Session 08 Technology in the Workplace

 Communication and Technology: Tools for Professionals

When you communicate by using any form of technology, you are taking part in
computer-mediated communication (CMC) (Diaz, Chiaburu, Zimmerman, & Boswell,
2012; Li, Jackson, & Trees, 2008; Walther, Loh, & Granka, 2005). Your methods of
communicating with clients, colleagues, and managers with technology must be
thought out carefully
 Maintaining Professional Excellence Online
 Social networking can be a wonderful tool for sharing information and
maintaining professional connections. However, you should be especially mindful
of the kinds of information about you that others can retrieve from the internet.
 The way people present themselves online does matter in professional life.
Remember, even “private” electronic communication can easily become public.
Genova (2009) argues that employers have legitimate business interests in
monitoring workplace internet use: to minimize legal exposure, to increase
productivity, and to avoid proprietary information loss. Since employees arguably
have no expectation of privacy in their work on employers’ computers, there are
few grounds for complaint if they are disciplined for straying from corporate
policy on such use
 To use email effectively in the workplace, remember these critical points:
 Email is never secure.
 Email can lead to misunderstanding.
 Inappropriate email can lead to workplace lawsuits.
 Your email may be monitored by your employer.
 Spending too much time on email can hinder your productivity and focus.
 Email abuse can lead to employee termination.
 Sending inappropriate emails can harm your reputation as a professional.
 Drawbacks of Technology
We recognize that communication and technology will help you to be more
productive, to network, and to excel as a professional. However, part of professional
excellence is also being able to recognize the drawbacks of technology and avoid
violating professional etiquette.
 Employee Surveillance
How privacy is managed in the workplace is certainly part of the organizational
culture that you need to get to know (Cozzetto & Pedeliski, 1996; Langan, 2012;
Rule, 2007). Be aware of the private information you communicate to other people
(e.g., relationship problems, health, money troubles), as well as the private
information or activities you might manage at work (e.g., personal email, virtual
communities, online banking; Cho & Hung, 2011; Solove, 2008). In fact, companies
and organizations are using workplace surveillance systems in an effort to monitor
and track employee behavior in terms of the information they access or
communicate while at work.
 Time Management
Chronemics is the study of time as communication and/or as a communication
function. Drawing from research on the nonverbal dimensions of time in CMC, Ivy
and Wahl (2014) explain that some messages are posted at one time (referred to as
asynchronous), while others are more interactive, often fostered by social media
(referred to as synchronous). As a result, email systems and other forms of
communication technology make employees more efficient while simultaneously
increasing their workloads (Ballard, 2008; Biggiero, Sammarra, & Dandi, 2012;
Bruneau, 2012; Ivy & Wahl, 2014). Do you think technology helps or harms your own
time management? How, if at all, do you use technology to help manage your time?
 What expectations do you have related to response time for text messages, email,
instant messages, and the like?

 Information Overload
 Contributing to information overload are several unprofessional distractions or
threats to privacy. Here are a few examples:
 Email forwards consist of virus alerts, chain letters, stories disguised as warnings,
petitions or calls for help, jokes, pictures, and the like (Kibby, 2005; Vorakulpipat,
Visoottiviseth, & Siwamogsatham, 2012).
 Spam is the use of a user’s email address for a purpose to which the user didn’t
agree. It is junk email sent by “spammers” who obtain email addresses by buying
company customer lists or using programs to produce email addresses randomly.
 Phishing involves sending authenticlooking but fraudulent emails designed to
steal sensitive personal information
 Social Media and Technology: Key Challenges in The Communication Age
 Knowing when to use computer-mediated communication or face-to-face
communication can be challenging
 Practicing cultural sensitivity can be difficult
 Information overload can negatively affect your work and health
 Professional Etiquette with Technology
Session 09 Business and Professional Writing
• Effective writing is a critical aspect of all effective communication, but perhaps
nowhere is it more important than in public relations.
