Marketing Portfolio (CH9, CH12, CH13, CH14, CH15, CH16, CH17, CH18, CH19) ***PowerPoint Content Provided***
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CH13_Lecture_NotesCONTENTforWORDDOCUMENT.ppt
13
Chapter
Managing
Communication
and Information
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After Studying this Chapter….
You should be able to:
- Describe what managers need to know about communicating effectively.
- Explain how technology affects managerial communication.
- Discuss contemporary issues in communication.
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What Managers Need to Know About Communicating Effectively
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Effective Communication
Communication – A process or flow that transfers understanding and meaning from one person to another
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The importance of effective communication for managers cannot be overemphasized — for one specific reason: Everything a manager does involves communication.
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Managers and Communication
- Before communication can take place, a purpose, expressed as a message to be conveyed, is needed.
- The message passes between the sender and a receiver. The message is converted to symbolic form — such as a television commercial — and is passed by way of some channel of communication to the receiver, who decodes the message.
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The Communication Process
Copyright ©2013 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall
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Copyright ©2013 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall
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Communication Process
- Key Elements:
- (1) the communication source or sender;
- 2) encoding;
- (3) the message;
- (4) the channel;
- (5) decoding;
- (6) the receiver;
- (7) feedback and
- (8) noise
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Key Elements of Communication Process
The sender is the source of the communication.
Encoding means converting a message into symbolic form.
The message is the purpose to be conveyed in the communication.
The channel is the medium by which a message travels.
Decoding means translating a received message.
The receiver is the recipient of the communication.
Feedback is checking to see how successfully a message has been transferred.
Noise is the physical and non-physical barriers to the message
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Factors Influencing Communication
The source initiates a message by encoding a thought
Encoded message are affected by the sender’s:
Skill
Attitudes
Knowledge
Social cultural system
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Factors Influencing Communication
Skill determines a person’s total communicative success and includes speaking, reading, listening, and reasoning skills.
Attitudes influence our behavior.
Knowledge of the subject matters allows us to communicate more clearly or, if our knowledge is quite extensive, to confuse our receiver with overly complex information.
Finally, our position in our social cultural system (our beliefs and values) influences each of us as a communicative source.
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Factors Influencing Communication (cont.)
Communication channels:
- Formal channels – established by the organization, transmit job-related messages, and traditionally follow the authority network within the organization.
- Informal channels – Personal or social messages follow informal channels
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Factors Influencing Communication (cont.)
Decoded message is affected by receiver’s:
Skill
Attitudes
Knowledge
Social cultural system
Note that just as the skills, attitudes, knowledge, and social culture of the sender affect the sender’s ability to encode a message, the skills, attitudes, knowledge, and social culture of the receiver to whom the message is directed affect his or her ability to decode the message.
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Factors Influencing Communication (cont.)
- Feedback checks success of the message transfer.
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The final link in the communication process is a feedback loop, which checks how successfully we’ve transferred our messages and whether we have achieved understanding. Given the cultural diversity of today’s workforce, effective feedback is critical.
Written and Verbal Communication
Advantages and Disadvantages of Written communication:
- Tangible and verifiable
- Creates a more permanent record
- Better thought out, logical, and clear
- More time consuming
- Lack of feedback
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Includes memos, letters, email, and other forms of digital communication, organizational periodicals, bulletin boards, or any other device that transmits written words or symbols.
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The Grapevine
Good information travels fast; bad information travels even faster!
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The grapevine is the unofficial way that communications take place in an organization and it’s neither authorized nor supported by the organization.
In the grapevine, information is spread by word of mouth—and even through electronic means. Good information travels quickly, but bad information travels even more quickly.
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The Grapevine
- The biggest issue about grapevines is the accuracy of the information that is communicated.
- Research shows that in an organization characterized by openness, the grapevine may be extremely accurate.
- However, in an authoritative culture, the rumor mill may be inaccurate, but still contain some element of truth. So while details may not be accurate, the reports that something is about to happen are probably on target.
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Nonverbal Cues
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- Body language refers to gestures, facial configurations, and other movements of the body. Hand motions, facial expressions, and other gestures can communicate emotions or temperaments such as aggression, fear, shyness, arrogance, joy, and anger.
