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A communication model

Communication, the exchange of information and the transmission of meaning is thus a part of almost everything managers do. There are five basic aspects to communicating The sender puts a massage in understandable terms and the transmits it via a communication channel, a vehicle that carries the message. Face to face communication is the most familiar and widely used channel. Memos, report, policies, and procedures manual, videotape reports, and e-mail are some other. The receiver is the person or persons to whom the information is sent. If noise or other barriers like stress or perceptual differences cause the person to decode or hear the message erroneously, feedback can save the situation. Feedback is the receivers response to the message that was actually received in the communication process. Interpersonal and organizational communication barriers can lead to problems in any of these five aspects. A communication channel problem (like a subordinate causing a delay in you getting your message) could cause the message about the event to be delayed for several days. Noise (perhaps distractions) may further delay the message. And then your president, shocked at the long delay in receiving the message, might decode it as if it were accurate, although the lunch was innocent and the client isnt really thinking of switching account. Barriers to interpersonal communication Perception Are influenced by many things, and its probably safe to say that no two people perceive a particular message in exactly the same way. For one thing, people tend to perceive thing in a way that reflects what they believe. If you believe that people are good, trustworthy, and honest, then you may tend to perceive peoples comment in a supportive way. Semantics The meaning of words, is another barrier, since words mean different things to different people. Nonverbal communication The nonspoke aspect of communication, such as persons manner of speaking, facial expression, or body posture, that express meaning to others. Ambiguity

Ambiguity message also tend to get distorted, and here there are three specific problems. Ambiguity of meaning occurs when the person receiving the message isnt sure what was meant by the person who said or wrote the message. Ambiguity of intent means that the word may be clear, but the senders intentions arent. Ambiguity of effect represents the receivers uncertainty about what the consequences of the message might be.

Defensiveness When confronted with information that may clash with their self concept, many employees react defensively. Defenses, or defense mechanisms, are adjustment people make, often unconsciously, to avoid having to recognize personal qualities that might lower their self esteem. Defense help people deflect a lot of the things that might otherwise reduce their self esteem and raise their anxiety.

Improving interpersonal communication A. Be an active listener Listen for total meaning For example, if the sales manager says, we cant sell that much this year, the active lisreners responsewould not be sure you can. Instead, the listener would understand the underlying feeling and let the sales manager know the problem is recognized. Reflect feeling Reflecting the spekers feeling is important because it help the speak get them off his or her chest. Reflecting feeling here might mean saying something like, theyre pushing you pretty hard, arent they? Notes all cues

Remember that not all communication is verbal. Facial expressions and hand gestures portray feelings, too. B. Avoid triggering defensiveness Criticizing, arguing, and even giving advice can trigger defensiveness, as the other person reacts to protect his or her self image. Trying to influence someone in this way may thus backfire.

C. Clarify your ideas before communicating Miscommunication often result from fuzzy thinking or poorly chosen word. The way to avoid this problem is to say what you mean and mean what you say. If you maen immediately, say immediately rather than as soon as you can. Also keep in mind the underlying meaning of your message, and make sure your tone, expression, and word all convey a consistent meaning.

Interpersonal communication in action A. Communication with your supervisor Your boss is a manager, and is therefore responsible for getting result. In general, then, there are some key phrases to avoid when communicating with your boss, since they could be interpreted as a lack of responsibility on your part. These include Im only human, Im overworked, it slipped past me, its not my fault, its not my problem, and you dont appreciate me. Similary, wheter youre requesting a raise or a day off next week, or discussing some other matter, body language to avoid includes cringing, looking down, rushing to be seated, slouching in your chair, bringing your hands to your face, mounth, and crossing your arms in front of your chest.

B. Communicating with colleagues Getting along with colleagues is important for several reasons. For example, you have to depend on them for help to get your job done, and your carer progress and day to day peace of mind usually depend to some extent on how well you get along with your peers. Body language problem include avoiding eye contact, frowning, shaking your head, and pushing gestures. C. Communicating with subordinates Subordinate know that their appraisals and career success are in their supervisor hand. Knowing this make them more sensitive to any indication of disrespect or unfairness on their managers part. Word to avoid with subordinate thus include blame, destroyed, misguided. Phrases to avoid include better shape up, dont come to me about it and youd better. Therefore, maintain eye contact, smile, keep hand away from your face and mouth, use open handed gestured, and direct your glance to the subordinates forehead, rather than meeting his or her eyes directly. D. Negotiating

Negotiating effectively start with communicating effectively. For example, listen actively so that you understand both the word and the feeling underlyingwhat the other person has just said.

