UBO - Lecture 08 - Effective Communication in Organisations

Lecture 8 Effective Communication in
Organisations
Understanding Business Organisations
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UnderstandingBusiness
NCC Education Limited V1.0
Understanding Business
Organisations
Lecture 8:
Effective Communication in Organisations
EffectiveCommunication in Organisations Lecture 8 - 8.2
Scope and Coverage
This topic will cover:
The importance of effective communication in todays
organisations
The essentials of the communication process
Key factors in communicating successfully
Using the concept of media richness to decide upon the
most appropriate communication medium
Upward, downward and horizontal communication flows
Common barriers to effective communication
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this topic, students will be able to:
Explain the difference between informal and formal
communication
Describe the keycomponents of the
Describe the key components of the
communication process
Understand the main factors in achieving effective
communication
Explain the concepts of micro- and macro-barriers
to communication
Organisations
The exchange of ideas, opinions, and
information through written or spoken words,
symbols or actions
Requirement is to convey and interpret
What is Communication?
messages clearly
Involves everybody, at all levels in an organisation
People need to communicate directly and
personally with each other
Importance of Effective
Communication
p y
Also take part in more formal and structured
communication processes
Many activities succeed or fail because of the
quality of the communications process
Management Roles and
Communication
Decisional
Entrepreneur
Disturbance handler
Resource allocator
Negotiator
Informational
Spokesperson
Monitor
Disseminator
Interpersonal
Figurehead
Leader
Liaison
Communication
Planning Organising Leading Controlling
Organisations
Requires at least two people the sender and the
receiver
The sender encodes the idea they wish to convey
in the message
Th i d d h
The Communication Process
The receiver decodes the message
The receiver responds to the message by giving
feedback
Effective communicators understand the
importance of two-way communication
Model of the Communication
Process
Sender
Message
di
Receiver
Message
d di
Message
encoding
Feedback
decoding
decoding
Feedback
encoding
Message
Feedback
Channel
Perception
Communication Channels
Non-verbal signals
Key Factors in Effective
Communication
Non verbal signals
Listening
Organisations
The process by which individuals make sense of
their environment by organising and interpreting
information
People may interpret and react to the same
Perception
information in different ways
Need to be aware of stereotyping making an
assumption about the sender of the information
Variety of channels available e-mail, letter, face-
to-face meeting etc.
Important to choose the most appropriate channel
The richness of a medium should be considered:
Can it handle many cues at the same time?
Communication Channels
Can it handle many cues at the same time?
Can it support rapid two-way feedback?
Can it establish a personal focus for the
communication?
Each channel has advantages and disadvantages
Media Richness
Media Richness Hierarchy
Lowest Highest
Impersonal Personal Interactive Physical
Impersonal
static media
(flyers, bulletins,
general
computer
reports)
Personal
static media
(memos,
letters, tailored
computer
reports)
Interactive
media
(telephone,
electronic
media)
Physical
presence
(face-to-face)
Organisations
Important form of interpersonal communication
often referred to as body language
Includes the tone of voice, facial expression,
posture and appearance
Non-Verbal Communication
Aspects include:
Sending non-verbal communications
Receiving non-verbal communications
Giving non-verbal feedback
Practice Description
Stop talking Let the speaker finish and do not complete their sentences
for them
Put the speaker at ease Show that you are listening, the speaker will be put off if you
look away or concentrate on writing notes
Aim to understand Look to understand what the speaker is saying
Practices for Effective Listening
p y g
Beware of personal prejudices Make a conscious effort to stop prejudices influencing your
judgement
Be aware of what the speaker
is not saying
Very often what is missing is more important than what has
been said
Ask questions Shows you have been listening and encourages the speaker
to develop points you have raised
Centralised
networks
Communication Structure for
Simple Tasks
Information
flows to central
person
Central person
can perform
task alone
Good
Decentralised
networks
Information
flows all
around the
network
No one person
has all the
required
information
Poor
Organisations
Communication Structure for
Complex Tasks
Centralised
networks
Information
flows to central
person
Central person
becomes
saturated
Poor
Decentralised
networks
No one person
becomes
saturated
Information
flows all
around the
network
Good
Organisations need to
supplement informal
communication
methods with formal
t
Organisational Communication
arrangements
Information flows can
be downward, upward
or horizontal
Direction of Formal
Communications in Organisations
Upward
communication
Customer
complaints
Progress
Downward
communication
Newpolicies
Budget limits
Sales targets
Merger
Progress
reports
Regular
financial
reports
Merger
announcements
Horizontal communication
Exchanging task-based ideas
Adjusting plans to suit mutual needs
Organisations
Effective communications within organisations has
been enhanced by
E-mail
Developments in Communication
Technology
Video-conferencing
Intranets
Groupware
Commonly referred to as the grapevine
Informal system through which information, rumour
and gossip is passed
Often a source of early information
Informal Communication Systems
y
Passes different types of information qualitative
rather than quantitative
Need to bear in mind that such information is not
always correct
Breakdowns and barriers can disrupt an
information chain
Barriers can be at two levels:
Barriers to Effective
Communication
Micro-barriers (at the interpersonal level)
Macro-barriers (the larger world)
Organisations
The senders message communicating out-of-date
and inaccurate information will not be well received
Mutual views of sender and receiver depends on
how well the views and beliefs of the receiver are known
Choice of medium receivers may prefer certainmedia
Micro-Barriers to Communication
Choice of medium receivers may prefer certain media
and be more receptive to messages sent this way
Noise anything that interferes with the intended flow of
communication, including technical problems or the
inclusion of distracting information
Information overload increasing volume of
communication becomes a barrier to its use
Departmentalisation staff in departments or
units focus only on their area of interest and fail to
Macro-Barriers to Communication
communicate effectively with a wider audience
Information as currency sole ownership of
information can boost a persons status and make
them unwilling to share it
Many business activities succeed or fail because of the
quality of the communications process
Key factors include selecting the appropriate channels,
understanding non-verbal signals and listening effectively
Informal communications play an important role within
Summary
Informal communications play an important role within
organisations
Organisations need to supplement informal communication
methods with formal arrangements
It is important to recognise the barriers to effective
communications and address these
Organisations
References
Boddy, D. (2005), Management: An Introduction,
3rd edition, Prentice Hall, Chapter 16
Boddy, D. (2007), Management: An Introduction,
y, ( ), g ,
4th edition, Prentice Hall, Chapter 16
Organisations
Any Questions?

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