MANAGING

COMMUNICATION

14

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 LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. Define the nature and function of communication.
2. Compare and contrast methods of interpersonal
communication.
3. Identify barriers to effective interpersonal communication and
how to overcome them.
 Develop your skill at listening actively.
 Know how to identify the differences in how genders
communicate.
4. Explain how communication can flow most effectively in
organizations.
5. Describe how technology affects managerial communication
and organizations.
6. Discuss contemporary issues in communication.

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 WHAT IS COMMUNICATION?

Communication – the transfer and

understanding of meaning.
– Transfer means the message was received in
a form that can be interpreted by the receiver.
– Understanding the message is not the same
as the receiver agreeing with the message.

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 WHAT IS COMMUNICATION? (CONT.)

• Interpersonal Communication –
communication between two or more
people.
• Organizational Communication – all
the patterns, networks, and systems of
communications within an organization.

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 FUNCTIONS OF COMMUNICATION

• Control
– Formal and informal communications act to
control individuals’ behaviors in
organizations.
• Motivation
– Communications clarify for employees what
is to be done, how well they have done it,
and what can be done to improve
performance.

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 FUNCTIONS OF COMMUNICATION
(CONT.)
• Emotional Expression
– Social interaction in the form of work group
communications provides a way for
employees to express themselves.
• Information
– Individuals and work groups need
information to make decisions or to do their
work.

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 METHODS OF INTERPERSONAL
COMMUNICATION
Message – a purpose to be conveyed.
• Encoding – converting a message into
symbols.
• Channel – the medium a message
travels along.
• Decoding – retranslating a sender’s
message.

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 METHODS OF INTERPERSONAL
COMMUNICATION (CONT.)
Communication process – the seven
elements involved in transferring meaning
from one person to another.
• Noise – any disturbances that interfere
with the transmission, receipt, or
feedback of a message.

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 EXHIBIT 14-1
THE INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION
PROCESS

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 NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION

Nonverbal communication –
communication transmitted without words.
• Body language – gestures, facial
configurations, and other body
movements that convey meaning.
• Verbal intonation – an emphasis given
to words or phrases that conveys
meaning.
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 EXHIBIT 14-2
COMPARISON OF COMMUNICATION
METHODS

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 EXHIBIT 14-2
COMPARISON OF COMMUNICATION
METHODS (CONT.)

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 EXHIBIT 14-2:
COMPARISON OF COMMUNICATION
METHODS (CONT.)

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 BARRIERS TO COMMUNICATION

• Filtering – the deliberate manipulation of

information to make it appear more favorable
to the receiver.
• Information overload – occurs when
information exceeds our processing capacity.
• Jargon – specialized terminology or technical
language that members of a group use to
communicate among themselves.

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 OVERCOMING THE BARRIERS

• Use Feedback – ask questions about a

message to determine whether it was
received and understood as intended.
• Simplify Language – consider the
audience to whom the message is
directed and tailor the language to them.

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 OVERCOMING THE BARRIERS (CONT.)

• Active listening – listening for full meaning

without making premature judgments or
interpretations.

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 EXHIBIT 14-3
ACTIVE LISTENING BEHAVIORS

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 FORMAL VERSUS INFORMAL
COMMUNICATION
• Formal communication –
communication that takes place within
prescribed organizational work
arrangements.
• Informal communication –
communication that is not defined by the
organization’s structural hierarchy.

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 DIRECTION OF COMMUNICATION

• Town hall meeting – informal public

meetings where information can be
relayed, issues can be discussed, or just
is a way to bring employees together to
celebrate accomplishments.
• Downward communication –
communication that flows downward
from a manager to employees.

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 DIRECTION OF COMMUNICATION
(CONT.)
• Upward communication – communication
that flows upward from employees to
managers.
• Lateral communication – communication
that takes place among any employees on the
same organizational level.
• Diagonal communication – communication
that cuts across work areas and
organizational levels.

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 ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION
NETWORKS
• Communication Networks – the
variety of patterns of vertical and
horizontal flows of organizational
communication.
• Grapevine – the informal organizational
communication network.

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 EXHIBIT 14-4
ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION
NETWORKS

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 WORKPLACE DESIGN AND
COMMUNICATION

• Open workplaces –
workplaces with few
physical barriers
and enclosures.

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 HOW TECHNOLOGY AFFECTS
MANAGERIAL COMMUNICATION
• Networked Systems – in a networked
system, an organization’s computers are
linked. Organizational members can
communicate with each other and tap into
information whether they’re down the hall,
across town, or halfway across the world.
• Wireless Capabilities – wireless
communication technology has the ability
to improve work for managers and
employees.

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CURRENT COMMUNICATION ISSUES

Managing Communication in an Internet World

– Legal and security issues
• Inappropriate use of company e-mail and instant messaging.
• Loss of confidential and proprietary information due to
inadvertent or deliberate dissemination or to hackers.
– Lack of personal interaction
• Being connected is not the same as face-to-face contact.
• Difficulties occur in achieving understanding and collaboration
in virtual environments.

