Transcript Organizational Communication

MGTO120s
Managing Communications
Jian Liang
MGTO, HKUST
1
Where We Are
Management
Basic
Concepts
(Ch1)
Retrospect
Context
(Ch2)
(Ch3,4,& 5)
Plan
Organize
(Ch6,
(Ch 10
7,8,& 9)
Lead
Control
Communication
(Ch11)
2
The Sections We Will Cover






Communication
Change and innovation
Foundation of human behavior
Groups and teams
Motivating employees
Leadership
3
Learning Objectives
 Understanding
 Differentiate
Communications
between interpersonal and
organizational communication.
 Discuss the functions of communication.
 The
Process of Interpersonal
Communications
 Explain
all the components of the communication
process.
 List the communication methods managers might
use.
 Describe nonverbal communication an how it takes
place.
 Explain the barriers to effective interpersonal
communication and how to overcome them.
4
Learning Objectives

Organizational Communication
 Explain
how communication can flow in an
organization.
 Describe the three common communication
networks.
 Discuss how managers should handle the grapevine.
5
Starting from a Case
女秘書PK老闆 “郵件門”傳遍全國外企圈
來源: 北京青年報 （2006-04-25）
6


陸純初(Loke Soon
Choo)，男，新加坡
人，EMC公司大中華
區總裁
Rebecca ，女，中國
人，原EMC公司大中
華區總裁高級秘書
7
Message from the CEO of EMC
(Greater China)

“Rebecca, I just told you not to assume or
take things for granted on Tuesday and you
locked me out of my office this evening when
all my things are all still in the office, because
you assume I have my office key on my
person.
With immediate effect, you do not leave the
office until you have checked with all the
managers you support - this is for the lunch
hour as well as at end of day, OK?”
8
Reply from Rebecca
To: Loke, Soon Choo
Cc: China All (Beijing); China All (Chengdu); China All
(Guangzhou); China All (Shanghai); Lai, Sharon
Subject: FW: Do not assume or take things for granted
Soon Choo,
首先，我做这件事是完全正确的，我锁门是从安全角度上考虑的，
北京这里不是没有丢过东西，如果一旦丢了东西，我无法承担这个
责任。
其次，你有钥匙，你自己忘了带，还要说别人不对。造成这件事
的主要原因都是你自己，不要把自己的错误转移到别人的身上。
第三， 你无权干涉和控制我的私人时间，我一天就8小时工作时
间，请你记住中午和晚上下班的时间都是我的私人时间。
第四，从 到EMC的第一天到现在为止，我工作尽职尽责，也加过
很多次的班，我也没有任何怨言，但是如果你们要求我加班是为了
工作以外的事情，我无法做到。
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What do you think about this case?

Loke Soon Choo???

Rebecca???
10
Implications

“The importance of effective
communication for managers can’t
be overemphasized for one-specific
reason: Everything a manager does
involves communicating. Not some
things, but everything!”
--- From textbook, p.256
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Communication in the Organizations

The transfer and understanding of
meaning.



Interpersonal Communication


Transfer means the message was received in
a form that can be interpreted by the receiver.
Understanding the message is not the same
as the receiver agreeing with the message.
Communication between two or more people
Organizational Communication

All the patterns, network, and systems of
communications within an organization
12
The Interpersonal Communication
Process
13
Interpersonal Communication

Message:


Encoding


The medium through which the message
travels
Decoding


The message converted to symbolic form
Channel


Source: sender’s intended meaning
The receiver’s retranslation of the message
Noise

Disturbances in communications
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Interpersonal Communication
Methods
and videotapes
 Hotlines
 Telephone
 E-mail
 Group meetings
 Computer
 Formal presentations
conferencing
 Memos
 Voice mail
 Traditional Mail
 Teleconferences
 Fax machines
 Videoconferences
 Employee publications
 Blogs
 Bulletin boards
 Face-to-face
 Audio-
15
Blog in Mainland China

http://blog.sina.com.
cn/m/xwb

三一重工执行总裁向文
波

《三亿美元，三一能否
收购徐工？》
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Interpersonal Communication
(cont’d)

Nonverbal Communication

Communication that is transmitted without
words.

