1. PowerPoint™ Presentations prepared by: Naomi Young University of California, San Diego Human Communication: The Basic Course Twelfth Edition Joseph A. DeVito Hunter College of the City University of New York

2. Copyright ©2012, 2009, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. This multimedia product and its contents are protected under copyright law. The following are prohibited by law: any public performance or display, including transmission of any image over a network; preparation of any derivative work, including the extraction, in whole or in part, of any images; any rental, lease, or lending of the program. Chapter Twelve: Human Communication In the Workplace: Organizational Communication

3. Copyright ©2012, 2009, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. 3 Chapter Goals Learn About:  Chapter Goals – Learning About:  The nature and types of organizations  The characteristics of organizations  The types of organizational messages and relationships Learn To:  Communicate more effectively in the organizational context  Advance your own status and personal satisfaction within the organization Copyright ©2012, 2009, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

4. Organizations   The importance of organizational communication – –Employment – –Complexity – –Influence  What is an organization? –Organized –Group of people –Working together –Compatible goals

5. Copyright ©2012, 2009, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Characteristics of Organizations  Rules and regulations  Division of labor  System of rewards and consequences  Organizational Culture

6. Copyright ©2012, 2009, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Organizational Messages  Sending and receiving verbal and nonverbal messages in an organizational context  Limited to messages occurring within the organization’s formal and informal groups

7. Copyright ©2012, 2009, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Organizational Messages  Formal Communication –Messages sanctioned by the organization –Organizationally focused  Upward Communication –Messages sent from the lower levels of a hierarchy to the upper level  Downward Communication –Messages sent from the higher levels to the lower levels of the hierarch  Lateral Communication –Messages between equals—manager-to- manager, worker-to-worker

8. Copyright ©2012, 2009, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Informal Organizational Communication: The Grapevine   Messages may concern any topic germane to workers and the organization   Messages are called grapevine messages because they follow twisting routes reminiscent of grapevines – –Understand grapevine purposes – –Treat grapevine information as tentative – –Tap into the grapevine – –Assume your messages will be repeated

9. Copyright ©2012, 2009, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Communication Channels in Organizations   Communication networks are configurations of channels through which messages pass from one person to another.   Messages may be transmitted face-to face, via telephone, email, intranet, teleconferencing, informal memos, or formal reports

10. Copyright ©2012, 2009, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Information Overload   Think before passing on messages   Use the messages as they come to you   Organize your messages   Get rid of extra copies   Take inventory

11. Copyright ©2012, 2009, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Information Isolation  Worker is given little or no information  Difficult for individual to do the job assigned  Deprives the organization of useful input of useful input  Creates unhappy and unmotivated worker unmotivated worker

12. Copyright ©2012, 2009, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Organizational Message Competence 1.Listen actively, empathically, critically, and in depth 2.Apologize when you make an error 3.Avoid contributing to information overload or information isolation 4.Use the grapevine appropriately 5.Demonstrate the communication skills of leadership

13. Copyright ©2012, 2009, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. 6.Avoid speech that is racist, heterosexist, ageist, or sexist 7.Help manage conflict 8.Use power effectively 9.Understand the communication flow 10.Prepare all messages as if they are going to be graded Organizational Message Competence cont…

14. Copyright ©2012, 2009, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Organizational Relationships   Sexual Harassment – –Qui Pro Quo - ‘something for something’ – –Hostile Environment - behavior that makes workers uncomfortable

15. Copyright ©2012, 2009, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Bullying   Gossiping about someone   Treating others as inferior   Excluding members from social functions   Verbal insults, name calling   Negative facial expressions   Excessive blaming   Being supervised (watched, monitored) more closely than others   Being unnecessarily criticized

16. Copyright ©2012, 2009, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Romance in the Workplace In one survey: –59 % felt that office romances were nothing to worry about –23 % said they had had affairs within office walls –19% said they had dated a subordinate

17. Copyright ©2012, 2009, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Mentoring   Involves a one-on-one relationship between an expert and a novice   A relationship that is supportive and trusting   Mutual and open sharing of information and thoughts about the job   The relationship enables the novice to try out new skills under the guidance of an expert, to ask questions, and to obtain the feedback so necessary in learning complex skills

18. Copyright ©2012, 2009, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Networking   Start with people you already know   Seek mutually beneficial relationships   Create folders, files, and directories   Be proactive

19. Copyright ©2012, 2009, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Organizational Relationship Competence 1.Be a mentor and a network giver as well as a protégé and network seeker. 2.Be supportive of your co-workers. 3.Exercise caution in the development of office romances and understand your company’s policies regarding such relationships. 4.Self-disclose selectively. 5.Avoid bringing your relationship problems to work with you.

20. Copyright ©2012, 2009, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. 6.Learn the cultural rules of the organization. 7.Stress the positive. Be friendly, helpful, and positive. 8.Remember that your colleagues may one day be your superiors or you may be theirs. 9.Relate to others at your appropriate relationship stage 10.Watch out for any ethnocentrism on your part. Organizational Relationship Competence cont…

21. Copyright ©2012, 2009, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Knowledge to Action If you ran a company of, 40 or 50 employees, how would you go about facilitating both upward and downward communication?