Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition. Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc. Chapter 6 Communication, Conflict and Negotiation

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition. Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc. Communication 1. How does communication occur? 2. Are there barriers to communication? 3. How can communication be encouraged? 4. What are the current issues in communication? 5. What is conflict? 6. What are the sources of conflict? 7. How does a situation turn into a conflict? 8. What is negotiation and how does it help? Questions for Consideration

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition. Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc. Communication Problems People spend nearly 70 percent of their waking hours communicating—writing, reading, speaking, listening WorkCanada survey of 2039 Canadians in six industrial and service categories found –61 percent of senior executives believed that they did a good job of communicating with employees. –only 33 percent of the managers and department heads believed that senior executives were effective communicators. –Only 22 percent of hourly workers, 27 percent of clerical employees, and 22 percent of professional staff reported that senior executives did a good job of communicating with them. Canadians reported less favourable perceptions about their company’s communications than did Americans

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition. Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc. Communication Terms Communication –The transfer of meaning among people Sender –Establishes a message, encodes the message, and chooses the channel to send it Receiver –Decodes the message and provides feedback to the sender

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition. Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc. Exhibit 6-1 The Communication Process Model

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition. Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc. Communication Terms Message –What is communicated. Encoding –Converting a message to symbolic form. Channel –The medium through which a message travels Decoding –Retranslating a sender’s message.

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition. Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc. Choosing Channels Channels differ in their capacity to convey information. Rich channels have the ability to –Handle multiple cues simultaneously –Facilitate rapid feedback –Be very personal

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition. Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc. Exhibit 6-2 Information Richness of Communication Channels Formal reports, bulletins Low channel richness High channel richness Prerecorded speeches Online discussion groups, groupware Live speechesVideoconferences Memos, lettersElectronic mailVoice mail Telephone conversations Face-to-face conversation

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition. Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc. Barriers to Effective Communication Filtering –Refers to a sender manipulating information so that it will be seen more favorably by the receiver. Selective Perception –Receivers in the communication process selectively see and hear based on their needs, motivations, experience, background, and other personal characteristics.

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition. Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc. Barriers to Effective Communication Defensiveness –When individuals interpret another’s message as threatening, they often respond in ways that retard effective communication. Language –Words mean different things to different people.

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition. Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc. Creating Effective Mechanisms for Communication Mechanisms –The practices that bring what you stand for to life and stimulate change They are intended to demonstrate how the communication should be accomplished

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition. Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc. Nonverbal Communication Messages conveyed through body movements, facial expressions, and the physical distance between the sender and the receiver –Kinesics The study of body motions, such as gestures, facial configurations, and other movements of the body –Proxemics The study of physical space in interpersonal relationships

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition. Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc. Communication Barriers Between Men and Women Men use talk to emphasize status, women use it to create connection Women and men tend to approach points of conflict differently

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition. Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc. Communication Barriers Between Men and Women Men and women view directness and indirectness differently –Women interpret male directness as an assertion of status and one-upmanship –Men interpret female indirectness as covert, sneaky, and weak Men criticize women for apologizing, but women say “I’m sorry” to express empathy

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition. Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc. Cross-Cultural Communication Difficulties Sources of barriers –Semantics –Word connotations –Tonal differences

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition. Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc. Cross-Cultural Communications: Helpful Rules Assume differences until similarity is proven. Emphasize description rather than interpretation or evaluation. Practise empathy. Treat your interpretations as a working hypothesis.

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition. Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc. Tips For Writing and Sending Don’t send s without a subject line Be careful in your use of emoticons and acronyms for business communications Write your message clearly and briefly Copy s to others only if they really need the information Sleep on angry s before sending to be sure you are sending the right message

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition. Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc. Exhibit 6-3 Emoticons: Showing Emoticons in ) :( ;) :-[ Smile Grin Frown Wink Really sad face :-e :-0 :-D :’( Disappointed Scream Yell Shock or surprise Crying

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition. Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc. Conflict A process that begins when one party perceives that another party has negatively affected, or is about to negatively affect something that the first party cares about. –Functional Supports the goals of the group and improves its performance –Dysfunctional Hinders group performance

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition. Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc. How Structure Can Lead to Conflict Stimulating conflict –Size, specialization, and composition of the group –Too much reliance on participation –Diversity of goals among groups –Ambiguity in precisely defining where responsibility for actions lies –Reward systems where one member’s gain is at another’s expense

