UNIT-3 (Mid-1)

COMMUNICATION, GROUPS,
LEADERSHIP & CONFLICT COMMUNICATION
Contents:
• Communication, Groups, Leadership & Conflict Communication
• Introduction about communication
• Elements of Communication; Types of Communication
• Functions & Barriers of Communication
• Techniques for overcoming barriers of Communication
• Groups: Types of Groups, Reasons for joining Groups; Stages of Group Development
• Group Cohesion; Group decision making, types of teams & team building

Communication:
Communication can broadly be defined as exchange of ideas, messages and information between
two or more persons, through a medium, in a manner that the sender and the receiver understand
the message in the common sense that is, they develop common understanding of the message.
The word communication is derived from the Latin word ‘communicare’, which means to share,
impart, participate, exchange, and transmit or to make common. It emphasises on sharing
common information, ideas and messages. It is not merely issuing orders and instructions.
Definition:
• “Communication is the transfer of information from a sender to a receiver, with the
information being understood by the receiver”. — Koontz and Weihrich
• “Communication is the art of developing and attaining understanding between people. It
is the process of exchanging information and feelings between two or more people and it
are essential to effective management.” — Terry and Franklin
Nature of Communication:
• Two-way process: Communication is a two-way process of understanding between two
or more persons – sender and receiver. A person cannot communicate with himself.
• Continuous process: Exchange of ideas and opinion amongst people is an ongoing
process in business and non-business organizations. Continuous interaction promotes
understanding and exchange of information relevant for decision-making.
• Dynamic process: Communication between sender and receiver takes different forms
and medium depending upon their moods and behavior. It is, thus, a dynamic process that
keeps changing in different situations.
• Exchange: Communication involves exchange of ideas and opinions. People interact and
develop understanding for each other.
• Verbal and non-verbal: Though words are active carriers of information, gestures can
sometimes be more powerful than words. Facial expressions, sounds, signs and symbols
are the non-verbal forms of communication.
• Mutual understanding: Communication is effective when sender and receiver develop
mutual understanding of the subject. Messages conveyed should be understood by the
receiver in the desired sense.
• Goal-oriented: Communication is goal-oriented. Unless the receiver and sender know
the purpose they intend to achieve through communication, it has little practical utility.

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 • Human activity: Since communication makes accomplishment of organizational goals
possible, it is essential that people understand and like each other. If people do not
understand each other’s’ viewpoint, there cannot be effective communication.
Importance of communication:
• Basis for planning: Planning is the basic function of management. If plans are well
designed and communicated for their implementation, it leads to organizational success.
Planning requires extensive environmental scanning and information about internal and
external organization elements. An effective system of communication helps in obtaining
this information. Implementing the plans requires communicating them to everybody in
the organization. Communication is, thus, the basis of planning.
• Motivation to work: Employees are motivated to work if their needs are satisfied.
Communication helps managers know needs of their employees so that they can adopt
suitable motivators and inspire them to develop positive attitude towards the work
environment.
• Job satisfaction: Exchange of information develops trust, confidence and faith amongst
managers and subordinates. They understand their job positions better and, thus, perform
better. People are committed to organizational objectives which promotes job
satisfaction.
• Adaptability to external environment: In order to survive in the changing, dynamic
environment, managers continuously interact with external parties like government,
suppliers, customers, etc. This requires effective communication system in the
organization.
• Training and development: Imparting training and development facilities to employees
depends upon how well their superiors communicate with them. Trainers with good
communication skills are better than those who have poor communication skills.
Process of Communication:
Communication process is a sequence of activities where message sent is understood by
the receiver in its intended meaning. For example, execution of a purchase order or conversation
through telephone shall be complete if the desired result is achieved, that is, supplier sends the
desired goods and receiver of phone call acts as desired by the maker of the call.

