Organisational Communication

Organisational communication is an
evolutionary, culturally dependant process
of sharing information and creating
relationships in environments designed for
manageable, goal oriented behaviour.

Organisational Communication Models

There are five general models :
1) One way model
2) Interaction model
3) Two person relationship model
4) Communication in context model
5) Strategic model

One way model

Interaction model

Two person relationship model

Communication in context model

Strategic model

Alternative Perspectives on
organisational communication

Communication Networks
Communication Networks
The pathways along which information flows
in groups and teams and throughout the
organization.

Communication Networks
Type of communication network
depends on:
The nature of the groups tasks
The extent to which group members need to
communicate with each other to achieve
group goals.

Communication Networks in
Groups and Teams
Type of Network
Wheel Network

Information flows to and from one central

member.

Chain Network

Members communicate only with the people next

to them in the sequence.

Wheel and chain networks provide little interaction.

Circle Network

Members communicate with others close to them

in terms of expertise, experience, and location.

All-Channel
Network

Networks found in teams with high levels of

communications between each member and all
others.

Communication
Networks in
Groups and
Teams

Organization Communication
Networks
Organization Chart
Summarizes the formal reporting channels
in an organization.
Communication in an organization flows
through formal and informal pathways
Vertical communications flow up and down
the corporate hierarchy.

Organization Communication
Networks
Organization Chart
Horizontal communications flow between
employees of the same level.
Informal communications can span levels
and departmentsthe grapevine is an
informal network carrying unofficial
information throughout the firm.

Formal and Informal Communication

Networks in an Organization

Groupware
Employees are likely to resist using
groupware when:
people are working primarily on their own
people are rewarded for their own individual
performances
People are reluctant to share information

Communication Skills for

Managers as Senders
Send clear and complete messages.
Encode messages in symbols the receiver
understands.
Select a medium appropriate for the message and,
importantly, one that is monitored by the receiver.
Avoid filtering (holding back information) and
distortion as the message passes through other
workers.
Include a feedback mechanism is in the message.
Provide accurate information to avoid rumors.

Communication Skills for Managers

as Senders
Jargon
specialized language that members of an
occupation, group, or organization develop
to facilitate communication among
themselves
should never be used when communicating
with people outside the occupation, group,
or organization

Discussion Question?
What is the most important communication
skill for managers?
A. Be a good listener: dont interrupt
B. Be empathetic
C. Ask questions to clarify your
understanding
D. Understand linguistic styles

Communication Skills For Managers

as Receivers
Pay attention to what is sent as a message.
Be a good listener: dont interrupt.
Ask questions to clarify your understanding.
Be empathetic: try to understand what the
sender feels.
Understand linguistic styles: different people
speak differently.
Speed, tone, pausing all impact communication.

Hierarchy of Media Richness

Rich
Overloaded
Zone

Media
Richness

Oversimplified
Zone

Lean
Routine/clear

Situation

Nonroutine/
Ambiguous

Thumbs Up to the Boss!

In Australia, a co-worker

asked Patricia Oliveira why

she laughed when he gave
the thumbs up that
everything is OK. She
explained that this gesture

means something not very

Mark M. Lawrence/Corbis

nice in her home country of

Brazil.

Thumbs Up to the Boss!

After hearing this,
several co-workers
gave the boss a lot
more thumbs up
signs!
Mark M. Lawrence/Corbis

Communicating in Hierarchies
Workspace design
Clustering people in teams
Open office arrangements

Wikis, blogs, and e-zines

Wikis -- collaborative document creation
Blogs -- personal news/opinion for sharing
E-zines -- rapid distribution of company
news

Direct communication with management

Management by walking around (MBWA)
Town hall meetings

Direction of Communication
Downward
Communication that flows from one level of a group or
organization to a lower level.
it is used to
1. Assign goals
2. provide job instructions
3. Informing about policies and procedures
4. Point out problems that need attention
5. Offer feedback about performance

Direction of Communication
Upward Communication
It flows to a higher level in the group or
organization
1. It is used to provide feedback to higher
ups
2. Inform them of progress towards goals
3. Relay current problems

Direction of Communication
Lateral Communication
When it takes place among members of
the same group or managers at same
level or among any horizontally
equivalent personnel.
It is important to
1. Save time
2. Facilitate coordination

HIERARCHY LEVEL
Executive Director
Vice President
Manager

G.M.
All India Sales Manager

MR 1

MR 2

ZSM / DSM
RBM
ABM
MR

Horizontal Comm.

