CHAPTER 14
MANAGERIAL COMMUNICATION
© 2003 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd. PowerPoint
1
LECTURE OUTLINE
•
•
•
•
Nature of managerial communication
Individual communication & Interpersonal processes
Group communication
Organisational communication channels
© 2003 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd. PowerPoint
2
Managerial communication
• Communication:
Exchange of messages between people to achieve
common meanings.
• Verbal:
Written or oral use of words to communicate.
• Non-verbal:
Communication by means of elements and
behaviours that are not coded into words.
© 2003 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd. PowerPoint
3
Managerial communication
Tours
3%
Unscheduled
meetings
12%
Desk work
26%
Telephone
calls
9%
Scheduled
meetings
50%
© 2003 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd. PowerPoint
4
Communication process
Noise
Noise
Sender/receiver
Sender/receiver
Noise
Noise
Encoding
Encoding message
message
Feedback
Feedback
Medium
Medium
Feedback
Feedback
Decoding
Decoding message
message
Noise
Noise
Sender/receiver
Sender/receiver
© 2003 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd. PowerPoint
Noise
Noise
5
Individual communication
Interpersonal processes
•
•
•
•
•
Perceptual processes
Attribution process
Semantics
Cultural context
Communication skills
© 2003 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd. PowerPoint
6
Individual communication
Interpersonal processes
Perceptual processes
Process individuals use to acquire and make sense
out of information from the environment.
• Three stages:
Selecting, organising, interpreting
• Distortions:
Stereotyping, Halo effect, Projection, Perceptual
defence
© 2003 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd. PowerPoint
7
Individual communication
Interpersonal processes
Attribution process
Theory attempting to explain how individuals make
judgements or attributions about the cause of another’s or,
their own, behaviour.
• Fundamental attribution error:
Tendency to underestimate situational influences & to
overestimate dispositional influences.
• Self-serving bias:
Attributing oneself as responsible for successes & others for
failures.
© 2003 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd. PowerPoint
8
Individual communication
Interpersonal processes
Semantics:
• Semantic net
Network of words and word meanings a given individual has
available for recall.
• Semantic blocks
Blockages or communication difficulties arising from word
choices.
© 2003 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd. PowerPoint
9
Individual communication
Interpersonal processes
Cultural context:
High-context
High-context cultures
cultures
‘…emphasise
‘…emphasise
establishing
establishing&
&
strengthening
strengthening
relationships
relationships
in
incommunication
communication
while
while exchanging
exchanging
Information’
Information’
Examples:
Examples:Asia,
Asia,China
China
Low-context
Low-context cultures
cultures
‘…emphasis
‘…emphasisisison
on
information
informationexchange
exchange
&
&less
lessfocussed
focussedon
on
building
building
relationships
relationshipsby
by
Communication’
Communication’
Examples:
Examples:Germany,
Germany,NZ,
NZ,
Australia
Australia
© 2003 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd. PowerPoint
10
Individual communication
Interpersonal processes
Communication skills:
Active
Activelistening:
listening: ‘…listener
‘…listener
actively
activelyparticipates
participatesin
in
attempting
attemptingto
tograsp
graspfacts
facts&&
the
thespeaker’s
speaker’sfeelings’
feelings’
Feedback:
Feedback:both
bothgiving
giving&&
receiving
receivingisisimportant.
important.
Deal
Dealwith
with‘…specific,
‘…specific,
observable
observablebehaviour,
behaviour,
not
notgeneralities.’
generalities.’
Importance
Importanceof
ofseeking
seeking
customer
customerfeedback
feedback
Effective
Effective
communication
communication
© 2003 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd. PowerPoint
11
Group communication networks
Communication network:
Pattern of information flow among task-group
members.
© 2003 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd. PowerPoint
12
Group communication networks
Chain
Centralised
X
Y
Wheel
X
X
All-channel
Decentralised
Circle
© 2003 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd. PowerPoint
13
Organisational communication
channels
Communication channels:
Patterns of organisational communication flow
representing potential established conduits through
which managers and other organisation members
can send and receive information.
• Vertical communication
• Horizontal communication
• Informal communication
© 2003 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd. PowerPoint
14
Organisational communication
channels
Vertical communication:
Lateral or diagonal message exchange either within
work unit boundaries, involving peers, reporting to
the same supervisor, or across work-units
boundaries, involving individuals who report to
different supervisors or, across work unit
boundaries.
© 2003 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd. PowerPoint
15
Organisational communication
channels
Vertical communication:
• Downward communication
– Can be distorted by faulty message due to sender error.
– Managers overuse downward communication.
– Filtering (deliberate or accidental).
• Upward communication
– Can be distorted by ‘only’ favourable messages going up.
– Managers don’t encourage upward flow.
© 2003 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd. PowerPoint
16
Organisational communication
channels
Horizontal communication:
Lateral or diagonal message exchange within work-unit
boundaries, involving peers reporting to the same supervisor, or
across work-unit boundaries, involving individuals who report to
different supervisors.
Impeding factors:
• Rivalry
• Indifference to work of others
• Low motivation due to discouraging of horizontal
communication
© 2003 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd. PowerPoint
17
Organisational communication
channels
Informal communication:
Communication which takes place without regard to
hierarchical or task requirements.
Problems:
• Can carry gossip/distorted information.
Benefits:
• Valuable tool for continuation/propagation of culture.
© 2003 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd. PowerPoint
18
Organisational communication
channels
Electronic mail
Groupware
Electronic
communication
Internet
Videoconferencing
Voice mail
Teleconferencing
© 2003 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd. PowerPoint
19
Lecture summary
• Nature of managerial communication
– Verbal, non-verbal
• Individual communication & interpersonal processes
– Attribution process
– Semantics
– Cultural context
– Communication skills
© 2003 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd. PowerPoint
20
Lecture summary
• Group communication
Networks
• Organisational communication channels
Vertical
Horizontal
Informal
© 2003 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd. PowerPoint
21