Barriers to organizational communication Distortion Since the message must be relayed from person to person, there are many opportunities for the message to be filtered, embellished, and otherwise distorted. The final message usually bears little resemblance to the original one. A similar phenomenon occurs in organizations. Message transferred from person to person tend to be distorted. The more people involved, the distortion occurs. Rumors and the grapevine Rumors are good example of how organization message get distorted. Rumors are spread by the grapevine, often at great speed. Conflicts also foster rumors. For example, conflictsbetween union and management may trigger rumors as each side tries to interpret the situation in a way most favorable to itself. Information overload Information overload is a similar problem in todays interest based world. For example, you may try to long onto the internet and find it takes several tries. Narrow viewpoint Organization communication often involves people from different department, each of whom has his or her own viewpoint and specialty. Such narrow viewpoints can undermine organizarional communication by making it harder for each person to see and understand the other persons point of view. Status Status differences can translate into communication problems. For example, subordinate may prefer not to related bad new to a boss, and thus hesitate to be candid about problem. Organizational culture The organizations culture its shared values and traditional ways of doing thing can also influence the way message flow throughout the organization. Slowed communications

The organization chart itself can restrict communication to formally sanctioned routes. This example may be extreme, but theres no doubt that much of what is formal about formal organizations sticking to the chain of command, following procedures, filling out the necessary paperwork in order to pass the request up the chain of command, and so on can slow the flow of communication. Boundary differences You May recall that boundary differences can also inhibit communications. The authority, task, political, and identity boundaries must be pierced if communication are to flow freely. For example, subordinate may tend to be diferential toward their bosses, and may tell them what they want to hear and withhold unwelcome information.

Improving organizational communication


Influencing upward communication 1. Social gatherings (including departemental parties, picnics, and recreational event) provide opportunities for informal, casual communication. 2. In unionized organizations union publications can provide useful insights into employee attitudes. 3. Some supervisor schedule formal monthly meetings with their subordinates, in addition to the informal contacts that take place every day. 4. Performance appraisal meeting are good opportunities to seek employees opinions about their jobs and job attitudes. 5. Grievances provide top management with insights into operational problems.

6. Some companies periodically administer attitudesurveys to get answer to question like, are working hours and shift rotations perceived as reasonable? do employees feel the boss has favorites? management can then assess the need for change and correct any problem. 7. A formal suggestion system even a suggestion box can encourage upward communication. 8. An open door policy allow subordinate to transmit concerns through a channel outside the normal chain of command, and can act as a safety valve. Similari, a formal appeals process can show employees that their requests and complaints will be treated fairly.

9. Indirect measures, including absences, turnover rates, and safety records, can be valuable indicators of unstated, uncommunicated problem that exist at the operational level.

Influencing horizontal communication 1. Liaison personal A sales liaison may be employed by the sales department, but be physically located in the factory to advise factory management about the sales departments priorities. 2. Committees and task forces Interdepartemental committees, task forces, or teams are usually composed of representatives from several department, they meet periodically to discuss and solve common problems are to ensure interdepartmental communication and coordination. 3. Independent integrators Some companies boost interdepartmental communication by creating special independent integrators.

Encouraging informal communication Informality is emphasized At the walt Disney company, for instance, everyone from the president down wears a name tag with just his or her first name on it. Most are characterized by the casual getting together of people from different disciplines who talk about problems in a campuslike, shirt sleeves atmosphere. Communication intensity is maintained At successful companies, meeting and presentations are unabashed, the flow is free, everyone is involved. Communication is given physical support Blackboard and open offices facilitate informal interaction. In one high tech firm, for instance, all employees from the president down work not in offices, but in six food high doorless cubicles that encourage openness and interaction.

Electronic communication 1. Electronic mail Is a computerized information system that lets group members electronically create, edit, and communicate message to one another, using electronic mail boxes. 2. Videoconferencing Is a telecommunication based method that lets group member interact directly with a number of other group members via television links. 3. Group decision support system Is an interactive computer based communication system that facilitates the solution of unstructured problems by a team of decision makers. 4. Telecommuting Has been defined as the substitution of telecommunications and computers for the commute to a central office. 5. Internet The internet provides enormous communication benefit to organizations. For one thing, since companies can, in a sense, get a free ride on the internet, they can substantially reduce their communication cost.

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