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 COMMUNICATION AND
CUSTOMER SERVICE
Communicating Effectively with Customers
– Recognize the three components of the customer
service delivery process:
• The customer
• The service organization
• The service provider
– Develop a strong service culture focused on the
personalization of service to each customer.
• Listen and respond to the customer.
• Provide access to needed service information.

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 GETTING EMPLOYEE INPUT

In today’s challenging environment,

companies need to get input from their
employees.
• Suggestion Boxes – managers do business
in a world today where you can’t afford to
ignore such potentially valuable information.

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 EXHIBIT 14-5
HOW TO LET EMPLOYEES KNOW THEIR INPUT
MATTERS

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 COMMUNICATING ETHICALLY

Ethical communication –
communication that includes all relevant
information, is true in every sense, and is
not deceptive in any way.

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 REVIEW LEARNING OBJECTIVE 14.1

• Define the nature and function of

communication.
– Communication is the transfer and
understanding of meaning.
– Interpersonal communication is communication
between two or more people.
– Organizational communication includes all the
patterns, networks, and systems of
communication within an organization.

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 REVIEW LEARNING OBJECTIVE 14.1 (CONT.)

- The functions of communication include controlling

employee behavior, motivating employees,
providing a release for emotional expression of
feelings and fulfillment of social needs, and
providing information.

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 REVIEW LEARNING OBJECTIVE 14.2
• Compare and contrast methods of
interpersonal communication.
– The communication process contains even
elements.
• First, a sender has a message.
• A message is a purpose to be conveyed.
• Encoding converts a message into symbols.
• A channel is the medium a message travels
along.
• Decoding happens when the receiver
retranslates a sender’s message.
• Finally, feedback occurs.

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 REVIEW LEARNING OBJECTIVE 14.2 (CONT.)

- Managers can evaluate the various

communication methods according to their
feedback, complexity capacity, breadth potential,
confidentiality, encoding ease, decoding ease,
time-space constraint, cost, interpersonal warmth,
formality, scanability, and time of consumption.

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 REVIEW LEARNING OBJECTIVE 14.2 (CONT.)

- The communication methods include face-to-face,

telephone, group meetings, formal presentations,
memos, traditional mail, fax, employee
publications, bulletin boards, other company
publications, audio- and videotapes, hotlines, e-
mail, computer conferencing, voice mail,
teleconferences, and videoconferences.

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 REVIEW LEARNING OBJECTIVE 14.3

• Identify barriers to effective interpersonal

communication and how to overcome
them.
– Barriers to effective communication include
filtering, emotions, information overload,
defensiveness, language, and national culture.
– Managers can overcome these barriers by
using feedback, simplifying language, listening
actively, constraining emotions, and watching
for nonverbal clues.

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 REVIEW LEARNING OBJECTIVE 14.4

• Explain how communication can flow most

effectively in organizations.
– Formal communication is communication that
takes place within prescribed organizational
work arrangements.
– Informal communication is not defined by the
organization’s structural hierarchy.
– Communication in an organization can flow
downward, upward, laterally, and diagonally.

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 REVIEW LEARNING OBJECTIVE 14.4 (CONT.)

- The three communication networks include:

• the chain, in which communication flows
according to the formal chain of command.
• the wheel, in which communication flows
between a clearly identifiable and strong
leader and others in a work team.
• the all-channel, in which communication flows
freely among all members of a work team.

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 REVIEW LEARNING OBJECTIVE 14.4 (CONT.)

- Managers should manage the grapevine as an

important information network.
- The negative consequences of rumors can be
minimized by communicating openly, fully, and
honestly with employees.
- Workplace design also influences organizational
communication. That design should support four
types of employee work: focused work,
collaboration, learning, and socialization.

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 REVIEW LEARNING OBJECTIVE 14.5
• Describe how technology affects
managerial communication and
organizations.
– Technology:
• improves a manager’s ability to monitor performance.
• gives employees more complete information to make
faster decisions.
• has provided employees more opportunities to
collaborate and share information; and it has made it
possible for people to be fully accessible, anytime
anywhere.

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 REVIEW LEARNING OBJECTIVE 14.6

• Discuss contemporary issues in

communication.
– The two main challenges of managing
communication in an Internet world are the
legal and security issues and the lack of
personal interaction.
– Organizations can manage knowledge by
making it easy for employees to communicate
and share their knowledge.

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 REVIEW LEARNING OBJECTIVE 14.6 (CONT.)

- Communicating with customers is an important

managerial issue because it can significantly
affect a customer’s satisfaction with the service
and the likelihood of being a repeat customer.
- It’s important for organizations to get input from
their employees.
- Finally, a company’s communication efforts need
to be ethical.

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