Based on your readings from this week’s chapters, please answe
Based on your readings from this week's chapters, please answer the following questions:
- Which do you think is more important for organizations: downward communication or upward communication? Why?
- Which of the conflict causes do you feel is most challenging to a manager? Why?
- Critique Fiedler’s LPC theory. Are other elements of the situation important? Do you think Fiedler’s assertion about the inflexibility of leader behavior makes sense? Why or why not?
Organizational Behavior
Presentation
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Chapter 9.
Communication
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пользователь Microsoft Office (Office) –
Five important environmental forces are:
Today in the Business World, for organizations to be successful, innovative, productive and comfortable to work and develop for their employees, there are so many huge and crucial aspects that allows to keep balance, to use diversity, technologies, work ethics.
Knowing, understanding, and using main forces like:
✅ Globalization,
✅ Diversity,
✅ Technology,
✅ Ethics and corporate governance,
✅ New employment relationships.
Allow companies, managers, workers to stay on track, move forward and create a high-productive environment and compete successfully.
Big Five Traits
In recent years, researchers have identified five fundamental personality traits that are especially relevant to organizations.
The “big five” personality framework is currently very popular among researchers and managers. These five dimensions represent fundamental personality traits presumed to be important in determining the behaviors of individuals in organizations.
✅ Agreeableness
✅ Conscientiousness
✅ Neuroticism
✅ Extraversion
✅ Openness
The Importance of Motivation
From the manager’s viewpoint, the objective is to motivate people to behave in ways that are in the organization’s best interest.
Motivated employees don’t need to be told how to get things done, they take initiatives, are eager to take up additional responsibilities, are innovative and go-getters.
Managers strive to motivate people in the organization to perform at high levels. This means getting them to work hard, to come to work regularly, and to make positive contributions to the organization’s mission.
P(Performance)=M(Motivation)+A(Ability)+E(Environment)
To reach high levels of performance, an employee must want to do the job well (motivation); must be able to do the job effectively (ability); and must have the materials, resources, equipment, and information required to do the job (environment).
A manager should thus strive to ensure that all three conditions are met.
Extrinsic Motivation/Intrinsic Motivation
Extrinsic Motivation
Extrinsic motivators are external factors that cause an employee to act toward fulfillment of a work task or goal. They can be punishments or rewards. A punishment motivates an employee to act in order to avoid the punishment, while rewards motivate an employee to act in order to receive the reward. Extrinsic motivations come from external forces like promotions, bonuses, benefits, perks
Intrinsic Motivation
When you are intrinsically motivated, your behavior is motivated by your internal desire to do something; for example, your personal enjoyment of an activity, or your desire to learn a skill because you are eager to learn. Enjoyment, purpose, self-growth
Factors of Groups
The five basic group performance factors are composition, size, norms, cohesiveness, and informal leadership.
Group Composition
Group Size
Group Norms
Group cohesiveness
Informal leader
Job Rotation/Job Enlargement/Job Enrichment
Job rotation involves systematically shifting workers from one job to another to sustain their motivation and interest. Under specialization, each task is broken down into small parts. One worker might perform step one, another step two, and so forth.
When job rotation is introduced, the tasks themselves stay the same. However, the workers who perform them are systematically rotated across the various tasks. Jones, for example, starts out with task 1 (testing ink cartridges). On a regular basis—perhaps weekly or monthly—she is systematically rotated to task 2, to task 3, to task 4, and back to task 1. Gonzalez, who starts out on task 2 (inserting cartridges into barrels), rotates ahead of Jones to tasks 3, 4, 1, and back to 2
Job enlargement, or horizontal job loading, is expanding a worker’s job to include tasks previously performed by other workers. The logic behind this change is that the increased number of tasks in each job reduces monotony and boredom.
Job Enrichment
Job enrichment is based on the two-factor theory of motivation. That theory contends that employees can be motivated by positive job-related experiences such as feelings of achievement, responsibility, and recognition. To achieve these, job enrichment relies on vertical job loading—not only adding more tasks to a job, as in horizontal loading, but also giving the employee more control over those tasks.
