Organizational Behavior

Arab World Edition

Robbins, Judge, Hasham

Chapter 9:
Communication

Lecturer:
Insert your name here

© Pearson Education 2012 9-2

 Chapter Learning Objectives

This chapter will enable you to:

1. Identify the main functions of communication.

2. Describe the communication process and distinguish

between formal and informal communication.

3. Contrast downward, upward, and lateral communication

and provide examples of each.

4. Contrast oral, written, and nonverbal communication.

5. Contrast formal communication networks and the

grapevine.

© Pearson Education 2012 9-3

Chapter Learning Objectives (cont’d)

6. Analyze the advantages and challenges of electronic

communication.

7. Show how channel richness underlies the choice of

communication channel.

8. Identify common barriers to effective communication.

9. Show how to overcome the potential problems in

crosscultural communication.
 Functions of Communication

Communication is the transference and understanding of

meaning.

Communication functions

• Control member behavior.

• Foster motivation for what is to be done.

• Provide a release for emotional expression.

• Provide information needed to make decisions.

© Pearson Education 2012 9-5

 The Communication Process

The steps between a source and a receiver that result in the

transference and understanding of meaning.

© Pearson Education 2012 9-6

 Key Parts of Communication Process

The sender—initiates message.

Encoding—translating thought to message.

The message—what is communicated.

The channel—the medium the message travels through.

Decoding—the receiver’s action in making sense of the message.

The receiver—person who gets the message.

Noise—things that interfere with the message.

Feedback—a return message regarding the initial communication.

© Pearson Education 2012 9-7

 Communication Channels

A channel is the medium selected by the sender through which

the message travels to the receiver.

Types of channels
1. Formal Channels
• Are established by the organization and transmit messages
that are related to the professional activities of members.
2. Informal Channels
• Used to transmit personal or social messages in the
organization. These informal channels are spontaneous and
emerge as a response to individual choices.

© Pearson Education 2012 9-8

 Direction of Communication

LATERAL

© Pearson Education 2012 9-9

 Direction of Communication

“All employees need to communicate honestly, accurately, and regularly

to ensure information flow between all departments. Upward and
downward communication creates a culture of open communication.”
Source : Mobinil Code of Conduct (www.mobinil.com/aboutmobinil/CodeOfConduct.pdf).

© Pearson Education 2012 9-10

 Interpersonal Communication

Oral communication
• Advantages: Speed and feedback.
• Disadvantage: Distortion of the message.
Written communication
• Advantages: Tangible and verifiable.
• Disadvantages: Time-consuming and lacks feedback.
Nonverbal communication
• Advantages: Supports other communications and provides
observable expression of emotions and feelings.
• Disadvantage: Misperception of body language or gestures
can influence receiver’s interpretation of message.

© Pearson Education 2012 9-11

 Nonverbal Communication
(Remembering the “3 V”)
Body movement
• Unconscious motions that provide meaning.
• Shows extent of interest in another and relative perceived
status differences.
Intonations and voice emphasis
• The way something is said can change meaning.
Facial expressions
• Show emotion.
Physical distance between sender and receiver
• Depends on cultural norms.
• Can express interest or status.

© Pearson Education 2012 9-12

 Three Common Formal Small-Group Networks

Chain
• Rigidly follows the chain of command.

Wheel
• Relies on a central figure to act as the conduit
for all communication.
• Team with a strong leader.

All Channel
• All group members communicate actively with
each other.
• Self-managed teams.

© Pearson Education 2012 9-13

 Small Group Network Effectiveness

Small group effectiveness depends on the desired outcome

variable.

© Pearson Education 2012 9-14

 The Grapevine
• Three Main Grapevine Characteristics:
1. Informal, not controlled by management.
2. Perceived by most employees as being more believable and
reliable than formal communications.
3. Largely used to serve the self-interests of those who use it.
• Results from:
– desire for information about important situations (Profit
Share – private data);
– ambiguous conditions;
– conditions that cause anxiety.
• Insightful to managers.
• Serves employee’s social needs.

© Pearson Education 2012 9-15

 Ways to Reduce Rumors

1. Announce timetables for making important decisions.

2. Explain decisions and behaviors that may appear

inconsistent or secretive.

3. Emphasize the downside, as well as the upside, of current

decisions and future plans.
4. Openly discuss worst-case possibilities
—they are almost never as
anxiety-provoking as the unspoken
fantasy.

© Pearson Education 2012 9-16

 Electronic Communications: E-mail

Advantages
• quickly written, sent, and stored; low cost for distribution.

Disadvantages
• Messages are easily and commonly misinterpreted.
• Not appropriate for sending negative messages.
• Overused and overloading readers.
• Removes inhibitions and can cause emotional responses and
flaming
• Difficult to ‘get’ emotional state understood—emoticons.
• Non-private: e-mail is often monitored and may be
forwarded to anyone.

© Pearson Education 2012 9-17

 Electronic Comms: Instant/Text Messaging

Instant Messaging
• Immediate e-mail sent to receiver’s desktop or device.

