Communication and Leadership

1. CHAPTER 6
COMMUNICATION AND
LEADERSHIP

2. Learning Objectives
1. Functions of communication
2. communication process
3. Direction of communication
4. Interpersonal and organizational
communication
5. Barriers towards effective communication
6. Concept of leadership
7. Leadership theories

3. WHAT IS COMMUNICATION?
“Communication is the transfer of information
from one person to another person. It is a way
of reaching others by transmitting ideas, facts,
thoughts, feeling sand values”
By Newstrom and Davis.

4. FUNCTIONS OF COMMUNICATION
1. Control member behavior
2. Foster motivation for what is to be done
3. Provide a release for emotional expression
4. Provide information needed to make decisions

5. COMMUNICATION PROCESS
SENDER ENCODE DECODE RECEIVER
CHANNEL
MESSAGES
FEEDBACK
NOISE

6. COMMUNICATION PROCESS
• The steps between a source and a receiver that result in the
transference and understanding of meaning
a) The Sender – initiates message
b) Encoding – translating thought to message
c) The Message – what is communicated
d) The Channel – the medium the message travels through
e) Decoding – the receiver’s action in making sense of the
message
f) The Receiver – person who gets the message
g) Noise – things that interfere with the message
h) Feedback – a return message regarding the initial
communication

7. COMMUNICATION CHANNELS
• The medium selected by the sender through
which the message travels to the receiver.
• Types of channel:
a) Formal Channels - established by the organization
and transmit messages that are related to the
professional activities of members
b) Informal Channels - used to transmit personal or
social messages in the organization. These
informal channels are spontaneous and emerge
as a response to individual choices

8. COMMUNICATION CHANNELS
• Direction of Communication:
a) Upward
b) Downward
c) Lateral

9. INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION
• Interpersonal communication is the process
that we use to communicate our ideas,
thoughts, and feelings to another person.
• It can involve one on one conversations or
individuals interacting with many people
within a society.
• It also occurs within groups and organizations.

10. VERBAL OR NONVERBAL?

11. • Verbal

12. Methods in Communication
• Non Verbal

13. INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION
• Oral Communication
– Advantages: Speed and feedback
– Disadvantage: Distortion of the message
• Written Communication
– Advantages: Tangible and verifiable
– Disadvantages: Time-consuming and lacks feedback
• Nonverbal Communication
– Advantages: Supports other communications and provides
observable expression of emotions and feelings
– Disadvantage: Misperception of body language or gestures
can influence receiver’s interpretation of message

14. NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION
• Body Movement
– Unconscious motions that provide meaning
– Shows extent of interest in another and relative perceived
status differences
• Intonations and Voice Emphasis
– The way something is said can change meaning
• Facial Expressions
– Show emotion
• Physical Distance between Sender and Receiver
– Depends on cultural norms
– Can express interest or status

15. ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS: E-
MAIL
• E-mail
– Advantages: Quickly written, sent, and stored; low cost for
distribution
– Disadvantages:
• Messages are easily and commonly misinterpreted
• Not appropriate for sending negative messages
• Overused and overloading readers
• Removes inhibitions and can cause emotional responses and
flaming
• Difficult to “get” emotional state understood – emoticons
• Non-private: e-mail is often monitored and may be forwarded to
anyone

16. ELECTRONIC COMMS: INSTANT/TEXT
MESSAGING
Forms of “real time” communication of short messages that often
use portable communication devices
– Explosive growth in business use
– Fast and inexpensive means of communication
– Can be intrusive and distracting
– Easily “hacked” with weak security
– Can be seen as too informal
•Instant Messaging
– Immediate e-mail sent to receiver’s desktop or device
•Text Messages
– Short messages typically sent to cell phones or other handheld devices

17. ELECTRONIC COMMS: NETWORKING
SOFTWARE
• Linked systems organically spread throughout the
nation and world that can be accessed by a PC
• Includes:
– Social networks like MySpace® and Facebook®
– Professional networks like Zoominfo® and Ziggs®
– Corporate networks such as IBM’s BluePages®
• Key Points:
– These are public spaces – anyone can see what you post
– Can be used for job application screening
– Avoid “over stimulating” your contacts