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Channels of Communication:
Communication channel is the path through which information flows from sender to receiver.
Two main communication channels are:
• Formal communication channel: It is the official channel of communication controlled by
managers in their official capacity. Official information and decisions follow this channel of
communication. This channel is officially recognized by the organization structure, follows
the formal chain of command for passing information, suggestions, orders etc. and defines
authority-responsibility relationships amongst members of the organization.
• Informal communication channel: It is an unofficial channel of communication that arises
out of socio-psychological needs of people to interact with each other. It is an important and
spontaneous outgrowth of formal channels of communication. It emphasises more on the
person than position. It arises when people of common nationality, caste or religion interact
with each other or when they share a car pool or meet each other regularly in canteens,
libraries, bus stands etc.
Formal VS Informal:

• Grapevine Communication: It is an informal communication network where information

flows freely throughout the organization. Grapevine is the most common form of informal
communication. It connects people in the organization and transmits information in every
direction: vertical, horizontal and diagonal. It cuts across formal positions and facilitates
social, personal and psychological interaction amongst people. Though it travels faster than
formal communication channel, it also carries gossips and rumors with it. Grapevine
communication normally occurs when some change is introduced in organizational policies
(change in office, automation etc.) and people are located close to each other (as individuals
or groups) in order to discuss matters.
• Verbal Communication: Verbal communication occurs when we connect in speaking with
others. It can be face-to-face, over the telephone, via Skype etc. Some verbal actions are

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 casual, such as chatting with a friend in the office, while others are more formal, such as a
planned meeting. Regardless of the kind, it is not just about the words, it is also about the
quality and difficulty of those words, how we cord those words jointly to create an
overarching message, as well as the modulation used while speaking.
• Non-Verbal Communication: Non-verbal communication involves facial expressions, eye
contact, posture, hand movements, and touch. For instance, if you’re busy in a conversation
with your manager about your cost-saving thought, it is imperative to pay notice to both the
words and their non-verbal communication. Your manager might be in concord with your
thought verbally, but their nonverbal cues: avoiding eye contact, sighing, scrunched up face,
etc. point out something diverse.
• Written Communication: Written communication involves any interaction that makes
employ of the written word. It is one of the two major types of communication; along with
oral communication. Some of the different forms of written communication that are used
inside for business operations include reports, bulletins, memos, job descriptions, employee
manuals, and electronic mail. All forms of written communication have a comparable
purpose of dealing out information in an apparent and short manner though that purpose is
often not achieved.
• Visual Communication: Visual communication skills need the use of visual aids which
examine or viewed for thoughts and information to be communicated. For example, graphs,
charts, maps, posters, packaging design, books, screen-based media etc. are all kinds of
visual aids. The body gestures, facial expressions, and eye contact of a person can also assist
in visual communication by assigning a message. Which kind of visual communication is
right for your company depends on the goal you’d like to attain and also depends on your
target audience.
Functions of Communication:

Communication serves four major functions within a group or organization. These are:

• Control: When employees communicate any job-related grievance to their immediate boss,
follow their job description, or comply with company policies, communication is performing
a control function.
• Motivation: Communication fosters motivation by clarifying to employees what they must
do, how well they are doing it, and how they can improve if performance is subpar. The
formation of specific goals, feedback on progress toward the goals, and reward for desired
behavior all stimulate motivation and require communication.
• Emotional Expression: Communication is a fundamental mechanism by which members of
group shows their satisfaction and frustrations. Communication, therefore, provides for the
emotional expression of feelings and fulfillment of social needs.
• Information: Communication provides the information individuals and groups need to make
decisions by transmitting the data needed to identify and evaluate choices. Thus
communication helps to facilitate decision making.
Communication Barriers:

• Communication is the activity of conveying meaningful information. It requires a sender, a

message, and an intended recipient.
• Barrier An obstacle in a place that prevents us from completing certain tasks.