• Keys (2017) offers several strategies to help a story stand out:
• 1. Research your audience
• 2. Be relevant
• 3. Understand what drives search traffic
• 4. Place your words strategically within your release
• 5. Multimedia releases win
• 6. Measure the results
 The Importance of Written Communication
Written communication is important for the following reasons:
(1) Official documents, memos, emails, and other forms of written communication
reveal something about you as a professional
(2) important policies, requests, and organizational procedures are conveyed
through written communication;
3) proposals, employee terminations, media relations, and the like are achieved with
written communication;
(4) written communication must be present in order to achieve professional
excellence.
 Striving for Message Excellence
 Message Structure
Excellent written communication begins with a clear general purpose, a clear
specific purpose or thesis, and clear organization. Begin by asking yourself,
“What is the purpose of this written communication? Am I presenting new
information? Am I clarifying? Am I requesting? Am I persuading?”
 Message Clarity
To maximize message clarity, you must evaluate your audience and avoid
generalities. Message clarity is also achieved by using specific language as
opposed to general language (Bly, 1999; Travers, 2012). General language is
usually characterized as vague statements that can easily be misunderstood,
whereas specific language makes precise references.
 Message Presentation
message presentation refers to that visual component. Carelessly written
communication will send the message that you are a careless employee or
leader. With spelling and grammar check, as well as good old-fashioned
proofreading, you can correct typos (mistakes in typing), misspellings (mistakes
in spelling), and grammar errors (sentence fragments, inappropriate use of
punctuation, and the like). Just as a typo on your résumé can lose you a job, a
typo on a report can cause you to lose credibility. Misspellings, typos, and
sending something to the wrong department are all roadblocks to professional
excellence.
 Types of Written Communication
 Business Letters
The business letter is used to address formal matters in professional
communication including cover letters, information sent to customers,
announcements about business events, and the like.
Remember that business letters, when not composed appropriately, can be
ineffective and lead to miscommunication.
 Employee Reviews
employee reviews serve as a form of written communication used in business
and professional settings to provide feedback to employees about how they are
 performing on the job. These reviews are typically filed with personnel
documents.
Written communication related to employee reviews must be accurate and
reflect actual employee performance. Remember, this type of document should
be used carefully to document positive performance and areas for the employee
to improve.
 Recommendation Letters
Recommendation letter—a form of written communication used to provide a
documented reference for students and professionals. A letter of
recommendation is needed when a college/university or employer requests one,
and it’s something that many, if not all, of the readers of this text will need
throughout their careers.
 Thank-You Letters
thank-you letters—written communication used to express appreciation to
coworkers and clients. Thank-you letters can be sent via email (which is great for
delivery speed), but think about how impressive it is to actually receive a
handwritten note. We encourage you to keep professional thank-you cards in
your work area to write letters or notes of appreciation. In addition to helping
you achieve professional excellence on the job, thank-you letters can be used as
networking notes—a form of thank-you letter used to remind employers of your
interview and to emphasize that you’re the right person for the job
 Memos
Memos (the word memo is short for memorandum) are another type of written
communication used in professional settings. They are typically short notes or
updates distributed in business. Memos should be reserved for communicating
information that’s critically important.
Memos can also be used to communicate process directives—descriptions of
new policies/procedures and changes to those already in place. Process
directives are distributed to the employees or departments that the directive
impacts and are filed as official documents of organizational policy.
Session 10 Leadership and Conflict Management
 What is Leadership
Leadership is “a dynamic relationship based on mutual influence and common
purpose between leaders and collaborators in which both are moved to higher levels
of motivation and moral development as they affect real, intended change” (Freiberg
& Freiberg, 1996, p. 298)
 Uilizing Power
 Status is a person’s rank or position in an organization. Typically, the superior
(supervisor/employer) is the higher-status person, and the subordinate
(employee) is the lower-status person.
 Job title is about status, but job title does not equal leadership. True leadership
is about power.
 the six types of power as defined by John French and Bertram Raven (1968):
legitimate power, coercive power, reward power, expert power, referent power,
and connection power.
