management case analysis

Management Competencies

Session 5: COMMUNICATION Seminar Leader:

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KEY TERMS

multiplexity (many layers of communication)

resonance (meaning is

personally and contextually contingent)

Agenda

1. Warm-up case 2. communication basics 3. multiplexity of communication 4. resonance and cultural contingency

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1. Warm-Up Case

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A short clip from “Patton” (1970)

context for the clip: • George Smith Patton Jr. (1885-1945) was a famous senior

officer in the US army, who successfully commanded the Mediterranean theatre of war, and later in France and Germany after the allied invasion of Normandy

• he was a controversial figure among allied military leadership, but he was regarded highly by his opponents in the German High Command

• the clip is from the and opening of the movie • abridged version of an actual speech Patton delivered in

June of 1944 in an unrecorded place in England

Assignment: • What are Patton’s key messages (verbal & non-verbal) in

the speech?

2. communication basics

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power of communication

• development of communication was essential for the evolutionary success of the human race

• fundamental for collaboration (for hunting animals, and for developing ideas jointly)

• culture is only possible with communication

UGG !

AGGU HA GUBB.

Simple Communication Model

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• feedback allows receiver to clarify what he/she understood from the sender, what additional information is required, etc.

• enables sender to identify language and semantic barriers, misunderstandings, etc.

feedback

message

encodingdecoding

sender receiver

encoding decodingSender’s field of experience

Receiver’s field of experience

channel

context

adapted from Shannon-Weaver (1949) “Mathematical Theory of Communication”

two main barriers in communication

• Language Barrier: concern that your or others vocabulary and general language ability is insufficient to encode / decode with sufficient nuance (i.e. you are lacking appropriate signifiers, or signifiers not transmitted accurately)

• Semantic barrier: what you want to communicate may be misunderstood because unintended meanings are attached to it (ambiguous link between signifiers and signified)

when communication becomes difficult, and we are concerned that we may choose words badly, we become discouraged and “muted”

signifier (the “sign” or descriptor)

signified (the actual thing or concept)

“a chair”

intercultural communication barriers: remember the tower of babel

• myth from the bible (book of genesis 11:1-9) • describes humanity as originally speaking one language,

and setting out to build a tower to reach the heavens • God comes down from the heavens and confuses their

language so that they cannot understand each others’ speech, and therefore cannot complete the tower building project ("Babel" is derived from the Hebrew word balal, meaning “to jumble”)

• traditionally interpreted as God punishment for man’s hubristic and blasphemous actions

• illustrates ancient wisdom about how difficult collaboration is across language/culture barriers

3. multiplexity of language

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The 4 Dimensions (4D) Framework*

12*developed by German psychologist Friedemann Schulz von Thun

We listen with four ‘ears’ (We decode these four dimensions)

We speak with four ‘tongues’ (We encode these four dimensions)

Self Disclosure

Self-disclosure can happen through many different aspects of communication:

• Body Language (often regarded as “leaky”, since our body language often betrays what we verbally try to conceal)

• Proximity (how close or far away from a conversation partner we stand)

• Voice (tonality, tremor, etc.) • Timing (when and how fast you speak or reply)

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Self-Disclosure Dimension: Movie Clip

Damned United – First Television Interview

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Brian Clough • formerly manager of Derby

County, from 1967-1974 • brought Derby to 1st division in

1968 • led the team to become

champions of England in 1972 for first time in club history

• takes over at Leeds United from Don Revie in 1974

Self-Disclosure: Tell-Tale Signs of Rigidity

• never expressing agreement (except ”they agree with me”) • reinterpreting others viewpoints to conform to one’s own • never saying ”I don’t know” but having an answer for everything • not expressing openess to others’ views • using evaluative, dismissive statements about others’ contributions • not tolerating criticism • reductionist/simplistic declarative statements • using all-encompassing/overgeneralized statements (”all layers are…”) • ...

Relationship dimension - idealist perspective: supportive communication see DMC textbook p.238ff

definition for supportive communication: communication that accurately delivers a message and supports, validates, or even enhances the relationship between the communicating parties.

helpful principles to guide “supportive communication”: non-violent communication (see suggested material in subject guide)

Relationship Dimension - realist perspective: Managing Status/Power (movie clip) Margin Call – Firesale Team Briefing

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context: • Kevin Spacey instructs

his sales team to sell off toxic subprime mortgage assets before they ruin the financial stability of the bank

• selling these worthless assets to competitors and clients practically means ruining these business relationships

Relationship Dimension and You

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YOU

teachers & bosses

lovers

strangers

family

friends colleagues & peers

• relationship statements that we witness from ALL of our social interactions have an effect on our self-concept (either directly, or through reactance/rebellion)

• others’ relationship statements are a big part of how you make sense of yourself

• the effect can be surprisingly strong (consider how many successful artists become derailed by their own celebrity, CEOs who believe their own press, etc.)

