Management Chapter 13 Homework Exhibit 131 The Manager Communication Champion What

Managing Communication •

337

CHAPTER 13

MANAGING COMMUNICATION

CHAPTER OUTLINE

Are You Ready to Be a Manager?

I. Communication Is the Manager’s Job

A. What Is Communication?

B. The Communication Process

II. Communicating among People

A. Communication Channels

B. Communicating to Persuade and Influence Others

III. Organizational Communication

A. Formal Communication Channels

B. Team Communication Channels

C. Personal Communication Channels

IV. Workplace Communication

A. Crisis Communication

B. Communication Technology

C. Climate of Trust and Openness

ANNOTATED LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After studying this chapter, students should be able to:

1. Explain why communication is essential for effective management and describe the

communication process.

Communication is defined as the process by which information is exchanged and understood by

two or more people, usually with the intent to motivate or influence behavior. Communication

• Chapter 13

338

2. Describe the concept of channel richness, and explain how communication channels

influence the quality of communication.

3. Understand how gender differences, nonverbal communication, and listening affect

communication.

Innate or rigid opinions about a person’s communication style related to class, race, ethnicity, or

gender can hinder understanding or adversely affect management effectiveness. With regard to

gender, for most women talking means conversation and is primarily a language of rapport, a

4. Explain the difference between formal and informal organizational communications and how

to maximize the effectiveness of team communication.

Formal communication channels are those that flow within the chain of command defined by the

organization. Organization-wide communications typically flow in three directions: downward,

upward, and horizontally. Downward communication is information sent from top management

to subordinates in a downward direction. The major problem with downward communication is

5. Appreciate the role of personal communication channels in enhancing organizational

communication.

Smart managers consciously develop personal communication networks and encourage others to

6. Recognize the manager’s role in managing crisis communication, using new communication

technology, and creating a climate of trust.

The sheer number and scope of crises has made communication a more demanding job for

managers. Organizations face any number of small crises every day. Charges of racial

discrimination, a factory fire, or a flu epidemic, bombings, and kidnappings—these crises

continue to increase in number. Managers can develop four skills for communicating during a

crisis:

• Remain calm, listen hard

• Be visible

• Get the awful truth out

• Communicate a vision for the future

The rapidly changing digital environment is bringing sweeping changes to workplace

communication. Use of email, Twitter, and Facebook has increased dramatically just in the past

LECTURE OUTLINE

INTRODUCTION

Personal networking is an important skill for managers because it enables them to get things

done more smoothly and rapidly than they could do in isolation. Networking builds social, work,

and career relationships that facilitate mutual benefit. How do managers build a personal

network that includes a broad range of professional and social relationships? One key is

knowing how to communicate effectively. In fact, communication is a vital factor in every

aspect of the manager’s job.

Managing Communication •

341

Organizations in today’s complex business environment depend on effective communication to

ensure business success. This is especially true in the competitive world of retailing. Target,

Are You Ready to Be a Manager?

This questionnaire gives students insight into their communication skills.

New Manager Self-Test: Are You Building a Personal Network?

Personal networks may help a new manager in the workplace. When you create a personal

I. COMMUNICATION IS THE MANAGER’S JOB

INSTRUCTOR’S NOTES___________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

• Chapter 13

342

______________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

Managers have the crucial role of being communication champions. They gather information

from inside and outside the organization and distribute it to others who need it.

Discussion Question #10: Assume that you have been asked to design a training program to

help managers become better communicators. What would you include in the program?

Exhibit 13.1: The Manager as Communication Champion

A. What Is Communication?

1. Communication is defined as the process by which information is exchanged and

3. Management communication is a two-way street that includes listening and feedback.

Exhibit 13.2: A Model of the Communication Process

B. The Communication Process

1. Communication is usually complex, with many opportunities to send or receive the

wrong message.

2. Two common elements in every communication are the sender and receiver.

3. The communication process consists of four steps.

Managing Communication •

343

a. The sender encodes the idea by selecting symbols to represent the message,

which is the tangible formulation of the idea that is sent to the receiver.

b. The message is sent through a channel, which is the communication carrier.

Discussion Question #2: Describe the elements of the communication process. Give an

example of each part of the model as it exists in the classroom during communication between

teacher and students.

