Chapter 2 10e.pptx

Chapter 2
Communication
in the Workplace
Communicating for Results, 10th edition

 Challenges in an organization not only affect the
organization but also impact employees, their
families, investors and customers, entire
communities, even the nation
 Most people will go through many changes in their lives and
will work for many different companies
To make effective choices one must understand
Types of internal communication found in workplace
Methods used to coordinate people and groups
Major models used in the workplace today
Organizational Communication in the
Workplace

 Flows along official paths prescribed by
organization’s chain of command and shown
by organizational chart
 Formal messages flow:
Downward (Traditional Organization flow)
Upward
Horizontally
Formal Communication

 Formal messages that flow from managers and
supervisors down to subordinates
 Downward communication adds to employee
satisfaction
 Can lead to information overload
 Employees with information overload not necessarily
dissatisfied with their jobs
 All employees who experienced information underload
were dissatisfied
Downward Communication

 A problem with downward communication is that it is
often in written form
 There are several problems with written messages:
 They are usually brief and may omit needed details
 Because of need for brevity, memos normally do not include
the job rationale
 Frame of reference differences make interpretation of
messages difficult
Downward Communication

 Formal messages that flow upward from
subordinates to supervisors and managers
 The following types of messages are valuable when
upwardly communicated:
 Reports of employee work, achievements, progress
 Outlines of work problems that need to be solved
 Suggestions for improvements within department or
company
 How employees think and feel about their jobs,
associates, company
Upward Communication

 Messages that flow laterally between people of
same rank
 Important for coordinating tasks, solving problems,
sharing information, resolving conflicts
 Especially valuable for difficult or complex problems
 Empowered teams
 Teams with power to make decisions
Horizontal Communication

Messages that flow along informal
network
Grapevine
Exists because of limited formal
networks
Informal Communication

 Many view grapevine as unimportant, but research
indicates the opposite
 Type of information grapevine carries indicates health of
organization
 Information carried by grapevine is 75-95% accurate
 Information carried by grapevine travels fast
 People who regularly use grapevine are more satisfied with
their jobs and more committed to organization
 Effective managers use grapevine

 Two advantages to using informal communication
networks
 Can get advice and information without formally having
to admit we need it
 We can “think out loud” about problems, increasing
self-confidence and problem-solving ability
 Stimulates innovative thinking

 Different kinds of communication encouraged in
five organizational models
 Each model has its best way to do things
 Each model has its strengths and weaknesses
 Although each model currently in use, not all
fare equally well in today’s diverse global market
 Organizations that succeed in today’s changing
marketplace may be those that capitalize on diversity;
are flexible; are fast at problem-solving and operation
start-up; encourage and reward innovation; and make
use of new technology
Organizational Models

 Early in 20th century, large organizations were a new
phenomenon with no role models except military
 Companies managed by hunch or intuition
 Attempts to motivate and control employees were inefficient and
often inhumane
 Two types of organization theorists emerged
Scientific managers
Bureaucratic managers
The Traditional (or Classical) Model

 Apply four scientific principles to problems of
production and management
 Scientific design of each task
 Scientific selection of workers
 Adequate training and rewards for productivity
 Division of both labor and responsibilities
Traditional Model and Scientific
Managers

 Foundation of bureaucratic theory was organizational
structure
 Organizations must have a clear division of labor
 Chain of command is communication structure of organization
 Interested in improving direct supervision through structure
and control
Traditional Model and Bureaucratic
Theorists

Fayol’s Bridge
Copyright Cengage © 2011
15
X
A
D
C
B
G
F
E
Fayol’s bridge:
Bypasses chain
Of command
Normal lines of
communication
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X

 In addition to worker and labor union rejection of the
traditional organization, by the time of the Great Depression
many organizations had their own reasons to welcome human
relations movement
 Engineering and business schools turning out large
numbers of educated, white-collar workers
 One of the key ideas of scientific management disproved
The Human Relations Model

An open, trusting climate may be easier to
implement in small, family-run organizations
The Human Relations Model in Today’s
World