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• Communication barriers can be defined as the aspects or conditions that interfere with
effective exchange of ideas or thoughts.
The communication barriers may prevent communication or carry incorrect meaning due to which
misunderstandings may be created. Therefore, it is essential for a manager to identify such barriers
and take appropriate measures to overcome them. The barriers to communication in organizations
can be broadly grouped as follows:

• Semantic Barriers: These are concerned with the problems and obstructions in the process of
encoding and decoding of a message into words or impressions. Normally, such barriers result
due to use of wrong words, faulty translations, different interpretations, etc.
• Psychological Barriers: Emotional or psychological factors also act as barriers to
communication. The state of mind of both sender and receiver of communication reflects in
effective communication. A worried person cannot communicate properly and an angry
recipient cannot understand the message properly. Thus, at the time of communication, both the
sender and the receiver need to be psychologically sound. Also, they should trust each other. If
they do not believe each other, they cannot understand each other’s message in its original
sense.
• Organizational Barriers: The factors related to organizational structure, rules and regulations
authority relationships, etc. may sometimes act as barriers to effective communication. In an
organization with a highly centralized pattern, people may not be encouraged to have free
communication. Also, rigid rules and regulations and cumbersome procedures may also become
a hurdle to communication.
• Personal Barriers: The personal factors of both sender and receiver may act as a barrier
to effective communication. If a superior thinks that a particular communication may adversely
affect his authority, he may suppress such communication. Also, if the superiors do not have
confidence in the competency of their subordinates, they may not ask for their advice. The
subordinates may not be willing to offer useful suggestions in the absence of any reward or
appreciation for a good suggestion.
Techniques for overcoming barriers of Communication:
• Clarify Ideas before Communication
• Communicate according to the need of the receiver.
• Consult Others before Communication
• Be Aware of Language, Tone and Content of Message
• Convey Things of Help and Value to the Listener:
• Ensure Proper Feedback

Groups:

Teams and groups are two different things. A group consists of two or more individuals
who interact with each other and who are interdependent. They come together to achieve
particular objective. A work group is one that primarily interacts for sharing information and
makes decisions to help each other with in one’s area of responsibility. Usually such work
groups performance is sum total of each group’s individual members contribution.

Definition:
Group: A group is a collection of two or more people who work with one another
regularly to achieve common goals. Group can also be defined as more than two employees who
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have an ongoing relationship in which they interact and influence one another’s behavior and
performance.
Nature of groups:
❖ Group has limited size
❖ Group has to achieve set objectives
❖ Group has a specific norms
❖ Group has a structure
❖ Group has a role to perform
❖ Group has its own success history
❖ Group may be homogeneous or heterogeneous
❖ Group may be cohesive which increases its status and success rate.
Importance of groups:
❖ Groups are good for people.(Security, Confidence)
❖ Groups can improve creativity.
❖ Groups can make better decisions.
❖ Groups can increase commitments to actions.
❖ Groups help control their members.
❖ Groups help offset large Organization.
Functions of groups:
❖ Satisfy the individual’s need for affiliation.
❖ Develop, enhance, and confirm the individual’s self-esteem and sense of identity.
❖ Give individuals an opportunity to test and share their perceptions of social reality.
❖ Reduce the individual’s anxieties and feelings of insecurity and powerlessness.
❖ Provide a problem-solving mechanism for personal and interpersonal problems.
Organizational Functions:
❖ Accomplish complex, interdependent tasks that are beyond the capabilities of
individuals.
❖ Generate new or creative ideas and solutions.
❖ Coordinate interdepartmental efforts.
❖ Provide a problem-solving mechanism for complex problems requiring varied
information and assessments.
❖ Implement complex decisions.
❖ Socialize and train newcomers.

Types of groups:

Formal Groups: When people collaborate to attain the organizational goals or objectives, they
are said to form a formal group. Following are the three major types of formal groups existing in
an organization:
• Command Group: As a result of hierarchical arrangement in an organization, a
command group is made of the superiors and their subordinates representing the flow of
command or orders from top to bottom level.
• Task Group: A group which includes individuals with different skills and knowledge, to
successfully carry out the assigned project, is called as a task group.
• Committees: For the special assignments or projects, a group is formed by appointing the
specialists or people with superior knowledge; which is termed as a committee. After the
project responsibilities are executed successfully, the members can disassociate from the
committee.

