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Learn about the communication process, barriers to communication, chain of command, informal communication networks, nonverbal communication, and ethical issues related to communication in criminal justice organizations.
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Criminal Justice Organizations: Administration and Management Chapter Four – Problems of Communication
Learning Objectives • Know the five steps of the communication process • Be familiar with the nine barriers to communications • Understand how communication and information flow through an agency’s chain of command • Understand informal communication networks in the workplace • Understand nonverbal communication • Understand the difference between communication and information • Understand exchange theory exchange networks • Be able to define linking pin theory • Understand the ethical issues relating to communications
Basic Theory of Communication • Interpersonal communication begins with a dyad – one individual sending information to another person who receives it. • Communication is a sequential process. • Person A (sender) encodes a message and transmits it through some medium. • Person B (receiver) receives the message and decodes it. • Any interruption of this process diminishes the communication.
Basic Theory of Communication • Process • Begins when the sender feels the need to communicate. • Encoding – the sender translates the message into words or symbols • Transmission – the sender conveys the message through a chosen medium (e.g. e-mail) • Decoding – the receiver interprets and determines the meaning of the message • In organizations we must consider dyad functions between individuals, multiple dyads with groups and groups external to the organization.
Basic Theory of Communication • Barriers • Preconceived ideas • Denial of contrary information • Use of personal meanings • Lack of motivation or interest • Non-credibility of the source • Lack of communication skills • Poor organizational climate • Use of complex channels • Communication gap
Communication in Organizations • The communication process between individuals is simple, but has a high potential for failure. • Communications within organizations is far more complex and affected by the: • Organizational climate, • Complexity of communication channels, • Chain of command and hierarchy, and • Informal social system.
Communication in Organizations • Chain of command • Filters messages and may be a barrier • Downward communication – allows executives a clear path to send information to subordinates • Horizontal communication – enables members at the same level to share information, solve problems, and coordinate activities • Informal communication • A reaction to cumbersome formal communication channels – the grapevine.
Communication in Organizations • Organizational rules for communication • Exclusionary rules – limit and differentiate information that can and cannot be used within certain contexts • Organizational rules are often ‘understood’ and highly influenced by the hierarchical nature of the organization. • Content rules – govern standard word usage • Procedural rules – govern how and when communication happens
Communication in Organizations • Informal communication networks • Social structures that evolve through repeated communication between individuals and groups. • Kinship networks – formed more for personal than professional reasons • Nonverbal communication • The oldest and often most powerful form of communication. • Rely on symbols, posture, inflection and other non-spoken elements of the message
Communication in Organizations • Information and Communication • Information is the substance of communication • Communication is the process of sharing information • Load – the rate and complexity of communication • Overload – occurs when the flow of messages exceeds and individual’s or system’s capacity to process them. Affected by • Dependence on the information • Capacity of the receiver • Receiver’s desire for the information
Communication in Organizations • Determinants of communication load • Absolute information – knowledge expressed in recognized symbolic terms • Distributed information – knowledge dispersed • Forms of information • Environmental • Motivational • Instructional
Communication RolesCriminal Justice Practitioners • Networks are dynamic because their members may enter or leave at any time. • Criminal justice workers may be a members of multiple networks simultaneously. • Networks tend to interlock with each other through common members. • The number of potential networks is virtually endless.
Developing Informal Communication Networks • Informal networks are created in order to achieve greater efficiencies or avoid historical communication barriers. • Exchange theory – workers trade information and assistance with other workers in order to gain efficiencies. • Linking pins – individuals who serve as conduits between the groups they are a members of.
Implications • Environmental communication • In criminal justice the public’s right or need to know is balanced with the necessity of keeping some information confidential. • Intra-organizational communication • Hampered by the differential rules and expectations of other organizations. • Inter-organizational communication • The need for communication between all levels of the criminal justice system is more important following recent increases in terrorism.
Communication Technology • The Internet has created new technologies that both facilitate and hamper communication. • Technological innovations sometimes conflict with information security procedures. • Tele- and videoconferencing enhance communication but do not replace face to face interaction.
Ethical Problems • Ethical communication requires: • An understanding of the importance of the communication process, • A commitment to create, promote and protect ethical boundaries for conversation and information sharing, • The avoidance of misusing information as a method of control, and • The setting of boundaries and rules for communication.
Thinking Point and Question • Using the information contained in this chapter, develop a comprehensive plan for improving inter-agency communication. Your plan, at a minimum, should include; • Strategies for overcoming communication barriers, • Opportunities for developing formal and informal communications resources, and • The use of technology to improve communications. • Describe how your plan would work between the police, fire and building permit functions.
Chapter Summary • The five steps of the communication process include: encoding, transmitting, selecting a medium or channel, receiving, and decoding • The nine barriers to communication include: preconceived ideas, denial of contrary information, use of personalized meanings, lack of motivation or interest, non-credibility of source, lack of communication skills, poor organizational climate, use of complex channels, and communication gap. • In a hierarchical organization, communication flows downward from superior to subordinate and upward from subordinate to superior.
Chapter Summary • Executives do not communicate directly with field workers and vice versa. • Horizontal communication facilitates coordination. • Informal communication networks form on their own and for some purpose. • Individuals who are part of an informal communication network share information with each other but not with others who are not included. • Nonverbal communication is part of the message when individuals communicate face to face.
Chapter Summary • Communication is a process that sends a message while information is the actual message. • In an exchange network members communicate regularly and exchange information for information. Information in these networks is a commodity. • Productivity in industry is higher in agencies that are coordinated by interlocking work groups rather than by a monolithic chain of command. • The groups are bound together by individuals (linking pins) who are members of more than one group.
Thinking Point and Question • The newly elected Mayor is concerned about “the apparent lack of communication between agencies within the city’s government”. • She calls a meeting of department heads and observes a palpable level of inter-agency distrust. • You, as an Assistant City Manager, are asked to develop stronger lines of communication between these agencies.
