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Communication
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Importance of Good Communication
?Good Communication allows a firm to
? Learn new skills and technologies,
? Become more responsive to customers,
? Improve Quality of their product or service,
? Foster innovation
?Effective communication is needed by all
Managers,
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The Communication Process
? Communication consists of two phases,
1,Transmission phase,information is shared by 2 or
more people,
2,Feedback phase,a common understanding is
assured,
? Starts with the Sender who wants to share information,
?Sender must decide on a message to share
?Sender also puts the message into symbols or language,
a process called encoding,
Noise,anything harming the communication process,
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The Communication Process
Message Encoding Medium Decoding
Decoding Medium Encoding Message
Receiver
(now sender) Sender
Transmission Phase
Feedback Phase
NOISE
Figure 15.1
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The Communication Process
? Messages are transmitted over a medium to a receiver,
?Medium,pathway the message is transmitted on
(phone,letter),
?Receiver,person getting the message,
? Receiver next decodes the message,
?Decoding allows the receiver to understand the
message,
?This is a critical point,can lead to mis-understanding,
? Feedback is started by receiver and states that the
message is understood or that it must be re-sent,
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Communication Issues
? Encoding of messages can be done verbally or non-
verbally
?Verbal,spoken or written communication,
?Nonverbal,facial gestures,body language,dress,
? Sender and receiver communicate based on their
perception,
?Subjective perception can lead to biases and stereotypes
that hurt communication,
?Effective Managers avoid communicating based on a
pre-set belief,
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Dangers of Ineffective Communication
? Managers spend most of their time communicating so
both they and the subordinates must be effective
communicators,To be effective,
? Select an appropriate medium for each message,
? There is no one,best” medium,
?Consider information richness,the amount of
information a medium can carry,
? Medium with high richness can carry much information to
aid understanding,
?Is there a need for a paper/electronic trail to provide
documentation?
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Information Richness and Media Type
Face-to-face
communication
Verbal communication
electronically
transmitted
Verbal communication
electronically
transmitted
Impersonal written
commun-
ication
High
Richness
Low
Richness
Figure 15.2
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Irwin/McGraw-Hill ?The McGraw-Hill Companies,Inc.,2000
Communication Media
Face-to-Face,highest information richness,
?Can take advantage of verbal and nonverbal signals,
?Provides for instant feedback,
? Management by wandering around takes advantage of this
with informal talks to workers,
?Video Conferences,provide much of this richness,
? Reduce travel costs and meeting times,
Verbal Communication electronically transmitted,has
next highest richness,
?Phone conversations,but no visual nonverbal cues,
? Do have tone of voice,sender’s emphasis and quick
feedback,
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Communication Media
Personally Addressed Written Communication,lower
richness than the verbal forms,but still is directed at a
given person,
?Personal addressing helps ensure receiver reads it,
? Letters and e-mail are common forms,
?Cannot provide instant feedback to sender but can get
feedback later,
? Excellent for complex messages needing follow-up,
Impersonal Written Communication,lowest richness,
?Good for messages to many receivers,Little feedback is
expected,
? Newsletters,reports are examples,
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E-Mail Trends
? E-mail use is growing rapidly in large firms,and there
are even special e-mail etiquette,
?Words in all CAPITALS are seen as,screaming” at the
receiver,
?Punctuate your messages for easy reading and don’t
ramble on,
?Pay attention to spelling and treat like a written letter,
? E-mail has allowed telecommuting,where workers can
work from home and be in touch with e-mail,
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Communication Networks
Networks show information flows in an organization,
?Wheel Network,information flow to and from one
central member,
?Chain Network,members communicate with people
next to them in sequence,
? Wheel and Chain networks provide for little interaction,
?Circle Network,members communicate with others
close to them in terms of expertise,office location,etc,
?All-Channel Network,found in teams,with high
levels of communications between each member and all
others,
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Communication Networks in Groups &
Teams
Wheel Network
Circle Network
Chain Network
All Channel Network
Figure 15.3
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Organization Communication Networks
Organization chart depicts formal reporting channels,
?Communication is informal and flows around issues,
goals,and projects,
?Vertical Communication,goes up and down the
corporate hierarchy,
?Horizontal Communication,between employees of the
same level,
? Informal communications can span levels and
departments,
?Grapevine,informal network carrying unofficial
information through the firm,
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Organizational Communications Network
Figure 15.4
Formal
Communication
Informal
Communication
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Technological Advances
? Internet,global system of computer networks
Many firms use it to communicate with suppliers,
? World Wide Web (WWW),provides multimedia
access to the Internet,
? Intranets,use the same information concepts as the
Internet,but keep the network inside the firm,
? Groupware,software designed to let workers share
information and improve communication,
Best for team oriented support,
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Communication Skills for Managers as Senders
? Send clear and complete messages,
? Encode messages in symbols the receiver understands,
? Select a medium appropriate for the message AND
monitored by the receiver,
? Avoid filtering (holding back information) and
distortion as the message passes through other workers,
? Ensure a feedback mechanism is included in the
message,
? Provide accurate information to avoid rumors,
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Communication Skills for Managers as
Receivers
?Pay Attention to what is sent as a message,
?Be a good listener,don’t interrupt,
? Ask questions to clarify your understanding,
?Be empathetic,try to understand what the sender feels,
?Understand linguistic styles,different people speak
differently,
? Speed,tone,pausing all impact communication,
? This is particularly true across cultures,
? Managers should expect and plan for this,