Transcript Organizational Behaviour Chapter 6

Chapter 6
Communication
Organizational Behaviour
Dave Ludwick, P.Eng, MBA, PMP
Communication
• Communication is the transfer of meaning from one person
to another
• Poor communication is the most frequent cause of
interpersonal conflict
• If there is any one area where the human race suffers, it is
in the area of communication
• Interpersonal skills are cited as requirements for most
professional and many non-professional jobs.
– That’s because, without the ability to communicate (and our
interpersonal skills affect how we can communicate) we can not
hope to further progress
Organizational Behaviour
Dave Ludwick, P.Eng, MBA, PMP
Communication Process Model
Communication Process Model
Message
Sender
Coding
System
(Language)
Communication
Channel
Filters
Selective
Perception
Background
Feedback
Organizational Behaviour
Dave Ludwick, P.Eng, MBA, PMP
Coding
System
(Language)
Message
Receiver
4 Factors Affecting Communication
• Skills – the specific skills relating to the communication
mode in use (the ability to read, write, speak the language)
• Attitudes – The attitude of both the sender and receive
affects the communication as connotations in the words
can affect meaning
• Knowledge – the sender and receivers knowledge of the
topic of the communication affects how well they can
articulate and understand the meaning
• Social-cultural system – This background of relatedness
affects our assumptions about the communication
Organizational Behaviour
Dave Ludwick, P.Eng, MBA, PMP
Barriers to Effective Communication
• Filtering – when a sender manipulates info so the receiver
views it more favourably
– Also known as managing the conversation
• Selective Perception – Receivers selectively receive based
on motivations, experience, background and they also
project their interests onto a conversation
• Defensiveness – being sarcastic, judgmental, verbally
attacking
Organizational Behaviour
Dave Ludwick, P.Eng, MBA, PMP
Networks of Communication
• Formal Network
– Typically vertical communication and usually limited to tasks or topics
related to the business
• Grapevine
–
–
–
–
Is a free flow of information
Authority has no bearing on the communication
Helps to satisfy members’ social needs by making them feel they belong
Is no more and no less accurate than any other network of communication
• What about rumors? They have 4 purposes
–
–
–
–
To structure and reduce anxiety
To make sense of limited info
To serve as an organizing medium
To signal status or power
Organizational Behaviour
Dave Ludwick, P.Eng, MBA, PMP
How do we better communication?
• Provide a mechanism like what Jim Collins did to ensure
ideas are heard
– Like suggestion boxes, complaint boxes, idea labs, signalling
systems
• If you are not being understood, don’t just repeat the same
words louder. Explain the point from another angle. Ask
your listener for feedback
• Note that sometimes successful communication must
require education first (Background of Relatedness)
• Sometimes the timing of a communication needs to be
selected properly
• Recognize that a significant portion of communication is
beyond just the words used
Organizational Behaviour
Dave Ludwick, P.Eng, MBA, PMP
Building Communication
• Developing a Background of Relatedness
– A background of relatedness is a shared reality, shared
understanding of the environment, of the field of action
• Stingy Listening vs. Generous Listening (R. Shereck)
– People come to every situation already listening in a particular way
– Stingy listening is based on the past with evaluation and a focus on
“what’s in it for me?”
– Generous listening is based on attention to others, listening for a
possibility, with no agenda, giving the speaker power
• Effective Listening
–
–
–
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Make eye contact
Provide physical responses for feedback
Don’t distract or interrupt the speaker or yourself
Always use the simplest word available
Organizational Behaviour
Dave Ludwick, P.Eng, MBA, PMP
Non-verbal Communication
• Some studies show that as much as 55% of the complete message comes
from non-verbal forms of communication
• people resort to a variety of verbal and non-verbal behaviour in order to
maintain a smooth flow of communication: head-nods, smiles, frowns,
bodily contact, eye movements, laughter, body posture
• The facial expressions of listeners provide feedback to the sender
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–
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Glazed or down turned eyes indicate boredom or disinterest, as does fidgeting
Fully raised eyebrows signal disbelief and half raised indicate puzzlement.
Posture provides a means by which attitude to the sender may be judged
Folded or crossed arms indicate apprehension or closed-mindedness
• Kinesics is the study of body motions, gestures, facial configurations and
other body movements in the course of communication
Organizational Behaviour
Dave Ludwick, P.Eng, MBA, PMP
Non-verbal Communication
• Proxemics is a term for the way in which people use space
between them in communication
– The use of space varies by culture
– In a non-contact culture (Canada and US), closeness can mean
aggressiveness
– Closeness in a non-contact culture is usually only permitted for
intimate relations
– If a person from a non-contact culture stands far from a person
from a contact culture, the person may take the positioning as a
sign of disinterest and unhappiness
Organizational Behaviour
Dave Ludwick, P.Eng, MBA, PMP
Electronic Communications
• The advent of computers has improved the number of tools
we have to communicate (but maybe have not improved
our ability to communicate?)
• Faxes, phones, email, cellphones, pagers, modems, VPNs,
intranets, extranets, internet
• While they can be used to bridge the physical gap between
sender and receiver, they also compromise one of the
elements in the communication process model
• They are also a significant cause for the erosion of
personal time
• Chapter 7
Organizational Behaviour
Dave Ludwick, P.Eng, MBA, PMP
Organizational Behaviour
Dave Ludwick, P.Eng, MBA, PMP
Organizational Behaviour
Dave Ludwick, P.Eng, MBA, PMP