Chapter 6 Interacting With Others

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Canadian Edition Copyright © 2002 Pearson Education Canada Inc. 2 Chapter Outline The Communication Process Barriers to Effective Communication Creating Effective Mechanisms for Communication Current Issues in Communication How Communication Breakdown Leads to Conflict Conflict Management and Teams Resolving Conflict: Negotiation

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Canadian Edition Copyright © 2002 Pearson Education Canada Inc. 3 Interacting With Others How can we improve communication? How do we manage conflict? How do we negotiate? Questions for Consideration

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Canadian Edition Copyright © 2002 Pearson Education Canada Inc. 4 Exhibit 6-1 The Communication Process Model

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Canadian Edition Copyright © 2002 Pearson Education Canada Inc. 5 Channel richness Type of message Information medium Leanest RichestNonroutine, ambiguous Routine, clear Face to face talk Telephone Computer Memos, letters Flyers, bulletins general reports Exhibit 6-2 Hierarchy of Channel Richness

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Canadian Edition Copyright © 2002 Pearson Education Canada Inc. 6 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. 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, Canadian Edition Copyright © 2002 Pearson Education Canada Inc. 7 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, Canadian Edition Copyright © 2002 Pearson Education Canada Inc. 8 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, Canadian Edition Copyright © 2002 Pearson Education Canada Inc. 9 Nonverbal Communication 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

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Canadian Edition Copyright © 2002 Pearson Education Canada Inc. 10 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 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, Canadian Edition Copyright © 2002 Pearson Education Canada Inc. 11 Exhibit 6-3 Hand Gestures Mean Different Things in Different Countries

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Canadian Edition Copyright © 2002 Pearson Education Canada Inc. 12 Cross-Cultural Communication Difficulties There are barriers caused by semantics. There are barriers caused by word connotations. There are barriers caused by tonal differences.

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Canadian Edition Copyright © 2002 Pearson Education Canada Inc. 13 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, Canadian Edition Copyright © 2002 Pearson Education Canada Inc. 14 Tips For Writing and Sending Don’t write anything that you don’t want anyone other than the intended receiver to see Be careful in addressing your e- mail—a simple typo can send your to the wrong person Think about the you’re sending, and perhaps wait an hour before you do send it off Be careful when forwarding e- mail that you are not circulating something that is untrue

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Canadian Edition Copyright © 2002 Pearson Education Canada Inc. 15 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, Canadian Edition Copyright © 2002 Pearson Education Canada Inc. 16 How Structure Can Lead to Conflict Size, specialization, and composition of the group act as forces to stimulate conflict. The greater the ambiguity in precisely defining where responsibility for actions lies, the greater the potential for conflict to emerge. The diversity of goals among groups is a major source of conflict. Too much reliance on participation may also stimulate conflict. Reward systems create conflict when one member’s gain is at another’s expense.

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Canadian Edition Copyright © 2002 Pearson Education Canada Inc. 17 Point-CounterPoint Conflict Is Good for the Organization s Conflict is a means by which to bring about radical change s Conflict facilitates group cohesiveness s Conflict improves group and organizational effectiveness s Conflict brings about a slightly higher, more constructive level of tension All Conflicts Are Dysfunctional! s The negative consequences from conflict can be devastating s Effective managers build teamwork s Competition is good for an organization, but not conflict s Managers who accept and stimulate conflict don’t survive in organizations

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Canadian Edition Copyright © 2002 Pearson Education Canada Inc. 18 Exhibit 6-4 How Conflict Builds

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Canadian Edition Copyright © 2002 Pearson Education Canada Inc. 19 Assertiveness Cooperativeness Unassertive Assertive UncooperativeCooperative Competing Collaborating Compromising AvoidingAccommodating Exhibit 6-5 Dimensions of Conflict- Handling Intentions

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Canadian Edition Copyright © 2002 Pearson Education Canada Inc. 20 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 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, Canadian Edition Copyright © 2002 Pearson Education Canada Inc. 21 Exhibit 6-6 Understanding Conflict Handling Intentions

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Canadian Edition Copyright © 2002 Pearson Education Canada Inc. 22 Exhibit 6-6 Understanding Conflict Handling Intentions

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Canadian Edition Copyright © 2002 Pearson Education Canada Inc. 23 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 Exhibit 6-7 Conflict Intensity Continuum

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Canadian Edition Copyright © 2002 Pearson Education Canada Inc. 24 Exhibit 6-8 Conflict Resolution Techniques Problem solvingFace-to-face meeting of the conflicting parties for the purpose of identifying the problem and resolving it through open discussion. Superordinate goalsCreating a shared goal that cannot be attained without the cooperation of each of the conflicting parties. Expansion of resourcesWhen a conflict is caused by the scarcity of a resource—say, money, promotion opportunities, office space—expansion of the resource can create a win-win solution. AvoidanceWithdrawal from, or suppression of, the conflict. SmoothingPlaying down differences while emphasizing common interests between the conflicting parties. CompromiseEach party to the conflict gives up something of value. Authoritative commandManagement uses its formal authority to resolve the conflict and then communicates its desires to the parties involved. Altering the human variable Usingbehavioural change techniques such as human relations training to alter attitudes and behaviours that cause conflict. Altering the structural variables Changing the formal organization structure and the interaction patterns of conflicting parties through job redesign, transfers, creation of coordinating positions, and the like.

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Canadian Edition Copyright © 2002 Pearson Education Canada Inc. 25 Exhibit 6-8 Conflict Stimulation Techniques CommunicationUsing ambiguous or threatening messages to increase conflict levels.. Bringing in outsidersAdding employees to a group whose backgrounds, values, attitudes, or managerial styles differ from those of present members. Restructuring the organization Realigning work groups, altering rules and regulations, increasing interdependence, and making similar structural changes to disrupt the status quo. Appointing a devil’s advocate Designating a critic to purposely argue against the majority positions held by the group., the conflict.

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Canadian Edition Copyright © 2002 Pearson Education Canada Inc. 26 Exhibit 6-9 Conflict and Unit Performance

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Canadian Edition Copyright © 2002 Pearson Education Canada Inc. 27 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, Canadian Edition Copyright © 2002 Pearson Education Canada Inc. 28 Reducing Group Conflict Team members worked with more, rather than less information and debated on the basis of facts Team members developed multiple alternatives to enrich the level of debate Team members shared commonly agreed-upon goals Team members injected humour into the decision process Team members maintained a balanced power structure Team members resolved issues without forcing consensus

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Canadian Edition Copyright © 2002 Pearson Education Canada Inc. 29 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, Canadian Edition Copyright © 2002 Pearson Education Canada Inc. 30 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 6-10 Distributive versus Integrative Bargaining

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Canadian Edition Copyright © 2002 Pearson Education Canada Inc. 31 Party A’s Aspiration Range Party B’s Aspiration Range Party A’s target point Party B’s target point Party A’s resist- ance point Party B’s resist- ance point Settlement Range Exhibit 6-11 Staking Out the Bargaining Zone

Chapter 6, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Canadian Edition Copyright © 2002 Pearson Education Canada Inc. 32 Improving Your Bargaining Position 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, Canadian Edition Copyright © 2002 Pearson Education Canada Inc. 33 Summary and Implications 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 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. Negotiation is an ongoing activity in groups