MODULE 2

FUNCTIONS OF MANAGEMENT

Unit 3
COMMUNICATING
UNIT LEARNING OUTCOMES

❖ TLO 4: Describe the importance of communicating in the workplace.

Open Forum: Watch the link below

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INTRODUCTION

What is Communication?

Communication is the transfer and understanding of meaning. Note the emphasis on the transfer of meaning: If
information or ideas have not been conveyed, communication has not taken place. The speaker who is not heard or
the writer whose materials are not read has not communicated. More importantly, however, communication involves
the understanding of meaning. For communication to be successful, the meaning must be imparted and understood.

A letter written in Spanish addressed to a person who does not read Spanish cannot be considered communication
until it is translated into a language the person does read and understand. Perfect communication, if such a thing
existed, would be when a transmitted thought or idea was received and understood by the receiver exactly as it was
envisioned by the sender.

Another point to keep in mind is that good communication is often erroneously defined by the communicator as
agreement with the message instead of clear understanding of the message. If someone disagrees with us, we
assume that the person just didn’t fully understand our position. In other words, many of us define good
communication as having someone accept our views. But I can clearly understand what you mean and just not
agree with what you say.

The final point we want to make about communication is that it encompasses both interpersonal communication—
communication between two or more people—and organizational communication, which is all the patterns, networks,
and systems of communication within an organization. Both types are important to managers.

Communicating
A. Functions of Communication
1. As a means of control
Communication acts to control employee behavior in several ways. Organizations have authority hierarchies
and formal guidelines that employees are expected to follow. For instance, when employees are required to
communicate any job-related grievance to their immediate manager, to follow their job description, or to
comply with company policies, communication is being used to control. Informal communication also controls
behavior. When a work group teases a member, who is ignoring the norms by working too hard, they are
informally controlling the member’s behavior.

2. To motivate
Communication acts to motivate by clarifying to employees what is to be done, how well they are doing, and
what can be done to improve performance if it is not up to par. As employees set specific goals, work toward
those goals, and receive feedback on progress toward goals, communication is required.

3. As an avenue of expressing one’s feelings

For many employees, their work group is a primary source of social interaction. The communication that takes
place within the group is a fundamental mechanism by which members share frustrations and feelings of
satisfaction. Communication, therefore, provides a release for emotional expression of feelings and for fulfillment
of social needs.

4. Provides information
Individuals and groups need information to get things done in organizations. The information is passed on
through different modes of communication.

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B. Interpersonal Communication

The Interpersonal Communication Process

Before communication can take place, a purpose, expressed as a message to be conveyed, must exist. It passes
between a source (the sender) and a receiver. The message is converted to symbolic form (called encoding)
and passed by way of some medium (channel) to the receiver, who retranslates the sender’s message (called
decoding). The result is the transfer of meaning from one person to another. Note that the entire process is
susceptible to noise—disturbances that interfere with the transmission, receipt, or feedback of a message. Typical
examples of noise include illegible print, phone static, inattention by the receiver, or background sounds of
machinery or coworkers. However, anything that interferes with understanding can be noise, and noise can
create distortion at any point in the communication process.

Managers have a wide variety of communication methods from which to choose and can use 12 questions to
help them evaluate these methods.

1. Feedback: How quickly can the receiver respond to the message?

2. Complexity capacity: Can the method effectively process complex messages?
3. Breadth potential: How many different messages can be transmitted using this method?
4. Confidentiality: Can communicators be reasonably sure their messages are received only by those
intended?
5. Encoding ease: Can sender easily and quickly use this channel?
6. Decoding ease: Can receiver easily and quickly decode messages?
7. Time-space constraint: Do senders and receivers need to communicate at the same time and in the same
space?
8. Cost: How much does it cost to use this method?
9. Interpersonal warmth: How well does this method convey interpersonal warmth?
10. Formality: Does this method have the needed amount of formality?
11. Scanability: Does this method allow the message to be easily browsed or scanned for relevant information?
12. Time of consumption: Does the sender or receiver exercise the most control over when the message is
dealt with?

