A Conceptual Framework for Understanding Business Communications

1
A Conceptual Framework for Understanding Business
Communications

• Hayes-Andrews and Baird
• Chapter 2

2
Implications of Business Communications

• For most, success comes through affiliation with
  an organization.
• Success in an organization depends to a great
  extent on communication skills.
• Opportunities for advancement require technical
  and communication skills.
• The communication skills become more critical to
  job performance at higher levels

3
Organizations Defined

• A system of individuals who work through a
  hierarchy and division of labor to achieve a
  common goal.
• Communication is the lifeblood of an organization
• Communication is the essence of organized
  activity and the basic process out of which all
  other functions derive.

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The Communications Process

• Early models of communication were linear (one
  way) with a focus on sender and not the receiver.
• The focus is on the sender and relies upon him or
  her to make meaning in transmitting a message
  that is effective.

• Contemporary models are transactional emphasizing
  communication as a two-way reciprocal process of
  mutual message exchange.
• The focus is more on the receiver and the meaning
  of the message in his or her mind.

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Transactional Communication Defined

• Mutually interdependent human beings create and
  exchange messages and interpret and negotiate
  meaning while striving to articulate and realize
  mutually held visions, purposes and goals.

6
Organizational Communications Characteristics

• Organizations have a hierarchy - The hierarchy
  prescribes to an extent who talks to whom about
  what and who makes what decisions.
• Organizations have specific goals and roles -
  Tasks and objectives shape communications and
  typically people with similar goals tend to find
  themselves working and communicating with each
  other.
• Organizations have behavioral expectations
  through the vision, mission, goals and
  objectives, etc., organizations set expectations
  for employees.

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Characteristics Cont.

• Organizations have cooperation and competition -
  Co-workers are expected to work collaboratively
  in order to achieve company goals and may at
  times find themselves competing with team members
  for limited resources and positions.
• Communications in organizations involves
  long-term relationships When communicating
  clarity of message the appropriateness must be
  considered as well as potential effects on long
  term relationships.

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Communications Shortcomings

• Communications is often activity oriented not
  results oriented it is considered as a thing
  that must be done without understanding what is
  supposed to be achieved and considering the best
  strategy to make an impact.
• There is too much communication activity rather
  than too little employees often complain about
  information overload from volumes of emails,
  memos, policies and procedures etc., leaving them
  unable to sort out important messages from
  routine information and ignoring much of what
  they receive.

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Communications Shortcomings Cont.

• Communications is often one-way Managers assume
  that as long as they are sending messages they
  are communicating, therefore engaging in downward
  communications with little or no feedback from
  lower levels. Communications must be upward,
  downward and lateral.
• The impact of communications is not measured no
  systematic efforts are made to measure the impact
  of messages in terms of objectives or results.
  Results must be clearly defined and measured.

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Communications Shortcomings Cont.

• Communications is unresponsive to employees needs
  Employers typically believe they know what
  information employees need, rarely do they ask
  employees what information they would like to
  receive.
• The people who implement communication systems
  may lack the necessary communications skills
  people who communicate must have skills as
  communicators.

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Two Elements of Communications

• Communications Systems Consists of meetings,
  electronic systems, publications, conversations
  etc. on which messages are transmitted.
• Communication Skills People who have the skills
  to communicate effectively.

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Formal Communication Channels

• Formal Communications Follows prescribed
  channels of communications throughout the
  organization, typically following a chain of
  command. Often depicted through an organizational
  chart, it provides for the structured flow of
  upward, downward and horizontal communications.

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Downward Communications

• Downward communications - Consists of messages
  that flow from upper to lower levels of the
  organization. Through this system employee
  activities are directed, attitudes and behaviors
  are conveyed, instruction provided, policies and
  procedures passed on, performance evaluated, etc.

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Downward Communications Cont.

• Written Downward Communications
• Job descriptions, work procedures, protocols.
• Newsletters and internal publications
  (cyberpublications).
• Digital publications
• Bulletin boards
• Letters and memoranda
• E-mail
• Intranet

• Oral Downward Communications
• Employment interviews
• Performance evaluations
• Disciplinary interviews
• Department meetings
• Mass meetings
• Educational and orientation programs
• Videoconferencing and presentations
• Telephones

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Challenges of Downward Communications

• Messages are not received.
• Information overload
• Organizational bypassing
• Distortion or filtering
• Not used to motivate or encourage employees

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Strategies for Effective Communications

• Conscious communications requires thoughtful,
  strategic combination of written, oral and
  electronic messages.
• Conscious communications acknowledges the give
  and take or inter-connectedness required in
  communicating.