- Verbal intonation refers to the emphasis someone gives to words or phrases, and can make a statement sound defensive or friendly. The adage “it’s not what you say but how you say it” is something managers should remember as they communicate.
Some of the most meaningful communications are neither spoken nor written. These nonverbal communications—such as a loud siren, red flashing light, the size of a person’s office and desk, or someone’s clothing—convey messages to others. The best-known areas of nonverbal communication are body language and verbal intonation.
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Verbal vs. Nonverbal Communication
- In oral communication, the nonverbal component carries the greatest impact.
- Research indicates that from 65 to 90 percent of the message of every face-to-face conversation is communicated through body language.
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Barriers to Communication
- A number of interpersonal and intrapersonal barriers affect why the message decoded by a receiver is often different from what the sender intended.
- Filtering refers to the way that a sender manipulates information so that it will be seen more favorably by the receiver. For example, when a manager tells his boss what he feels the boss wants to hear, he is filtering information. Also, as information is passed up to senior executives, it is condensed and synthesized by subordinates whose personal interests and perceptions of what’s important shape the communication.
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Barriers to Communication
- The second barrier is selective perception. Receivers in the communication process selectively see and hear based on their needs, motivations, experience, background, and other personal characteristics. Receivers also project their interests and expectations onto communications as they decode them. (Recall from Chapter 9, we do not see reality; rather, we interpret what we see and call it reality.)
- Information overload is the third barrier to effective communication. Individuals have a finite capacity for processing data and the demands of keeping up with email, phone calls, faxes, meetings, and professional reading creates an onslaught of data that is nearly impossible to process and assimilate. The result is lost information and less effective communication.
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Barriers to Effective Communication
- Words mean different things to different people. Age, education, and cultural background are three obvious variables that influence the language a person uses and the definitions he or she applies to words. Additionally, specialists in specific fields of work or departments develop their own jargon (or technical language) as do employees spread across different geographic locations.
- Both genders have distinct communication styles, so individuals must acknowledge these differences and strive for acceptance, understanding, and a commitment to communicate adaptively with each other.
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Barriers to Effective Communication
- Finally, communication differences arise from language: the three different languages that individuals use to communicate and the national culture of which they’re a part.
- The style of communication also differs for countries that are highly individualistic (like the United States) and those that are collectivist (such as Japan).
- US managers rely heavily on memoranda, announcements, position papers, and other formal forms of communication to state their positions, whereas the Japanese use face-to-face meetings at which discussion is followed by consensus, at which point a formal document is written.
- Supervisors in the US may also hoard information to make themselves look good (filtering) and as a way of persuading their employees to accept decisions and plans; lower-level employees may do so to protect themselves.
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Barriers to Effective Communication
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Making Communication More Effective
- Because many communication problems are directly attributed to misunderstandings and inaccuracies, a manager can ask questions to determine if the message was understood, can ask the receiver to restate the message in his or her own words, and can be alert to nonverbal cues.
- A manager should also simplify communication so it’s clear, easily understood, and in language customized to the specific employee or group being addressed.
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Overcoming Communication Barriers
- Managers must also practice active listening, which is listening for full meaning without making premature judgments or interpretations. Active listening demands total concentration, and is enhanced by developing empathy with the sender. Active listeners use eye contact, affirmative nods, and appropriate facial expressions; appear attentive and ask questions; avoid interrupting the speaker; and make smooth transitions between being a speaker and a listener.
- When they are upset managers should control their emotions. Strong emotions make it easier to misconstrue incoming messages and more difficult to communicate outgoing messages clearly and accurately.
- Because actions speak louder than words, it’s important to make sure your actions align with and reinforce the words you use to ensure that your nonverbal cues convey the desired message
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Overcoming Communication Barriers
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How Technology Affects Managerial Communication
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Technology and Communication
- Information technology has radically changed the way organizational members communicate, making it possible for:
Managers to monitor individual and team performance,
Employees to have more complete information to make faster decisions,
Providing employees more opportunities for employees to collaborate and share information, and
Making employees fully accessible 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, regardless of location.
