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Discussion Forum Week 5 5

Discussion Forum Week 5

Jada Walden

Organizational Behavior – BUOL 532-02

Professor: Dr. Ronald Spicer

September 23, 2019

Chapter 11 – Communication

Communication is defined as the ability to understand and transfer meaning. Perfect communication isn’t possible, as this would convey each person, sender and receiver, to view the meaning exactly the same. There are five functions of communication, managing behavior, such as setting formal guidelines, feedback, monitoring performance, emotional sharing, emotional or social interaction, and persuasion, trying to sway someone’s responsibility. The process of communication involves the sender, encoding, the message itself, the channel, decoding, the receiver, noise, and feedback. This can be sent either by formal channels, within an organization, or informal, by social interaction. Formal communication can be downward, from managers to employee, upward, to provide information to higher levels within the organization, or lateral, within the same work group. The informal grapevine communication can be beneficial not only as social interaction among employees, but also provide needed feedback to managers, whether positive or negative, regarding the organization. Oral communication can be beneficial, as it tends to be faster, producing quicker feedback and exchange. The downside can be distortion based on the number of people involved within the conversation. Other forms of communication include written, letters, email, instant messages, and non-verbal, involving body movement, facial expressions, as well as physical distance.

Choosing the method of delivery can depend on the message itself. Channel richness scores higher in face-to-face communication based on the most cues involved, such as posture, gestures, etc. Oral communication serves better if reactions need to be accessed, written if the communication is lengthy and complex. Non-verbal communication can cue to recipient to be observant, as contradiction can be received based on body movement or expressions. The processing of communication can be based on the level of interest, personality, method of transfer and prior knowledge. Filtering is a means of providing a barrier, manipulating so the receiver will receive more favorable. Other barriers can involve selective perception, too much information, emotions at different times, language used and silence. Apprehension can develop as a result of social anxiety, having the inability to communicate face to face for example. Cultural barriers as well as lying can create barriers, as everyone does not have the same definition of a lie.

Chapter 12 – Leadership

Influencing others to achieve a goal or vision is leadership. Traits of those who are viewed as leaders include discipline, ability to keep commitments, and who are assertive. Emotional intelligence, leaders who are empathetic demonstrate the ability to be effective leaders. Trust, or consideration, influences leadership abilities, whether or not someone is approachable, friendly, or people orientated. Cultural differences influence leadership, as one culture may view empathy as weak, while another view as a desirable trait. The Fiedler Model uses the “least preferred co-worker” or LPC, to evaluate traits. If viewed as low LPC, the determination is task orientated, high LPC, relationship orientated.

Followers can be evaluated by the theory of situational leadership, the readiness to follow, or path-goal theory, the job of the leader to assist in goals and direction. Leaders can vary in their decision making based on the different situations and participants involved. The LMX theory states there are two groups, the in group and the out group. The in group consists of favorites, those with a special relationship with the leader, the out group does not. Charismatic leaders have been labeled as those who are set apart, either born with or learned traits. These type of leaders have the ability to present an appealing vision, building self-esteem and confidence among followers. The opposite effect of charismatic leaders can be those with a dark personality, such as narcissistic behaviors. This can result in self-induced goals, not for the benefit of the organization. Charismatic leaders can either have transactional or transformational forms of leadership, guiding or motivating followers in the right direction, or inspiring those to progress their own self-interests, having a positive effect on followers.

All leaders strive to be responsible. Authentic leaders are confident in who they are, acting accordingly on their values and beliefs. Servant leadership are just that, going above their own interests focusing on the helping of others. Trust among supervisors and employees has advantages in increasing the taking of risks, sharing information, increasing effectiveness, and productivity. Keeping trust is imperative, as regaining trust is difficult to do in some circumstances. As a leader, mentoring is accepting the responsibility sponsoring a protégé, passing on their knowledge and skills to a future leader. Online leadership is based on Identification-based trust, the ability to communicate and accurately read emotions, trust, and inspiration through electronic communication.

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References

Robbins, S. P., & Judge, T. (2018). Essentials of organizational behavior (14th Ed.). New York, NY: Pearson Education.