questions
Communication & connectivity
BUSMGT 711 Managing People & Organisations
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3 big questions:
Is your perception of reality biased?
How does communication work?
How much connectivity is enough? Too much?
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Communication is a core activity of management and an essential process in organisations of all types and sizes.
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Barriers to effective communication
Noise
Choosing the wrong channel
Jargon
Mixed messages from Non-Verbal communication
Physical distractions
Filtering
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Communication is also one of the toughest challenges for managers. The cause of many problems is often summed up as a ‘communication problem.’
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Perception and attribution
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Attribution is the process of developing explanations for events.
A fundamental attribution error overestimates internal factors and underestimates external factors as influences on someone’s behaviour.
Self-serving bias explains personal success by internal causes and personal failures by external causes.
Perceptual distortions
Confirmation bias: we tend to find confirmatory evidence to support what we already believe to be true;
Availability bias: the most recent or profound example tends to over-influence our perception of the ‘truth’ of the matter;
Common Stereotypes: characteristics commonly associated with the group are assigned to the individual;
Halo effect: when one attribute is used to develop an overall impression of a person (or situation);
Projection: of our personal attributes to other individuals.
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Perception can affect our judgement…
Hiring decisions
First impressions
Cultural bias
Social bias (‘people like us’)
Affiliation bias (went to the ‘right’ (same) school’ as us)
Motivation
Recognition
Equity theory
Procedural justice
Performance management
Communication
Non-verbal cues
Introvert vs extrovert
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New media represent new frontiers for management
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The paradox of connectivity is that we have never been more connected, but perhaps never more disconnected.
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Communication in and around organisations: It’s not about the technology
It’s about managing attention and focus
It’s about engagement
It’s about resilience
It’s about performance
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Where and how do you communicate best?
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Post covid-19 communication challenges
Informal communication (cultural transference) stilted in a virtual environment
‘Hybrid’ meetings (Some online some face-to-face)
Creative collaboration more challenging
The absence of the ‘water cooler’ chat
Expectations of availability
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Think of your ‘digital day.’
When does it begin and when does it end?
What would you like to change about it (if anything)?
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“Information consumes the attention of its recipients. Hence a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention.”
Herbert Simon - Nobel Prize winning economist, 1971
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Significance of the problem
71% of knowledge workers feel information overload is an intrinsic part of their job.
Email volume has become a symbolic proxy for how busy or important we are.
When people perceive “information overload,” it affects their decision-making quality, job satisfaction and causes frustration and stress leading to turnover.
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Attention, not information, is the scarce resource.
We used to say that information was power.
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Engaged, or just connected?
| User Type > Impact v | Hypo-connectors | Dynamic connectors | Hyper-connectors |
| Dis-engagement | Functional engagement | Dysfunctional engagement | |
| Individual | -Fear of loss of control, addiction -Boundary protection -Low work focus -Avoidance | -Autonomy -Control -Flexibility -Involvement -Boundary management -Self-efficacy -Ambidextrous | -Burnout -Workaholic addiction -No boundaries -Antisocial behaviors -Work-life conflict -Lack of recovery |
| Organisation | -Out of the loop -Misrepresentation -Unavailability - Disinterest | -Proactivity -Coordination -Collaboration -Responsive -Flexible work | -Shallow, diffused, superficial -Job creep -Disruptive -Role model excess |
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6 Degrees of separation
Research Question: How many links (hops) to reach a particular, unknown person in a distant city (Midwest to New England)?
Finding: 6!
Updated Research reported that the average number of acquaintances separating any two people no matter who they are even with rare-special features, i.e. those who work in rare jobs, is not six but 3.9
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The strength of weak ties
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Communication and conflict management
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How to deal with conflict?
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What can you do to improve your communication skills?
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Linking course content to the business simulation
Communication is an essential process in organisations of all types and sizes
Bias can impact how you communicate, your judgements, and ultimately your decision making
Is your team ‘engaged’ or just ‘connected’? Hyper and hypo connectivity can impact your relationships with your team mates (and your productivity)
The skills you learn form part of the never ending journey of becoming a better communicator
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