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Informal Groups: When the individuals associate with one another to serve their common
interest or for self-satisfaction, they are known to form an informal group. Some of the most
common informal groups are:

• Interest Groups: The individuals who join hands for a common purpose (related to self-
interest) create an interest group.
• Friendship Groups: The group which is formed as a result of personal choice by the
individuals who are already familiar and feel comfortable with one another, is called a
friendship group.
• Cliques: In a workplace, few colleagues join hands to form a small group (usually with two
to six members) to share ideas and thoughts on their mutual interest.
• Sub-cliques: When a clique comprises of few organizational employees along with some
non-employees (who are associated with the other members in either way), it termed as a
sub-clique.
• Membership and Reference Groups: We can also distinguish between the different groups
by the need for official registration of the members, into the following two categories:
Membership Group: A group in which the members must get themselves registered and
acquire a membership card or certificate for becoming a part of it, is termed as a membership
group.
• Reference Group: It may not be a real association of individuals, an illusionary group to
which an individual relates himself/herself due to the same profession or other similar
attributes is called a reference group.
• Organized Group: When the individuals belonging to a particular discipline work together
systematically as a team by supporting each other, they are said to be in an organized group.
• Unorganized Group: The disorganized group is not formed purposefully. Instead, the
individuals just did not happen to fall into a single group where they have any attachment to
one another nor have any belongingness.
• Temporary Group: When the individuals come together for a particular project or task
accomplishment, they are known to be in a temporary group. Such a group disintegrates after
the successful performance of the task.
• Permanent Group: Such groups represent a long-term association of the group members.
Here, people belonging to a particular organization are known to be in a single group.
Reasons for joining in groups:
• Security: By joining a group, we can reduce the ‘standing alone’. New employees are more
vulnerable to a sense of isolation and turn to the group for guidance and support. We get
reassurance from interacting with others and being part of a group
• Self- Esteem: Similarly, many employees in organizations place a high value on meeting
their esteem needs and look to membership groups for satisfaction of these needs.
• Status: Membership in one or more groups can help us to reassure that we are important.
• Power: One of the appealing aspects of groups is that they represent power. What cannot be
achieved individually becomes possible through group action.
• Affiliation: People enjoy the regular interaction that comes with group membership. For
almost all people, work groups significantly contribute to fulfilling their needs for friendships
and social relations.
• Group Goals: There are times when it takes more than one person to accomplish a particular
task — there is need of people’s talents, knowledge or power in order to get a job completed.
In such instances, management will rely on the use of a formal group

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Stages of group development:

Definition: The Group Development means, forming the association of people to work as
a group and direct their actions towards the accomplishment of a common goal. The jobs of each
group member are interdependent and hence the performance of one will affect the entire group’s
performance. It is often called as a team building or team development.

The most famous and a well-known model of group development was proposed by Bruce
Tuckman, that included four stages Viz, forming, storming, norming, performing and later the
fifth stage adjourning was added to this model.

• Forming: At this stage, the formation of a new group begins, wherein the members come
together and get to know each other through the interactions. Here the individuals are excited
and anxious to know about the scope of the task and the ways to approach it. Generally, the
individuals come with a desire to get accepted by others and avoid controversy or conflicts.
• Storming: Once the forming stage is over, the individuals will start interacting with each
other in the context of the task to be achieved. The conflict and competition among the group
members will be highest at this stage. The most dominant group members come in the front
while the confrontational members remain silent and continue to be in the security or calm
stage (forming). The issues related to the leadership, responsibility, strategies, rules,
authority, evaluation, reward system, etc. arises at the storming stage.
• Norming: Once the role of every member is cleared along with the authority and
responsibility of each, the team members start settling in a group. Here, everybody works
cohesively towards the target and appreciate each other’s experience and skills.
• Performing: At this stage, synergy gets created between the team members, where everyone
works towards the accomplishment of a goal. This stage is characterized by flexibility and
interdependence. The team members know each other so well that they can handle any
complex problem that comes before the team. Also, the roles and responsibilities of member
changes according to the situation frequently, because at this stage everyone is equally a
task-oriented and people-oriented and thus can perform efficiently.
• Adjourning: This is the last stage of group development, where the group is terminated, and
the group members are separated from each other. Every group is created for a purpose, and
once the purpose is fulfilled the group is adjourned.
Cohesion:
Cohesiveness refers to the degree of unity in a group. It shows the extent to which the
members are attracted to each other while working towards the goal or to satisfy the social and
emotional needs of its members. Members of a highly cohesive group develop some common
characters- they respect everyone, fully commit to group decisions, create accountability among
the members and assume good motives.
What is Group Cohesion:
It is defined as the degree to which members are attracted to one another and share the
group’s goal. That is, the more the members are attracted to each other and the more the group’s
goals align with their individual goals, the greater the group’s cohesiveness.