 Legitimate power
Legitimate power is based on a position of authority. The manager has legitimate
power over the department budget and employee schedules. Although a position or
job title may give someone legitimate power, it doesn’t mean that person exercises
that power
 Coercive power
 Coercive power refers to the ability to control another person’s behavior with
negative reinforcement
 Reward power describes control over another person’s behavior with positive
reinforcement. Clearly, a person with legitimate power has both coercive and
reward power over subordinates.
 Expert Power
 Expert power is based on one’s superior expertise in a specific field. In our
fastpaced, increasingly specialized world, it is no wonder experts are given power
 You give referent power to someone because you want that person to like you.
You may feel a connection to that person, or you may wish to be like that person
— either way, it gives him or her power over you. High school peer pressure is a
form of referent power
 Connection power is based on the old expression, “It’s not what you know but
who you know.” Having a connection to people in positions of power or having a
strong support system definitely acts as a source of power.
 Leadership Theories
 Behavioral Theories
• The traits approach to leadership was among the first formal attempts to
study leadership. But when it became clear to scholars that leadership was
more than merely a list of traits, they began to turn their attention to the
behaviors of leaders.
• y, behavioral theorists such as Douglas McGregor did develop categories for
leaders that were based on research into leader/manager behavior.
McGregor (1960) observed two very different leadership styles that he
labeled Theory X and Theory Y. The differences between Theory X managers
and Theory Y managers are derived from their opposing views of employees.
• Theory X managers believe that
 The average employee dislikes work
 Because most employees dislike work, they must be controlled,
directed, and threatened so they will perform their job duties
  Employees prefer to be told what to do, avoid responsibility, have little
ambition, and value job security above all By contrast, Theory Y
managers believe that
 The need and desire to work is as natural as the need and desire to play
or rest
 Controlling, directing, and/or threatening are not the only means for
getting employees to perform their job duties
 The average employee is motivated by achieving goals
 The average employee not only accepts responsibility but many times
seeks it
 The average employee’s full intellectual and creative potential is not
utilized in most organizations
 Situational Leadership Theories
• According to Sadler (1997), one of the major limitations of the traits approach
was its failure to take into account the importance of the situation. This same
limitation holds true for the work of McGregor. However, researchers such as
Blake and Mouton, Fiedler, and Hersey and Blanchard studied the impact of
situation on assessing leadership effectiveness.
• The Managerial Grid, developed by Robert Blake and Jane Mouton (1964,
1978), includes five managerial styles: impoverished, country club,
authoritative, middle-of-the road, and team. Unlike researchers before them,
Blake and Mouton incorporated into their model two dimensions: concern for
people and concern for task The impoverished manager has a low concern for
both people and task. The country club manager has a high concern for
people and a low concern for task. The authoritative manager has a high
concern for task and a low concern for people. The middle-of-theroad
manager has a moderate level of concern for both people and task, while the
team manager has a high concern for both people and task
• What can you learn from studying Blake and Mouton’s Managerial Grid?
When selecting an effective leadership style, you have to consider multiple
factors. Be careful not to make the mistake of glancing at the grid and
thinking that team manager is the best way to lead. There may be times when
the task at hand is small or less than urgent, so an effective leader might use
the country club style to increase the cohesion of the group. At another time,
the task might be urgent, opening the door for an authoritative style—it
depends on the situation.
• This idea was reiterated and expanded on by other researchers, such as
Fiedler. According to Fiedler’s Contingency Theory, there’s no best way for
managers to lead. Excellent leaders assess the situation and then select the
leadership style and accompanying communication style that best fits the
situation.
• Transformational leaders are defined as leaders who articulate a goal or
vision to an organization and then inspire followers to make that vision a
reality, requiring them to transcend their own personal interests for the good
of the organization (Bolman & Deal, 1997; Wright, Moynihan, & Pandey,
2012). Transformational leaders are often known for being charismatic. In
addition, their leadership style can be characterized as empowering, which
helps develop innovative thinking and initiative among followers. Be warned
—the effectiveness of transformational leaders is difficult to measure (Den
Hartog & Belschak, 2012; Wright, 1996). What you learn from this research
into transformational leadership is that truly outstanding leaders in the 21st
century have a vision of where their teams and/or organizations are heading
and communicate that vision to their teams. They also empower their teams,
allowing them to become a part of that vision.