II. COMMUNICATING AMONG PEOPLE

INSTRUCTOR’S NOTES___________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

Spotlight on Skills: Breaking Down Language Barriers

In today’s global business environment, odds are good you’ll find yourself conversing with an

employee, a colleague, or a customer who has limited skills in your native language. Here are

some guidelines that will help you speak—and listen—more effectively.

2. Select your words with care. Don’t try to dazzle with your vocabulary.

4. Speak slowly and carefully. In particular, avoid running words together.

• Chapter 13

344

6. Fight the urge to shout. Speaking louder doesn’t make it any easier for someone to

understand you.

8. Check for comprehension frequently and invite feedback.

Exhibit 13.3: A Continuum of Channel Richness

A. Communication Channels

1. The Hierarchy of Channel Richness. Channel richness is the amount of information

that can be transmitted during a communication episode. Channel richness is

influenced by: the ability to handle multiple cues simultaneously; the ability to

facilitate rapid, two-way feedback; and the ability to establish a personal focus for the

communication.

a. Face-to-face communication is the richest medium. Telephone conversations are

next in the richness hierarchy. Standard computer reports are the lowest in

richness.

Discussion Question #1: Lee’s Garage is an internal Wal-Mart Web site that CEO H. Lee Scott

uses to communicate with the company’s 1.5 million U.S. employees. A public relations

associate screens employee questions, and Scott dictates his responses to an aide, who then posts

them on the Web. What would you predict are the advantages and potential problems to this

method of upper-level management connection with employees?

2. Selecting the Appropriate Channel. Managers must understand that each

communication channel has advantages and disadvantages. Channel selection

depends upon the message being routine or nonroutine.

a. Nonroutine messages typically are ambiguous, concern novel events, and have

Managing Communication •

345

B. Communicating to Persuade and Influence Others

1. Communication is used not only to convey information, but also to persuade and

2. To persuade and influence, managers have to show they care about how the other

C. Gender Differences in Communication

1. For most women, talking means conversation and is primarily a language of rapport,

a way to establish connections and negotiate relationships. Women use their unique

2. For most men, talk is primarily a means to preserve independence and negotiate and

maintain status in a hierarchy. Men tend to use verbal language to exhibit knowledge

D. Nonverbal Communication

1. Nonverbal communication refers to messages sent through human actions and

behaviors rather than through words.

a. It represents a major portion of the messages we send and receive and consists of

• Chapter 13

346

E. Listening

1. Listening involves the skill of grasping both facts and feelings to interpret a

message’s genuine meaning. Listening requires attention, energy, and skill.

a. A good listener finds areas of interest, is flexible, works hard at listening, and

New Manager Self-Test: What Is Your Social Disposition?

A person with a driven disposition may be promoted to manager but may not be a good listener,

Exhibit 13.4: Ten Keys to Effective Listening

III. ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION

INSTRUCTOR’S NOTES___________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Managing Communication •

347

______________________________________________________________________________

Exhibit 13.5: Downward, Upward, and Horizontal Communication in Organizations

A. Formal Communication Channels

1. Formal communication channels are those that flow within the chain of command

or task responsibility defined by the organization. Within organizations,

communications flow mainly downward and upward. Many organizations emphasize

horizontal communication.

2. Downward communication refers to messages and information sent from top

managers to subordinates in a downward direction.

3. Methods of downward communication include speeches, newsletters, leaflets,

material on bulletin boards, and procedures manuals. Downward communication

encompasses these topics:

a. Implementation of goals, strategies, and objectives

4. A major problem with downward communication is information drop-off, the

5. Upward communication includes messages that flow from the lower levels to the

higher levels in the organization. Employees need to air grievances, report progress,

and provide feedback to management. Information communicated upward includes:

a. Problems and exceptions

• Chapter 13

348

b. Suggestions for improvement

Discussion Question #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?

Spotlight on Skills: Pixar and Disney

When Disney bought Pixar, the fear was that the communication style and culture of Disney,

which brought such box office bombs as “Chicken Little” and “Home on the Range”, would

6. Horizontal communication is the lateral or diagonal exchange of messages across

peers or co-workers. The purposes of horizontal communication are to inform, to

request support, and to coordinate activities. Horizontal communication includes:

a. Intradepartmental problem solving

7. Horizontal communication is particularly important in learning organizations, where

B. Team Communication Channels

1. Team members work together to accomplish tasks, and the team’s communication

structure influences performance and satisfaction.

Exhibit 13.6: Team Communication Networks