Nonverbal Communication
An important part of interpersonal communication is nonverbal communication—that is, communication
transmitted without words. Some of the most meaningful communications are neither spoken nor written. When
a college instructor is teaching a class, she does not need words to tell her that students are tuned out when
they begin to read a newspaper in the middle of class. Similarly, when students start putting their book, papers,
and notebooks away, the message is clear: Class time is about over. The size of a person’s office or the clothes
he or she wears also convey messages to others. Among these various forms of nonverbal communication, the
best-known types are body language and verbal intonation.

Body Language
Body language refers to gestures, facial expressions, and other body movements that convey meaning. A person
frowning “says” something different from one who is smiling. Hand motions, facial expressions, and other gestures
can communicate emotions or temperaments such as aggression, fear, shyness, arrogance, joy, and anger.
Knowing the meaning behind someone’s body moves and learning how to put forth your best body language
can help you personally and professionally.

Verbal Intonation
Verbal intonation refers to the emphasis someone gives to words or phrases in order to convey meaning. To
illustrate how intonations can change the meaning of a message, consider the student who asks the instructor a
question. The instructor replies, “What do you mean by that?” The student’s reaction will vary, depending on the
tone of the instructor’s response. A soft, smooth vocal tone conveys interest and creates a different meaning
from one that is abrasive and puts a strong emphasis on saying the last word. Most of us would view the first
intonation as coming from someone sincerely interested in clarifying the student’s concern, whereas the second
suggests that the person resents the question.

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Managers need to remember that as they communicate, the nonverbal component usually carries the greatest
impact. It is not what you say, but how you say it.

C. Barriers to Communication

1. Filtering. Filtering is the deliberate manipulation of information to make it appear more favorable
to the receiver. For example, when a person tells his or her manager what the manager wants to
hear, information is being filtered. Or if information being communicated up through
organizational levels is condensed by senders, that is filtering.

2. Emotions. How a receiver feels when a message is received influences how he or she interprets it.
Extreme emotions are most likely to hinder effective communication.

3. Information overload. It is not possible to fully read and respond to each message without facing information
overload, which is when information exceeds our processing capacity. Today’s employees frequently complain
of information overload. The demands of keeping up with e-mail, text messages, phone calls, faxes,
meetings, and professional reading create an onslaught of data.

4. Defensiveness. When people feel they are being threatened, they tend to react in ways that hinder
effective communication and reduce their ability to achieve mutual understanding. They become
defensive—verbally attacking others, making sarcastic remarks, being overly judgmental, or
questioning others’ motives.

5. Language. In an organization, employees come from diverse backgrounds and have different
patterns of speech. Even employees who work for the same organization but in different
departments often have different jargon—specialized terminology or technical language that
members of a group use to communicate among themselves.

D. Overcoming Barriers

1. Feedback. A manager can ask questions about a message to determine whether it was received and
understood as intended. Or the manager can ask the receiver to restate the message in his or her own words.
If the manager hears what was intended, understanding and accuracy should improve. Feedback can also
be more subtle, and general comments can give a manager a sense of the receiver’s reaction to a message.

2. Simplify Language. Because language can be a barrier, managers should consider the audience to whom the
message is directed and tailor the language to them. Jargon can facilitate understanding if it’s used
within a group that knows what it means but can cause problems when used outside that group.

3. Listen actively. Listening is an active search for meaning, whereas hearing is passive. In listening, the receiver
is also putting effort into the communication.

4. Constrain emotions. A manager who is upset over an issue is more likely to misconstrue incoming messages
and fail to communicate his or her outgoing messages clearly and accurately. What to do? The simplest
answer is to calm down and get emotions under control before communicating.

5. Watch nonverbal cues. If actions speak louder than words, then it is important to make sure your actions
align with and reinforce the words that go along with them.

E. Organizational Communication
Formal vs. Informal Communication
Communication within an organization is described as formal or informal. Formal communication refers to
communication that takes place within prescribed organizational work arrangements. Informal communication is
organizational communication not defined by the organization’s structural hierarchy.

