

 Encoding: The translation of information into a series of symbols for

communication or gestures or some other format for communication
 Decoding: Decoding is the process by which the receiver interprets
the message and translate it into meaningful information
• It is two-step process. The receiver must first perceive the message,
then interpret it
• the more the receiver's decoding matches the sender's intended
message, the more effective the communication has been
 The Communication Process

 Noise: Noise is any factor that disturbs, confuses, or otherwise interferes

with communication.
• noise can arise along what is called the communications channel or
method of transmission(such as air for spoken words or paper for letters
 Channel: It is a vehicle used for the transmission of the message. It is a
medium carrier and bridges the gap between the sender and receiver. It
may be face to face conversation, in written form or through any form of
gestures
 Feedback: A feedback determines whether the message was clearly
understood, and the required action taken. The feedback to the sender
completes the process of communication
 Nonverbal Communication
• The most obvious modes of communication are speaking, writing,
and sign language.
• A substantial amount of interpersonal communication also occurs
through nonverbal communication, the transmission of messages by
means other than words.
• Nonverbal communication usually supplements rather than
substitutes for writing, speaking, and sign language.
• The general purpose of nonverbal communication is to express the
feeling behind a message, such as nodding one’s head vigorously to
indicate an emphatic “yes.
 Aspects of Nonverbal Communication
1. Hand and body gestures.
• Your hand and body movements convey specific information to
others.
• Frequent gesturing shows a positive attitude toward another person.
In contrast, dislike or disinterest usually produces few gestures
2. Facial expressions and movement.
• The particular look on a person’s face and movements of the person’s
head provide reliable cues as to approval, disapproval, or disbelief.
• A smile from the receiver often indicates sup port for what you are
saying
 Aspects of Nonverbal Communication
3. Posture.
• Another widely used clue to a person’s attitude is his or her posture.
• Leaning toward another person suggests a favorable attitude toward
the message a person is trying to communicate.
• Tilting your head and leaning in indicates your concern and
attentiveness.
• Leaning backward communicates the opposite. Standing up straight
generally conveys self-confidence, while slouching can be interpreted
as a sign of low self-confidence
 Aspects of Nonverbal Communication
4. Body placement.
• The placement of one’s body in relation to someone else is widely used to
transmit messages.
• Facing a person in a casual, relaxed style indicates acceptance.
• Moving close to another person also generally indicates acceptance.
• Moving too close may be perceived as a violation of personal space, and the
message sender will be rejected
5. Voice quality. Aspects of the voice such as pitch, volume, tone, and speech rate
may communicate confidence, nervousness, and enthusiasm.
• People often judge intelligence by how a person sounds.
• The most annoying voice quality is a whining, complaining, or nagging tone.
• Another aspect of voice quality is a person’s accent
 Aspects of Nonverbal Communication
6. Clothing, dress, and appearance.
• The image a person conveys communicates such messages as “I feel
powerful” and “I think this meeting is important.”
• For example, wearing one’s best business attire to a performance
evaluation interview would communicate that the person thinks the
meeting is important
 Communication Directions
• Messages in organizations travel in four directions: downward,
upward, horizontally, and diagonally.
• Over time, an organization develops communication networks
corresponding to these directions.
• A communication network is a pat tern or flow of messages that
traces the communication from start to finish
 Communication Directions
Downward communication
• messages flow from one level to a lower level.
• For example, a supervisor gives orders to a team member, or top level
managers send an announcement to employees.
• A guiding principle of downward communication is that the company
must be transparent (rather than opaque or hidden) in terms of
revealing information to company insiders and outsiders
 Communication Directions
Upward communication
• Transmits messages from lower to higher levels in an organization.
• Although it may not be as frequent as downward communication, it is
equally important.
• Upward communication tells management how well messages have
been received.
• The upward communication path also provides an essential network
for keeping management informed about problems.
• Management by walking around and simply speaking to employees
facilitate upward communication
 Communication Directions
Horizontal communication
• Managers and other workers send messages to others at the same
organizational level.
• Horizontal communication frequently takes the form of coworkers from the
same department talking to or sending e-mail and intranet messages to
each other.
• Coworkers who fail to share information with and respond to each other
are likely to fall behind schedules and miss deadlines.
• Horizontal communication provides the basis for cooperation. People need
to communicate with each other to work effectively in joint efforts
 Communication Directions
Diagonal communication
• The transmission of messages to higher or lower organizational levels
in different departments.
• For example, when the head of the marketing department needs
some pricing information. She sends an e-mail to a supervisor in the
finance department to get his input. The supervisor, in turn, sends an
e-mail to a specialist in the data processing department to get the
necessary piece of information. The marketing person has thus
started a chain of communication that goes down and across the
organization
Barriers to Communication
Overcoming Barriers to Communication
 How to Conduct an Effective Meeting
• Meet only for valid reasons
• Start and stop on time, and offer refreshments
• Keep comments brief and to the point.
• Avoid electronic distractions
• Capitalize on technology when appropriate
• Encourage critical feedback and commentary
• Strive for wide participation
• Solve small issues ahead of time with e-mail
• Consider “huddling” when quick action is needed
• Ensure that all follow-up action is assigned and recorded.