Types of Decisions
There are two types of Decision Making – Programmed or Nonprogrammed. A programmed decision recurs often enough for decision rules to be developed. A decision rule tells decision makers which alternative to choose once they have predetermined information about the decision situation. The appropriate decision rule is used whenever the same situation is encountered. Programmed decisions usually are highly structured; that is, the goals are clear and well known, the decision-making procedure is already established, and the sources and channels of information are clearly defined.
When a problem or decision situation has not been encountered before, however, a decision maker cannot rely on previously established decision rules. Such a decision is called a nonprogrammed decision, and it requires problem solving. Problem solving is a special form of decision making in which the issue is unique; it often requires developing and evaluating alternatives without the aid of a decision rule. Nonprogrammed decisions are poorly structured because information is ambiguous, there is no clear procedure for making the decision, and the goals are often vague.
Programmed decisions are more common at the lower levels of the organization, whereas a primary responsibility of top management is to make the difficult, nonprogrammed decisions that determine the organization’s long-term effectiveness. By definition, the strategic decisions for which top management is responsible are poorly structured, nonroutine, and have far-reaching consequences. Programmed decisions, then, can be made according to previously tested rules and procedures. Nonprogrammed decisions generally require that the decision maker exercise judgment and creativity. In other words, all problems require a decision, but not all decisions require problem solving.
Communication
Communication, a form of social interaction, is the glue that holds organizations together. Organizations achieve their strategies, goals, and outcomes through communication.
To be effective leaders, managers must have good communication skills, particularly during tough economic times. As former GE CEO Jack Welch said, in tough times, “you have to communicate like you’ve never communicated before. People must feel the excitement of tomorrow instead of the pain of today. You can only accomplish this by talking honestly about both.”
The word communication comes from the Latin word “communicare,” meaning to share or make common.
Nonverbal/Verbal Communication
The way we communicate—our nonverbal behaviors and vocal tone—is more important to a message’s meaning than the words we actually say. Nonverbal communications are not spoken or written. Some of the strongest and most meaningful communications are nonverbal—a fire alarm, a smile, an emoticon, a red traffic light, or a look of anger on someone’s face.
Body language is a body movement such as a gesture or expression that conveys information to others.
Research suggests that in a typical face-to-face communication, 7 percent of the total message is conveyed by the words, 38 percent of the total message is conveyed by vocal intonation, and 55 percent of the total message is conveyed by facial and body expressions. For communication to be effective and meaningful, then, all three parts of the message need to be congruent.
In one-way communication, information flows in only one direction. The sender communicates a message without expecting or getting any feedback from the receiver. For example, if a manager tells an employee to help a customer and the employee does so without saying a word or if a manager tells an employee that he or she is doing a good job and then leaves before hearing a response, one-way communication has occurred.
Once a receiver provides feedback to a sender, the sender and receiver have engaged in two-way communication. If a manager tells an employee to join a telephone conference and the employee says, “I’ll be right there,” this is two-way communication. Feedback enhances the effectiveness of the communication process by helping to ensure that the intended message is the one received. Have you ever sent an important email and then waited and wondered if the receiver received and understood it? If so, you appreciate the value of two-way communication and feedback.
One-way and Two-way Communication
Barriers to Effective Communication
Selective Perception
People tend not to hear things that they do not want to hear and to hear things that are consistent with what they already believe. We selectively interpret what we see based on our interests, expectations, experience, and attitudes rather than on how things really are. Sometimes people ignore conflicting information and focus only on the information that confirms what they already believe. Selective perception leads us to receive only the part of a message that is consistent with our expectations, needs, motivations, interests, and other personal characteristics.
For example, Two managers given the same information about a problem may see the problem differently; that is, a manager with a finance background may be more likely to see the problem as finance-based, while a manager with a production background may be more likely to see it as production-based. Each manager selectively perceives information that is consistent with his or her expertise and expectations and does not pay as much attention to other types of information.
Information Overload
Filtering can occur when a receiver has too much information. When faced with too much information, we have to use some sort of filtering strategy to reduce it to a manageable amount. For example, an executive who starts the day with 500 emails in her inbox will likely apply some sort of filter, such as the email sender or the urgency Filtering is essential to managers because it helps to reduce the amount of noise in the communication process.
Barriers to Effective Communication
Organizational Barriers
Organizational barriers to communication come from the hierarchical structure and culture of the organization. Numerous hierarchical levels or department specializations can make communication across levels and departments difficult. Different hierarchical levels typically focus on different types of information, which can interfere with communication. Higher-level executives, for example, typically focus on information related to bigger picture issues and business strategy, while lower-level employees focus on customer issues, production, and deadlines.
