Chapter 11 - Communication Flashcards Preview

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Flashcards in Chapter 11 - Communication Deck (85)
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1
Q

What’s the Importance of Communication?

A

Communication is important because it is the glue that holds organizations together. It is the way we share information, ideas, and expectations as well as display emotions to coordinate action.

2
Q

What is Communication?

A

Communication is a process of sending and receiving messages with attached meanings.

3
Q

What are the key elements of Communication?

A
Source = encodes intended message.
Receiver = decodes message into a perceived meaning
4
Q

Who is the sender (information source)?

A

A sender is a person or group trying to communicate with someone else. The source seeks to communicate, in part, to change the attitudes, knowledge, or behavior of the receiver.

5
Q

Encoding

A

The process of translating an idea or thought into a message consisting of verbal, written, or non-verbal symbols (such as gestures), or some combination of these.

6
Q

How are messages transmitted?

A

Messages are transmitted through a Communication Channel.

7
Q

What are the many types of Communication Channels?

A

Face-to-Face, Meetings, E-mail, Texts, Videoconferencing, Skype, Blogs, and Newsletters

8
Q

Who is the Receiver?

A

A receiver is the individual or group of individuals to whom a message is directed. In order for meaning to be assigned to any received message, its contents must be interpreted through decoding.

9
Q

What factors can complicate decoding for the receiver?

A

Knowledge and Experience of the receiver and his or her relationship with the sender. A message may also be interpreted with the added influence of other points of view, such as those offered by co-workers, colleagues, or family members. Problems can occur in receiving when the decoding results in the message being interpreted differently from what was originally intended.

10
Q

What is Feedback?

A

Feedback is the process through which the receiver communicates with the sender by returning another message.

11
Q

what does Feedback represent?

A

Feedback represents two-way communication, going from sender to receiver and back again. Two-way communication is more accurate and effective but can be more costly and time-consuming.

12
Q

What form of Feedback is used more frequently in a work setting?

A

Because of their efficiency, one-way forms of communication - mass emails, reports, newsletters, division-wide meetings, and the like - are frequently used in work settings.

13
Q

One Caveat about one-way communication

A

Although one-way messages are easy for the sender, they might be more time-consuming in the long run when receivers are unsure what the sender means or wants done.

14
Q

What factors can inhibit effective transmission of a message?

A

Noise, which is the disturbance that disrupts communication and interferes with the transference of messages within the communication process. Ex. Stomach growling, mental distractions, negative emotions or interpersonal conflicts that trigger a voice in your head that you can’t turn off and impeded listening effectively, etc.

15
Q

What are some of the common forms of Nonverbal Communication?

A

Facial expressions, body position, eye contact and other physical gestures. Studies show that when verbal and nonverbal communication do not match, receivers pay more attention to the nonverbal.

16
Q

Why do receivers pay more attention to nonverbal communication than verbal communication?

A

Because nonverbal communication often holds the key to what someone is really thinking or meaning. Because of this, we should pay careful attention to both the verbal and nonverbal aspects of our communication, including dress, timeliness, and demeanor.

17
Q

What are some other forms of nonverbal communication?

A

The way we chose to design or arrange physical space also has powerful effects on how we interpret one another. Presence is also used in nonverbal communication. This is the act of speaking without words. Ex. Hitler mastered the effect of presence. He didn’t have to say anything but his presence spoke volumes. Ex. Steve Jobs used the power of “presence” during product demonstrations.

18
Q

What are the most common communication barriers in the workplace?

A

Interpersonal issues, physical distractions, meaning (semantic) barriers, and cultural barriers.

19
Q

What are interpersonal barriers?

A

Interpersonal barriers occur when individuals are not able to objectively listen to the sender due to things such as lack of trust, personality clashes, a bad reputation or stereotypes/prejudices.

20
Q

What problems are indicative of Interpersonal barriers?

A

Selective Listening, Filtering and Avoidance

21
Q

What is selective listening?