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Group Cohesion Features:
• Cohesive groups have relatively few members.
• Members have similar interests and backgrounds.
• They have a high degree of status within the organization.
• The members interact frequently & interpersonal communication is very effective.
• They are physically remote or isolated.
Group Cohesion Goals:
• Personal Attractiveness
• Independence for Cooperative Decisions
• Group Provides Security
• Leadership Style
Positive Outcomes:
• More Participation
• More Conformity
• More Success
• More Communication
• More Personal Satisfaction
Factors Increasing Cohesion:
• Inducing Agreement on Group Goals (time limits to wind up things)
• Dependency of People on Group
• Size
• Group Status
• Leadership
• Competition
Factors Decreasing Cohesion:
• Heterogeneous Composition (Dissimilarities among the group members)
• Recent Formation (Less stable)
• Large Size
• Physical Dispersion (If people sit at distances then there will be less interaction)
• Diversified Goals (different objectives)
Group decision making:
Group decision-making commonly known as collaborative decision-making is a situation
faced when individuals collectively make a choice from the alternatives before them. Group
decision making has two advantages over individual decision making.
• Synergy: It is the idea that the whole is greater than the aggregate of its parts. Through
discussing, questioning, and collaborative approach, group members can identify more
complete and robust solutions and recommendations.
• Sharing of information: Sharing information increases understanding, clarifies issues,
and facilitates movement towards a collective decision.
The major disadvantages of group decision making are as follows:
• Diffusion of Responsibility (Distribution of responsibility)
• Lower Efficiency (less efficient than individual decisions)
• Groupthink

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Group Decision-Making Techniques:

In order to eliminate group think and group shift from a group, we can use four different
techniques that will help us make a collaborative decision that is best for the group. These
techniques are:

• Brainstorming: This technique includes a group of people, mostly between five and ten in
number, sitting around a table, producing ideas in the form of free association. The main
focus is on generation of ideas and not on evaluation of these ideas. If more ideas can be
originated, then it is likely that there will be a unique and creative idea among them. All
these ideas are written on the blackboard with a piece of chalk so that all the team members
can see every idea and try to improvise these ideas. Brainstorming technique is very
effective when the problem is comparatively precise and can be simply defined. A complex
problem can be divided into parts and each part can be dealt with separately at a time.
• Nominal group thinking: This technique is similar to brainstorming except that this
approach is more structured. It motivates individual creativity. Members form the group for
namesake and operate independently, originate ideas for solving the problem on their own,
in silence and in writing. Members do not communicate well with each other so that strong
personality domination is evaded. The group coordinator either collects the written ideas or
writes them on a large blackboard so that each member of the group can see what the ideas
are. These ideas are further discussed one by one in turn and each participant is motivated to
comment on these ideas in order to clarify and improve them. After all these ideas have been
discussed, they are evaluated for their merits and drawbacks and each actively participating
member is needed to vote on each idea and allot it a rank on the basis of priority of each
alternative solution. The idea with the highest cumulative ranking is selected as the final
solution to the problem.
• Didactic technique: This technique is applicable only in certain situations, but is an
excellent method when a situation actually demands it. The type of problem should be such
that it generates output in the form of yes or no. Say for example, a decision is to be made
whether to buy or not to buy a product, to merge or not to merge, to expand or not to expand
and so on. These types of decision require an extensive and exhaustive discussion and
investigation since a wrong decision can have serious consequences. There are many
advantages as well as disadvantages of this type of situation. The group that makes the
decision is divided into two sub-groups, one in favor of the “go” decision and the opposing
in favor of “no go” decision.
• Delphi technique: This technique is the improvised version of the nominal group technique,
except that it involves obtaining the opinions of experts physically distant from each other
and unknown to each other. This isolates group members from the undue influence of others.
Basically, the types of problems sorted by this technique are not specific in nature or related
to a particular situation at a given time.