Pygmalion effect (or Rosenthal effect): “When we expect certain behaviors of others, we are likely to act in ways that make the expected behavior more likely to occur.” (Rosenthal and Babad, 1985)

reference: Rosenthal, R., and E. Y. Babad. 1985. Pygmalion in the gymnasium. Educational Leadership 43 (1): 36–39.

Activity: Practicing the 4 tongues • 4 months after starting his job at PWC’s forensic

accounting unit, Cameron joined a consulting project that assessed a client company’s managerial control framework (i.e. the set of internal control mechanisms that ensure goals are reached and company resources are safeguarded)

• The project team is interviewing senior executives to capture their evaluation of the control framework

• Cameron has offered to conduct some of these interviews himself

Cameron Anderson PWC

(Melbourne)

Assignment (7mins prep + 7mins presentation/discussion): • write a short statement to introduce yourself, the purpose of the interview,

and to create the right tone for the interview • use the 4 dimensions to articulate specific goals for each dimension • verbally present your prepared statement to your neighbor and get their

feedback.

>>Critical Reflection: Interaction of the 4 Dimensions

20*developed by German psychologist Friedemann Schulz von Thun

• self-disclosure and relationship dimension have significant effect on how facts are perceived/interpreted by the listener, and whether appeals are effective.

• as a result the “problem-oriented, not person oriented” communication principle should not be seen as an invitation to ignore the self-disclosure or relationship dimensions.

RECAP of concepts so far

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• don’t underestimate the self/relationship implications

• idealist perspective: principles for supportive/non-violent communication

• realist perspective: status seesaw (relationship implied in messages about the self), managing power through communication

communicated via: • choice of words • “leaky” body language • timing, dress, proximity, etc.

4. resonance (cultural contingencies)

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Communication and Culture

• facts that are talked about receive public attention and may become accepted as “truths”

• appeals serve as reminders for what is seen as important, legitimate, virtuous behavior

• self-disclosure often clarify speaker’s self- concept, value-commitments, assumptions, etc.

• relationship statements imply legitimate categories, behaviors, etc. for the audience

artifacts values

assumptions

culture is created and maintained through conversation

>> intellectual tradition: symbolic interaction theory (John Dewey, Willam James, Herbert Blumer, etc. during 1960s)

Communication and Culture

• culture provides us with the “tools” to articulate our thoughts, ideas, etc. (e.g. provide a set of signifiers for communication) and the “raw material” out of which our thoughts, ideas are made

• culture provides the frame of reference with which we decode and make sense / make meaning from others’ statements (signifiers, and semantics)

artifacts values

assumptions

Hofstede’s 6 Cultural Dimensions check out Hoftstede’s country specific findings at:https://geert-hofstede.com/countries.html (or google for ”hofstede country profile”)

Hofstede’s 6 Cultural Dimensions – Sample Comparison

Another layer of cultural sensitivity

Low Context Cultures (LC) • The interpretation of people’s behavior and utterances heavily depends on what is actually,

explicitly communicated (e.g. in USA, Australia, Germany, Switzerland). Silence is often perceived as uncomfortable. The emphasis is put on clarification and attention to details and explicit rules for conduct (preference for upfront detailed agenda, legal documents, …)

• Written communication is preferred because you can be precise and explicit. • LC cultures tend to rely on rational, fact-based arguments.

High Context Cultures (HC) • In this case the situation, arrangement, relationships, nonverbal (intonation) provide a context

that carries symbolic meaning. What is communicated can appear vague, and indirect (what is unsaid but (assumed) understood carries more meaning than verbal comments); it requires to “read between the lines” (DOES NOT MEAN that it’s deliberately veiled).

• Face-to-face communication preferred • Communication often relies on intuitive style • High likelihood of misunderstanding (situations can be interpreted very differently)

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Example: low context / high context interaction

LC person communicating with a HC person

• LC person may miss a lot of the clues from HC and from the situation (may not even know what to pay attention to)

• LC person may feel they have to “drive” the conversation

HC person communicating with a LC person

• HC person may perceive LC as rude and too direct

• HC person may feel that LC person is not really listening and not making an effort to understand

5. Key Takeaways

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KEY TERMS

multiplexity (many layers of communication)

resonance (meaning is personally and

contextually contingent)

communication appears to be a basic, simple, everyday activity but on closer examination is very complex

1) practice empathy: anticipate how others will “hear” you

2) encourage dialog: seek and provide feedback