MR 3

Interpersonal Communication
People essentially rely on oral ,written and
nonverbal communication.
Oral Communication:
1. Speeches
2. formal one-on-one
3. Group discussions
4. Informal rumor mill and grapevine

Interpersonal Communication
Advantages of Oral Communication are
Speed
Feedback
The major disadvantage of oral
communication surfaces in organization
whenever the message has to be passed
through a number of people

Interpersonal Communication
Written Communication -- any communication
transmitted via written words or symbols
It includes
1. Memos
2. Letters
3. Fax transmissions
4. Electronic mail
5. Instant messaging
6. Organizational periodicals , etc.

Interpersonal Communication
Non Verbal Communication
When we give a message to anyone we impart non
verbal message as well.
Such as
1. Lift an eyebrow for disbelief
2. Rub your nose for puzzlement
3. Shrug shoulders for indifference
4. Slap our forehead for forgetfulness
5. Tap our fingers for impatience

Organizational communication
Grapevine
It is informal
Yet an important source of information
It is not controlled by the management
It is perceived more believable
It is largely used to serve the self
interests of the people within it

Organizational Grapevine
Early research findings

Transmits information rapidly in all directions

Follows a cluster chain pattern
More active in homogeneous groups
Transmits some degree of truth

Changes due to internet

Email becoming the main grapevine medium
Social networks are now global
Public blogs and forums extends gossip to
everyone

Grapevine Benefits/Limitations
Benefits

Fills in missing information from formal sources

Strengthens corporate culture
Relieves anxiety
Signals that problems exist

Limitations
Distortions might escalate anxiety
Perceived lack of concern for employees when
company info is slower than grapevine

Organizational communication
Computer aided Communication
E- mail
Instant messaging
Intranet and extranet links
Videoconferencing

Seven C's of communication design

Do you design your communications or
do they just kind of happen? When your
communication is important -- that is,
when you want it to be remembered -you need to think carefully and design it
to resonate with your intended audience.

Seven C's of communication design

Designing your communication is an
interactive process. It begins at a high
level, with good questions and good
listening; and ends in details;
constructing a presentation, document,
system or user experience.

The Seven Cs
The seven C's lay out a simple sequence which
can help you start broadly and work your way
down to specifics.

1. Context.
What's going on? Do you understand the
situation? Ask good questions. You'll need a
clear goal before you begin to design any
communication. Ask: who are you talking to and
what do you want them to do?

The Seven Cs

2. Content.
Based on your goal, define a single question
that your communication is designed to answer.
This is the best possible measure of
communication effectiveness. What do you
want your audience to walk away with and
remember? Once you have defined your prime
question, set out to answer it. What information
is required? Do you have the answer already,
or do you need to search it out?

The Seven Cs
3. Components.
Before you build anything, break down your content into
basic "building blocks" of content. Formulate the
information into clusters and groups. What patterns
emerge? How can you make the information more
modular? Given your goal, what is the most
fundamental unit of information?

The Seven Cs

4. Cuts.
This is one of the hardest parts of the
process and most often neglected.
People's attention will quickly drift -- they
expect you to get to the point. Learn to
edit.

The Seven Cs
5. Composition.
Now it's time to design the way you will tell your
story. Think in terms of both written and visual
composition. When writing; who are your main
characters? How will you set up the scene?
What are the goals and conflicts that will
develop? How will the story reach resolution? In
visual terms; where will the reader begin? How
will you lead the eye around the page? In all
your compositional thinking; how will you
engage your audience? How will you keep them
engaged? Writing it down forces you to think it
through.

The Seven Cs
6. Contrast.
What are the differences that matter? Use contrast to
highlight them: Big vs. little; rough vs. smooth; black
vs. white. When making any point, ask, "in comparison
with what?" Contrast is a trigger to the brain that says
"pay attention!"

The Seven Cs
7. Consistency.
Unless you're highlighting differences,
keep things like color, fonts, spacing and
type sizes consistent to avoid distracting
people. Research shows that any
extraneous information will detract from
people's ability to assimilate and learn.