Communication Organizational Effectiveness

Communications for Effective Organizations 1. Individual Employees must have effective interpersonal communications to share ideas and information as well as collaborate with others. Effective communication consists of following appropriate problem solving strategies to resolve conflicts. Effective listening and supportive communication are often the keys to good communication. 2. Communications networks and communications roles can help or hinder the performance of the organization. Managers need to assess the effectiveness of the organization’s key communications networks to ensure that employees are getting timely and appropriate communications to complete their work. 3. Managers should foster a culture that encourages open communications.

The Communication Process EncodingProcessDecodingProcess DecodingEncoding MessageandChannel Feedback PerceivedMessageIntendedMessage The source with information To communicate The receiver who receives the message and provides feedback = Noise

Interpersonal Communications Model Colleague Outcomes 1.Role clarity 2.Satisfaction with local person 3.General job satisfaction 4.Work unit effectiveness Focal Person’s Communication Style 1.Careful transmission 2.Open and two-way 3.Frank 4.Careful listening 5.Informal Internalized Effect on Colleague (determined by the credibility of focal person) 1.Trustworthy 2.Informative Source: Rudi Klauss and Bernard M. Bass, Interpersonal Communication in Organizations, (New York Academic Press, 1982), p. 69. Used by permission.

Eight Attributes of Supportive Communication 1. Problem-Oriented, Not Person-Oriented “How can we solve this problem?” NOT “Because of you there is a problem.” 2. Congruent, Not Incongruent “Your behavior really upset me.” NOT “Do I seem upset? No, everything’s fine.” 3. Descriptive, Not Evaluative “Here is what happened; here is my reaction; here is what I suggest that would be more acceptable to me.” NOT “You are wrong for doing what you did.” 4. Validating, Not Invalidating “I have some ideas, but do you have any suggestions?” NOT “You wouldn’t understand, so we’ll do it my way.” 5. Specific, Not Global “You interrupted me three times during the meeting.” NOT “You’re always trying to get attention.” 6. Conjunctive, Not Disjunctive “Relating to what you just said, I’d like to discuss this.” NOT “I want to discuss this (regardless of what you want to discuss).” 7. Owned, Not Disowned “I’ve decided to turn down your request because…” NOT “You have a pretty good idea, but they just wouldn’t approve it.” 8. Supportive Listening, Not One-Way Listening “What do you think are the obstacles standing in the way of improvement? NOT “As I said before, you make too many mistakes. You’re just not doing the job.”

Effective Communication Responses Probing Probing Reinterpretive Reinterpretive Reflective Reflective

Ineffective Communication Responses Evaluative Evaluative Confrontive/Forcing Confrontive/Forcing Diverting Diverting Pacifying Pacifying

Communication Networks WheelCircle Chain YAll-Channel

Communication Roles Gatekeepers Individuals who control the flow of communication through a communication channel

Communication Roles Liaisons Individuals who connect two or more groups within an organization without belonging to either group

Communication Roles Opinion Leaders Individuals who informally influence the attitudes and behaviors of other group members

Communication Roles Boundary Spanners Individuals who communicate with the organization’s environment