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Teams:
Teams are becoming a key tool for organizing work in today’s corporate world. Teams
have the potential to immediately organize, relocate, and disperse. But, teams are an effective
tool of employee motivation. Team development creates a captivating atmosphere by
encouraging co-operation, teamwork, interdependence and by building trust among team
members.
What is Team Management?
Team management refers to the various activities which bind a team together by bringing
the team members closer to achieve the set targets. For the team members, their team must be
their priority and everything else should take a back seat. They should be very focused on their
goals.

Importance of team and team work:

• Team work is essential in corporates for better output and a better bonding among
employees.
• Tasks are accomplished at a faster pace when it is done by a team rather than an
individual.
• There is always a healthy competition among the team members.
• Teamwork is also important to improve the relations among the employees.
Following are the characteristics of an effective team:
• A clear, elevating goal
• A results-driven structure
• Competent members
• A collaborative climate
• External support and recognition
• Principled leadership
• Team goals are clearly understood by all
• Each team member trusts the judgment of others
• The team has to be willing to take risks
• Dissenting opinions are never ignored
• Teams are given realistic deadline
Different types of teams:
Teams are the principal building blocks of the strategy of successful organizations. The
focus of your organization may be on service, quality, cost, value, speed, efficiency,
performance, or any other similar goals, but teams remain the central methodology of most
organizations in the private, non-profit, as well as government sectors.

• Permanent teams- These teams perform on a permanent basis and are not dissolved
once the task is accomplished.
• Temporary teams - Unlike permanent teams, temporary teams loose their importance,
once the task is accomplished. Such teams are usually formed for a shorter duration either
to assist the permanent team or work when the members of the permanent team are busy
in some other project.
• Task Force - Such teams are formed for a special purpose of working on any specific
project or finding a solution to a very critical problem.The government generally appoints
special teams to investigate critical issues like bomb blasts, terrorist attacks and so on.
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 The task force explores all the possible reasons which led to a severe problem and tries to
resolve it within a given deadline.
• Committee - Committees are generally formed to work on a particular assignment either
permanently or on a temporary basis. Individuals with common interests, more or less
from the same background, attitude come together on a common platform to form a
committee and work on any matter.
• Organization/Work Force - Such groups are formed in organizations where team
members work together under the expert guidance of leader. A leader or a supervisor is
generally appointed among the members itself and he along with his team works hard to
achieve a common goal. The leader all through must stand by his team and extract the
best out of each team member. He must not underestimate any of his team members and
take his team along to avoid conflicts.
• Self-Managed Teams - Self Managed Teams consist of individuals who work together
again for a common purpose but without the supervision of any leader. Here as the name
suggests every individual is accountable for his individual performance. The team
members of self-managed teams must respect each other and should never lose focus on
their target. No leader is appointed and the team members have to take their own
responsibility. Individuals take the initiative on their own and are thir own guides and
mentors.
• Virtual Teams - Virtual teams consist of individuals who are separated by distances and
connected through computer. Here individuals communicate with each other online
through internet. Sam at Los Angeles can form a team with Mandy at Mexico and Sara at
Denver all working for a common objective but the communication is totally digital
through internet. Such teams are helpful when employees need to connect with each other
and are located at different places. Individuals supporting any community in social
networking sites such as Facebook or orkut also form a virtual team as all the members
are from different locations but support a common community. They all have a common
objective -to support and promote their community.

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