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CHAPTER 11: ORGANIZATIONAL  useful only IF AN ORGANIZATION

TAKES THE RESULTS SERIOUSLY
COMMUNICATION
3. Focus Groups and Exit Interviews
To be an effective employee, manager, client, or
consultant, it is essential to communicate  an outside consultant meets with
effectively with others. groups of current employees to get
their opinions and suggestions to be
Types of Organizational Communication
passed on the management.
UPWARD COMMUNICATION  the CONSULTANT IS NOT TOLD THE
NAMES OF THE EMPLOYEES in the
 communication of subordinates to focus group, and no direct quotes that
superiors or of employees to managers could potentially identify a particular
 ideal uc: open door policy (but, it’s not employee are passed on
practical because employees often feel
threatened by managers and may not 4. Suggestion Boxes
be willing to openly communicate bad
 allow employees to immediately
news or complaints)
communicate their feelings
1. Serial Communication ANONYMOUSLY
 management must respond to the
 message is relayed from an employee suggestions and complaints in a timely
to her supervisor, who relays it to her manner thru bulletin boards or
supervisor, who, in turn, relays it to her intranets
supervisor, and so on until the message
reaches the top. 5. Third-Party Facilitators

Drawbacks of SC  The use of a third party such as a liaison

or an ombudsperson is another method
 content and tone of the message that can increase upward
change as it moves from person to communication.
person  responsible for taking employee
 MUM (minimize unpleasant messages) complaints and suggestions and
effect (bad news and complaints are personally working with management.
seldom relayed)  ombudsperson method is often NOT
 with informal communication channels, USED because organizations do not
its effectiveness depends on the close want the expense of an employee who
physical proximity “does not produce.”
2. Attitude Surveys  opens communication channels and
provide job enrichment for an
 conducted annually by an outside employee who works at an otherwise
consultant who administers a boring job
questionnaire asking employees to
rate their opinions on such factors as
satisfaction with pay, working
conditions, and supervisors.
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DOWNWARD COMMUNICATION  The material in the present

handbook supersedes material in
 superior to subordinate or
previous handbooks.
management to employees
 The handbook can be changed only
 key method not only of keeping
in writing by the president of the
employees informed but of
organization, and it can be changed
communicating vital information
UNILATERALLY at any time.
needed by employees to perform their
 Employees are subject to provisions
jobs.
of any amendments, detentions,
1. Bulletin Boards and changes in the handbook

 communicate non work–related 3. Newsletters

opportunities
 designed to bolster employee morale
 advantage of low cost and wide
by discussing happy or innocuous
exposure to both employees and
event
visitors
 good sources of information for
 Electronic bulletin boards (in-house
celebrating employee successes,
message networks) allow the display of
providing feedback on how well the
even more current information
organization is doing, introducing a
2. Policy Manuals new employee, and providing
reminders about organizational
 place for posting important changes in
changes.
policy or procedure.
 saves printing expenses, allows for
 written in highly technical language
faster dissemination of information,
 considered binding contracts by courts,
and provides greater flexibility for
so the manuals must be updated each
making changes and updates.
time a policy changes.
 Policy Manual (very specific and 4. Intranets
lengthy containing all of the rules and
 organization-wide versions of the
policies under which the organization
Internet
operates)
 most useful aspects are the speed at
 Employee Handbook (shorter and
which the company can survey
contains only the most essential
employees about new ideas, employee
policies and rules)
self-service, convenience and 24hour
 PM should contain the following six
support, and reduced paper, printing,
disclaimers Sosnin (2001):
and postage costs.
 Employment with the organization
is at-will.
 The handbook does not create
BUSINESS COMMUNICATION
either an expressed or an implied
contract.  transmission of business-related
 The handbook is a set of guidelines information among employees,
and should not be considered all- management, and customers.
inclusive.
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 include memos, telephone calls, and (“flaming”) that might not have been
email and voice mail. communicated in person, and the
tendency to not proof-read messages
1. Memos (Memorandum)
 NEVER PUT SOMETHING IN AN EMAIL
 providing detailed information to a THAT YOU WOULD NOT WANT TO SEE
large number of people in a short PUBLISHED
period of time  the following email etiquette
commonly provided in such training:
2. Telephone Calls  Include a greeting and a closing
 appropriate only for messages that did  Include a detailed subject line.
not involve detail.  Don’t write in all caps. It is difficult
 allows detailed sketches or numbers to to read and comes across as if you
be sent to people in different locations are screaming.
in a matter of seconds, and these can  If you are going to forward an email
then be discussed over the telephone message, change the original
 LIMITATION: nonverbal cues are subject line and delete the long list
unavailable and conversations are not of previous messages or names of
documented people to whom the email had
been previously forwarded.
3. Email and Voice Mail  Take the same care in writing (e.g.,
 used primarily to exchange general spelling, grammar) that you would
and/or timely information and ask take in writing a formal memo.
questions.  Don’t spend company time on
 ADVANTAGE: reduction in the use and personal email unless your
filing of paper and time saved by organization specifically allows you
avoiding “small talk” when to do so.
communicating a short message by  Allow ample time for the receiver to
phone respond; not everyone considers
 LIMITATION OF VM: results in “phone email to require an immediate
tag,” and both email and voice mail response
reduce opportunities for personal
4. Business Meetings
contact
 ADVANTAGES OF EMAIL: easily 5. Office Designs (cube farm)
document the sending and receiving of
 the design uses large, open office areas
email, the opportunity to communicate
without walls.
with many people at one time, and the
 employees will communicate better
potential for quick response times,
with one another and be easier to
especially when some form of instant
supervise and help without the physical
messaging is use
barriers of walls
 LIMITATION OF EMAIL:
 three (3) common designs
misinterpretations due to the absence
 freestanding design (bullpen
of paralanguage, the tendency to be
design) - all desks are placed in a
too informal, the increased likelihood
large area that is completely open
of expressing negative emotions
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 uniform plans - desks are placed at  probability grapevine - Jones tells