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Technology and Communication
Three developments in information technology have had particularly significant effects on current managerial communication:
- Networked computer systems
- Wireless capabilities, and
- Knowledge management systems.
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Network Computer Systems
Instant messaging (IM)
Voicemail systems
Fax machines
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In a networked computer system, an organization links its computers through compatible hardware and software, creating an integrated organizational network. Organization members can then communicate with each other and tap into information regardless of their location.
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Network Computer Systems (cont.)
Electronic data interchange (EDI)
Teleconferencing and videoconferencing
Intranets and extranets
Internet-based voice communication
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Wireless Capabilities
As technology continues to advance in wireless capabilities, more organization members will use wireless as a way to collaborate and share information.
At Seattle-based Starbucks Corporation, district managers use mobile technology so they have more time to spend in the company’s eight to ten stores that each services, vastly improving work for its managers and employees.
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Knowledge Management
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Knowledge management involves cultivating a learning culture in which organizational members systematically gather knowledge and share it with others in the organization to achieve better performance. Knowledge management can take place through computer-based applications and through community of interest teams that meet regularly throughout the company.
Today’s technologies help improve knowledge management and facilitate organizational communications and decision making. Here we see IBM employees who use an internal social networking site called Beehive, which enables employees to gather knowledge and share it with coworkers.
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Contemporary Issues in Communication
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Contemporary Issues
Five current communication issues:
Communication management in an Internet world
Managing the organization’s knowledge resources
Communicating with customers
Getting employee input
Communicating ethically
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Communication in an Internet World
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A recent survey found that 20 percent of employees at large companies say they contribute regularly to blogs, social networks, wikis, and other Web services. As a result, managers are learning (and sometimes learning the hard way) that new technology has created two large communication challenges:
- Legal and security issues, and
- Lack of personal interaction.
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Legal and Security Issues
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Email, blogs, tweets, and other forms of online communication can give rise to potential legal problems if they are used inappropriately—especially because electronic information is potentially admissible in court.
But security is serious concern as well. A survey addressing outbound email and content security found that 26 percent of the companies surveyed saw their businesses affected by the exposure of sensitive or embarrassing information.
Managers need to ensure that confidential information is kept confidential. Employee emails and blogs should not communicate proprietary information— either inadvertently or purposely. Corporate computer and email systems must also be protected against unauthorized users and spam to fully realize the benefits of communication technology.
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Personal Interaction
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Even though one of the most popular types of technology is called “social” media, one critical communication challenge posed by the Internet age is the lack of personal interaction. Therefore, some companies have banned email on certain days and others have simply encouraged employees to collaborate more in person.
When you think about how difficult even face-to-face communication can be, it can be even more challenging to achieve understanding and collaboration on work when communication takes place in a virtual environment.
However, in some situations personal interaction isn’t physically possible. In these situations, real-time collaboration software (such as private workplace wikis, blogs, instant messengers, and other types of groupware) may be a more efficient and effective communication choice than email.
Some companies have created their own in-house social networks such as Starcom MediaVest Group, whose employees tap into SMG Connected to find colleague profiles. These profiles outline their jobs, list the brands they admire, and describe their values.
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Managing Knowledge Resources
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One way organizations can manage knowledge resources is to build online information databases so employees can communicate, access research, and learn from other staff how to do their jobs more effectively and efficiently.
Another tool for managing knowledge is to create communities of practice, which are groups of people who share a concern, a set of problems, or a passion about a topic, and who deepen their knowledge and expertise in that area by interacting on an ongoing basis. To make these “communities of practice” work, however, it’s important to maintain strong human interactions by using tools such as interactive websites, email, and videoconferencing.
Of course, these groups face the same communication problems that individuals face—such as filtering, emotions, defensiveness, over-documentation, and so forth— and they can resolve these issues by trying the suggestions discussed earlier.
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Communication and Customer Service
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Within the realm of customer service, what communication takes place and how it takes place has a huge impact on a customer’s satisfaction with the service and the likelihood of the customer’s repeat business.