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Upward Communications

• Upward communications are sent from the lower to
  the higher levels of the organizations.
• Messages flowing upward ie., employee concerns,
  ideas, reactions and recommendations are vital to
  the organizations success.

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Upward Communications

• Written Upward Communications
• Employee opinion surveys
• Write to know or gripevine systems
• Suggestion boxes
• Memoranda, letters, email, reports
• Intranets
• Complaints or grievances
• Performance evaluations

• Oral Upward Communications
• Open door policies (MBWA)
• Formal grievance procedures
• Department or unit meetings
• Individual interviews
• Advisory committees
• Tasks forces and problem-solving groups
• Telephone hotlines
• Voice messaging

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Challenges of Upward Communication

• Subject to substantial distortion
• Some members of the organization discourage
  upward communications
• May be too intimidating to employees

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Strategies for Effective Upward Communications

• Conscious communications is best achieved when
  organizations provide systems designed
  specifically to promote upward communications and
  use downward communications to encourage it.

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Horizontal Communications

• Traditional organizations discouraged this form
  of communication with the belief that all
  information should by passed on vertically
  through the hierarchy.
• Today with the evolution of teams, participative
  decision-making, and empowerment of employees,
  vertical communications has become vital to
  organizational success.
• As organizations flatten their hierarchies
  horizontal communications will take on greater
  importance.

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Types of Horizontal Communications

• All of the same oral and written methods used in
  upward communications are used laterally as well
  as
• Teambuilding seminars
• Cross-departmental visitations
• Committee meetings
• Work teams
• Virtual work teams

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Challenges of Horizontal Communications

• Some organizations do very little to encourage
  horizontal communications.
• Management and staff may not fully support the
  process for a variety of personal reasons.
• In inter-disciplinary teams, specialization may
  impede the communications process.
• Exchanges of relevant information may be
  difficult for others to understand.

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External Communications

• Communications to external stakeholders is
  critical to the organizations success.
• May involve the use of the same written and oral
  forms of communications as well.
• Newspaper and magazine press releases
• Brochures and publications
• Web sites
• Electronic mail

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Written and Oral External Communications

• Written External Communications
• Newspaper and magazine press releases
• Brochures and publications
• Web sites
• Electronic mail

• Oral External Communications
• Large group meetings
• Customer or supplier meetings
• Employment interviews
• Radio and television
• Telephone communications
• Voice messaging
• Teleconferencing
• Video communications

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External Communication Challenges

• Challenges to external information include
• Information overload
• Filtering and distortion
• To avoid the pitfalls of communications a formal
  plan and a carefully coordinated strategy for
  communicating should be implemented to guide and
  direct all external communications.

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Informal Channels of Communications

• Informal oral communications spring from informal
  networks and is considered the dominant form of
  oral interaction in organizations. Referred to as
  the hidden hierarchy informal communications is
  how many organizations operate.
• Grapevine -78-90 accuracy
• Errors in the grapevine are dramatic or critical
• Serves as a network for spreading rumors (exists
  where there is distrust and suspicion).

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Strategies for Minimizing Rumors

• Keep employees informed
• Create opportunities for employees to report the
  rumors that are going around.
• Pay attention to the rumors that are going around
  (identify important issues).
• Act promptly before rumors spread.
• Enlighten personnel by providing them accurate
  information and discuss potential
  distructiveness.

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Blogging as Informal Communications

• Blog (Web logs) refers to web sites where one can
  post journal style daily comments on whatever
  topic the writer chooses to discuss.
• Some organizations hire public relations
  specialists to track blogs daily to see what is
  being said about them, the competition and
  potential customers.

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Technology and Communication Opportunities and
Challenges

• Opportunities
• Intranet
• Extranet
• Recruitment and hiring
• Crisis management
• Knowledge management
• Online forums, connected knowledge bases,
  electronic bulletin boards, spreadsheets, etc.
• Learning organizations

• Challenges
• Information overload
• Privacy violation
• Breeches, saftey and security
• Impersonalization
• Excess use
• Straining other traditional forms of
  communication