Cultural Barriers
Words and gestures can mean different things in different cultures. For example, in many parts of the world, the thumb-up sign means “okay.” But in Nigeria, Afghanistan, Iran, and parts of Italy and Greece, it is an obscene insult and carries the same meaning as the middle finger does in the United States.
Noise
As discussed earlier, noise is anything that blocks, distorts, or changes in any way the information the sender intended to communicate. It can enter anywhere in the communication process and interfere with the successful transmission and reception of a message.
Communication Skills – Listening Skills
Communicating effectively is an important managerial skill and a skill critical for effective leadership. Many barriers exist to good communications that are beyond your control, but improving your communication skills can help to overcome these barriers.
Listening is not the same as hearing. Hearing is passive; listening is an active search for meaning.
Active listening plays an important role in communication and is especially important for effective leadership. It requires becoming actively involved in the process of listening to what others are saying and clarifying the meaning of messages if they are unclear. Both parties should engage in active listening until it is clear that each understands the final message.
Being an active listener requires concentration. When someone speaks to you, try to identify any ambiguous words. Quickly compare the verbal and nonverbal messages to see if the messages are contradictory and to make sure you really understand the message being sent. Then reflect the message back to the sender, repeating the message in your own words. The person with whom you are speaking should either confirm your understanding or, if there is a misunderstanding, restate the message. This allows both parties to continue to work toward mutual understanding until you are both sure you understand each other.
Ways to be an active listener include asking open-ended questions and sending the other person feedback to check that you understand the message. Making eye contact, nodding occasionally, and showing appropriate nonverbal behaviors also show the sender that you are listening.
Listening Skills
Experts generally offer the following suggestions for being a good listener:
Pay close attention to individual inferences, facts, and judgments, and make useful and logical connections.
Give speakers clear nonverbal evidence that you are listening attentively, including leaning toward the speaker, maintaining eye contact, and not fidgeting.
Give speakers clear verbal evidence that they are listening attentively, including giving constructive feedback, paraphrasing, and questioning for clarification.
Show the speaker respect by not interrupting and using an inclusive, friendly, and sharing tone
Follow up on unusual or inconsistent communication cues from the speaker, such as changes in tone, vocabulary, and body language to determine the real message the speaker is trying to send.
Offer speakers honest, clear, timely, respectful, and relevant acknowledgment of what they have said.
Giving and Receiving Feedback
Both giving and receiving feedback are essential to career success. We are expected to both give and receive feedback effectively to our peers, subordinates, and sometimes even our supervisors. To be most effective and acceptable for the recipient, feedback should be timely, frequent, consistent, specific, and private. Here are some guidelines for effectively providing constructive criticism:
Give feedback in private. It is much more threatening to receive criticism, no matter how constructive, in front of peers, subordinates, supervisors, customers, or anyone else. If criticism needs to be given to a work team, try to avoid singling anyone out.
Try to preface a negative statement with a positive one. Beginning your feedback with praise for a related behavior can help to reduce defensiveness. By balancing the negative feedback that is about to come, the praise reduces the negativity of the information being communicated.
Be specific but not overly harsh or negative. Describing the behavior and why it is a problem can help the receiver understand what he or she needs to change and why. Stay focused on your goal of obtaining favorable reactions and behavioral change from the feedback recipient.
Suggest specific changes that would help. To truly be helpful, constructive feedback ideally provides some ideas for how the behavior or action might be effectively modified.
Presentation Skills
Do you ever get nervous when you are about to make a presentation? It is perfectly normal to feel this way before speaking in front of a group, even if you have a lot of experience. Fortunately, being a little nervous tends to improve with practice. Managers need effective presentation skills to present proposals to supervisors and to communicate with other managers and groups. Here are some suggestions for making effective presentations:
Speak up and speak clearly.
Quickly achieve rapport. In the first few moments, show audience members that you feel comfortable with them.
Channel nervous energy into an enthusiastic delivery; use gestures to express your ideas.
Move freely and naturally without pacing; look at your audience.
Minimize notes and use them unobtrusively. Notes work best as “thought triggers.”
