The document discusses various aspects of communication in organizational settings. It covers topics like the communication process, barriers to effective communication, different communication mediums like email and their pros and cons, nonverbal communication cues, listening skills, and the grapevine. It also addresses challenges from globalization, workforce diversity and offers tips for being a better communicator.

1. CHAPTER 11 SUMMARY
Communication refers to the process by which information is transmitted and understood
between two or more people. Communication supports work coordination, employee
well-being, knowledge management, and decision making,. The communication process
involves forming, encoding, and transmitting the intended message to a receiver, who
then decodes the message and provides feedback to the sender. Effective communication
occurs when the sender’s thoughts are transmitted to and understood by the intended
receiver.
Electronic mail (e-mail) is an increasingly popular way to communicate, and it has
changed communication patterns in organizational settings. However, e-mail also
contributes to information overload, is an ineffective channel for communicating
emotions, tends to reduce politeness and respect in the communication process, and lacks
the warmth of human interaction. Instant messaging is gaining popularity in organizations
because it speeds up the communication process.
Nonverbal communication includes facial gestures, voice intonation, physical
distance, and even silence. Employees make extensive use of nonverbal cues when
engaging in emotional labor because these cues help to transmit prescribed feelings to
customers, co-workers, and others. Emotional contagion refers to the automatic and
unconscious tendency to mimic and synchronize our nonverbal behaviors with other
people. The most appropriate communication medium depends on its data-carrying
capacity (media richness) and its symbolic meaning to the receiver. Nonroutine and
ambiguous situations require rich media.

2. Several barriers create noise in the communication process. People misinterpret
messages because of perceptual biases. Some information is filtered out as it gets passed
up the hierarchy. Jargon and ambiguous language are barriers when the sender and
receiver have different interpretations of the words and symbols used. People also screen
out or misinterpret messages due to information overload.
Globalization and workforce diversity have brought new communication challenges.
Words are easily misunderstood in verbal communication and employees are reluctant to
communicate across cultures. Voice intonation, silence, and other nonverbal cues have
different meaning and importance in other cultures. There are also some communication
differences between men and women, such as the tendency for men to exert status and
engage in report talk in conversations, whereas women use more rapport talk and are
more sensitive than are men to nonverbal cues.
To get a message across, the sender must learn to empathize with the receiver, repeat
the message, choose an appropriate time for the conversation, and be descriptive rather
than evaluative. Listening includes sensing, evaluating, and responding. Active listeners
support these processes by postponing evaluation, avoiding interruptions, maintaining
interest, empathizing, organizing information, showing interest, and clarifying the
message.
Some companies try to encourage informal communication through workspace
design, although open offices run the risk of increasing stress and reducing the ability to
concentrate on work. Many organizations also rely on a combination of print newsletters
and intranet-based e-zines to communicate corporate news. Employee surveys are widely
used to measure employee attitudes or involve employees in corporate decisions. Some

3. executives also meet directly with employees, either through management by walking
around or other arrangements, to facilitate communication across the organization.
In any organization, employees rely on the grapevine, particularly during times of
uncertainty. The grapevine is an unstructured and informal network founded on social
relationships rather than organizational charts or job descriptions. Although early
research identified several unique features of the grapevine, some of these features may
be changing as the Internet plays an increasing role in grapevine communication.