PowerPoint Presentation by Charlie Cook The University of West Alabama © 2010 South-Western, Cengage Learning, Inc. All rights reserved.

18–2 The Interpersonal Nature of Organizations Interpersonal DynamicsInterpersonal Dynamics  Positive  When two parties know each other, have mutual respect and affection, and enjoy interacting with one another.  Negative  When two parties dislike one another, do not have mutual respect, and do not enjoy interacting with one another.

© 2010 South-Western, Cengage Learning, Inc. All rights reserved.18–3 The Interpersonal Nature of Organizations (cont’d) Satisfaction of social needs Social support Source of organizational synergy Source of conflict Outcomes of Interpersonal Behaviors

© 2010 South-Western, Cengage Learning, Inc. All rights reserved.18–4 Communication and the Manager’s Job CommunicationCommunication  The process of transmitting information from one person to another. Effective CommunicationEffective Communication  The process of sending a message in such a way that the message received is as close in meaning as possible to the message intended.

© 2010 South-Western, Cengage Learning, Inc. All rights reserved.18–5 The Role of Communication in Management Communication Roles INTERPERSONAL FigureheadLeaderLiaison INFORMATIONAL DECISIONAL SpokespersonMonitorDisseminator Entrepreneur Disturbance- handler Negotiator

© 2010 South-Western, Cengage Learning, Inc. All rights reserved.18–6 The Communication Process Steps in the Communication ProcessSteps in the Communication Process  Deciding to transmit a fact, idea, opinion, or other information to the receiver.  Encoding the meaning into a form appropriate to the situation.  Transmission through the appropriate channel or medium.  Decoding the message back into a form that has meaning to the receiver.  “Noise” is anything disrupting the communication process.

© 2010 South-Western, Cengage Learning, Inc. All rights reserved.18– The Communication Process

© 2010 South-Western, Cengage Learning, Inc. All rights reserved.18–8 Interpersonal Communication Oral communicationOral communication  Face-to-face conversations, group discussions, telephone calls, and other situations in which the spoken work is used to express meaning. AdvantagesAdvantages  Promotes prompt feedback and interchange in the form of verbal questions and responses.  Is easy to use and can be done with little preparation. DisadvantagesDisadvantages  Suffers from problems with inaccuracy in meaning and details.  Leaves no time for thought and consideration and no permanent record of what was said.

© 2010 South-Western, Cengage Learning, Inc. All rights reserved.18–9 Interpersonal Communication (cont’d) Written CommunicationWritten Communication  Memos, letters, reports, notes, and other methods in which the written word is used to transmit meaning.  Advantages  Is accurate and leaves a permanent record of the exchange.  Leaves for thought and consideration, can be referenced.  Is easy to use and can be done with little preparation.  Disadvantages  Inhibits feedback and interchange due to burden of the process of preparing a physical document.  Considerable delay can occur in clarifying message meanings.

© 2010 South-Western, Cengage Learning, Inc. All rights reserved.18–10 Communication in Networks and Work Teams Communication networkCommunication network  The pattern through which the members of a group or team communicate.  Research suggests:  When the group’s task is simple and routine, centralized networks perform with the greatest efficiency and accuracy.  When the group’s task is complex and nonroutine, decentralized networks with open communications that foster interaction and exchange of relevant information tend to be most effective.

© 2010 South-Western, Cengage Learning, Inc. All rights reserved.18– Types of Communication Networks Wheel Y Chain All channel Circle

© 2010 South-Western, Cengage Learning, Inc. All rights reserved.18–12 Management Challenge Questions What type of communication network is represented by the following:What type of communication network is represented by the following:  Instant messaging  Social networks (Facebook and MySpace)  Text messaging  Work blogs  Twitter How can organizations use social networks to their competitive advantage?How can organizations use social networks to their competitive advantage?

© 2010 South-Western, Cengage Learning, Inc. All rights reserved.18–13 Organizational Communication Formal CommunicationsFormal Communications  Follow the official reporting relationships between managers and subordinates and/or prescribed channels  May involve several levels of the organization. Communication PathwaysCommunication Pathways  Upward communication  Downward communication  Horizontal communication

© 2010 South-Western, Cengage Learning, Inc. All rights reserved.18– Formal Communication in Organizations

© 2010 South-Western, Cengage Learning, Inc. All rights reserved.18–15 Communication in Organizations Electronic CommunicationElectronic Communication  Formal Information Systems  Accomplished (created) by either: –A managerial approach (CIO) –An operational approach  Personal Electronic Technology  Corporate intranets, the Internet, video conferences, , instant messaging  IT challenge: Dysfunctional employee behaviors  Telecommuting disadvantages: lack of face-to-face contact, strong personal relationships, falling behind professionally, and losing out in organizational politics.

© 2010 South-Western, Cengage Learning, Inc. All rights reserved.18–16 Communication in Organizations (cont’d) Informal CommunicationsInformal Communications  May or may not follow official reporting relationships and/or prescribed organizational channels  May have nothing to do with official organizational business. Common Forms of Informal CommunicationsCommon Forms of Informal Communications  The grapevine  Management by wandering around  Nonverbal communication

© 2010 South-Western, Cengage Learning, Inc. All rights reserved.18– Informal Communication in Organizations

© 2010 South-Western, Cengage Learning, Inc. All rights reserved.18– Common Grapevine Chains Found in Organizations

© 2010 South-Western, Cengage Learning, Inc. All rights reserved.18–19 Informal Personal Communications Nonverbal CommunicationNonverbal Communication  Any communication exchange that does not use words, or uses words to carry more meaning than the strict definition of the words themselves.  Facial expression  Inflection and tone of voice  Only a small portion of the message content is due to the words in the message. Facial expression 55% Inflection and tone 38% Words in the message 7%

© 2010 South-Western, Cengage Learning, Inc. All rights reserved.18–20 Informal Personal Communications (cont’d) SettingsBody LanguageImages Kinds of Nonverbal Communications

© 2010 South-Western, Cengage Learning, Inc. All rights reserved.18– Barriers to Effective Communication Individual BarriersOrganizational Barriers Conflicting or inconsistent signalsSemantics Credibility about the subjectStatus or power differences Reluctance to communicateDifferent perceptions Poor listening skillsNoise Predispositions about the subjectOverload Language differences

© 2010 South-Western, Cengage Learning, Inc. All rights reserved.18– Overcoming Barriers to Communication Individual SkillsOrganizational Skills Develop good listening skillsFollow up Encourage two-way communicationRegulate information flows Be aware of language and meaningUnderstand the richness of media Maintain credibility Be sensitive to receiver’s perspective Be sensitive to sender’s perspective

© 2010 South-Western, Cengage Learning, Inc. All rights reserved.18– More and Less Effective Listening Skills