  Dealing with Difficult People

Session 13 Work–Life Balance

 The Importance of Work-Life Balance
• Achieving work–life balance is important for the following reasons: (1) Imbalance
between your work life and your personal life can negatively influence the way you
communicate, (2) work–life balance fosters meaningful and successful relationships
at home and at work, and (3) work–life balance is necessary to sustain professional
excellence. T
• work–life balance is the “accomplishment of role-related expectations that are
negotiated and shared between an individual and his or her role-related partners in
the work and family [life] domains” (Grzywacz & Carlson, 2007, p. 458
• What happens when working professionals feel a sense of balance between their
work and personal lives? Does the organization benefit? In fact, indicators of balance
have been connected with better employee commitment, job satisfaction, and
professional engagement (T. Allen, Herst, Bruck, & Sutton, 2000; Yuille, Change,
Gudmundsson, & Sawang, 2012). By contrast, when balance is missing, employees
are more prone to quit, abuse sick leave, and perform poorly on the job. As a result,
work–life balance is at the core of good business practices today, leading
organizations to develop a culture that supports the balance of work and individual
life (Drago, 2007; Grzywacz & Carlson, 2007; Vidal, Leiva, & Navarro, 2012).
 Individual Benefits of Work–Life Balance
 Have greater control of their working lives.
 Have the time to focus more on life outside of work.
 Don’t bring problems from home to work and vice versa.
 Are shown loyalty and commitment.
 Have improved self-esteem, health, concentration, and confidence.
 Have better relations with management.
 Feel a greater responsibility and sense of ownership.
 Organizational Benefits of Work–Life Balance
• Maximized available labor.
• Reduced costs.
• Retaining valued employees.
• The reputation of being an employer of choice.
• Reduced absenteeism.
• Increased productivity.
• Attracting a wider range of candidates, such as older, part-time workers.
• Making employees feel valued.
 Triggers to Imbalance
• We define imbalance triggers as experiences (e.g., conflict, aggression, overload,
negativity) that cause professionals to feel drained, used, abused, and unhappy.
 The Imapact of Difficult People on Work–Life Balance
• Angry Customers and Client
How can organizations address the negative impact of difficult customers on
employees? Managers should consider employee development opportunities (e.g.,
corporate wellness programs, training activities) to help manage the risk (Dallimore
et al., 2007; Kelly, Allender, & Calquhoun, 2007; Ritchie, 2012)
• Workplace Bullying
Workplace bullying is defined as repeated acts and practices that are directed
intentionally or unconsciously and that cause embarrassment, humiliation, and
stress. Bullying negatively influences job performance, causes an unhealthy work
environment, and leads employees to spend their time away from work trying to
figure out how to survive or cope with the abuse at work (Harvey, Buckley, et al.,
2007; Harvey, Heames, Richey, & Leopard, 2006; Sandvik & Tracy, 2012).
• Workplace Mobbing
Another imbalance trigger important to your study of work–life balance is workplace
mobbing—“the nonsexual harassment of a coworker by a group of other workers or
other members of an organization designed to secure the removal from the
 organization of the one who is targeted” (Duffy & Sperry, 2007, p. 398). Duffy and
Sperry (2007) explain that mobbing “results in the humiliation, devaluation,
discrediting, degradation, loss of professional reputation, and, usually, the removal
of the target from the organization
• The five phases that follow have been identified by professional counselors who
worked with mobbing victims in two clinical cases (Duffy & Sperry, 2007, 2012;
Ferris, 2004; Leymann & Gustaffson, 1996):
1. The triggering event
2. Aggressive acts and psychological assaults against the victim
3. Active involvement of the administration
4. Labeling of the victim.
5. : Expulsion
 Strategies for Balance
• knowing yourself
• developing emotional intelligence
• learning time-management skills
• using technology as a tool for balance
• taking a vacation.