CJAS5

Outline

1. Communication basics

a. Defined: “process by which ideas, thoughts, and information are exchanged and understood between two or more entities” (pg. 250)

b. Parts of the process

i. Sender

ii. Receiver

iii. Message

iv. Encoding/decoding

v. Feedback

vi. Channel

2. Why is communication so important to organizations?

a. Provide information

b. Motivate workers

c. Coordinate tasks

3. Forms of interpersonal communication

a. Oral or verbal communication: telephone calls, face-to-face interaction

b. Written communication: memos, reports, policy manuals, etc.

c. Nonverbal communication

4. Communication Channels

a. What determines richness of channel?

i. Can channel handle multiple cues?

ii. Does it allow for rapid, two-way communication?

iii. Can the communication be focused on a single receiver?

b. Types (ordered from most rich to least rich)

i. Face-to-face

ii. Video conferencing

iii. Telephone conversations

iv. Email

v. Written letters and memos

5. Organizational communication

a. Formal : follows organizational chart

i. Types

1. Vertical (upward and downward)

2. Horizontal

ii. Communication networks

1. Wheel: one person distributes all messages

2. Chain: communicate sequentially with people before or after in the process

3. Circle: individuals communicate to others based on similarities on some dimension such as areas of expertise

4. All-channel: all members communicate with all other members

b. Informal: communication outside of paths prescribed in organizational charts

i. Management by walking around

ii. The grapevine

6. Barriers to effective communication

a. Individual barriers

i. Use of jargon: no consensus on terminology

ii. Use of incorrect channel: noise in channel

iii. Filtering: sender does not communicate entire message

iv. Lack of appropriate feedback: no channel to confirm message as interpreted

v. Poor listening: receiver is not grasping verbal and nonverbal components of message

b. Organizational barriers

i. Individual insensitivity to cultural diversity

1. Ethnocentrism

2. Linguistic style

ii. Organizational culture of mistrust

7. Communication in learning organizations