ENGL307 Fundamentals of Organisational Communication

1. ENGL307 Fundamentals of Organisational Communication Textbook Shockley-Zalabak, P.S. (2006) Fundamentals of Organizational Communication: Knowledge, Sensitivity, Skills, Values. 6th edition. Boston: Pearson/Allyn & Bacon. ( Chapter 5: Individuals in Organizations ) chap 5

2. INDIVIDUALSin organisations INDIVIDUALS (?)not (?)not humans persons chap 5

3. INDIVIDUALSin organisations individuals (rational, autonomous) vs masses (irrational, herd-like) chap 5

4. individuals’intraPERSONal experiences Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (needs x 5) • physiological: food, sleep, sex, survival • safety & security: freedom from physical harm • love & belonging: family, friends, peers / colleagues • esteem: self-respect, others’ respect, status, privileges • self-actualization: full realisation of potentials chap 5

5. individuals’intraPERSONal experiences Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (needs x 8) • physiological • safety & security • love & belonging • esteem • cognitive: knowledge, meaning • aesthetic: appreciation of beauty & balance • self-actualization • self-transcendence: helping other people to self-actualize chap 5

6. individuals’intraPERSONal experiences motivational factors  satisfaction “hygiene” factors  dissatisfaction satisfaction & dissatisation are not polar opposites; reduction of dissatisfaction will not necessarily raise satisfaction Herzberg’s Motivation-Hygiene Theory VS chap 5

7. individuals’intraPERSONal experiences Herzberg’s Motivation-Hygiene Theory motivational factors: • work achievement • growth & responsibility • recognition & advancement chap 5

8. individuals’intraPERSONal experiences Herzberg’s Motivation-Hygiene Theory “hygiene” (environmental) factors: • salary & work conditions • job status • interpersonal relations & supervison • organisational policies chap 5

9. individuals’intraPERSONal experiences Skinner’s Reinforcement Theory - give positive reinforcement in the form of tangible rewards in response to desired behaviour in order to increase the behaviour; - give negative reinforcement in the form of tangible punishments in response to undesirable behaviour in order to reduce the behaviour chap 5

10. individuals’intraPERSONal experiences Salancik & Pfeffer’s Social Information Processing Theory Individuals’ needs & attitudes: - are determined by the information they have; - change according to: • their own perceptions of the current task; • what other people tell them is the right thing to do; • their perceptions of their own past behaviour chap 5

11. individuals’intraPERSONal effectiveness Communication Apprehension an individual’s level of fear/anxiety about communication with others whether real or anticipated chap 5

12. individuals’intraPERSONal effectiveness high-CA vs low-CA individuals • job choice • perceived competence • job satisfaction • job advancement • job retention chap 5

13. individuals’intraPERSONal effectiveness Leadership & conflict preferences • collaboration • compromise • competition • accommodation • avoidance chap 5

14. interPERSONalrelationships in organisations Organisational relationships • impersonal • task-oriented • primarily hierarchical chap 5

15. interPERSONalrelationships in organisations Leader-Member Exchange Theory • leaders’ time & other resources are limited • leaders share these limited resources with individual team members differently chap 5

16. interPERSONalrelationships in organisations HIGH (in-group)vsLOW (out-group) LMXs: • info exchange • mutual support • use of informal influence • level of trust • negotiating latitude • input to decision-making chap 5

17. To enhanceinterPERSONal effectiveness the “Pelz Effect” subordinates’ satisfaction from supervisor’s supportive communication  subordinates’ perception of their superviser’s upward influence chap 5

18. interPERSONalrelationships in organisations the “Positivity Bias” : Subordinates filter & distort upward communication by telling their supervisors: • what they think will please her; • what they want her to know; • what they think she wants to hear; • what will make themselves look good chap 5

19. To enhanceinterPERSONal effectiveness “Advocacy” as a possible solution • manage your supervisor • champion proposals & actions • build persuasive arguments that suit your supervisor’s organisational needs chap 5

20. To enhanceinterPERSONal effectiveness • value diversity / differences • listen actively • own your messages • use descriptive language chap 5

21. ValueDiversity / Differences • personalise knowledge & perceptions (avoid pre-conceptions); • tolerate ambiguity (or the sense of lacking control) & the frustrations it brings (avoid shallow stereotyping); • be non-judgemental (avoid biases & prejudices); • respect individuals’ stylistic differences in communication chap 5

22. ValueDiversity / Differences The future workforce • diverse cultural backgrounds of workers • expansion / integration of worker support services • flexible employment • focused human resource development (e.g. co-operative education) • globalisation of job markets • virtual corporations & communities chap 5

23. Active Listening • includes the processes of hearing, assigning meaning & verifying interpretations; • begins with our own attitude about our role in the communication process chap 5

24. Active Listening Positive listening attitude: • genuine concern for understanding what the other party has to say; • sense meaning from the other party’s point of view (i.e. be empathetic); • avoid jumping to your own conclusions chap 5

25. Active Listening • hearing =/= listening • listening = interpreting (or, making sense) • people might hear the same message, but often listen to it in different ways chap 5

26. Active Listening Shockley-Zalabak (2006:179): “… none of us ever fully experiences another person’s meaning. Instead, we interpret that meaning through communication …” chap 5

27. Active Listening Barriers: • label someone or something uninteresting; • emotionally resist messages that we dislike; • criticise styles rather than focus on content; • fail to identify distractions & steer your attention away from them; • (?) fail to take advantage of the higher speed of thinking (as compared with lower speed of speech); • fake attention chap 5

28. Strategic Use ofDescriptive Messages 2 basic tactics: • message ownership • descriptive language chap 5

29. Strategic Use of Descriptive MessagesEffective Message Ownership • “own” your views, perceptions & feelings (i.e. be totally responsible for them, rather than shifting that responsibility to someone else, or blaming someone else for them); • communicate explicitly your views & feelings (say “I think” rather than “some people think”) chap 5

30. Strategic Use of Descriptive MessagesEffective Descriptive Language • focus on observable facts, events & behaviour (rather than other people’s attitudes) • describe (rather than judge or evaluate) chap 5