Managers must ensure that employees communicate appropriately and effectively with customers by recognizing the three components in any service delivery process: the customer, the service organization, and the individual service provider. While managers don’t have control over what or how the customer communicates, they can influence the other two processes.
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Customer Needs and Expectations
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An organization with a strong service culture already values taking care of customers — finding out what their needs are, meeting those needs, and following up to make sure that their needs were met satisfactorily. Each of these activities involves communication, whether face-to-face, by phone or e-mail, or through other channels.
An organization with a strong service culture finds out what their customers’ needs are, meets those needs, and follows up to make sure that their needs were met satisfactorily. Each of these activities involves communication, whether face-to-face, by phone or email, or through other channels.
Communication is also a part of specific customer service strategies the organization pursues and the individual service provider who is on the front line. The individual provider is often the first to hear about or notice service failures or breakdowns. In these cases, the individual provider must decide how and what to communicate, must listen actively, and must communicate appropriately so the situation is resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
The individual service provider must also have the information necessary to deal with customers efficiently and effectively or be able to access it easily and promptly.
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Getting Employee Input
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In today’s challenging environment, companies need to get input from their employees, and effective managers mine such potentially valuable information. Exhibit 13-4 shows several suggestions for letting employees know that their opinions matter, such as providing employees with current information—good and bad—and analyzing problems together.
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Communicating Ethically
Jeff Smisek, CEO of the United Continental, established clear guidelines for ethical communication during the merger.
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Communicating Ethically
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It is particularly important today that a company’s communication efforts be ethical. This means that the communication includes all relevant information, is true in every sense, and is not deceptive in any way.
Unethical communication often distorts the truth or manipulates audiences—for example, by omitting essential information, selectively misquoting, misrepresenting numbers, distorting visuals, or failing to respect privacy or information security needs.
Managers encourage ethical communication by establishing clear ethical guidelines for behavior and business communication.
In a global survey by the International Association of Business Communicators, 70 percent of communication professionals said their companies clearly define what is considered ethical and unethical behavior. Jeff Smisek, CEO of the United Continental, who established clear guidelines for ethical communication among management, employees, and customers during the companies’ merger.
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Communicating Ethically
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If no clear ethical guidelines exist, apply the following questions to help you think through your communication choices and consequences:
- Has the situation been defined fairly and accurately?
- Why is the message being communicated?
- How will the people who may be affected by the message or who receive the message be impacted?
- Does the message help achieve the greatest possible good while minimizing possible harm?
- Will this decision that appears to be ethical now seem so in the future?
- How comfortable are you with your communication effort?
- What would a person you respect think of it?
Review
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Which communication sequence is correct?
- A) sender ⇒ decoding ⇒ channel ⇒ encoding ⇒ receiver ⇒ feedback
- B) sender ⇒ channel ⇒ medium ⇒ decoding ⇒ receiver ⇒ feedback
- C) source ⇒ sender ⇒ encoding ⇒ decoding ⇒ receiver ⇒ feedback
- D) sender ⇒ encoding ⇒ channel ⇒ decoding ⇒ receiver ⇒ feedback
- E) sender⇒ message⇒ noise⇒ receiver⇒ decoding⇒ feedback
Reading is an example of this communication step.
- A) feedback
- B) encoding
- C) sending
- D) decoding
- E) recording
Review
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The purpose of feedback is to determine whether a message was ________.
- A) received
- B) received and understood
- C) worth sending
- D) verbal or nonverbal
- E) agreed upon
Skills, attitudes, knowledge, and social cultural systems affect ________.
- A) the sender only
- B) the receiver only
- C) neither the sender nor the receiver
- D) both the sender and the receiver
- E) the message
Review
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________ is the deliberate manipulation of information by the sender to make it appear more favorable to the receiver.
- A) Selective perception
- B) Information overload
- C) Jargon
- D) Filtering
- E) Verbiage
This is the primary goal of active listening.
- A) understanding the full meaning of the speaker's message
- B) developing empathy with the speaker
- C) avoiding premature judgments or interpretations of the speaker's message
- D) focusing on the speaker
- E) to get the other party to buy into your goals
