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2. Developing Personal Communication Networks: Personal networking refers to
the acquisition and cultivation of personal relationships that cross departmental,
hierarchical, and organizational boundaries. Smart managers consciously develop
personal communication networks and encourage others to do so. The value is
1. The Grapevine
a. The grapevine is an informal, person-to-person communication network of
employees that is not officially sanctioned by the organization. The grapevine
links employees, at all levels, in all directions. The grapevine will always exist in
2. Written Communication
a. Written communication skills are becoming increasingly important in today’s
collaborative workplace. Managers who are unable to communicate in writing
will limit their opportunities for advancement. Managers can improve their
writing skills by following the four guidelines below.
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• Write clearly rather than impressively. The goal of good writing for business
IV. WORKPLACE COMMUNICATION
A. Social Media
1. Social media is a group of Internet-based applications that allow the creation and
exchange of user-generated content. It covers a broad number of applications
2. Listening to Customers
3. Communicating to Customers
4. Connecting Employees
Social networking, both through public sites and corporate networks, offer peer-
and sharing all sorts of ideas and opinions.
B. Crisis Communication
1. Recently, the sheer number and scope of crises has made communication a more
demanding job for managers. Organizations face small crises every day such as
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a. Stay calm, listen hard. Good crisis managers don’t allow themselves to be
overwhelmed by the situation.
Answers to End-of-Chapter Discussion Questions
1. What are the characteristics of an open communication climate? Describe the organizational
benefits of managers cultivating an open communication climate.
Open communication means sharing all types of information throughout the organization, across
functional and hierarchical boundaries. In an open communication environment, people know
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2. Describe the elements of the communication model in Exhibit 17.2. Give an example of each
part of the model as it exists in the classroom during communication between teacher and
students.
The communication process begins with the encoding of an idea into a message, which is then
sent through a channel to a receiver. The receiver decodes the message to interpret its meaning
3. Lana Lowery, a regional manager for a 100-person inside sales staff, notices that the team’s
best performer is struggling. Her sales are down 20 percent from a year ago, and she
frequently arrives late for work, looking upset. Lowery needs to find out why her
performance is suffering. What advice would you give Lowery for communicating with this
employee? Which communication channel should she use? What would be the relative
importance of candor, listening, and asking questions? Explain.
A face-to-face conversation seems to be the most ideal channel for Lowery to use to
communicate with her subordinate. Personal, individual feedback, whether positive or negative,
should always be communicated face to face if possible. This information-rich channel allows
4. What are the characteristics of an effective listener? How would you rate yourself on those
characteristics?
Listening involves the skill of grasping both facts and feelings to interpret a message’s genuine
meaning. Listening requires attention, energy, and skill. Good listening means shifting from
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5. Some senior managers believe they should rely on written information and computer reports
because these yield more accurate data than do face-to-face communications. Do you agree?
Why or why not?
Face-to-face communication is the richest medium. Telephone conversations are next in the
richness hierarchy, and standard computer reports are the lowest in richness. Ideally, managers
6. During times of significant organizational change, such as downsizing and layoffs, the
grapevine becomes more active as anxious employees share organizational news and
rumors. As a manager, what communication strategies would you employ during a time of
uncertainty in the workplace? What are the advantages and disadvantages of gossip during a
time of uncertainty?
During times of uncertainty, managers should use every communication channel they can to help
employees understand the facts and to ease their anxiety. Because the grapevine is already highly
7. Assume you manage a small online business that sells herbal supplements. Without your
knowledge, a disgruntled employee has posted damaging information about your company in
the company’s blog, including false information about dangerous ingredients in your best-
selling supplement. What specific steps would you take to minimize the impact of this crisis?
Managers can develop four skills for communicating in a crisis. First, managers should stay calm
and listen hard. Good crisis managers don’t allow themselves to be overwhelmed by the
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8. If you were asked to design a training program to help managers become better
communicators, what would you include in the program?
This question is designed to stimulate student thinking, and there is no single correct answer.
Students will want to consider many of the topics covered in this chapter including
9. Suppose that you manage an employee who is spending too much time using social media at
work. The result is that he has missed three important deadlines in one week. You are
planning a face-to-face conversation to address this performance problem and your goal is
to communicate with candor. Using “I statements” as described in this chapter, how would
you begin this conversation?
Students’ responses can vary. However, the statements or responses should focus on the specific
10. Describe specific ways that an organization might use social media to communicate with
customers. How about with employees?
Social media is a group of Internet-based applications that allow the creation and exchange of
user-generated content. It covers a broad number of applications including wikis, blogs, micro-
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Managers can use new communication technologies in a wide variety of ways to manage
Apply Your Skills: Experiential Exercise
Personal Assessment of Communication Apprehension
If students are honest with themselves as they respond to this questionnaire, many if not most
will find they can assess their communication apprehension. Since communication is such a big
Apply Your Skills: Small Group Breakout
Listen Like a Pro
Students are asked to form groups and, within their groups, form pairs of two. They then sit face
to face and each gazes into his or her partner’s left eye. Once they’re comfortable with eye
Apply Your Skills: Ethical Dilemma
On Trial
1. Agree with Cathy Putnam. Despite your personal feelings, accept that Firoz Bahmani is not
capable of carrying out the accountant assistant’s responsibilities. Make the break now, and
give him his notice on the grounds that he cannot carry out one of the key stated job
requirements. Advise him that a position that primarily involves paperwork would be a better
fit for him.
This is a poor choice. Achieving and supporting diversity in a firm is not easy, but it is essential
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2. Place Firoz with a more sympathetic account manager who is open to finding ways to help
him improve his English and has the time to help him develop his assertiveness and
telephone skills. Send Cathy Putnam to diversity awareness training.
This is probably the best option. Werner should place Firoz with another account manager who is
more tolerant and is willing to find ways to help Firoz develop his language skills. If possible,
3. Create a new position at the firm that will allow Firoz to do the reports and reconciliations
for several account managers, freeing the account assistants to concentrate on public contact
work. Make it clear that he will have little chance of future promotion unless his English
improves markedly.
Apply Your Skills: Case for Critical Analysis
E-mail Adventure
1. What is the underlying communication mistake in this case? Why do you think Howard
Tannenbaum sent those e-mails?
The underlying communication mistake in the case is the fact that Howard sent those e-mails
while he was bursting with anger, something that one should always avoid when using e-mail as
2. How do you think Tannenbaum should have communicated his concerns about the
information link? Why?
Howard should not have sent those e-mails while he was bursting with anger. One should always
avoid using e-mail as a communication channel when he/she is angry. He should have probably
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3. What should Tannenbaum do now to try to recover from the negative impact of his e-mails?
Suggest specific steps.
To recover from the negative impact of his e-mails Tannenbaum can probably arrange for a face-
On the Job Video Case Answers
Plant Fantasies
1. Using the concept of channel richness, explain why leaders at Plant Fantasies place a high
value on face-to-face communication.
Channel richness is the amount of information that can be transmitted during a communication
episode. Face-to-face discussion is considered the richest communication channel because it
2. What influence might gender have on the communication styles of Teresa Carleo and Steve
Martucci? Give examples.
Generally speaking, communication by women tends to focus on connection and the feeling of
relative closeness. For women, conversation is a way to establish meaningful contact and
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3. Which of the three types of formal organizational communication would you expect to
originate from Teresa Carleo and Steve Martucci, and why?
The three types of formal organizational communication that flow within the chain of command
are upward, downward, and horizontal. Of these three, downward communication is the type that