Chapter

15

Communication
and Interpersonal
Skills

M. Akbar Bhatti
IUB

The Communication Process

Communication process
The transferring and understanding of meaning

EXHIBIT 12.1
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122

Communication Process Terms

Encoding
The conversion of a
message into some
symbolic form

Message
A purpose to be conveyed

Channel
The medium by which a
message travels

Feedback
The degree to which
carrying out the work
activities require by a job
results in the individuals
obtaining direct and clear
information about the
effectiveness of his her
performance

Decoding
A receivers translation of a
senders message
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123

Written Versus Verbal Communications

Written
Tangible
Verifiable
More permanent
More precise
More care is taken
with the written word

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Verbal
Less secure
Known receipt
Quicker response
Consumes less time
Quicker feedback

124

The Grapevine
The grapevine motto: Good
information passes among people
fairly rapidlybad information,
even faster!
Grapevine
An unofficial channel of
communication that is neither
authorized nor supported
by the organization.

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125

Nonverbal Communications
Body language
Nonverbal communication cues such as facial
expressions, gestures, and other body movements

Verbal intonation
An emphasis given to word or phrases that
conveys meaning

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126

Using Simple Language?

Source: Dilbert reprinted by permission of United Features Syndicate, Inc.

Copyright 2004 Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved.

EXHIBIT 12.4
127

Barriers to
Effective
Communication

Overcoming Barriers
to Effective
Communication

Filtering
Selective Perception
Information Overload
Emotions
Language
Gender
National Culture

Use Feedback
Simplify Language
Listen actively
Constrain Emotions
Watch Nonverbal
Cues

EXHIBIT 12.2
Copyright 2004 Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved.

EXHIBIT 12.3
128

Communication Barriers
Filtering
The deliberate manipulation of information to make it
appear more favorable to the receiver

Selective perception
Selective hearing communications based on ones
needs, motivations, experience, or other personal
characteristics

Information overload
The result of information exceeding processing
capacity
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129

Communication Barriers (contd)

Jargon
Technical language that is not understood by
outsiders

Gender
Men communicate to emphasize status and
independence; whereas women talk to create
connections and intimacy.

National culture
Communication differences that arise from the
different languages and national cultures
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1210

Communication Styles of Men &

Women: Gender Differences
Belief that Men are:
Independent
Objective
Competitive
Better suited to management
Women are Stereotyped as:
Gentle
Sensitive
Passive
Less suited to responsible
positions in business

Communication Styles of Men &

Women: Gender Differences
1.Men are less likely to ask for information or directions
2.In decision making, women are more likely to
downplay their certainty; men are more likely to
downplay their doubts
3.Women apologize even when they have done nothing
wrong. Men avoid apologies as signs of weakness or
concession
4.Women accept blame as a way of smoothing awkward
situations. Men ignore blame and place it elsewhere
5.Women temper criticism with positive buffers. Men
give criticism directly

Gender Differences
6.

Women insert unnecessary and unwarranted thankyous in conversations. Men avoid thanks altogether
7. Women ask What do you think? to build consensus.
Men perceive that question as a sign of incompetence
and lack of confidence
8. Women give directions in indirect ways
9. Men usurp (take) ideas stated by women and claim
them as their own. Women allow this process to take
place without protest
10. Women use softer voice volume to encourage
persuasion and approval. Men use louder voice
volume to attract attention and maintain control

Information Technology (IT)

E-mail
The instantaneous transmission of messages on
computers that are linked together.

Instant messaging (IM)

Interactive, real-time communication that takes place
among computer users who are logged on to the
computer network at the same time.

Voice mail
A system digitizes that a spoken massage, transmits it
over the network, and stores the message on a disk
for the receiver to retrieve later.
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1214

Information Technology (contd)

Fax
Machines allow the transmission of documents
containing both text and graphics over ordinary
telephone lines.

Electronic data interchange EDI

A way to exchange documents (invoices or purchase
orders) with vendors, suppliers, and customers using
direct, computer-to-computer networks.

Teleconferencing
Group can confer simultaneously using telephone or
e-mail group communications software.
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1215

Information Technology (contd)

Teleconferencing
Group can confer simultaneously using telephone or
e-mail group communications software.

Video-conferencing
A simultaneous conference during which meeting
participants in different locations can see each other
over video screens.

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1216

Information Technology (contd)

Intranets
An organizational communication network that uses
Internet technology but is accessible only to
organizational employees.

Extranets
an organizational communication network that uses
Internet technology and allows authorized users
inside the organization to communicate with certain
outsiders such as customers or vendors.

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1217

Information Technology (contd)

Wireless communications
Allow users to send and receive information from
anywhere as signals sent without a direct physical
connection to a hard-wired network system.

Knowledge management
Cultivating a learning culture in which employees
systematically gather knowledge and share it through
computer-based networks and community of interest
teams.

