Which communication method would score highest in channel richness

Organizational Behaviour

Chapter 11

Communication

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Copyright © 2018, 2016, 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Copyright © 2018, 2016, 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

After studying this chapter you should be able to:

Describe the functions and processes of communication.

Contrast downward, upward, and lateral communication through small-group networks and the grapevine

Contrast oral, written, and nonverbal communication.

Describe how channel richness underlies the choice of communication channel.

Differentiate between automatic and controlled processing of persuasive messages.

Identify common barriers to effective communication.

Discuss how to overcome the potential problems of cross-cultural communication.

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Functions of Communication

Managing behavior

Feedback

Emotional sharing

Persuasion

Information exchange

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Communication serves five major functions within a group or organization. Almost every communication interaction that takes place performs one or more of these interactions. Keep in mind that none of the five is more important than any of the others.

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The Communication Process

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This graph outlines the communication process between the sender and the receiver. The sender takes the message to be sent and encodes it, either through verbal or written methods. The message is passed through the determined channel, and then it is handed off to the receiver, who receives the message and decodes it. The process is hindered by noise or communication barriers such as the perceived message. Feedback is the check on how successful the sender was in passing the correct message to the receiver.

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Channels of Communication

Formal

Path follows the authority chain

Messages relate to professional activities

Informal

Spontaneous channels from individual choice

Messages often personal or social

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There are a few different channels of communication in the workplace. The first type is formal channels. These channels transmit messages that are related to the professional activities of the members, such as email, memos, and planned speeches. The second type is informal channels, used to transmit personal or social messages. Informal channels are more spontaneous in nature and a result of individual choices such as whom you eat lunch with.

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Direction of Communication

Upward

Downward

Lateral

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In an organization, communication flows in three different directions. It can flow downward from the top management to people in lower levels of the organization. It can flow up from workers on the ground floor to the CEO. Or it can flow between or within departments in a lateral movement.

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Manager

Executive

Manager

Employee

Manager

Downward Communication

Communication that flows from one level to a lower level

One-way communication

Managers explain why a decision was made but do not solicit advice or opinions of employees

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Communication that flows from one level of a group or organization to a lower level is downward communication. Managers using this one-way communication explain why decisions are made, but they don’t solicit advice or opinions from employees. This can be problematic because while employees are more committed to decisions when they understand why they are made, the organization ignores potentially valuable information from employees.

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Upward Communication

Communication that flows to a higher level

Keeps managers aware of how employees feel about their jobs, coworkers, and the organization

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To engage in effective upward communication, try to communicate in headlines, support your headlines with actionable items, and prepare an agenda to make sure you use your boss’s attention well.

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Lateral Communication

Communication that occurs between members of a work group, members at the same level in separate work groups, or any other horizontally equivalent workers

Saves time and facilitates coordination

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Some lateral relationships are formally sanctioned. More often, they are informally created to short-circuit the vertical hierarchy and expedite action.

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Formal Small-Group Networks

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In an organizational context, communication is commonly broken down into three formal small-group networks.

The chain is a very formal and rigid chain of command. Employees know who the next person in the chain is and that is where they give and get their information.

The wheel is a network where there is a central figure who controls all the communication. This type of group requires a very strong leader who can communicate effectively.

The all-channel network is a much more fluid arrangement where all group members communicate actively with each other and there is no formal channel or single person. This works best in a situation such as a self-managed team.

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Effectiveness Criteria

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The effectiveness of each network depends on the dependent variable that concerns you.

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The Grapevine

Informal communication network

Word-of-mouth

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The grapevine is a common network that has been shown to be an effective mode of communication. Typically, the grapevine is not controlled by management nor do they feed it information. However, employees see it as a very believable and reliable form of communication. The grapevine has no formal purpose. It is mainly there to serve the self-interests of those who use it, developing from a need for these individuals to get more information about an important but ambiguous situation. The grapevine can be a way to receive information about the situation and reduce anxiety as well as fill a social need to connect.

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Modes of Communication

Three modes of communication

Oral

Written

Nonverbal

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As we looked at earlier, communication can move through different channels and take on different forms.

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Oral Communication

Advantages

Speed

Feedback

Simple to correct

Disadvantages

Potential for distorted message when passed through a number of people

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One communication channel is oral communication or the spoken word. This form of communication is quick, and there is immediate feedback; the disadvantage is that the message can be distorted based on the sender and the receiver.

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Written Communication

Any method that conveys written words or symbols

Letters

E-mail

Instant messaging

Organizational periodicals

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Letters, e-mail, instant messaging, text messaging, social media, and blogs.

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Nonverbal Communication

Body language conveys

The extent of affinity for another

The relative perceived status between a sender and receiver

Meaning changes with

Intonation

Facial expression

Physical distance

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Nonverbal communication is another channel often used in organizations. This can be a nod, a look, or the crossing of arms. It supports other channels of communication and helps to express emotions and feelings. However, it is often ridden with misperception and can greatly influence the receiver’s interpretation of the message.

There are many different types of nonverbal communication that send a lot of messages. Body movement is a common method. Tapping your fingers, for example, can show that you are impatient or nervous. The way you emphasize words can change the way the receiver perceives the message. Your facial expressions can show emotion and express how you feel about an assignment or task. Also, the distance placed between the sender and receiver can express whether you are interested in the project or if you feel more powerful than the other person. This will vary by cultural norms.