Highlight key ideas. Use voice volume, graphic aids, pauses, and “headlining” (telling the audience that a point is particularly important).
Watch the audience for signs of comprehension or misunderstanding.
End with a bang. Your concluding words should be memorable.
Meeting Skills
Another way that managers often communicate is through meetings. In addition to wasting time and money, poorly led meetings are often a source of frustration. Meeting effectiveness may be improved when people come prepared to meetings, an agenda is used, meetings are punctual (start and end on time), purposes are clear, and there is widespread participation
Here are some suggestions for running effective meetings:
Have an agenda that clearly states the purpose of the meeting and key steps to satisfying that purpose by the end of the meeting.
Ensure that participants receive the agenda in advance, know what you expect of them, and know how they should prepare.
Be fully prepared for the meeting and bring any relevant outside information that might be needed.
State a time frame at the beginning of the meeting and stick to it.
Require that participants come prepared to discuss the topics on the agenda.
Keep participants focused on the agenda items, and quickly manage any interpersonal issues so that the meeting stays productive.
Follow up on any outside assignments made to meeting participants.
The Internet
The Internet has fundamentally changed how many managers communicate. Individuals using the Internet can select only the information they want using information pull. Information pull occurs when someone receives requested information.
This contrasts with the broadcast technique of information push where people receive information without requesting it just in case they need it. International retailer Target’s career site provides information and videos about the company, its brand, and its careers and benefits. By making the site self-directed and providing only small amounts of information in each area, employees are empowered and engaged as they learn about the company’s culture, procedures, and policies.
The Internet
There are four major types of telework using internet
1. Home-based telecommuting includes people who work at home for some period on a regular basis, but not necessarily every day.
Satellite offices are offices situated to be more convenient for employees and/or customers. These offices are located away from what would normally be the main office location.
Neighborhood work centers provide office space for the employees of more than one company in order to save commutes to central locations.
Mobile work refers to work completed by traveling employees who use technology to communicate with the office as necessary from places such as client offices, airports, cars, and hotels.
Telecommuting allows organizations to reduce the amount of office space they own or rent and decreases employees’ need to commute to work.
Intranets/Portals
Intranets
An intranet is a type of centralized information clearinghouse. An intranet is a website stored on a computer that is connected to other company computers by an internal network. Employees reach the intranet site with standard web-browser. Because they centralize data in an easy-to-access way, intranets are a good idea when a company’s employees need to reach the same company information. Intranets give employees controlled access to the information stored on a company’s network, which can reduce the need for paper versions of documents such as manuals and company forms. Intranets are not useful if many employees do not use or have access to computers, or if no one has the expertise to set up and manage the intranet.
Portals are similar to intranets but tend to be more project-focused. Portals strongly resemble Internet sites like Yahoo.com and AOL.com. Users interact with them with a standard computer browser like Internet Explorer or Netscape, but instead of containing links to news and weather, the links lead you to sites on the company’s private intranet.
Organizational Communication
Organizational communication is the exchange of information between individuals, groups, teams, departments. There is four types of communication in organizations: downward, upward, horizontal, and diagonal.
Downward Communication
Downward communication occurs when higher-level employees communicate to those at lower levels in the organization—for example, from a manager to a subordinate. Downward communication typically consists of messages about how to do a job, performance goals, the firm’s policies, and how the company is performing.
Upward Communication
Upward communication occurs when lower-level employees communicate with those at higher levels—for example, when a subordinate tells a manager about a problem employees are having meeting a customer’s request. Encouraging upward communication can help managers check that subordinates understand their goals and instructions, keep managers informed of employee challenges and complaints, and cultivate acceptance and commitment by giving employees the opportunity to express ideas and suggestions.
Organizational Communication
Horizontal Communication
Horizontal communication occurs when someone in an organization communicates with others at the same organizational level. Managers often depend on each other to help get the job done, and communication is necessary for them to coordinate resources and workflow. Although horizontal communication occurs between peers, as in all organizational communications, it is best to stay professional and avoid confrontational words and negative body language.
Diagonal Communication
When employees communicate across departments and levels, they are engaging in diagonal communication. Diagonal communication is common in cross-functional project teams composed of people from different levels drawn from different departments.
Diagonal communication allows employees in different parts of an organization to contribute to creating a new product or solving a problem.
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