A

Individuals block out information or only hear things that match preconceived notions. Ex. Someone who does not trust will assume that the other is not telling the truth, or may “hear” things in the communication that are not accurate. Individuals may also filter information by conveying only some of the information. Ex. If we don’t like a co-worker, we may decide to leave out critical details or pointers that would help him or her to be more successful in getting things done.

22
Q

What is filtering?

A

Filtering happens when an individual chooses to convey only some of the information. Ex. If we don’t like a co-worker, we may decide to leave out critical details or pointers that would help him or her to be more successful in getting things done.

23
Q

What is avoidance?

A

Avoidance occurs when individuals chose to ignore or deny a problem or issue, rather than confront it. It is the major barrier to openness and honesty in communication.

24
Q

Why does avoidance occur?

A

Avoidance occurs because individuals fear the conversation will be uncomfortable or worry that trying to talk about the problem will only make it worse. This fear often comes with a lack of understanding about how to approach difficult conversations.

25
Q

How can someone overcome avoidance?

A

Avoidance can be overcome by learning to use supportive communication principles

26
Q

Physical barriers can cause physical distractions. So what are physical distractions?

A

A barrier that can interfere with the effectiveness of a communication attempt. Ex. A phone ringing during a meeting, drop-in visitors, etc.

27
Q

What are semantic barriers?

A

It involves a poor choice of words and mixed messages. that can cause the receiver to become confused

28
Q

What are cultural barriers?

A

Ethnocentrism is a cultural barrier. It is the tendency to believe one’s culture and its values are superior to those of others. It is often accompanied by an unwillingness to try to understand alternative points of view and to take the values they represent seriously.

29
Q

What’s another cultural barrier

A

Another cultural barrier is parochialism - assuming that the ways of your culture are the only ways of doing things.

30
Q

What are low context cultures?

A

Where members are very explicit in using the spoken and written word. In these cultures such as those of Australia, Canada, and the United States, the message is largely conveyed by the words someone uses, and not particularly by the context in which they are spoken.

31
Q

What are high context cultures?

A

Where members use words to convey only a limited part of the message. The rest must be inferred or interpreted from the context, which includes body language, the physical setting, and past relationships-all of which add meaning to what is being said.

32
Q

What are the two communication channels?

A

Formal and Informal Channels

33
Q

Formal Channels

A

Formal channels follow the chain of command established by an organization’s hierarchy of authority. E

34
Q

Informal Channels

A

Informal channels do not adhere to the organization’s hierarchy of authority. They coexist with the formal channels but frequently diverge from them skipping levels in the hierarchy or cutting across divisional lines. Informal channels help to create open communications in organizations and ensure that the right people are in contact with one another.

35
Q

Examples of informal channels

A

Grapevine or network of friendships and acquaintances through which rumors and other officials information are passed from person to person.

36
Q

What is channel richness?

A

Channel richness indicates the capacity of a channel to convey information. The richest channels are face to face, personalized, two-way and take more time.

37
Q

Types of channel richness from greatest to least

A

Face to face, telephone, video conference, text, email, reports, and letters. Ex. When messages get more complex and open-ended, richer channels are necessary to achieve effective communication.

38
Q

Lean channel richness

A

Posted notices and bulletin. Ex. works well for more routine and straightforward messages, such as announcing the location of previously scheduled meetings.

39
Q

What is downward communication?

A

Downward communication follows the chain of command from top to bottom. Lower level personnel need to know what higher levels are doing and be reminded of key policies, strategies, objectives, and technical development.

40
Q

What is Lateral Communication?

A

Lateral communication is the flow of information across the organization. The biggest barrier to lateral communication is organizational silos.

41
Q

What is organizational silos?

A

Units that are isolated from one another by strong departmental or divisional lines. In siloed organizations, units tend to communicate more inside than outside, and they often focus on protecting turf and information rather than sharing it.

42
Q

What is upward communication?

A

The flow of messages from lower to higher organizational levels. A key issue in upward communication is status differences.

43
Q

What are status differences?

A

Differences that create potential communication barriers between persons of higher and lower ranks

44
Q

Why is communication frequently biased when flowing upward in organizational hierarchies?