Sounds with specific meanings or warnings

Images that control or encourage behaviors

Situational behaviors that convey meanings

Clothing and physical surroundings that imply
status
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Interpersonal Communication
(Cont’d)


Body language: gestures, facial
expressions, and other body
movements that convey meaning.
Verbal intonation: emphasis that a
speaker gives to certain words or
phrases that conveys meaning.
18
Facial Expressions Convey Emotions
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Do you smile in talking with others?
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Questions for Thinking
1.
Why is it difficult to communicate?
2.
What is your experience regarding
communication?
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Interpersonal Communication
Barriers
National
Culture
Language
Filtering
Emotions
Interpersonal
Communication
Defensiveness
Information
Overload
Let’s look at each
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Barriers to Effective Interpersonal
Communication

Filtering



The deliberate manipulation of information to
make it appear more favorable to the receiver.
Vertical level and organizational culture
Emotions


Disregarding rational and objective thinking
processes and substituting emotional
judgments when interpreting messages.
To avoid reacting to a message when you are
upset
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Barriers to Effective Interpersonal
Communication (cont’d)

Information Overload




Being confronted with a quantity of
information that exceeds an individual’s
capacity to process it.
Average business e-mail user devotes 90
minutes a day to “organizing” email.
Employees send and receive an average
of 204 e-mail messages every day.
MGTO120???
24
Barriers to Effective Interpersonal
Communication (cont’d)

Defensiveness


Language


When threatened, reacting in a way that
reduces the ability to achieve mutual
understanding.
The different meanings of and specialized
ways (jargon) in which senders use words
can cause receivers to misinterpret their
messages.
National Culture

Culture influences the form, formality,
openness, patterns and use of information in
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communications.
Cross-Cultural Barriers
 Where
to talk business in China
and in US?
 Feet on table? OK in US, but
helped Beijing Jeep JV fail!
(loudness) as an
indicator of respect/status?
 Voice
26
A Presentation of Cross-Cultural
Barriers in Business Communication
27
Overcoming the Barriers to Effective
Interpersonal Communications





Use Feedback
Simplify Language
Listen Actively
Constrain
Emotions
Watch Nonverbal
Cues
28
Active Listening Behaviors
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Types of Organizational Communication

Formal Communication


Communication that follows the official
chain of command or is part of the
communication required to do one’s job.
Informal Communication

Communication that is not defined by
the organization’s hierarchy.


Permits employees to satisfy their need for
social interaction.
Can improve an organization’s performance by
creating faster and more effective channels of
communication
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Communication Flows
U
p
w
a
r
d
Lateral
D
o
w
n
w
a
r
d
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Direction of Communication Flow

Downward


Communications that flow from
managers to employees to inform,
direct, coordinate, and evaluate
employees.
Upward

Communications that flow from
employees up to managers to keep
them aware of employee needs and
how things can be improved to create a
climate of trust and respect.
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Direction of Communication Flow
(cont’d)

Lateral (Horizontal) Communication


Communication that takes place among
employees on the same level in the
organization to save time and facilitate
coordination.
Diagonal Communication

Communication that cuts across both
work areas and organizational levels in
the interest of efficiency and speed.
33
Types of Communication Networks

Chain Network


Wheel Network


Communication flows according to the
formal chain of command, both upward
and downward.
All communication flows in and out
through the group leader (hub) to
others in the group.
All-Channel Network

Communications flow freely among all
members of the work team.
34
Three Common Organizational
Communication Networks
Are Communications Effective?
From Milliken, Morrison & Hewlin (2003)
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Why People do not Speak Up?
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Summary



The difference between
interpersonal and organizational
communications
Understanding the difficulties in
interpersonal communications and
how to overcome those barriers
Understanding the process of
organizational communications
38