IO

• Types of Organizational Communication

  • Upward Communication
  • Downward Communication
  • Business Communication
  • Informal Communication
• Upward Communication


  Communication of subordinates to superiors or of employees to managers
• Serial communication


  The message is relayed from an employee to her supervisor, who relays it to her supervisor, who, in turn, relays it to her supervisor, and so on until the message reaches the top
• Serial communication


  • Minimize the number of different people communicating with the top executive
  • Content and tone of the message change as it moves from person to person
  • Bad news and complaints are seldom relayed, in part due to the stress associated with delivering bad news
• MUM (minimize unpleasant messages) effect


  The idea that people prefer not to pass on unpleasant information, with the result that important information is not always communicated
• With informal communication channels


  It is less effective the farther away two people are from one another
• Methods to facilitate upward communication

  • Attitude surveys
  • Focus groups
  • Suggestion boxes
  • Third parties
• Attitude survey


  A form of upward communication in which a survey is conducted to determine employee attitudes about an organization
• Focus Groups and Exit Interviews


  Hold focus groups, in which an outside consultant meets with groups of current employees to get their opinions and suggestions
• Suggestion Boxes


  A form of upward communication in which employees are asked to place their suggestions in a box
• Complaint box


  A form of upward communication in which employees are asked to place their complaints in a box
• Third-Party Facilitators


  • Liaison - A person who acts as an intermediary between employees and management
  • Ombudsperson - A person who investigates employees' complaints and solves problems
  • Union steward - An employee who serves as a liaison between unionized employees and management
• Downward Communication


  Communication within an organization in which the direction of communication is from management to employees
• Bulletin board


  A method of downward communication in which informal or relatively unimportant written information is posted in a public place
• Electronic bulletin boards


  Allow the display of even more current information
• Policy manual


  A formal method of downward communication in which an organization's rules and procedures are placed in a manual
• Employee handbook


  A shorter manual that contains only the most essential policies and rules, as well as general summaries of less important rules
• Newsletters


  A method of downward communication typically used to communicate organizational feedback and celebrate employee success
• Intranet


  A computer-based employee communication network used exclusively by one organization
• Business Communication


  The transmission of business related information among employees, management, and customers
• Memos


  One of the most common methods of business communication, providing detailed information to a large number of people in a short period of time
• Telephone Calls

  An advantage is that both parties can hear the other's voice inflection, making it easier to understand the tone of the message
• Email and Voice Mail


  Used primarily to exchange general and/or timely information and ask questions, not meant as substitutes for important conversation
• Business Meetings


  A common method of business communication, though their time demands can result in negative employee attitudes
• Open or landscaped office design


  To facilitate employee communication, using large, open office areas without walls and individual work units separated into cubicles
• 3 common designs for open or landscaped offices

  • Freestanding design (bullpen design)
  • Uniform plans
  • Free-form workstations
• Boulevard


  A wide hallway that runs through several departments, encouraging employee interaction
• Portable offices


  Containing an employee's computer, files, and supplies that can be wheeled into a walled office or cubicle when privacy is needed
• Informal Communication

  Communication among employees in an organization that is not directly related to the completion of an organizational task
• Grapevine


  An unofficial, informal communication network
• 4 grapevine patterns


  • Single strand
  • Gossip
  • Probability
  • Cluster
• 3 categories of employees in the grapevine


  • Isolates
  • Liaisons
  • Dead-enders
• Gossip


  Poorly substantiated information and insignificant information that is primarily about individuals
• Rumor

  Poorly substantiated information that is passed along the grapevine
• Interpersonal Communication


  The exchange of a message across a communication channel from one person to another
• Problem Area 1: Intended Message Versus Message Sent


  • Thinking about what you want to communicate
  • Practicing what you want to communicate
  • Learning better communication skills
• Problem Area 2: Message Sent Versus Message Received


  • Communication Channel
  • Noise
  • Nonverbal Cues
  • Amount of Information

  
• Leveled


  Describes a message from which unimportant informational details have been removed before the message is passed from one person to another
• Sharpened


  Describes a message in which interesting and unusual information has been kept in the message when it is passed from one person to another
• Assimilated

  A description of a message in which the information has been modified to fit the existing beliefs and knowledge of the person sending the message before it is passed on to another person