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition. Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc. Exhibit 6-4 How Conflict Builds Functional: increased performance Dysfunctional: decreased group performance Behaviour Outcomes Competing Collaborating Compromising Avoiding Accommodating Conflict-handling Intentions

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition. Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc. Conflict handling intentions Two Dimensions –Cooperativeness The degree to which one party attempts to satisfy the other party’s concerns –Assertiveness The degree to which one party attempts to satisfy his or her own concerns

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition. Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc. Specific Intentions Competing A desire to satisfy one’s interests, regardless of the impact on the other parties. Collaborating A situation where the parties to a conflict each desire to satisfy fully the concerns of all parties Avoiding The desire to withdraw from or suppress a conflict. Accommodating The willingness of one party in a conflict to place the opponent’s interests above his or her own Compromising A situation in which each party to a conflict is willing to give up something

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition. Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc. Exhibit 6-5 Dimensions of Conflict-Handling Intentions Cooperativeness Compromising Uncooperative Avoiding Competing Cooperative Accommodating Collaborating Assertiveness Unassertive Assertive

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition. Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc. Exhibit 6-7 Conflict Intensity Continuum Annihilatory conflict No conflict Overt efforts to destroy the other party Aggressive physical attacks Threats and ultimatums Assertive verbal attacks Overt questioning or challenging of others Minor disagreements or misunderstandings

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition. Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc. Conflict Outcomes Functional (supports the goals of the group and improves performance) –Desired outcomes Agreement Stronger relationships Learning Dysfunctional (hinders group performance)

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition. Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc. Types of Conflict Cognitive –Conflict related to differences in perspectives and judgments Task-oriented Results in identifying differences Usually functional conflict Affective –Emotional conflict aimed at a person rather than an issue Dysfunctional conflict

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition. Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc. Negotiation A process in which two or more parties exchange goods or services and attempt to agree upon the exchange rate for them

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition. Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc. Issues, Positions and Interests Individuals have issues, positions, and interests –Issues are items that are specifically placed on the bargaining table for discussion –Positions are the individual’s stand on the issue For instance, salary may be an issue for discussion. The salary you hope to receive is your position. –Interests are the underlying concerns that are affected by the negotiation resolution For instance, the reason that you might want a six-figure salary is that you are trying to buy a house in Vancouver, and that is your only hope of being able to make mortgage payments.

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition. Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc. Types of Bargaining Distributive bargaining –Negotiation that seeks to divide up a fixed amount of resources; a win-lose situation Integrative bargaining –Negotiation that seeks one or more settlements that can create a win-win solution

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition. Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc. Bargaining Distributive Integrative Characteristic Bargaining Bargaining Available resources Primary motivations Primary interests Focus of relationships Fixed amount of resources to be divided I win, you lose Opposed to each other Short term Variable amount of resources to be divided I win, you win Convergent or congruent with each other Long term Exhibit 6-9 Distributive versus Integrative Bargaining

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition. Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc. How to Negotiate Assess personal goals, consider other’s goals, develop strategy Identify target and resistance points –Target: what one would like to achieve –Resistance: lowest outcome acceptable Identify BATNA –Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition. Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc. Improving Negotiating Skills Begin with a positive overture Address problems, not personalities Pay little attention to initial offers Emphasize win-win solutions Create an open and trusting climate

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition. Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc. Exhibit 6-10 Staking Out the Bargaining Zone Party A’s aspiration range Party B’s aspiration range Settlement range Party A’s target point Party B’s resistance point Party A’s resistance point Party B’s target point

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition. Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc. Summary and Implications: Communication A common theme regarding the relationship between communication and employee satisfaction –The less uncertainty, the greater the satisfaction –Distortions, ambiguities, and incongruities all increase uncertainty Less distortion in communication equals: –More goal attainment, and better feedback –Reduction in ambiguity and distortion Ambiguity between verbal and nonverbal communiqués increase uncertainty and reduce satisfaction The goal of perfect communication is unattainable The issue of communication is critical to motivation

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition. Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc. Summary and Implications Conflict can be either constructive or destructive to the functioning of a group. An optimal level of conflict: –Prevents stagnation –Stimulates creativity –Releases tension –And initiates the seeds for change Inadequate or excessive levels of conflict can hinder group effectiveness.

