Transcript Management 8e. - Robbins and Coulter

Communication and Information Technology
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Communication
◦ The transfer and understanding of meaning
◦ Interpersonal communication
 Communication between two or more people
◦ Organizational communication
 All the patterns, network, and systems of
communications within an organization
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Control
Motivation
Emotional Expression
Information
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Message
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Encoding
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Channel
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Decoding
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Noise
◦ Source: sender’s intended meaning
◦ The message converted to symbolic form
◦ The medium through which the message travels
◦ The receiver’s retranslation of the message
◦ Disturbances that interfere with communications
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Message
Channel
Decoding
Encoding
Sender
Receiver
Noise
Message
Feedback
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Managers can use 12 questions to help them evaluate
appropriate communication methods for different
circumstances.
1. Feedback. How quickly can the receiver respond to the
message?
2. Complexity capacity. Can the method effectively process
complex messages?
3. Breadth potential. How many different messages can be
transmitted using this method?
4. Confidentiality. Can communicators be reasonably sure
their messages are received only by those for whom
they’re intended?
5. Encoding ease. Can the sender easily and quickly use this
channel?
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6. Decoding ease. Can the receiver easily and quickly
decode messages?
7. Time–space constraint. Do senders and receivers
need to communicate at the same time and in the same
space?
8. Cost. How much does it cost to use this method?
9. Interpersonal warmth. How well does this method
convey interpersonal warmth?
10. Formality. Does this method have the needed amount
of formality?
11. Scanability. Does this method allow the message to
be easily browsed or scanned for relevant information?
12. Time of consumption. Does the sender or receiver
exercise the most control over when the message is
dealt with?
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Face-to-face
Telephone
Group meetings
Formal presentations
Memos
Postal mail
Fax
Publications
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Bulletin boards
Audio-/videotapes
Hot lines
E-mail
Computer conference
Voice mail
Teleconference
Videoconference
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Communication that is transmitted without
words
◦ Sounds
◦ Images
◦ Situational behaviours
◦ Clothing and physical surroundings
Body language: gestures, facial expressions,
and other body movements that convey
meaning
Verbal intonation (paralinguistics): emphasis
that a speaker gives to certain words or
phrases that conveys meaning
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National
Culture
Language
Filtering
Emotions
Interpersonal
Communication
Defensiveness
Information
Overload
Selective
Perception
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Filtering
◦ The deliberate manipulation of information to make
it appear more favourable to the receiver
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Emotions
◦ Disregarding rational and objective thinking
processes and substituting emotional judgments
when interpreting messages
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Information Overload
◦ Being confronted with a quantity of information that
exceeds an individual’s capacity to process it
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Selective Perception
◦ Individuals interpret “reality” based on their own
needs, motivations, experience, background, and
other personal characteristics
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Defensiveness
◦ When threatened, reacting in a way that reduces the
ability to achieve mutual understanding
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Language
◦ The different meanings of and specialized ways
(jargon) in which senders use words can cause
receivers to misinterpret their messages
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National Culture
◦ Culture influences the form, formality, openness,
patterns, and use of information in communications
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Use Feedback
 Simplify Language
 Listen Actively
 Constrain Emotions
Watch Nonverbal Cues
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Formal Communication
◦ Communication that follows the official chain of
command or is part of the communication required
to do one’s job
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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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Downward
◦ Communications that flow from managers to
employees to inform, direct, coordinate, and
evaluate employees
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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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Lateral (Horizontal) Communication
◦ Communication that takes place among employees
on the same level in the organization to save time
and facilitate coordination
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Diagonal Communication
◦ Communication that cuts across both work areas
and organizational levels in the interest of
efficiency and speed
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Chain Network
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Wheel Network
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All-Channel 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
◦ Communication flows freely
among all members of the work
team
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Criteria
Speed
Accuracy
Emergence of leader
Member satisfaction
Chain
Wheel
All-Channel
Moderate
High
Moderate
Moderate
Fast
High
High
Low
Fast
Moderate
None
High
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An informal organizational communication
network that is active in almost every
organization
◦ Provides a channel for issues not suitable for formal
communication channels
◦ The impact of information passed along the
grapevine can be countered by open and honest
communication with employees
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Benefits of Information Technology (IT)
◦ Increased ability to monitor individual and team
performance
◦ Better decision making based on more complete
information
◦ More collaboration and
sharing of information
◦ Greater accessibility
to co-workers
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Networked Computer Systems
◦ Linking individual computers to
create an organizational network for
communication and information
sharing
E-mail
Instant messaging
Voice-mail and fax
Electronic data exchange (EDI)
Teleconferencing and
videoconferencing
 Intranets and extranets
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Always use the subject line.
Be careful using emoticons and acronyms for
business communication.
Write clearly and briefly.
Copy e-mails to others only if they really
need the information.
Sleep on angry e-mails before sending.
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Types of Network Systems
◦ Intranet
 An internal network that uses Internet
technology and is accessible only to
employees
◦ Extranet
 An internal network that uses Internet
technology and allows authorized users
inside the organization to
communicate with certain outsiders,
such as customers and vendors
◦ Wireless capabilities
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