1. Chapter : 11 Communication in Organizations
University of Bahrain
College of Business Administration
MGT 233: Organizational Behavior Managing People and Organization
Chapter : 11 Communication in Organizations
Dr.Mahmood Asad
MGT233

2. Chapter Learning Objectives After studying this chapter you should be able to:
Discuss the nature of communication in organizations.
Identify and describe the primary methods of communication.
Describe the communication process.
Note how information technology affects communication.
Identify and discuss the basic kinds of communication networks.
Discuss how communication can be managed in organizations.
Dr.Mahmood Asad
MGT233

3. The Nature of Communication in Organizations
The social process in which two or more parties exchange information and share meaning
Purposes of Communication in Organizations
Achieve coordinated action
Information sharing
Express feelings and emotions
Dr.Mahmood Asad
MGT233

4. Three Purposes of Organizational Communication
FIGURE 11.1
Three Purposes of Organizational Communication
Dr.Mahmood Asad
MGT233

5. Communication Across Cultures
Interpersonal Relations Issues in Communications
Language
Different word meanings
Nonverbal communication
Coordination
Time zones
Communication systems
Dr.Mahmood Asad
MGT233

6. Methods of Communication
Primary Organizational Communication Methods
Written
Oral
Nonverbal
Choice Considerations
Audience (physical or not physical presence)
Nature of the message (urgency and secrecy)
Costs of transmission
Dr.Mahmood Asad
MGT233

7. Methods of Communication in Organizations
FIGURE 11.2
Methods of Communication in Organizations
Dr.Mahmood Asad
MGT233

8. Methods of Communication (cont’d)
Oral Communication
Aspects to Consider
Changes in tone, pitch, speed, volume
Possibilities of feedback
Written Communication
Types
Letter
Office memorandum
Reports
Manuals
Forms
Dr.Mahmood Asad
MGT233

9. 4. Reports generally summarize the progress or results of a project.
A. Written Communication. Written communication includes letters, , memos, reports, manuals, and forms.
1. A letter is a formal means of communicating with an individual, generally someone outside the organization.
2. is probably the most common form of written communication in organizations.
3. Memos usually are addressed to an individual or group inside the organization. They tend to be on one topic and are more impersonal than a letter.
4. Reports generally summarize the progress or results of a project.
5. Manuals have various functions in organizations, including providing instructions for a particular job or identifying organizational policies and procedures.
6. Forms are standardized documents used for reporting information.
Dr.Mahmood Asad
MGT233

10. Methods of Communication (cont’d)
Facial Expressions
Physical Movements
Body Language
Environmental Elements
Elements of Nonverbal Communication
Dr.Mahmood Asad
MGT233

11. Elements of the Communication Process
Source
Individual/group/organization interested in communicating something to another party
Encoding
The process by which the message is translated from an idea/thought into transmittable symbols
Transmission
The process through which the symbols that represent the message are sent to the receiver; the medium is the channel or path through which the message is transmitted
Decoding
The process by which the message receiver interprets its meaning
Receiver
Individual/group/organization that perceives the encoded symbols
Feedback
The process in which the receiver returns a message to the sender that indicates receipt of the message
Noise
Any disturbance in the communication process that interferes with or distorts communication
Dr.Mahmood Asad
MGT233

12. The Communication Process
FIGURE 11.3
The Communication Process
Dr.Mahmood Asad
MGT233

13. Digital Information Processing and Telecommunications
Workplace Changes Due to Technology Innovation
Organizational intranets and extranets
The Internet
New types of telecommunication systems
Computerized information processing systems
Combinations of all these
Dr.Mahmood Asad
MGT233

14. Digital Information Processing and Telecommunications (cont’d)
Today’s Office of the Future
Virtual offices link managers, clerical employees, professional workers, sales personnel, suppliers, customers
Advantages
Computerized data storage, retrieval, transmission systems
Improves productivity
Increases idea sharing/knowledge sharing
Risks
Reduction in face-to-face meetings leads to depersonalization
Reduction of office social structures
Dr.Mahmood Asad
MGT233

15. Communication Networks
Communication links individuals and groups in a social system
Stages of organizational communication link development
Task-related communication links
Small group communication networks
Larger organizational networks
Function of communication networks
Structure flow/communication content
Support organizational structure, culture, beliefs, value systems
Dr.Mahmood Asad
MGT233

16. Small-Group Communication Networks
FIGURE 11.4
Dr.Mahmood Asad
MGT233

17. Communication Networks (cont’d)
Small-Group Networks: Information Flow Patterns
Wheel Network
Information flows between the person at the end of each spoke and the person in the middle
Chain Network
Each member communicates with the person above and below, except for the individuals on each end who communicate with only one person
Circle Network
Each member communicates with the people on both sides but with no one else
All-Channel Network
All members communicate with all other members
Dr.Mahmood Asad
MGT233

