Communicating in teams and

organisations

Chapter 9

9-2Copyright © 2013 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty LtdMcShane, Olekalns, Travaglione, Organisational Behaviour, 4e

Learning Objectives 9.1 Explain why communication is important in organisations and

discuss four influences on effective communication encoding and decoding

9.2 Compare and contrast the advantages of and problems with electronic mail, other verbal communication media, and non-verbal communication

9.3 Explain how social acceptance and media richness influence the preferred communication channel

9.4 Discuss various barriers (noise) to effective communication, including cross-cultural and gender-based differences in communication

9.5 Explain how to get messages across more effectively, and summarise the elements of active listening

9.6 Summarise effective communication strategies in organisational hierarchies, and review the role and relevance of the organisational grapevine

9-3Copyright © 2013 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty LtdMcShane, Olekalns, Travaglione, Organisational Behaviour, 4e

Communicating Through Social Media at Domino’s

The CEO of Domino’s Pizza uses the social media to stay connected while travelling. He uses Facebook to obtain customer feedback and to engage customers in novel ways, like the ‘Social Pizza’. He has also learned about cultural differences in the use of social media, as his Dutch customers prefer tweeting.

9-4Copyright © 2013 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty LtdMcShane, Olekalns, Travaglione, Organisational Behaviour, 4e

Communication Defined

• The process by which information is transmitted and understood between two or more people

• Effective communication– Transmitting

intended meaning (not just symbols)

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Importance of Communication• Coordinating work activities • Organisational learning • Decision making• Change behaviour • Employee wellbeing

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Communication Process Model

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Influences on Effective Encoding and Decoding• Communication proficiency: motivation and

ability of sender and receiver• Similar codebooks• Shared mental models of the communication

context• Experience encoding the message

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Think Before You Send• UXC Connect addressed the email overload

strategically by developing guidelines on using emails

• For example, a key principle is that emails should be sent only if they help co-workers to do their job

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How Email has Altered Communication• Now preferred medium for coordinating work• Tends to increase communication volume • Significantly alters communication flow• Reduces some selective attention biases

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Problems with Email• Communicates emotions poorly• Reduces politeness and respect (increased cyber

bullying)• Inefficient for ambiguous, complex, novel situations• Increases information overload

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Workplace Communication Through Social Media

• Social media include internet-based tools that allow users to generate and exchange information

• Social media take many forms, serve several functions and are more interactive and dynamic

• Social media may offer considerable versatility and potential in the workplace

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Non-Verbal Communication• Facial gestures, voice intonation, physical

distance and even silence• Influences meaning of verbal symbols• Less rule-bound than verbal communication• Important part of emotional labour• Most is automatic and non-conscious

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Emotional Contagion• The automatic process of sharing another

person’s emotions by mimicking their facial expressions and other non-verbal behaviour

• Serves three purposes:– Provides continuous feedback to speaker– Increases emotional understanding of the other

person’s experience– Communicates a collective sentiment—sharing

the experience as part of the drive to bond

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Choosing the Best Communication Channel• Social acceptance

– How well the communication channel is approved and supported by the organisation, team and individual: Communication channel norms Individual communication channel preferences Symbolic meaning of the communication

channel

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Choosing the Best Communication Channel continued• Media richness

– The channel’s data-carrying capacity needs to be aligned with the communication activity

– High richness when channel: conveys multiple cues allows timely feedback allows customised message permits complex symbols

– Use rich communication media when the situation is non-routine and ambiguous

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Hierarchy of Media Richness

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Factors that Override Media Richness• Ability to multi-communicate with lean

channels• Communication proficiency • Social presence effects

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Persuasive Communication• Changing another person’s beliefs and

attitudes through using facts, arguments and emotional appeal

• Spoken communication is more persuasive because it:– Is accompanied by non-verbal communication– Has high quality immediate feedback– Has high social presence

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Communication Barriers• Perceptions• Filtering• Language

– Jargon– Ambiguity

• Information overload

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Information Overload

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Managing Information Overload• Solution 1: Increase information processing

capacity– Learn to read faster– Scan through documents more efficiently– Remove distractions – Time management – Temporarily work longer hours

• Solution 2: Reduce information load– Buffering– Omitting– Summarising

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Cross-Cultural Communication

• Verbal differences– Language– Voice intonation– Silence/conversational

overlaps

• Non-verbal differences– Interpreting non-verbal

meaning– Importance of verbal

versus non-verbal

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Men Women

Task oriented: report talk

Relationship oriented: rapport talk

Power speech:gives advice directly

Powerless speech:gives advice indirectly

Conversations are negotiations of status

Conversations are bonding events

Less sensitive to non-verbal cues

More sensitive to non-verbal cues

Gender Communication Differences

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Improving Interpersonal Communication1. Empathise

2. Repeat the message

3. Use multiple communication channels

4. Use timing effectively

5. Be descriptive

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Active Listening Process and Strategies

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Improving Workplace Communication• Workspace design

– Clustering people in teams– Open office arrangements

• Internet-based organisational communication– Wikis, collaborative document creation

• Direct communication with management– Management by walking around (MBWA)– Town hall meetings

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Organisational Grapevine• Early research findings

– Transmits information rapidly in all directions– Follows a cluster chain pattern– More active in homogeneous groups– Transmits some degree of truth

• Changes due to internet– Email becoming the main grapevine medium– Social networks are now global– Public blogs and forums extend gossip to

everyone

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Grapevine Benefits/Limitations• Benefits

– Fills in missing information from formal sources– Strengthens corporate culture– Relieves anxiety– Signals that problems exist

• Limitations– Distortions might escalate anxiety– Perceived lack of concern for employees when

company informtation is slower than grapevine

9-29Copyright © 2013 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty LtdMcShane, Olekalns, Travaglione, Organisational Behaviour, 4e

Summary• Effective communication (transmitting and

understanding information) is vital to various aspects of managing organisations and people

• Main types of communication channels are verbal and non-verbal as well as internet-based channels. The right channel depends on social acceptance and media richness

• Several barriers create noise in the communication process and need to be addressed through awareness and active listening

Communicating in teams and

organisations

Chapter 9