Introduction to management 13th schemerhorn bachrach chapter 18

John R. Schermerhorn, Jr.

18

Daniel G. Bachrach

Introduction to Management
th
13 edition

Chapter 18
Communication, Conflict and
Negotiation


Planning Ahead — Key Takeaways

 Describe the elements in the communication process.
 Identify ways to improve the effectiveness of communication.
 Discuss how conflict can be functional and managed successfully.
 Explain ways to negotiate successfully and avoid negotiation pitfalls.

Copyright ©2015 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.


Chapter 18 Outline

1.

2.

The Communication Process

a)
b)
c)
d)

Effective communication
Persuasion and credibility in communication
Communication barriers
Cross-cultural communication

Improving Collaboration Through Communication

a)
b)
c)
d)
e)

Transparency and openness
Use of electronic media
Active listening
Constructive feedback
Space design

Copyright ©2015 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.


Chapter 18 Outline

3.

4.

Managing Conflict

a)

Functional and dysfunctional conflict

b)

Conflict resolution

c)

Conflict management styles

d)

Structural approaches to conflict management

Managing Negotiation

a)

Negotiation goals and approaches

b)

Gaining agreements

c)

Negotiation pitfalls

d)

Third-party dispute resolution

Copyright ©2015 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.


The Communication Process
 Communication


An interpersonal process of sending and receiving symbols with messages attached to them

 Key elements of the communication process:


Sender



Message



Communication channel



Receiver



Interpreted meaning



Feedback

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Figure 18.1 The interactive two-way process of interpersonal
communication

Copyright ©2015 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.


The Communication Process

Effective communication:



Effective communication

 Occurs when the intended meaning of the sender is fully understood by the receiver



Efficient communication
 Occurs at a minimum resource cost



Potential trade-offs between effectiveness and efficiency must be recognized

Copyright ©2015 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.


The Communication Process
Persuasion and credibility in communication



Communication is used for sharing information and influencing other people



Persuasion is getting someone else to support the message being presented

Copyright ©2015 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.


The Communication Process
Persuasion and credibility in communication



Expert power and referent power are essential for persuasion



Credibility involves trust, respect, and integrity in the eyes of others



Credibility can be built through expertise and relationships

Copyright ©2015 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.


The Communication Process

Communication Barrier:



Information filtering



Poor choice of channels



Poor written or oral expression



Failure to recognize nonverbal signals



Physical distractions

Copyright ©2015 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.


Figure 18.2 Downsides of noise, shown as anything that interferes with the
effectiveness of the communication process

Copyright ©2015 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.


The Communication Process
Information filtering



Intentional distortion to make it more favorable to the recipient



Subordinates may hide unfavorable news from the manager or make it sound
better than it really is

Copyright ©2015 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.


The Communication Process
Poor choice of channels



Choose the channel that works best



Written channels work for messages that:
 Are simple and easy to convey
 Require extensive dissemination quickly
 Convey formal policy or authoritative directives



Spoken channels work best for messages that:
 Are complex or difficult to convey where immediate feedback is needed
 Attempt to create a supportive, even inspirational, climate

Copyright ©2015 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.


The Communication Process

Poor written or oral expression



Communication only effective when the sender expresses the message in a way
understood by receiver



Chose words wisely

Copyright ©2015 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.


The Communication Process
Failure to recognize nonverbal signals



Nonverbal communication takes place through gestures, facial expressions,
body posture, eye contact, and use of interpersonal space



Mixed messages occur when a person’s words and nonverbal signals
communicate different things

Copyright ©2015 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.


The Communication Process

Overloads and distractions



Availability and abundance of electronic communications and social media can
make it hard to communicate well



Some statistics:
 Professionals are spending 28% of their time dealing with e-mail
 Average business person deals with 108 e-mails per day
 People check their e-mail inboxes as many as 74 times per day

Copyright ©2015 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.


The Communication Process
Cross-cultural communication



Global economy frequently creates the need to communicate with colleagues
in other countries with different cultures



Ethnocentrism
 Tendency to consider one’s culture superior to any and all others

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Improving Collaboration Through Communication
Effective communication is necessary for successful collaboration



Transparency and openness



Use of electronic media



Active listening



Constructive feedback



Active listening



Feedback



Space design

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Improving Collaboration Through Communication
Transparency and openness



Communication transparency involves sharing honest and complete
information about the organization and workplace



Open book management
 Managers provide employees with important financial information about their companies

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Improving Collaboration Through Communication

Using electronic media



Information technologies facilitate communication



The electronic grapevine speeds messages and information from person to
person



E-mail privacy



Employer’s policy on personal e-mail



Don’t assume that e-mail privacy
exists at work

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Improving Collaboration Through Communication

 Active listening


The process of taking action to help someone say exactly what he or she really
means

 Guidelines for active listening:


Listen for message content



Listen for feelings



Respond to feelings



Note all cues, verbal and nonverbal



Paraphrase and restate

Copyright ©2015 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.


Improving Collaboration Through Communication

 Feedback


The process of telling others how you feel about something they did or said, or about the
situation in general (evaluative, interpretive, descriptive)

 Constructive feedback guidelines:


Give it directly



Make it specific



Give it when the receiver is willing/able to accept it



Make sure it is valid



Give it in small doses

Copyright ©2015 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.


Improving Collaboration Through Communication

Space design



Proxemics is the study of how we use space



Interpersonal space is an important nonverbal cue



Workspace layout is often overlooked as a form of nonverbal
communication but is being increasingly recognized for its impact on
communication and behavior

Copyright ©2015 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.


Managing Conflict
Conflict



A disagreement between people on:
 Substantive issues regarding goals and tasks, allocation of resources, distribution of
rewards, policies and procedures, and job assignments

 Emotional issues arising from feelings of anger, distrust, dislike, fear, and resentment, as
well as personality clashes



Conflict that is well managed can help promote creativity and high performance

Copyright ©2015 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.


Managing Conflict

 Functional conflict


Moderately intense conflict



Constructive and stimulates people toward greater work efforts, cooperation,
and creativity

 Dysfunctional conflict


Low-intensity and very high-intensity conflict



Destructive and hurts task performance

Copyright ©2015 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.