Copyright 2004 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning.

All rights reserved.

CHAPTER 12

Communicating
Effectively Within
Diverse Organizations

Pamela S. Lewis
Stephen H. Goodman
Patricia M. Fandt
Slides Prepared by
Zulema Seguel

Importance of Communication
The five most important skills recruiters
look for when firing college and
university students.
#5 Teamwork
#4 Critical thinking & leadership
#3 Interpersonal/social
#2 Computer literacy
#1 Oral and written communication
Copyright 2004 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved.

33

Learning Objectives

slide 1 of 2

1. Explain the role of communication in the

organization and why it is so complex for managers
to understand.
2. Define communication and explain how to achieve
high-quality communication.
3. Describe the components of the communications
process.
4. Identify the primary categories of interpersonal
communication.
5. Discuss the role of technological communication
and information use in the workplace.

Copyright 2004 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved.

33

Learning Objectives

slide 2 of 2

6. Address the primary reasons why managers

communicate.
7. Explain the barriers that interfere with
effective communication.
8. Discuss the types of formal communication
channels.
9. Describe the principles for effective feedback.
10. Specify the guidelines for becoming a good
listener.

Copyright 2004 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved.

33

Communication
Communication is the process that managers
use to interact with subordinates, peers,
supervisors, customers, suppliers, owners, the
general public, etc.
Communication is a complex process that
requires constant attention so that intended
meanings, understandings, and/or feelings, are
sent and received.

Copyright 2004 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved.

33

Communication Complexity
Communication is complicated and dynamic
with many factors influencing its
effectiveness.
Senders, messages, channels, and receivers
do not remain constant or static.
Even a simple two-person interactions
involving multiple variables.
Communication is symbolic with the
meaning of most of our words and signs
changing over time.
Copyright 2004 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved.

33

Communication Defined
Communication stems from the Latin root word
communicare, which means to make
common.
A process in which one person or group evokes
an identical meaning in a second person or
group.
Defining communication is relatively simple,
but achieving high-quality communication is
both complicated and difficult.

Copyright 2004 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved.

33

Communication Process Components

Copyright 2004 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved.

33

Social Context and Sender

Social Context
The setting in which the communication
takes place.

Sender
The sender initiates the communication
process by encoding his or her meaning and
sending the message through a channel.
Encoding translates the senders ideas into a
systematic set of symbols or a language
expressing the communicators purpose.
Copyright 2004 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved.

33

Messages and Channel

Messages
The tangible forms of coded symbols that are
intended to give a particular meaning to the
information or data.

Channel
The carrier of the message or the means by
which the message is sent.

Copyright 2004 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved.

10 33

Receiver and Feedback

Receiver
The receiving person or group must make
sense of the information received.
Decoding the translation of received
messages into interpreted meanings.

Feedback
The process of verifying messages and the
receivers attempts to ensure that the message
he or she decoded is what the sender really
meant to convey.
Copyright 2004 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved.

11 33

Noise
Any internal or external interference or
distraction with the intended message that
can cause distortion in the sending and
receiving of messages.

Copyright 2004 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved.

12 33

Interpersonal Communication Categories

Oral Communication
Written Communication
Nonverbal Communication
Technological Communication

Copyright 2004 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved.

13 33

Oral and Written Communication

Oral Communication
All forms of spoken information; by far the
most preferred type of communication used
by managers.

Written Communication
Letters, memos, policy manuals, reports,
forms, and other documents used to share
information in an organization.

Copyright 2004 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved.

14 33

Nonverbal Communication
Kinesic behavior, or body motion, such as gestures,
facial expressions, and eye behavior.
Physical characteristics, such as body shape, physique,
posture, height, and weight.
Paralanguage, such as voice quality, speech rate, pitch,
and laughing.
Environment, such as building and room design,
furniture, light, noise, and cleanliness.
Time, such as being late or early, keeping others waiting.
Proxemics, such as the way people perceive space,
seating arrangements, and conversational distance.

Copyright 2004 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved.

15 33

Technological Communication
Telecommuting or telework
The practice of working at a remote site by using a computer
linked to a central office or other employment location.

Electronic mail (e-mail)

Sending messages through computerized text-processing and
communication networks.

Video conferencing
An umbrella term for technologies that use live video to unite
widely dispersed company operations.

The Internet
Essentially, everything can be done on the internet.

Copyright 2004 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved.

