Reg.

No: 61/19202 and Name: Mohammed Hussain

Paper 1: Organisational Behaviour

Response Sheet 2

Question 3:

What is meant by group? “The balance theory of Theodore Newcomb is a comprehensive

theory of group formation.” Explain

A group may be defined as a collection of two or more people who work with one another
regularly to achieve common goals. In a group, members are mutually dependent on one
another to achieve common goals, and they interact with one another regularly to pursue
those goals. Effective groups help organizations accomplish important tasks. In particular,
they offer the potential for synergy—the creation of a whole that is greater than the sum of
its parts. When synergy occurs, groups accomplish more than the total of their members’
individual capabilities.

Theodore Newcomb Balance Theory

Balance theory states that when tensions arise between or inside people, they attempt to
reduce these tensions through self-persuasion or trying to persuade others.

Individual Interpretations:

My interpretation of Balance theory is that individuals have certain attitudes which can be
represented by a plus sign (like) or a minus sign (dislike). Every individual has their own
opinions therefore people do not always agree on the same things which creates a feeling of
discomfort or imbalance. Two people may feel the same about an idea and therefore agree
on it so they have a feeling of comfort or balance.

Metatheoretical Assumptions:

Balance theory is Humanistic. Epistemologically this theory has multiple truths in that
humans try to reduce tension through self-persuasion or persuading others. Ontologically
this theory represents free will in that people choose whether or not they like or dislike
something. Axiologically, this theory is more value-laden in that the theoretical propositions
are subjective and biased.

Critique:

Balance theory presents analytic consistency in that the theoretical assumptions fit
together. The method of investigation in this theory is timely. The theory is practical, and
has heuristic value in that it can be applied other places.

Ideas and Implications:

Balance theory proposes that there are three ways in which a person can feel balance. First
the source and receiver can both dislike something and at the same time like each other, so
they experience comfort and balance. Second, the source and receiver can have a positive

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Reg. No: 61/19202 and Name: Mohammed Hussain

attitude toward an object or idea and display positive feelings toward one another, therefore
experiencing comfort and balance. Third, the source and the receiver can disagree about an
idea or object and also dislike each other, therefore experiencing comfort because they
know that they disagree about the values of certain objects or ideas.

Example:

Adam likes to watch football on television, and Jenah does not like to watch football. Yet
Jenah likes Adam, and values their relationship therefore this system is now in imbalance.
If Jenah would change her attitude about football, this system would be in balance.

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Question 4:

Define communication. What are the barriers of communication?

Communication in simple terms is a transfer of information between people, resulting in

common understanding between them. Communication is a non-stop process and is a vital
ingredient for success, both within and outside the workplace. It is a part of “soft skills”, as
opposed to domain or technical knowledge, which is a part of “hard skills.” A formal study of
business communication is important, since the average business executive today spends a
good part of his time on the job communicating in some form or the other.

Barriers to Communication

Environmental Barriers – This is the same as physical noise, which could be in the form
of distracting sounds, an overcrowded room, poor facilities and acoustics, all of which may
hinder the ability to listen to and understand the message.

Individual Barriers – A major barrier to interpersonal communication is tendencies to

judge, evaluate, approve or disapprove of the views of another person. This happens
particularly in situations where we have strong feelings about something. In such cases, we
tend to block out the communication and form our own viewpoints.

Organizational Barriers – In organizations that are too hierarchical, that is, where there
are multiple “layers”, messages may have to pass through many levels before they finally
reach the receiver. Each level may add to, modify or completely change the message, so
much so that it becomes distorted by the time it reaches the intended receiver. In other
words, there is likely to be loss of meaning and the message may not reach the receiver in
the same way as it was intended by the sender. Another type of organizational barrier is a
departmental barrier. This means that each department in an organization functions in
isolation and there is no co-ordination or communication between them.

Channel Barriers – In the earlier section, it was pointed out that communication can fail
due to any of the different elements going wrong. Wrong choice of channel is one of the
main barriers to communication. Using a wrong medium of advertising, or conveying a
message orally when a written letter would be more appropriate, are examples. The written
channel is more appropriate when the communication is more formal or for keeping things

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on record, while emotional messages such as feelings about co-workers are better conveyed
orally.

Linguistic and Cultural Barriers – When the sender of the message uses a language that
the receiver does not understand, the communication will not succeed. Either the sender
may be using a different or foreign language, or the language used may be too highly
technical for the receiver to understand.

Linguistic barriers may also occur in cross-cultural advertising and distort the
communication, when translating campaigns or slogans literally from one language to
another.

Cultural differences refer to differences in values and perceptions, which may affect the
interpretation of the message by the receiver. For example, a joke about women may be
taken in the wrong sense if the receiver belongs to a culture where women are highly
respected.

Semantic Barriers – The word “semantics” refers to the meaning of words and the way in
which they are used. For example, different words may have different meanings in different
cultures. Failure to take this into consideration could lead to serious blunders.

Non-verbal Barriers – This refers to the non-verbal communication that goes with a
particular message. Non-verbal communication includes tone of voice, body language such
as gestures and facial expressions, etc. We will be discussing this in great length in a later
unit. If the tone of voice and body language are negative, the communication will fail,
however positive the spoken and written message. Therefore, it is important to avoid giving
conflicting signals, through the use of non-verbal communication.

Overcoming the Barriers to Communication

Certain steps can be taken, both at the organizational level, as well as at the individual
level, to effectively deal with the barriers to communication, in order to try to minimize
them, if not eliminate them entirely –

Organizational Action

 Encourage Feedback
 Create a Climate of Openness
 Use Multiple Channels of Communication

Individual Action

 Active Listening
 Careful wording of messages
 Selection of Appropriate Channels

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