chapter

17

Communication

McGraw-Hill/Irwin
Principles of Management

17 - 3

Learning Objectives
1. Outline the main elements of a communication system.
2. Explain why it is important to match media to a
message.
3. Discuss the formal and informal channels through
which information flows in organizations.
4. Identify the sources of noise that lead to
miscommunication within organizations.
5. Discuss the steps managers can take to counteract
noise and improve communication within their
organizations.

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Communication
The process by which information is exchanged and
understood between people
Transmitting the senders intended meaning is the
essence of good communication

Managers Use
Communication to:

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Transmit information about their goals, strategies,

expectations, management philosophy, and values
Build commitment among subordinates to their programs and
policies, convince allies in their network to support them,
persuade their bosses that they are performing well, and
influence stakeholders
Achieve coordination between different units within an
organization, such as R&D, marketing, and production
Help shape the image of themselves that they present to the
world

Professional Business
Communication Advice
Dont interrupt this is really looked down upon
Use meetings to get to know your co-workers
Let speakers in meetings speak freely about their
needs
Americans value time, so stick to the issues on the
agenda
Avoid personal confrontations
Dont tell foreign jokes, they dont work in
translation
Source: www.professional-business-communications.com

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Model of the
Communication Process
Sender

Transit
message

Receiver

Encode
message

Form
message

Receive
encoded
message

Decode
message

Decode
feedback

Receive
encoded
feedback

Encode
feedback

Form
feedback

Noise

17 - 7

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Communication Channels

Verbal
Communication

Nonverbal
Communication

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Verbal Communication
Any oral or written means of transmitting meaning
through words including face-to-face meetings,
telephone conversations, written memos, and e-mail
messages
Media richness The volume and variety of
information that a sender and receiver can transmit
during a specific time
Flaming The act of sending an emotionally charged
message to others

17 - 10

Europe Heads
for the E-mail
Company

Audience
Reach* 5/04

Country

1. Google

36.7%

U.S.

2. MSN

35.7%

U.S.

3. Microsoft.com

33.3%

U.S.

4. Ebay

20.7%

U.S.

5. Yahoo!

19.7%

U.S.

6. Wanadoo**

13.2%

France

7. Tiscali**

10.1%

Italy

8. Lycos Europe**

9.8%

Spain

9. Amazon

9.6%

U.S.

10. T-Online**

9.3%

Germany

Source: Business Week, July 12, 2004

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Nonverbal
Communication
Any part of communication that does not use words
Messages sent through human actions and behavior
rather than words
Facial gestures, voice intonation, posture, physical
distance, and silence
Emotional contagion the automatic process of
catching or sharing another persons emotions by
mimicking that persons facial expressions and other
nonverbal behavior

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Media Richness
1. Rich media simultaneously use multiple communication
methods
2. Rich media such as face-to-face communication allow
immediate feedback from receiver to sender, whereas
feedback in lean media, such as written reports, is
delayed or nonexistent
3. Rich media let the sender customize the message to the
receiver. Most face-to-face conversations are developed
specifically for one or a few people.

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Question
______ media allows immediate feedback,
whereas feedback from _____ media is
delayed or nonexistent.
a. Rich; lean
b. Routine; ambiguous
c. Lean; rich
d. Ambiguous; rich

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Matching Media
to the Situation
Rich
Medium

Overload zone

Face-to-face
Video conference

Richness of the
Communication
Medium
Lean
Medium

Telephone
Instant massaging
E-mail
Web-logs
Newsletters

Oversimplified zone

Routine/
Communication situation
Financial statement
clear
ambiguous

Nonroutine/

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Can We Talk?
Face-to-face meetings can trump technology
The CEO of PBD Worldwide Fulfillment Services in
Alpharetta, GA., launched a no e-mail Fridays policy
- He suspected that overdependence on e-mail at PBD, which
offers services like a call center management and
distribution, was hurting productivity and perhaps sales
- In less than four months, the simple directive has resulted in
quicker problem-solving, better team-work, and best of all,
happier customers.
Recent research suggests that the perils of e-mail are greater
than many assume.
Source: Business Week, December 4, 2006

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Writing Skills Matter

Business undergraduates facing challenge writing mature
research papers for general courses and expressing themselves
clearly, confidently, and concisely for a professional audience
Only 51% of all high school students who took the college
entrance exams are prepared for college-level reading,
according to a report released last month by the American
College Testing Program (ACT)
Strong writing skills are crucial for business majors looking to
enter the corporate world.
Top of the list of recruiting companies desired traits: The
ability to communicate
Source: Business Week Online, April 26, 2006

Organizational
Communication

Formal
Communication
Channels

Informal
Communication
Channels

17 - 17

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Formal
Communication
Systems of officially sanctioned channels within an
organization that are used regularly to communicate
information
Downward communication occurs when information flows
from higher levels within an organization hierarchy
Upward communication occurs when information flows
from lower to higher levels within an organization hierarchy
Horizontal communication relationships between
individuals

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Informal
Communication
Unofficial communication channels
not formally established by
managers
Personal networks relationships
between individuals
Grapevine the spread of
unsanctioned information (rumor or
gossip) through personal networks

Communication Barriers
& Breakdowns (Noise)

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Perceptions

Filtering

Language
Barriers

Information
Overload

Cultural
Differences

Gender
Differences

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Perceptions
The process of attending to, interpreting,
and organizing information

Selective
Perception

Stereotyping

Attribution
Process

Fundamental
Attribution Error

Self-Serving Bias

Recency Effect

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Vague Resume Statements

The online consultant, ResumeDoctor.com, looked at 160,000
resumes and found the most common vague statements (% of
resumes):

12.6 Communication skills

4.2 Detail-oriented

7.2 Team player

3.8 Results-oriented

5.5 Interpersonal skills

3.8 Self-motivated

4.8 Interpersonal skills

3.2 Problem solver

4.3 Driven

3.1 Highly motivated

Source: Business Week, July 12, 2004

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Language Barriers
Jargon technical language and acronyms as
well as recognized words with specialized
meaning in specific organizations or social
groups
Drop-off distortion in the content of a
message as it passes through a communication
system

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Question
In order to effectively
communicate with
others, you should adapt
your jargon to meet the
situation. Do you agree?
Explain.

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Information Overload

Information Load

Episodes of
information
overload

Employees
information
processing
capacity

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Time

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Improving
Communication

Facilitate
communication
through workspace
design
Reduce
information
overload

Engage in
active listening

IMPROVING
COMMUNICATION

Get your
message across

Communicate
directly with
employees
Proactively
use the
grapevine

Match media
to message

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Active Listening
Sensing
*Postpone evaluation
*Avoid interruptions
*Maintain interest
Active
Listening
Responding
*Show interest
*Clarify the message

Evaluating
*Empathize
*Organize information

Communicate Directly
With Employees
Management By
Walking Around
effective way to counteracting
filtering, and it can teach the
manager things that might not
be transmitted upward through
formal channels

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