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Organizational Behavior: Solutions for Management

Paul D. Sweeney, University of Central Florida
Dean B. McFarlin, University of Dayton

Communicating and Negotiating Successfully

Chapter Outline

Communicating Successfully
1. A well-timed and well-delivered communication effort can often stave off the occurrence of conflict.
Good Communications is Vital to Organizational Success
1. A. The Importance of Communication Skills:
2. Why Does Organizational Communication Seem So Bad?
  1. One study revealed that over 80% of the typical manager's day is spent communicating with others.
  2. There are a variety of ways that messages can be missent, misinterpreted, or missed all together.
Forms of Communication: The Medium Matters
Organizations have basically two options for communication. They are oral and written.
1. Oral communication has an advantage in that it is immediate, rich, and forceful.
2. Oral communication is often two-way and permits several parties to interact at once.
3. Oral communication is considered to be the preferred method among managers.
4. Recent estimates indicate that computer interaction such as e-mail accounts for nearly 20% of managerial communication.
5. Written communication methods provide a lasting record, which offers a legal advantage as well as other advantages such as being more convenient and economical.
  1. A. Verbal Communication:
    - * There are many ways to get you message across orally such as meetings, phone calls, and casual conversation.
    1. Many of the verbal communication methods share some common features:
      - * Relatively quick
      - * Allows for immediate alteration
      - * Larger impact on customers and employees
      - * Immediate feedback
  2. B. Nonverbal Communication:
    - * Forms of nonverbal communication include:
    - * Facial expressions
    - * Eye contact
    - * Body movements
    - * Nonverbal behavior can be an important communication signal.
    1. Spacing:
    2. Paralanguage:
    3. Context:
      - * Context: perhaps the ultimate factor in nonverbal behavior.
      - * The same statement can mean different things depending on its context.
  3. C. Written Communication:
    - * Written communication forms include:
    - * Reports
    - * Proposals
    - * Announcements
    - * Newsletters
    - * E-mail
    - * Faxes
    - * Memos
    - * Writing in organizations seem to be complex, hard to understand, or just plain bad due to:
    - * Used to communicate important messages and people may try to cover too many bases within the document.
    - * Managers do not take the time to write better.
    - * Many managers may have poor writing skills.
    - * Some managers may use their writing to deliberately mislead.
  4. D. Electronic Communication:
    - * Often viewed as a specific form of writing.
    - * Intersects with verbal communication such as videoconferencing.
    - * E-mail is an example of electronic communication.
    - * Benefits of electronic communication include:
    - * Cheaper than ordinary phone calls or traveling
    - * Fast
    - * Ability to share large amounts of information with others.
    - * Disadvantages of electronic communication include:
    - * Flat method of communication
    - * Too easy for everyone to use and can result in an overload of messages
    - * Not private
Flow of Communication
Information can travel downward, upward, or laterally in organizations.
1. A. Downward Communication:
  1. Frequency of Downward Messages:
    - * Downward communication: messages that flow from a company or boss to employees.
    - * Commonly used methods include:
    - * Memos
    - * Meetings
    - * Reports
    - * Bulletin boards
    - * Newsletters
    - * Videos
    - * Policy manuals
    - * E-mails
    - * The results of one study indicated that managers spend almost half their time in downward communication with subordinates.
  2. Dissatisfaction with Downward Communication:
  3. Why is Downward Communication So Poor?
    - * Several reasons include:
    - * Managers think they are better communicators than they really are.
    - * Downward communications do not include enough of the information that employees are concerned about such as the firm's plans for the future and job-related practices. Instead these communications include too many personal and human-interest stories.
    - * Distortion of the message
2. B. Upward Communication:
  Upward communications can offer a response to the difficulties encountered with downward communication methods.
  1. Types of Upward Flow:
    - * Surveys
    - * Performance reports
    - * Suggestion boxes
    - * Employee newsletters
    - * Grievance procedures
    - * Open-door policy
  2. Frequency of Upward Communication:
    - * The increasing popularity of upward communication can be traced to the trend toward more employee input and participation.
    - * Potential benefits to upward communication include:
    - * Uncovering new, marketable ideas.
    - * Grievances can be heard and addressed possibly before they become lawsuits.
    - * Employees can get the sense that they really count.
    - * Potential drawbacks include:
    - * Lack of attention by management
    - * Management and employees have two different views of the importance of upward communication. Management sees it as a way to improve quality and efficiency while employees see it as a way to advance their careers.
3. C. Lateral Communication:
  Horizontal or lateral communication involves interactions between people with relatively equal power.
  1. Frequency of Lateral Communication:
    - * Lateral communication is fairly common especially among those lower in the ranks.
    - * Low-performing units use this method to imitate others.
    - * Highly effective groups use it to get information and resources needed to solve problems.
    - * Problems include:
    - * Side steps the formal chain of command, which may anger bosses.
    - * Rivalry among peers
    - * Lateral communication can take place via:
    - * Personal meetings
    - * Memos
    - * Informal contacts
Informal Communication
Important information can be shared through informal networks based on friendships, common interest, or proximity.
1. The Grapevine:
Selecting the Right Medium
Selection of the right medium is an important consideration as it can affect the meaning of your message.
1. The choice of medium can change the meaning of the message.
2. Better managers seem to have a knack for identifying and using the appropriate media.
Barriers to Successful Communication
1. A. Structural Barriers:
  1. Organizational Structure:
    - * The configuration of a firm can be a communication barrier.
    - * Messages can become distorted when going through the hierarchy layers.
  2. Physical Distance:
    - * Electronic communications can serve to alleviate some of the physical barrier problems.
    - * However, face-to-face communication offers advantages over electronic media again making physical separation a potential problem.
  3. Status:
    - * Higher status individuals may have less physical contact with those of lower status.
    - * Status, in itself, can be a barrier.
  4. Gender:
  5. Cultural Differences:
    - * Many experts regard culture as being one of the most important impediments to communication.
2. B. Interpersonal Barriers:

Lack of Writing/Speaking Skills:

* Perhaps one of the biggest problems in this area is the tendency to use more complex and formal language than is necessary.

Lying/Corporate Doublespeak:

* Doublespeak is language aimed at turning bad news into good and shifting blame.

Poor Listening Sills:
- * Even managers who are good with some communication skills can still muddle messages if they do not listen for true understanding.

Improving Communication By Overcoming the Barriers
1. A. Overcoming Organizational Barriers:
  1. Communicate Better:
    - * A common suggestion for improving communication is to use many different channels.
    - * The problem arises when managers think that "more" is better.
    - * Most firms need better not more communication.
  2. Consider Establishing a Hotline:
  3. Adopt a Suggestion System:
  4. Encourage the Informal Exchange of Information:
    - * Instead of suppressing such things as the grapevine, try to capitalize on them.
2. B. Overcoming Personal Barriers:
  1. Become a Better Listener:
    - * Practice active listening techniques
    - * Eye contact
    - * Ask more questions
    - * Paraphrasing
    - * Avoid interruptions
  2. Write and Speak Better:
    - * Put more time into it
    - * Keep the message simple
  3. Consider the Use of Face-to-Face Communication:
    - * Employees seem to prefer this method
    - * It is the richest mode possible
Communication Strategies of Leading Companies
1. One study showed that management in the more successful companies make communication a top personal priority.
2. Good companies focus on communication as a process.

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