16 33

Why Managers Communicate

To motivate
To inform
To control
To satisfy social needs

Copyright 2004 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved.

17 33

Sources of Communication Barriers

Cross-cultural diversity
Trust and credibility
Information overload
Language characteristics
Gender differences
Other factors

Copyright 2004 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved.

18 33

Cross-Cultural Diversity
Individuals from different cultures may encode
and decode their messages differently.
They may have different behaviors, styles, and
ways of looking at things.
A common problem in cross-cultural
communication is ethnocentrism.
Ethnocentrism is the tendency to consider ones
own culture and its values as being superior to
others.
Copyright 2004 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved.

19 33

Trust and Credibility

A very important barrier to effective
communication is a lack of trust between
the sender and the receiver.
This lack of trust can cause the receiver to
look for hidden meanings in the senders
message.
It can also cause the sender to try and
manipulate the message.
Copyright 2004 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved.

20 33

Information Overload
Managers and organizations can experience
information overload when the amount of data
that can be processed is exceeded.
Information overload can lead to:
Failing to process or ignoring some information.
Processing information incorrectly.
Delaying the processing of information until the
information overload abates.
Searching for people to help process some of the
information.
Lowering the quality of information processing.
Copyright 2004 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved.

21 33

Language Characteristics
Many words and phrases in our language are
imprecise. Individuals often use different
meanings or interpretations of the same word
and do not realize it.
The imprecision and multiple meanings of
words are one reason why jargon develops.
Jargon is terminology or language specific to a
particular profession or group.

Copyright 2004 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved.

22 33

Gender Differences and Other Factors

Gender Differences
Gender differences can result in breakdowns
and lead to distorted communication and
misunderstandings between men and women.

Other Factors
Time pressures may cause us to focus on
information that helps us make a choice
quickly. Feedback may be impaired or
absent.

Copyright 2004 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved.

23 33

Communication Channels
Formal Communication Channels
Formal communication follows the chain of
command and is recognized as official.

Direction of Flow
One way to view formal communication
within organizations is to examine how it
flows - vertically and horizontally.

Copyright 2004 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved.

24 33

Formal
Communication
Flows

Vertical Communication
The flow of information both up and
down the chain of command.
Downward communication
Messages sent from individuals at higher
levels of the organization to those at lower
levels.

Upward communication
Messages sent up the line from subordinates
to managers.
Copyright 2004 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved.

26 33

Horizontal Communication
The flow of information that occurs both
within and between departments.
Effective organizations encourage
horizontal communication because it
increases:
Coordination
Collaboration
Cooperation
Copyright 2004 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved.

27 33

Spontaneous Communication Channels

Opportunistic and informal paths for
communication that arise from the
social relationships that evolve in the
organization.
The Grapevine
An informal method of transmitting
information depicted as the
wandering of messages throughout
the organization

Copyright 2004 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved.

28 33

Communication Competency Challenges

Expect to be misunderstood by at least some
listeners and readers.
Expect to misunderstand others.
Strive to reduce the degree of such
misunderstandings, but never expect total
elimination of them or the ability to
anticipate all possible outcomes.

Copyright 2004 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved.

29 33

Principles of Effective Feedback

Give feedback that is specific rather than
general.
Give feedback when the receiver appears ready
to accept it.
Focus feedback on behavior rather than the
person, and focus it on behavior that can be
changed.
Provide feedback using descriptive information
about what the person said or did.
Avoid feedback using evaluative inferences
about motives, intent, or feelings.
Copyright 2004 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved.

30 33

Advanced Listening Skills

Listen for message content.
Listen for feelings.
Respond to feelings.
Be sensitive to both the nonverbal
verbal content of messages.

and the

Reflect back to the sender, in your own words, what you

think you are hearing.
Be attentive and listen to understand, not to reply.
Be patient. Dont interrupt the speaker. Take time to digest
what has been said before responding.

Copyright 2004 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved.

31 33

Implications for Leaders:

Communication Points

slide 1 of 2

You spend most of your time at work

communicating.
Your success is based on strong
communication skills.
Communication is becoming increasingly
important in view of recent trends, such
as increased globalization, diversity, and
workplace specialization.
Copyright 2004 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved.

32 33

Implications for Leaders:

Communication Points

slide 2 of 2

Technological communication offers new

opportunities to communicate more often
and more efficiently than ever before. It
is an essential tool for people who want to
stay in touch with the rest of the world.

Copyright 2004 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved.

33 33