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1218

Developing Interpersonal Skills

Listening requires:
Paying attention
Interpreting
Remembering sound stimuli

Active listening requires:

Listening attentively (intensely) to the speaker.
Developing empathy for what the speaker is saying.
Accepting by listening without judging content.
Taking responsibility for completeness in getting the
full meaning from the speakers communication.
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1219

Characteristics of Feedback
Positive feedback
Is more readily and accurately perceived than
negative feedback.
Is almost always accepted, whereas negative
feedback often meets resistance.

Negative feedback
Is most likely to be accepted when it comes from a
credible source or if it is objective.
Carries weight only when it comes from a person with
high status and credibility.
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1220

Suggestions for Effective Feedback

Focus on specific behavior
Keep feedback impersonal
Keep feedback goal oriented
Make feedback well-timed
Ensure understanding
Direct negative feedback towards behavior that
the receiver can control

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1221

Empowerment Skills
Delegation
The assignment of authority to another person to carry
out specific activities while retaining the ultimate
responsibility for the activities.

Proper delegation is not abdication and requires:

Clarifying the exact job to be done
Setting the range of the employees discretion
Defining the expected level of performance
Setting the time frame for the task to be completed
Allowing employees to participate
Establishing feedback controls
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Effective
Delegation

EXHIBIT 12.6
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Contingency Factors in Delegation

The Size of the Organization
The Importance of the Duty or Decision
Organizational Culture
Task Complexity
Qualities of Employees

EXHIBIT 12.7
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1224

Managing Conflict
Conflict defined
Perceived differences resulting in interference or
opposition

Functional conflict
Conflict that supports and organizations goals

Dysfunctional conflict
Conflict that prevents and organization from achieving
its goals

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1225

Three Views of Conflict

Traditional view
Assumed that conflict was bad and would always have
a negative impact on an organization.

Human relations view

Argued that conflict was a natural and inevitable
occurrence in all organizations; rationalized the
existence of conflict and advocated its acceptance.

Interactionist view
Encourages mangers to maintain ongoing minimum
level of conflict sufficient to keep organizational units
viable, self-critical, and creative.
EXHIBIT 12.8
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1226

Conflict and
Organizational
Performance

EXHIBIT 12.9
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Sources of Conflict
Communication differences
Arising from semantic difficulties, misunderstandings,
and noise in the communication channels.

Structural differences
Horizontal and vertical differentiation creates problems
of integration leading to disagreements over goals,
decision alternatives, performance criteria, and
resource allocations in organizations.

Personal differences
Individual idiosyncrasies and personal value systems
create conflicts.
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1228

Dimensions of Conflict (Thomas)

Cooperativeness
The degree to which an individual will attempt to
rectify a conflict by satisfying the other persons
concerns.

Assertiveness
The degree to which an individual will attempt to
rectify the conflict to satisfy his or her own concerns.

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1229

Dimensions of Conflict (contd)

Conflict-handling techniques derived from
Thomas cooperative and assertiveness
dimensions:
Competing (assertive but uncooperative)
Collaborating (assertive and cooperative)
Avoiding (unassertive and uncooperative)
Accommodating (unassertive but cooperative)
Compromising (midrange on assertiveness and
cooperativeness

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1230

Conflict Management What Works Best and When

Strategy

Best Used When

Avoidance

Conflict is trivial, when emotions are running high and time

is needed to cool them down, or when the potential disruption
from an assertive action outweighs the benefits of resolution

Accommodation

The issue under dispute isnt that important to you or when

you want to build up credits for later issues

Forcing

You need a quick resolution on important issues that require

unpopular actions to be taken and when commitment by
others to your solution is not critical

Compromise

Conflicting parties are about equal in power, when it is

desirable to achieve a temporary solution to a complex issue,
or when time pressures demand an expedient solution

Collaboration

Time pressures are minimal, when all parties seriously want a

win-win solution, and when the issue is too important to be
compromised

EXHIBIT 12.10
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1231

Stimulating Conflict
Convey to employees the message that conflict has
its legitimate place.
Use hot-button communications while maintaining
plausible deniability.
Issue ambiguous or threatening messages.
Centralize decisions, realign work groups, increase
formalization and interdependencies between units.
Appoint a devils advocate to purposely present
arguments that run counter to those proposed by
the majority or against current practices.
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1232

Negotiation
Negotiation defined
A process in which two or more parties who have
different preference must make a joint decision and
come to an agreement

Distributive bargaining
Negotiation under zero-sum conditions, in which the
gains by one party involve losses by the other party

Integrative bargaining
Negotiation in which there is at least one settlement
that involves no loss to either party
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1233

Determining the Bargaining Zone

EXHIBIT 12.11
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1234

Developing Effective Negotiation Skills

Research the individual with whom youll be
negotiating.
Begin with a positive overture.
Address problems, not personalities.
Pay little attention to initial offers.
Emphasize win-win solutions.
Create an open and trusting climate.
If needed, be open to accepting third-party
assistance.
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1235

How Do You Make a Presentation?

Prepare for the presentation.
Make your opening comments.
Make your points.
End the presentation.
Answer questions.

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1236