18. ELECTRONIC COMMS: BLOGS AND
VIDEOCONFERENCING
• Blogs: websites about a single person (or entity) that
are typically updated daily
– A popular but potentially dangerous activity:
• Employees may post harmful information
• Such comments may be cause for dismissal
• No First Amendment rights protection
• Can be against company policy to post in the blog during company
time and on company equipment/connections
• Videoconferencing: uses live audio and video Internet
streaming to create virtual meetings
– Now uses inexpensive webcams and laptops in place of
formal videoconferencing rooms

19. KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT
• The process of organizing and distributing an
organization’s collective wisdom so the right
information gets to the right people at the right time.
• Important because:
– Intellectual assets are as critical as physical assets.
– When individuals leave, their knowledge and experience
go with them.
– A KM system reduces redundancy and makes the
organization more efficient.
• Requires an organizational culture that values sharing
of information.

20. CHOICE OF COMMUNICATION
CHANNEL
• The model of “media richness” helps explain an individual’s
choice of communication channel
– Channels vary in their capacity to convey information
• A “rich” channel is one that can:
– Handle multiple cues simultaneously
– Facilitate rapid feedback
– Be very personal
• Choice depends on whether the message is routine
• High-performing managers tend to be very media-sensitive

21. BARRIERS TOWARDS EFFECTIVE
COMMUNICATION
• Filtering
– A sender’s manipulation of information so that it will be
seen more favorably by the receiver
• Selective Perception
– People selectively interpret what they see on the basis of
their interests, background, experience, and attitudes
• Information Overload
– A condition in which information inflow exceeds an
individual’s processing capacity
• Emotions
– How a receiver feels at the time a message is received will
influence how the message is interpreted.

22. BARRIERS TOWARDS EFFECTIVE
COMMUNICATION
• Language
– Words have different meanings to different people.
• Communication Apprehension
– Undue tension and anxiety about oral communication,
written communication, or both
• Gender Differences
– Men tend to talk to emphasize status while women
talk to create connections
..PB301-BUSINESS MANAGEMENTScary Movie Nonverbal Miscommunication -
YouTube.flv

25. WHAT IS LEADERSHIP?
• Leadership
– The ability to influence a group toward the
achievement of goals
• Management
– Use of authority inherent in designated formal
rank to obtain compliance from organizational
members
• Both are necessary for organizational success

26. TRAIT THEORIES OF LEADERSHIP
• Theories that consider personality, social, physical, or
intellectual traits to differentiate leaders from non-
leaders
• Traits can predict leadership, but they are better at
predicting leader emergence than effectiveness

27. BEHAVIORAL THEORIES OF
LEADERSHIP
• Theories proposing that specific behaviors
differentiate leaders from non-leaders
• Differences between theories of leadership:
– Trait theory: leadership is inherent, so we must
identify the leader based on his or her traits
– Behavioral theory: leadership is a skill set and can
be taught to anyone, so we must identify the
proper behaviors to teach potential leaders

28. IMPORTANT BEHAVIORAL STUDIES
• Ohio State University
– Found two key dimensions of leader behavior:
• Initiating structure – the defining and structuring of roles
• Consideration – job relationships that reflect trust and respect
• Both are important
• University of Michigan
– Also found two key dimensions of leader behavior:
• Employee-oriented – emphasize interpersonal relationships and is
the most powerful dimension
• Production-oriented – emphasize the technical aspects of the job
– The dimensions of the two studies are very similar

29. BLAKE AND MOUTON’S MANAGERIAL
GRID
• Draws on both studies to assess leadership
style
– “Concern for People” is Consideration and
Employee-Orientation
– “Concern for Production” is Initiating Structure
and Production-Orientation
• Style is determined by position on the graph
Exhibit 12-1

30. CONTINGENCY THEORIES
• While trait and behavior theories do help us
understand leadership, an important component
is missing: the environment in which the leader
exists.
• Contingency Theory deals with this additional
aspect of leadership effectiveness studies.
• Three key theories:
– Fielder’s Model
– Hersey and Blanchard’s Situational Leadership Theory
– Path-Goal Theory