uniform distances and are the message to a few other
separated by panels into cubicle employees, and they in turn
areas randomly pass the message along
 free-form workstations - use a to other employees
combination of designs so that the  cluster grapevine - ones tells only a
different needs of each worker can few select employees, who in turn
be accommodated tell a few select others
 two (2) trends in designs  three (3) categories of employees
 boulevard - a wide hallway that  isolates - employees who
runs through several departments received less than half of the
 portable offices - containing an information
employee’s computer, files, and  liaisons (managers) -
supplies that can be wheeled into a employees who both received
walled office or cubicle when most of the information and
privacy is needed passed it on to others
 dead-enders - heard most of
the information but seldom
INFORMAL COMMUNICATION passed it on to other
employees
 transmitted through the grapevine  grapevine contains two types of
(loosely hung telegraph wires information: gossip and rumor
resembled grapevines)
 gossip - about individuals
 communication across these lines was
and the content of the
often distorted because unofficial
message lacks significance
employee communication is also
to the people gossiping.
thought to be distorted
 Rumor - contains
 grapevines are common because they
information that is
provide employees with information,
significant to the lives of
power, and entertainment
those communicating the
 four (4) grapevine patterns
message, and can be about
 single-strand grapevine - Jones
individuals or other topics
passes a message to Smith, who
 not all horizontal communication is
passes the message to Brown, and
informal
so on until the message is received
by everyone or someone “breaks
the chain.” INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION
 gossip grapevine - Jones passes the
message to only a select group of  exchange of a message across a
people. Notice that with this communication channel from one
pattern only one person passes the person to another
message along, and not everyone  begins with a sender encoding and
has a chance to receive, or will transmitting a message across a
receive, it communication channel (e.g., by
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memo, orally, nonverbally) and  gatekeeper: a person who

ends with the receiver screens potential
communication and allows
Three (3) Main Problem Areas
only the most important to go
Problem Area 1: Intended Message Versus through
Message Sent  multiple channels: reduces the
amount of communication
 when the message a person sends is
going to one person by
not the message she intended
directing some of it to another
 Solutions: thinking about what you
want to communicate, practicing what Problem Area 3: Message Received Versus
you want to communicate, and Message Interpreted
learning better communication skills.
 its meaning can change depending on
Problem Area 2: Message Sent Versus Message the way in which the receiver
Received interprets the message

 The Actual Words Used (individual Factors affecting Interpretation

differences in
 Listening Skills
communication/interpretation)
 Styles of Listening
 Communication Channel
 Leisure listening is practiced by
 Noise (any interference that affects
“good-time” people who listen
proper reception of a message)
only for words that indicate
 Nonverbal Cues (body language, gender
pleasure
differences, use of space, use of time)
 Inclusive listening is the style of
 Paralanguage (tone, tempo, volume,
the person who listens for the
number and duration of pauses, and
main ideas behind any
rate of speech)
communication
 Artifacts (a person wears or with which
 Stylistic listening is practiced by
she surrounds herself)
the person who listens to the
 Amount of Information (affect the
way the communication is
accuracy with which it is received)
presented
 Reactions to Communication Overload
 Emotional State
 omission: a conscious decision
 Cognitive Ability
not to process certain types of
 Bias
information
 error: type of response, the
employee attempts to deal
with every message she IMPROVING EMPLOYEE
receives COMMUNICATION SKILLS
 queuing: placing the work into
a queue, or waiting line  Interpersonal Communication Skills -
 escape: through absenteeism training workshop conducted by an
and ultimately through outside consultant
resignation  Written Communication Skills -
learning better writing skills and by
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writing organizational documents at a

reading level that matches the reading
level of most employees
 Improving Writing
 Readability (Fry Readability Graph)