A

Subordinates may filter information and tell their superiors only what they think the boss want to hear. They do this out of fear of retribution for bringing bad news, an unwillingness to identify personal mistakes, or just a general desire to please. This can result in the higher-level decision make taking the wrong actions because of biased and inaccurate information supplied from below. This is sometimes called the “mum” effect.

45
Q

What is the “mum” effect?

A

A tendency to sometimes keep “mum” from a desire to be polite and a reluctance to transmit bad news

46
Q

What is voice?

A

Voice is the choice to speak up (confront situations) rather than remain silent.

47
Q

Why is voicing a concern so important?

A

Voice is important because it helps improve decision making and promote responsiveness in dynamic business conditions. It facilitates team performance by encouraging team members to share concerns if they think the team is missing information or headed in the wrong direction-correcting problems before they escalate.

48
Q

What is silence?

A

Silence occurs when employees have input that could be valuable but choose not to share it.

49
Q

What two key factors play into the choice to voice or remain silent?

A

Perceived efficacy and perceived risk

50
Q

What is perceived efficacy of voice?

A

Whether the employee believes their voice will make a difference. If perceived efficacy is low, employees will think “why bother? No one will listen and nothing will change”

51
Q

What is perceived risk?

A

Employees will be less likely to voice if they believe speaking up to authority will damage their credibility and/or relationships.

52
Q

How do relationships develop in the workplace?

A

Relationships develop through a relational testing process. This begins when one person makes a disclosure - an opening up or revelation about oneself -to another. Once the disclosure is made, the other automatically begins to form a judgment. If the other does not share the likes or dislikes, a positive connection is not felt and the relationship remains at arm’s length. A deeper disclosure is a more intensely personal revelation such as in intimate detail about one’s personal history.

53
Q

Deeper disclosure

A

Deeper disclosures are typically appropriate in high-quality relationships in which individuals know and trust one another. Inappropriate disclosures made too early in exchanges can derail the process and result in ineffective relationship development.

54
Q

What is “scorekeeping”?

A

It’s the active stage of the relationship testing. If the test is passed, the relationship progresses, and disclosures may become more revealing. If a test is failed, individuals begin to hold back, and interactions may even take on a negative tone. This process is much like the classic game of Chutes and Ladders.

55
Q

Chutes and Ladders

A

When relational tests go well they can act like “ladders”, escalating the relationship to higher levels. When relational violations occur they can act like “chutes”, dropping the relationship back down to lower levels.

56
Q

What is a relational violation?

A

The violation of the “boundary” of acceptable behavior in a relationship. Ex. In a high-quality manager-subordinate relationship, breaking trust is a boundary violation. In a poor-quality relationship manager-subordinate relationship, it may take more serious offense, such as sabotage, such as sabotage or a work screwup, to constitute a boundary violation.

57
Q

What can cause a relationship to go back to the testing phase?

A

Only when the relationship boundaries have been violated. As long violations don’t occur, individuals interact in the context of the relational boundaries, and the relationship proceeds just fine.

58
Q

What is relational repair?

A

It involves actions to return the relationship to a positive state when a violation has occurred. Relational Repair is again a testing process, but this time the intention is to rebuild or reestablish the relationship quality.

59
Q

What can help individuals engage in relational repair and well as relationships?

A

Supportive communication principles. Supportive communication principles focus on joint problem-solving. These principles can help us to avoid problems of defensiveness and disconfirmation.

60
Q

What is defensiveness and what are the signs?

A

You feel defensive when you think you are being attacked and need to protect yourself. Signs of defensiveness are people beginning to get angry or aggressive in a communication or lashing out.

61
Q

What causes disconfirmation and what are the signs?

A

When you sense that you are being put down and your self-worth is being questioned. When people are disconfirmed they withdraw from a conversation or engage in show-off behaviors to try to build themselves back up.

62
Q

What are the Supportive Communication Principles?

A

1) Focus on the problem and not the person
2) Be specific, not global, and objective, not judgmental
3) Own, rather than disown, the communication
4) Be congruent-match the words with the body language

63
Q

What is active listening?

A

Active listening is another supportive communication principle that focuses on problem-solving, but this time from the standpoint of trying to help another person. Ex. Active listening is used in counseling situations.