Direction of Communication Flow

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1. Downward communication. This downward communication is communication that flows from a manager to
employees. It is used to inform, direct, coordinate, and evaluate employees. When managers assign goals to
their employees, they are using downward communication. They are also using downward communication
when providing employees with job descriptions, informing them of organizational policies and procedures,
pointing out problems that need attention, or evaluating their performance. Downward communication can
take place through any of the communication methods we described earlier.

2. Upward communication. Upward communication is communication that flows from employees to

managers. It keeps managers aware of how employees feel about their jobs, their coworkers, and the
organization in general. Managers also rely on upward communication for ideas on how things can
be improved. Some examples of upward communication include performance reports prepared by
employees, suggestion boxes, employee attitude surveys, grievance procedures, manager-employee
discussions, and informal group sessions in which employees have the opportunity to discuss
problems with their manager or representatives of top-level management.

3. Lateral Communication. Communication that takes place among employees on the same organizational level
is called lateral communication.

4. Diagonal communication is communication that crosses both work areas and organizational levels. A
credit analyst who communicates directly with a regional marketing manager about a customer’s
problem—note the different department and different organizational level—uses diagonal
communication. Because of its efficiency and speed, diagonal communication can be beneficial.
Increased e-mail use facilitates diagonal communication. In many organizations, any employee can
communicate by e-mail with any other employee, regardless of organizational work area or level,
even with upper-level managers.

F. Organizational Communication Networks

The vertical and horizontal flows of organizational communication can be combined into a variety of patterns
called communication networks.

Types of communication networks. Which form of network you should use depends on your goal.
1. Chain network. In the chain network, communication flows according to the formal chain of
command, both downward and upward.

2. Wheel network. The wheel network represents communication flowing between a clearly identifiable
and strong leader and others in a work group or team. The leader serves as the hub through whom
all communication passes.

3. All-channel network. Communication flows freely among all members of a work team.

Grapevine. Certainly, the grapevine is an important part of any communication network and well worth
understanding.26 Acting as both a filter and a feedback mechanism, it pinpoints those bewildering issues that
employees consider important. More importantly, from a managerial point of view, it is possible to analyze what
is happening on the grapevine—what information is being passed, how information seems to flow, and what
individuals seem to be key information conduits. By staying aware of the grapevine’s flow and patterns,
managers can identify issues that concern employees, and, in turn, use the grapevine to disseminate important
information. Because the grapevine cannot be eliminated, managers should “manage” it as an important
information network.

Workplace Design and Communication

Research shows that a workplace design should successfully support four types of employee work: focused work,
collaboration, learning, and socialization. Focused work is when an employee needs to concentrate on
completing a task. In collaboration, employees need to work together to complete a task. Learning is when
employees are engaged in training or doing something new and could involve both focused work and
collaboration. And socialization happens when employees informally gather to chat or to exchange ideas.

1. Open workplaces. One of the things we know for sure about this type of arrangement and its effect

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 on communication is visibility. People in open cubicles placed along main routes of circulation or
adjacent to atria reported almost 60 percent more face-to-face communication with team members
than did those in lower-visibility locations. Another thing is density. More people populating an
immediate work area meant that more face-to-face interactions took place. Workspaces with a high
density yielded 84 percent more team-member communication than did workspace arrangements
with a low density. If it is important that employees communicate and collaborate, managers need
to consider visibility and density in workplace design.

2. Adjustable workplace. Another workplace design element is the availability of adjustable work
arrangements, equipment, and furnishings. As organizations have moved toward nontraditional work
arrangements, the adjustability and customizability of employee workspace have become essential
and influence organizational communication. For instance, one study found that adjustable partitions
were associated with both greater perceived privacy and better communication.

Written Assignment: Answer the following Case study in a short bond paper. Copy and Answer the
questions. Upload your work in the Google Classroom Case Study M2.3

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Property of and for the exclusive use of SLU. Reproduction, storing in a retrieval system, distributing, uploading or posting online, or transmitting in any form or by any
means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise of any part of this document, without the prior written permission of SLU, is strictly prohibited.