18. Communication Networks (cont’d)
Characteristics of Communication Networks
Networks form spontaneously as interactions among workers continue
Networks rarely are permanent
Task is crucial to the choice of a network pattern
Environment affects the frequency and types of interactions among members
Personal factors and group performance factors influence communication networks
Networks strongly influence group effectiveness
Electronic groups that have little face-to-face communication are an emerging trend
Dr.Mahmood Asad
MGT233

19. Communication Networks (cont’d)
Organizational Communication Networks
Communication and information flows do not necessarily follow the lines of an organization chart
Downward communication provides directions
Upward communication provides feedback
Horizontal communication is related to task performance
Dr.Mahmood Asad
MGT233

20. Organizational Communication Networks.
An organization chart shows reporting relationships and paths through which information flows. Information may flow upward, downward, horizontally, or diagonally across the chart. The communication network differs from the organization chart because it indicates the individuals who most frequently communicate with one another (refer to Figure 11.5).
1. The roles people play in organizational communication networks are described in terms of their contributions to the functioning of the network. An understanding of these roles can help both managers and group members facilitate communication.
a) A gatekeeper has a strategic position in the network that allows him or her to control information moving in either direction through a channel.
b) A liaison serves as a bridge between two groups, tying them together and facilitating the communication flow needed to integrate group activities.
c) A cosmopolite links the organization to the external environment by, for example, attending conventions and trade shows.
d) An isolate and an isolated dyad tend to work alone, with little interaction or communication with others.
Dr.Mahmood Asad
MGT233

21. Communication Networks (cont’d)
Gatekeeper
Isolate/ Isolated Dyad
Liaison
Cosmopolite
Roles in an Organizational Network
Dr.Mahmood Asad
MGT233

22. Improving the Communication Process
Improving the Communication Process. An understanding of potential communication problems is important for improving organizational communication.
1. Source. The source may intentionally withhold or filter information on the assumption that the receiver does not need the information to understand the communication. Withholding the information may render the message meaningless or cause an erroneous interpretation. The sender must be receiver-oriented and trust the receiver to use the information properly.
2. Encoding and Decoding. Encoding and decoding problems occur as the intended message is translated into or from the symbols used in transmission. Encoding problems may include the lack of common experience between source and receiver, problems related to semantics and the use of jargon, and difficulties with the medium.
Dr.Mahmood Asad
MGT233

23. a) The source and the receiver need to have a common experience with the symbols used to communicate to encode and decode them in exactly the same way.
b) Semantics is the study of meaning in language forms. Semantics can cause communication failures when the source and receiver speak the same language but the words of the message have different meanings to each.
c) Jargon is the specialized or technical language of a trade, field, profession, or social group. The use of jargon outside the in-group may cause communication to break down.
d) The source must use an appropriate medium for both the message and the receiver.
Dr.Mahmood Asad
MGT233

24. Comparison of an Organization Chart and the Organization’s Communication Network
FIGURE 11.5
Dr.Mahmood Asad
MGT233

25. Managing Communications
Improving the Communication Process
Communication fidelity
The degree of correspondence between the message intended by the source and the message understood by the receiver
Typical problem areas:
Source
Encoding/Decoding
Receiver
Feedback (verification)
Dr.Mahmood Asad
MGT233

26. Managing Communications (cont’d)
Area
Symptom/Problem
Solution
Source
Information filtering
Understand underlying basis
Encoding-Decoding
Lack of common experience base
Improve semantics
Reduce jargon
Receiver
Selective attention, value judgments, source credibility, overload
Reduce dissonance and overload
Feedback
Lack of feedback leads to improper response
Source must be more concerned with message, symbols, medium, receiver feedback. Receiver needs to be source oriented
Dr.Mahmood Asad
MGT233

27. Improving the Communication Process
Table 11.1
Improving the Communication Process
Dr.Mahmood Asad
MGT233

28. Managing Communications (cont’d)
Reduce noise (rumor grapevine)
Foster informal communication
Develop a balanced information network
Improving Organizational Factors in Communication
Dr.Mahmood Asad
MGT233

29. Organizational Behavior in Action
After reading the chapter:
Which of the communication technologies that students use now will have the most impact on communication patterns in organizations in the future?
What personal privacy issues for workers could arise from the use of increasingly pervasive and “always-on” communication networks by employers?
Does “get a life” mean that you must go off “the grid”?
Dr.Mahmood Asad
MGT233