Organizational Behavior: Communication

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Organizational BehaviorCommunication
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Functions of Communication
Motivation
Control
Emotional Expression
Information
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A Perceptual Model of Communication
Receiverdecodes
Transmittedon medium
Message
Encoding
Transmit Message
Sender
Receivercreatesmeaning
Noise
Transmit Feedback
Encoding
Message
Transmittedon medium
Sourcedecodes
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Hierarchy of Media Richness
Rich
Face-to-face
Overloaded Zone
Telephone
Personal written
Media Richness
Formal written
Oversimplified Zone
Formal numeric
Lean
Nonroutine/ Ambiguous
Routine/ Clear
Situation
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Information Overload
Episodes of information overload
Employees information processing capacity
Information Load
Time
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Reduce Information Load

• Buffering
• Summarizing
• Omitting.

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Direction ofCommunication
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Sources of Distortion in Upward Communication
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Three Common Small-Group Networks
Wheel
All-Channel
Chain
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Metacommunication

• Communication is more than just verbal
• Communicating about ones communication
  style/barriers to communication, etc.
• Nonverbal communication
• Words account for only 7 of emotional impact of
  a message
• Voice tones- 38
• Facial Expressions- 55

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Nonverbal Communication

• Body Movement, Gestures and Posture
• Touch
• Facial expressions and Personal Appearance.
• Eye Contact.
• Interpersonal Distance
• Voice Quality

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Nonverbal Communication

• Transmits most information in face-to-face
  meetings
• Influences meaning of verbal and written symbols
• Less rule bound than verbal communication
• Important part of emotional labor

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Skills and Best Practices Advice to Improve
Nonverbal Communication Skills
Positive Nonverbal Actions Include

• Maintain eye contact.
• Nod your head to convey that you are listening
  or that you agree.
• Smile and show interest.
• Lean forward to show the speaker you are
  interested.
• Use a tone of voice that matches your message

Negative Nonverbal Actions Include

• Avoiding eye contact and looking away from the
  speaker.
• Closing your eyes or tensing your facial
  muscles.
• Excessive yawning.
• Using body language that conveys indecisiveness
  or lack of confidence (e.g., slumped shoulders,
  head down, flat tones, inaudible voice)
• Speaking too fast or too slow.

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Organizational Grapevine

• Early Research Findings
• Transmits information rapidly in all directions
• Follows a cluster chain pattern
• More active in homogeneous groups
• Transmits some degree of truth
• Changes Due to Internet
• E-mail etc. becoming main grapevine medium
• Social networks are now global

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Grapevine Positives and Negatives

• Benefits
• Supplements information
• Strengthens corporate culture
• Relieves anxiety
• Signals that problems exist
• Problem
• Distortions might escalate anxiety

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Cross-Cultural Communication

• Assume differences until similarity is proved
• Emphasize description over interpretation and
  evaluation
• Cultivate the art of being empathetic
• Treat your interpretation as a working hypothesis

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Gender Communication Differences
Men
Women
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Gender Differences

• Women
• Prefer conversation for rapport building
• Want empathy, not solutions
• Are more likely to compliment
• Emphasize politeness
• More conciliatory

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Gender Differences

• Men
• Talk as a means to preserve independence and
  status by displaying knowledge and skill
• Work out problems on an individualized basis
• Are more directive in conversation
• Are more intimidating
• Call attention to their accomplishments
• Tend to dominate discussions during meetings

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Interpersonal Communication Styles
Communication
Nonverbal Behavior Verbal Behavior
Style Description Pattern
Pattern
Direct and unambiguous language No attributions
or evaluations of others behavior Use of I
statements and cooperative we statements.
Good eye contact Comfortable but firm posture
Strong, steady and audible voice Facial
expressions matched to message Appropriately
serious tone Selective interruptions to ensure
understanding.
Pushing hard without attacking permits others to
influence outcome expressive and self-enhancing
without intruding on others.
Assertive
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Interpersonal Communication Styles (continued)
Communication
Nonverbal Behavior Verbal Behavior
Style Description Pattern
Pattern
Glaring eye contact Moving or leaning too close
Threatening gestures (pointing finger clenched
fist) Loud Voice Frequent interruptions.
Swear words and abusive language Attributions
and evaluations of others behavior Sexist or
racists terms Explicit threats or put-downs.
Taking advantage of others Expressive and
self-enhancing at others expense.
Aggressive
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Interpersonal Communication Styles (continued)
Communication
Nonverbal Behavior Verbal Behavior
Style Description Pattern
Pattern
Little eye contact Downward glances Slumped
postures Constantly shifting weight Wringing
hands Weak or whiny voice.
Qualifiers (maybe, kind of ) Fillers (uh,
you know, well) Negaters (its really not
that important, Im not sure).
Encouraging others to take advantage of us
Inhibited Self-denying.
Nonassertive
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E-Communication

• Internet/Intranet/Extranet
• Electronic Mail
• Videoconferencing
• Collaborative Computing
• Telecommuting

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Listening Styles
Results-style Interested in the bottom line or
result of a message.
Reasons-style Interested in hearing the
rationale behind a message.
Process-style Likes to discuss issues in detail.
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Managers Should BeActive Listeners

• Make eye contact
• Avoid distractions
• Ask questions
• Exhibit appropriate expressions

• Paraphrase
• Avoid interrupting
• Dont talk too much
• Combine speaking and listening

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Active Listening Process and Strategies
SENSING Postpone evaluation Avoid
interruptions Maintain interest
ACTIVE LISTENING
EVALUATING Empathize Organize information
RESPONDING Show interest Clarify the message
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The Keys to Effective Listening
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The Keys to Effective Listening (cont)
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Barriers to Effective Communication

• Cultural
• Selective Perception
• Filtering
• Informational overload
• Semantic BarriersLanguage, Jargon
• Defensiveness
• Gender.