7028SR- GROUP- 2
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Topic3.2InterpersonalCommunications.pptx
Breakthrough Leadership Skills MN7028
Topic 8: Interpersonal Communication
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Learning Outcomes
To understand communications channels and barriers to effective communications.
To explore some of the particular challnges of cross cultural business communication.
To consider the importance of influence, persuasion, assertiveness and negotiating in communicating with others.
To examine the sources and nature of conflict within organisations.
To describe the importance of networking within and between organisations.
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The Communication Process
An interpersonal process of sending and receiving symbols with messages attached to them.
The exchange of messages between people for the purpose of achieving common meanings (Guirdham, 1995)
Communication is effective when the intended meaning of the sender is identical to the interpreted meaning of the receiver.
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The Interactive Process of Interpersonal Communication
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‘Noise’: Distortions in the Communication Process
Poor written or oral expression.
Failure to recognize nonverbal signals.
Physical distractions.
Status effects.
Using the wrong “channel”
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Typical applications for Written versus Face to Face communication
Written channels work best when:
Messages are simple and easy to convey.
Require extensive dissemination quickly.
Convey formal policy or authoritative directives.
Spoken channels work best for messages that:
Are complex or difficult to convey where immediate feedback is needed.
Attempt to create a supportive, even inspirational, climate.
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One Way and Two Way Communication
One way
Fast
Looks efficient but often inaccurate
Needs planning
Less threatening to the sender
Receiver can feel frustrated
Guirdham, 1995
Two way
Slow
Looks inefficient but often more accurate
Planning is less essential
Sender is more vulnerable
Receiver more likely to feel confident
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Richness
Channel richness is the capacity of a communication channel to carry information in an effective manner.
Low channel richness is impersonal, one-way, and fast.
High channel richness is personal, two-way, and slow.
Managers need to choose a channel with the appropriate richness for the communication.
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Communication Media: Examples of Media Richness
Face-to-face dialogue *
Videoconference *
Telephone conversation *
* Voice mail
* Informal letters/memos
* Organization’s own videos
* Formal written documents
* Formal numerical documents
Single
Multiple
Fast
Slow
Speed of
Personalized Feedback
Cues and Language
* Organization’s Web site
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Some other causes of noise in communication
Hearing what we expect to hear
Perceptions about the communicator (status/non-verbal)
Influence of own reference group
Different meanings (cultural or semantic)
Emotional context
Organisational size
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Overcoming Communications Barriers
Adjusting to the world of the receiver (put yourself in their shoes if you can)
Using feedback
Using reinforcement
Using direct, simple language
Reinforcing words with actions
Using multiple channels
Reducing problems of size
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Vertical (one way) communication in Organisations
Common in traditional (more hierarchical) organisations.
Delivers organisational efficiencies (can be done in volume and with weight of authority)
Top down but may be too blunt a vehicle for the message and sometimes polyphasic (so slow and/or unpredictable to reach conclusion)
Impersonal
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Other issues with Vertical (one way) communication
Interpretive perspective of communication
Employees may react differently to the same messages
Language and symbols used to create and shape peoples social realities
Communication is not a linear process – many variables affecting process
Organisational members capture complex experiences that are a combination of sense, emotion, reason and imagination using narration and story telling to impart meaning
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Communications Media
Written systems
These include reports, magazines, newsletters, bulletins,
New technologies for communication
Informational databases, electronic mail systems, voice mail systems, cellular/smart phone systems
Text
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Communication Technologies and Behaviour in “busy” contexts
Communication can become more impersonal
Interpersonal skills may diminish – less tactful, less graciousness
Non-verbal cues lacking
Altered social context
Information overload – email?
Email -encourages polyphasic activity
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Communicating across cultures
“Communication is only possible between people who to some extent share the same system of meaning” (Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner, 1997)
“It is possible to know the language, and even have in one’s possession adequate translations, without grasping the meaning of what is being said and done” (Much, 1995)
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Culture and communications
Language and communication issues are intertwined with cultural differences
Culture represents shared ways of life and understanding, thus culture is itself a process of communication
Culture is reflected in language, but language is not necessarily tied to a specific culture e.g. versions of English
Interconnections of language and culture – Japanese language ‘too polite’ and decision made to use English as language of key meetings and documents at Nissan (FT 5th May 2001)
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Language issues
The significance of language is a relatively neglected area in the study of MNCs …
Language a barrier, resource or source of power
Important role of ‘language mediators’
Importance of language fluency for career progression
Competence may be masked behind language barrier
Different levels of language competence - ‘proportional facility’
Cognitive strain
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Vaara et al (2005): case study of a cross-border merger between Finnish and Swedish banks
Swedish was originally chosen as the ‘senior management language’ of the new company
Interpreted by Finnish speakers as sign of Swedish dominance, placed them at linguistic disadvantage
Language training was limited to those in daily contact with Swedes
Situation further complicated by the existence of two versions of Swedish
Efforts by Swedes to learn some Finnish symbolically important and appreciated by Finns
Corporate language changed to English…
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Model of cross-cultural communication (from Haworth and Savage, 1995)
Area of common understanding
Person from culture A
Person from culture B
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Phenomenal
Field
Phenomenal
Field
Dynamics of cross-cultural communications
Explicit/implicit messages (sender)
Apprehended/inferred messages (receiver)
Speech pragmatics or characteristic communication patterns - including conventions and rituals (e.g. greetings), jokes, emotional expression, tolerance of silences, pace or ‘music’ of speech
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High & low context communication
Context: information that surrounds an event
High context communication
Assumes the listener is already ‘contextualised’ ; reliance on the overall situation to interpret messages
The explicit messages can be elliptical
Low context communication
Relying more on the explicit verbal content of messages; context less important than content
Associated with more accessible, fluid, cultural environments
Hall, E. (1976)
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Communicating between High and Low context environments
In low context environments, communicators tend to:
Avoid ambiguity
Come to the point quickly
Fill silences where possible
In high context environments, communicators tend to:
Talk indirectly (and so may be ambiguous to outsiders)
Use silence to convey a range of meaning.
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Different principles underpinning management feedback
Down-graders, understatement, hedgers (UK?)
Upgraders (Germany?)
Directness (NL?)
Sparing with compliments (Fra?)
Confidentiality (Asia)
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Active Listening
The process of taking action to help someone say exactly what he or she really means Understand the feeling and respond to this - patience/simple acceptance.
Focus on the content and avoid making judgements
Understand the feeling and respond to this
Paraphrase and restate the message
Don’t interrupt
Don’t question the facts
Listen to what isn’t said –note all cues, verbal and non-verbal
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Selected references
Brannen, M.Y., Piekkari, R. and Tietze, S. (2014) ‘The multifaceted role of language in international business: Unpacking the forms, functions and features of a critical challenge to MNC theory and performance’ Journal of International Business Studies 45, 495–507
Guirdham, M. (1996) Interpersonal Skills, Hemel Hempstead: Prentice Hall.
Hall, E. (1976) Beyond Culture. New York: Doubleday
Harzing, A-W and Feely, A. (2008) ‘The language barrier and its implications for HQ-subsidiary relationships’ Cross-cultural Management 15/1 49-61
Meyer, E. (2015) The Culture Map. New York: Public Affairs
Thomas, K.W., 1974. Thomas-Kilmann conflict mode survey. Tuxedo, NY: Xicom.
Vaara, E., Tienari, J., Piekkari, R. and Santti, R. (2005) ‘Language and the circuits of power in a merging multi-national corporation’ Journal of Management Studies 42/3 595-623
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