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition. Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc. Summary and Implications Don’t assume there's one conflict-handling intention that is always best. –Use competition when quick, decisive action is vital –Use collaboration to find an integrative solution –Use avoidance when an issue is trivial –Use accommodation when you find you’re wrong –Use compromise when goals are important Negotiation is an ongoing activity in groups Intergroup conflicts can also affect an organization’s performance.

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition. Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc. OB at Work

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition. Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc. For Review 1. Describe the communication process and identify its key components. Give an example of how this process operates with both oral and written messages. 2. Contrast encoding and decoding. 3. What is nonverbal communication? Does it aid or hinder verbal communication? 4. List three specific problems related to language difficulties in cross-cultural communication. 5. What are the managerial implications from the research contrasting male and female communication styles?

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition. Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc. For Review 6. What is the difference between functional and dysfunctional conflict? What determines functionality? 7. What defines the settlement range in distributive bargaining? 8. Why isn’t integrative bargaining more widely practised in organizations? 9. How can you improve your negotiating effectiveness?

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition. Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc. For Critical Thinking 1. “Ineffective communication is the fault of the sender.” Do you agree or disagree? Discuss. 2. Using the concept of channel richness, give examples of messages best conveyed by , by face-to-face communication, and on the company bulletin board. 3. Why do you think so many people are poor listeners?

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition. Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc. For Critical Thinking 4. Assume one of your co-workers had to negotiate a contract with someone from China. What problems might he or she face? If the co-worker asked for advice, what suggestions would you give to help facilitate a settlement? 5. From your own experience, describe a situation you were involved in where the conflict was dysfunctional. Describe another example, from your experience, where the conflict was functional. Now analyze how other parties in both conflicts might have interpreted the situation in terms of whether the conflicts were functional or dysfunctional.

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition. Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc. For Critical Thinking 4. From your own experience, describe a situation you were involved in where the conflict was dysfunctional. Describe another example, from your experience, where the conflict was functional. Now analyze how other parties in both conflicts might have interpreted the situation in terms of whether the conflicts were functional or dysfunctional.

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition. Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc. Point-CounterPoint Conflict Is Good for the Organization sConflict is a means by which to bring about radical change sConflict facilitates group cohesiveness sConflict improves group and organizational effectiveness sConflict brings about a slightly higher, more constructive level of tension All Conflicts Are Dysfunctional! sThe negative consequences from conflict can be devastating sEffective managers build teamwork not conflict sCompetition is good for an organization, but not conflict sManagers who accept and stimulate conflict don’t survive in organizations

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition. Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc. Breakout Group Exercises Form small groups to discuss the following topics 1. Describe a situation in which you ignored someone. What impact did it have on that person’s subsequent communication behaviours? 2. What differences have you observed in the ways that men and women communicate?

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition. Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc. Breakout Group Exercises 1. You and two other students carpool to school every day. The driver has recently taken to playing a new radio station quite loudly. You do not like the music, or the loudness. Using one of the conflict-handling intentions outlined in Exhibit 6-6, indicate how you might go about resolving this conflict. Identify a number of BATNAs (best alternatives to a negotiated agreement) available to you, and then decide whether you should continue carpooling.

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition. Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc. Effective Listening If you want to improve your listening skills, look to these behaviours as guides –Make eye contact –Exhibit affirmative head nods and appropriate facial expressions. –Avoid distracting actions or gestures. –Ask questions. –Paraphrase. –Avoid interrupting the speaker. –Don’t over talk. –Make smooth transitions between the roles of speaker and listener.

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition. Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc. Supplemental Material Slides for activities I do in my own classroom

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition. Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc. Making Feedback More Effective Feedback to those being evaluated should be anonymous, and aggregated Raters should only evaluate employee behaviour that they know about and have experienced first-hand Raters should receive orientation and training to do the evaluations Recipients should receive guidance on how to interpret the feedback

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition. Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc. Nonverbal Exercise Rank order in terms of importance for leadership: –Extroverted personality –Sensitivity to others –Technical expertise –Strong ethical values –Concern for getting the task done –Charisma –Internal locus of control –Power Directions: Sit on your hands--use NO nonverbal communication (gestures, facial movements, body movements,etc.)

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition. Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc. Nonverbal Exercise Questions How effective was communication? What barriers to communication existed? What happens when nonverbal communication is absent What purpose does nonverbal communication serve?

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition. Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc. Communication Questions What types of difficulties have you experienced when communicating with someone from a different culture than yours? How do you let the other person know you have heard what they are saying? How often do you do this? Describe an example of communication breakdown. What led to the breakdown?