31. FIEDLER MODEL
• Effective group performance depends on the proper match
between leadership style and the situation
– Assumes that leadership style (based on orientation revealed in
LPC questionnaire) is fixed
• Considers Three Situational Factors:
– Leader-member relations: degree of confidence and trust in the
leader
– Task structure: degree of structure in the jobs
– Position power: leader’s ability to hire, fire, and reward
• For effective leadership: must change to a leader who fits
the situation or change the situational variables to fit the
current leader
Exhibit 12-2

32. ASSESSMENT OF FIEDLER’S MODEL
• Positives:
– Considerable evidence supports the model,
especially if the original eight situations are
grouped into three
• Problems:
– The logic behind the LPC scale is not well
understood
– LPC scores are not stable
– Contingency variables are complex and hard to
determine

33. FIEDLER’S COGNITIVE RESOURCE
THEORY
• A refinement of Fielder’s original model:
– Focuses on stress as the enemy of rationality and
creator of unfavorable conditions
– A leader’s intelligence and experience influence
his or her reaction to that stress
• Stress Levels:
– Low Stress: Intellectual abilities are effective
– High Stress: Leader experiences are effective
• Research is supporting the theory

34. HERSEY & BLANCHARD’S SITUATIONAL
LEADERSHIP
• A model that focuses on follower “readiness”
– Followers can accept or reject the leader
– Effectiveness depends on the followers’ response to the leader’s
actions
– “Readiness” is the extent to which people have the ability and
willingness to accomplish a specific task
• A paternal model:
– As the child matures, the adult releases more and more control
over the situation
– As the workers become more ready, the leader becomes more
laissez-faire
• An intuitive model that does not get much support from
the research findings

35. HOUSE’S PATH-GOAL THEORY
• Builds from the Ohio State studies and the expectancy
theory of motivation
• The Theory:
– Leaders provide followers with information, support, and
resources to help them achieve their goals
– Leaders help clarify the “path” to the worker’s goals
– Leaders can display multiple leadership types
• Four types of leaders:
– Directive: focuses on the work to be done
– Supportive: focuses on the well-being of the worker
– Participative: consults with employees in decision-making
– Achievement-Oriented: sets challenging goals

36. PATH-GOAL MODEL
• Two classes of contingency variables:
– Environmental are outside of employee control
– Subordinate factors are internal to employee
• Mixed support in the research findings
Exhibit 12-4

37. LEADER-MEMBER EXCHANGE (LMX)
THEORY
• A response to the failing of contingency theories to
account for followers and heterogeneous leadership
approaches to individual workers
• LMX Premise:
– Because of time pressures, leaders form a special
relationship with a small group of followers: the “in-group”
– This in-group is trusted and gets more time and attention
from the leader (more “exchanges”)
– All other followers are in the “out-group” and get less of
the leader’s attention and tend to have formal
relationships with the leader (fewer “exchanges”)
– Leaders pick group members early in the relationship

38. LMX Model
• How groups are assigned is unclear
– Follower characteristics determine group
membership
• Leaders control by keeping favorites close
• Research has been generally supportive
Exhibit 12-3

39. YROOM & YETTON’S LEADER-
PARTICIPATION MODEL
• How a leader makes decisions is as important as what
is decided
• Premise:
– Leader behaviors must adjust to reflect task structure
– “Normative” model: tells leaders how participative to be in
their decision-making of a decision tree
• Five leadership styles
• Twelve contingency variables
• Research testing for both original and modified models
has not been encouraging
– Model is overly complex

40. GLOBAL IMPLICATIONS
• These leadership theories are primarily studied in
English-speaking countries
• GLOBE does have some country-specific insights
– Brazilian teams prefer leaders who are high in
consideration, participative, and have high LPC scores
– French workers want a leader who is high on initiating
structure and task-oriented
– Egyptian employees value team-oriented, participative
leadership while keeping a high-power distance
– Chinese workers may favor a moderately participative style
• Leaders should take culture into account

41. SUMMARY AND MANAGERIAL
IMPLICATIONS
• Leadership is central to understanding group
behavior as the leader provides the direction
• Extroversion, conscientiousness, and openness all
show consistent relationships to leadership
• Behavioral approaches have narrowed leadership
down into two usable dimensions
• Need to take into account the situational
variables, especially the impact of followers

42. End of chapter…….