 Grew out of criticisms and problems of human
relations school, and by late 1960s became model in
its own right
 No clear-cut line between human relations and human
resources models – only gradual shift
The Human Resources Model

 Advocates of human resources model liked it
because it focused on both increased
employee satisfaction and improved
organizational decision making
 Human resources model emphasized both
relational communication and command
communication
Raymond Miles may have been first to use term
human resources
The Human Resources Model

McGregor’s
Theory Y
Messages travel up and
down in the
organization
Decisions shared &
based on input from all
levels
Feedback is encouraged
in an upward direction
Copyright Cengage © 2011
20
McGregor’s
Theory X
• Messages travel
downward
• Upward messages
limited
• Fear & distrust of
management
• Decisions made by
top management

 McGregor based his theories on Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of
needs
 Theory X deals only with the physiological and safety needs of hierarchy
 Theory Y covers all five levels of needs
Comparison of Human Relations and
Human Resources Models

 Current application of human resources model has variety of names such as
quality control circles or quality circles, cross-functional teams, TQM,
employee participation groups, high-performance teams, self-directed
teams, or simply teams
 Although quality circles and employee teams have been successful in some
companies other companies have experienced high failure rate
The Human Resources Model in Today’s
World

 The following characteristics considered necessary for team success:
 Regular training in problem solving and team work
 Horizontal communication among departments and flexibility with departments
 Employees willing to work
 Managers willing to listen to employees
 Organizations open to change
 Rapid management response to suggestions
 Cooperation between management and unions
The Human Resources Model in Today’s
World

 Contend that there is no one best way
 Joan Woodward found no relationship between any type of
management principle and organizational effectiveness
 Upon reexamination, she found the effectiveness of certain
management principles depended on the type of industry
The Systems/Contingency Model

 Strengths of systems theory:
 Recognizes interdependence of all parts of an organization
 Acknowledges both formal and informal communication as
central to an organization’s success
 Integrates biases of traditional and human relations models
and gives them equal weight
Systems Theory

 Daniel Katz and Robert Kahn referred to organizations as
open systems
 Open system has flexible boundaries that allow communication
to flow easily in and out of organization
 People who link organization with outsiders are boundary
spanners
Systems Theory

 Evolved from general systems theory
 Still being developed
 Several versions, but all have same basic belief:
“No one type of organizational structure or
leadership style is most appropriate for all
situations”
Adaptability is required
Contingency Theory

 Theory Z, developed by William Ouchi, as an alternative to Theories X and Y
 Application of contingency theory
 Successful organizations are those whose corporate culture reflects values of their
employees
 Theory Z company adapts management style to existing employee culture
The Contingency Model in Today’s
World

 Organization’s culture gives members sense of identity
 Makes them feel part of the whole and more committed
 Reinforces expected behaviors
 Culture is transmitted in part by stories, symbols and slogans, jargon, ceremonies, and
principle statements
The Contingency Model in Today’s
World

 Newest organizational models are the transformational
models
 Result of problems that traditional models have experienced
trying to survive in today’s business environment
The Transformational Model

 Transformational
 They have transformed models from the past into the new multiunit and
virtual structures
 Post bureaucratic
 Must have more flexibility
 Technological (or networks)
 Made up of autonomous teams
The Transformational Model

 Made up of separate, autonomous businesses under same
holding company
 Decentralized structure allows large parent company to
operate with flexibility of small businesses
 Often created when large bureaucracies downsize and restructure
The Multiunit Organization

 Temporary venture among several companies, each with special expertise or
process specialty
 Use mutual adjustment as primary means of coordination
 Do not promise long-term employment
 Conditional employment/employability
The Virtual Organization/Virtual Teams

 May be moving toward blend of all models
 All of the following are important to organization and team success:
 Structure
 Trust
 Strong relationships
 Team skills
 Flexibility
 Cultural values
 Environmental awareness
 Global awareness
 Participative management
The Transformational Model in Today’s
World

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