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Channel Richness

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Channels differ in their capacity to convey information. Some are rich, in that they can handle multiple cues simultaneously, facilitate rapid feedback, and be very personal. Others are lean, in that they score low on these factors. Face-to-face communication scores highest in channel richness because it transmits the most information per communication episode.

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Choosing Communication Method

Channel choice depends on whether the message is routine

Oral communication

Written communication

Nonverbal communication

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Non-routine messages are likely to be complicated and have the potential for misunderstanding. Managers can communicate effectively only by choosing rich channels.

Security is a big concern for companies with private or proprietary information about clients, customers, and employees, especially when cloud-based electronic data storage is used. The use of this type of storage is likely to increase, so companies will probably continue to monitor Internet use, emails, and so forth. By engaging employees in creating security policies, companies can reduce anxiety over these monitoring processes.

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Choosing Oral Communication

Use of oral communication when gauging the receiver’s receptivity is important

But consider:

The receiver’s preference

Pace of work environment

Your speaking ability

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Whenever you need to gauge the receiver’s receptivity, oral communication – face-to-face meetings, telephone calls, video conferencing – is usually the better choice.

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Choosing Written Communication

Written communication:

Provides a tangible and verifiable record that can be stored for an indefinite period of time

Message is physically available for later reference

Messages are more likely to be well thought-out, logical, and clear

Grammar mistakes can be problematic

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Written communication is a channel that is tangible and easy to go back to verify. Often when people put down their thoughts and ideas in written format, they are more logical and clear. However, written communication is more time consuming, doesn’t provide immediate feedback, and might not even be read.

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Persuasive Communication

Automatic processing: superficial consideration of evidence and information making use of heuristics

Takes little time and minimal effort

Easy to be fooled

Controlled processing: detailed consideration of evidence and information relying on facts, figures, and logic

Requires effort and energy

Less likely to be fooled

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We process information in two ways: automatic and controlled.

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Automatic versus Controlled Processing

The choice of processing depends on:

Interest level

Prior knowledge

Personality

Message characteristics

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Which type of processing will be used? It depends on interest level, prior knowledge, personality, and message characteristics.

When people are very interested in the outcome of a decision, they’re more likely to process information carefully.

People who are very well informed about a subject area are more likely to use controlled processing.

If you have a high need for cognition, you are more likely to be persuaded by evidence and facts.

Finally, messages provided through relatively lean channels, with little opportunity for users to interact with the content of the message, encourage automatic processing.

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Barriers to Effective Communication

Filtering

Selective perception

Information overload

Emotions

Language

Silence

Communication apprehension

Lying

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There are a number of barriers to effective communication that can distort the message being sent. Let’s look at a few of those. Filtering is a common barrier where the sender sorts the information shared so that it will be seen as more favorable by the receiver.

Selective perception is something utilized by both the sender and the receiver. People selectively interpret what they see based on their own experiences and attitudes. This can then distort the message sent and the message received.

As we have seen in this chapter, there are many methods of communication, and they are all being used. Each receiver is in a state of information overload, where the information they are receiving exceeds their capacity to process it all. This leads to barriers to receiving the complete message.

Further complicating things are the emotions of the receiver at the time the message is received. The receiver’s emotions will influence their interpretation of the message.

When communicating, words will mean different things to different people and can influence the message significantly. Often this causes confusion between the sender and the receiver.

Many people are nervous about oral or written modes of communication and will not be able to clearly communicate because of their anxiety.

Finally, research shows that many people lie, and that the frequency of the lies combined with the difficulty of detecting exactly when it’s occurring also contribute to poor communication.

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Cultural Factors

Cross-cultural communication barriers

Semantics

Word connotations

Tone differences

Differences in perception

Cultural context

High context culture

Low context culture

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Communication, as we have seen, can be difficult to do effectively. Cross-cultural factors can increase that difficulty. So it is important for managers to understand the culture in which they are working. They should be careful of the words they use to make sure they are translatable and don’t hold double meanings. They need to understand how their tone, body language, or perceptions will differ based on culture.

Cross-cultural communication barriers include:

Semantics – words mean different things to different people

Word connotations – words imply different things in different languages

Tone differences – in some cultures tone changes depending on context

Differences in perception – different world views

Context is very important to understanding what is being communicated. In low-context cultures, people tend to rely more on words, while high-context cultures will rely more on the whole situation.

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A Cultural Guide

Know yourself.

Foster a climate of mutual respect, fairness, and democracy.

State facts, not your interpretation.

Consider the other person’s point of view.

Proactively maintain the identity of the group.

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When communicating with people from a different culture, follow these suggestions to reduce misinterpretations.

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Implications for Managers

Remember that your communication mode will partly determine your communication effectiveness.

Obtain feedback from your employees to make certain your messages are understood.

Remember that written communication creates more misunderstandings than oral communication.

Make sure you use communication strategies appropriate to your audience and the type of message you’re sending.

Keep in mind communication barriers such as gender and culture.

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In summary, good communication will always reduce uncertainty and beats out ambiguity every time. Communication has a better chance of succeeding if the right channel is used, the receiver is a good listener, and feedback is utilized. It is important to remember that even though electronic communication is quicker and easier to use, it can also raise the potential for misunderstanding. Finally, keep in mind that in different cultural contexts things have different meanings, and there are a lot of barriers to overcome for effective communication. Do your homework, and do not rush to conclusions.