When you engage in active listening, your goal is to keep the focus on the other person and to help that other person engage in effective self-reflection and problem-solving. Active listening involves understanding the various types of listening responses and matching your response to the situation.

64
Q

What is the most important thing to remember when counseling someone?

A

You want to use reflecting and probing more often than advising and deflecting. Reflecting and probing are “opening” types of responses that encourage other to elaborate and process. Advising and deflecting are more “closed” types of responses.

65
Q

What is reflecting?

A

Reflecting means paraphrasing back what the other said. Reflecting can also mean summarizing what was said or taking it a step further by asking a question for clarification or elaboration.

66
Q

What is probing?

A

Means asking for additional information. Be careful about the kind of questions asked because you don’t want to come across as judgmental.

67
Q

What is advising?

A

Telling someone what to do. This is a closed response because once you tell someone what to do that typically can end a conversation.

68
Q

what is deflecting?

A

Shifting to another topic. When we do this, we risk coming across as uninterested in what is being said or being too preoccupied to listen.

69
Q

What is developmental feedback?

A

When you give a person an honest critique of themselves in a sensitive and caring way. It lets us know what we are doing well and not so well, and what we can do to improve.

70
Q

What is the Johari Window?

A

The Johari Window shows us that we know some things about ourselves that other knows (open) and some things about ourselves that other’s don’t know (hidden). But there are also some tings about ourselves that we don’t know but others do - this is our blind spot. The blind spot is blind to us but not others.

71
Q

How can we reduce our blindspot?

A

The only way is through feedback from others.

72
Q

what are the 4 windows?

A

1) Open/Free area (known by self/known by others)
2) Hidden area (unknown by others/known by self)
3) Blind area (unknown by self/known by others)
4) Unknown area (unknown by self/unknown by others)

73
Q

What techniques should we keep in mind when giving feedback?

A

1) Make sure it is developmental
2) Be timely. Provide feedback soon after the issue occurs so it is fresh in the mind
3) Prepare ahead of time: Be clear about what you want to say so you stick to the issue.
4) Be specific
5) Do it in private
6) Limit the focus: Stick to a behavior the person can do something about.
7) Reinforce: Don’t bring the person down - make sure he or she knows there are some good things about them too.
8) Show caring: Convey a sense of caring and that you are trying to help.

74
Q

Why does Johari Window imply that we should seek feedback?

A

We should seek feedback because allows us to learn more about ourselves and how others perceive us.

75
Q

What are some of the reasons people in organizations seek feedback?

A

1) To gather information for increasing performance
2) To learn what others think about them
3) To regulate one’s behavior

76
Q

If an individual is more self-confident, then….

A

They are more willing to seek feedback regarding performance issues, even if that feedback is bad

77
Q

If an individual has been in a job for a long time, then…

A

Feedback seeking is lower even though these employees find feedback just as valuable as newer employees do.

78
Q

When individuals fear that performance feedback will hurt their image, they are…

A

More likely to forgo feedback seeking…this is a form of avoidance.

79
Q

What is feedback orientation?

A

Feedback orientation helps us understand individual differences in how people receive feedback. It describes one’s overall receptivity to feedback.

80
Q

Thos with higher feedback orientation are…

A

Better able to control and overcome emotional reactions to feedback. They also process feedback more meaningfully by avoiding common attribution errors such as externalizing blame. They also tend to be higher in feedback-seeking behavior and have better relationships.

81
Q

What are the four dimensions of feedback?

A

Utility, Accountability, Social Awareness, and Feedback Self-efficacy

82
Q

What is Utility?

A

The belief that feedback is useful in achieving goals or obtaining desired outcomes.

83
Q

What is Accountability?

A

One that is accountable to act on feedback her or she receives. Ex. “It is my responsibility to utilize feedback to improve my performance”

84
Q

What is Social Awareness?

A

Having consideration of other’s views of oneself and being sensitive to those views

85
Q

What is Feedback Self-Efficacy?

A

An individual’s perceived competence in interpreting and responding to feedback appropriately. Ex. “I feel self-assured when dealing with feedback”.