Text Messages
• Short messages typically sent to cell phones or other
handheld devices.

© Pearson Education 2012 9-18

 Electronic Comms: Instant/Text Messaging
(cont’d)

Forms of ‘real time’ communication of short messages that

often use portable communication devices.

• Explosive growth in business use.

• Fast and inexpensive means of communication.
• Can be intrusive and distracting.
• Easily ‘hacked’ with weak security.
• Can be seen as too informal.

© Pearson Education 2012 9-19

 Electronic Comms: Networking Software

Linked systems organically spread throughout the world that

can be accessed by a PC.

Includes:
• Social networks like MySpace® and Facebook®.
• Professional networks like Zoominfo® and LinkedIn®.
• Corporate networks such as IBM’s BluePages®.

Key Points:
• These are public spaces—anyone can see what you post.
• Can be used for job application screening.
• Avoid ‘overstimulating’ your contacts.

© Pearson Education 2012 9-20

 Electronic Comms: Blogs

Blogs are websites about a single person (or entity) that are
typically updated daily.

• A popular, but potentially dangerous activity:

– Employees may post harmful information.
– Such comments may be cause for dismissal.
– Can be against company policy to post in a blog during
company time and on company equipment/connections.

© Pearson Education 2012 9-21

 Electronic Comms: Videoconferencing

Videoconferencing uses live audio and video internet streaming

to create virtual meetings.
• Now uses inexpensive webcams and laptops in place of
formal videoconferencing rooms.

© Pearson Education 2012 9-22

 Knowledge Management

The process of organizing and distributing an organization’s

collective wisdom so that the right information gets to the right
people at the right time.

Important because:

• Intellectual assets are as critical as physical assets.

• When individuals leave, their knowledge and experience
goes with them.
• A KM system reduces redundancy and makes the organization
more efficient.

Requires an organizational culture that values sharing of

information.

© Pearson Education 2012 9-23

 Choice of Communication Channel

• The model of ‘media richness’ helps explain an individual’s

choice of communication channel.
– Channels vary in their capacity to convey information.

• A ‘rich’ channel is one that can:

– handle multiple cues simultaneously;
– facilitate rapid feedback;
– be very personal.

• Choice depends on whether the message is routine.

• High-performing managers tend to be very media-sensitive.

© Pearson Education 2012 9-24

 Media Richness Model

© Pearson Education 2012 9-25

 Barriers to Effective Communication

Filtering
A sender’s manipulation of information so that it will be seen
more favorably by the receiver.

Selective perception
People selectively interpret what they see on the basis of their
interests, background, experience, and attitudes.

Information overload
A condition in which information inflow exceeds an individual’s
processing capacity.

© Pearson Education 2012 9-26

 Barriers to Effective Communication (cont’d)

Emotions
How a receiver feels at the time a message is received will
influence how the message is interpreted.

Language
Words have different meanings to different people.

Communication apprehension
Undue tension and anxiety about oral communication, written
communication, or both.

© Pearson Education 2012 9-27

 Barriers to Effective Communication (cont’d)

Gender differences
Men tend to talk to emphasize status while women talk to
create connections.

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 Politically Correct (PC) Communication

• Communication so concerned with being inoffensive that

meaning and simplicity are lost or free expression is
hampered.

• Certain words do stereotype, intimidate, and insult.

• In a highly diverse workforce this is problematic:

– ‘Garbage’ becomes ‘post-consumer waste materials’.
– ‘Quotas’ become ‘educational equity’.
– ‘Women’ become ‘people of gender’.

• Such non-standard sanitizing of potentially offensive words

can reduce the clarity of messages.

© Pearson Education 2012 9-29

 Global Implications

Cross-cultural factors increase communication difficulties.

Cultural barriers
• Semantics: some words aren’t translatable.
• Word connotations: some words imply multiple meanings
beyond their definitions.
• Tone differences: the acceptable level of formality of
language.
• Perception differences: language affects worldview.

© Pearson Education 2012 9-30

 Global Implications

Cultural Context
• The importance of social context to meaning.
• Low-context cultures rely on words for meaning.
• High-context cultures gain meaning from the whole
situation.

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 Global Implications

All of these common US hand signs are offensive somewhere

in the world.

© Pearson Education 2012 9-32

 Global Implications

To reduce your chance of making an

embarrassing mistake in another culture, err
on the side of caution by:

• Assuming differences until similarity is

proven.
• Emphasizing description rather than
interpretation or evaluation.
• Practicing empathy in communication.
• Treating your interpretations as a working
hypothesis.

© Pearson Education 2012 9-33

 Summary and Managerial Implications

• The less employees are uncertain, the greater their

satisfaction; good communication reduces uncertainty!

• Communication is improved by:

– choosing the correct channel;
– being a good listener;
– using feedback.

• Potential for misunderstanding in electronic communication

is higher than for traditional modes.

• There are many barriers to international communication

that must be overcome

© Pearson Education 2012 9-34

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© Pearson Education 2012 9-35