Class Discussion Questions

User Generated

NLQRA2016

Business Finance

Description

You have been hired as a consultant to improve communication between the engineering and marketing staff in a large high-technology company.

Please discuss:

  • Use the communication model and the four ways to improve that process to devise strategies to improve communication effectiveness among employees between these two work units.

Cite ideas from McShane and VonGlinlow (2013) Chapter 9 to support your response.

Please be sure:

  • To support your response with credible sources and examples (Encouraged, not required).
  • All sources used, including the textbook, must be referenced (listed at the end of all responses); paraphrased and quoted material must have accompanying in text citations.

To get more value out of DBs:

  • Online DBs are similar to face-to-face conversations. Real conversation requires that you give extended responses (a minimal response, an explanation or anecdote, a question of your own).
  • Self-edit, know your subject matter, read up, research to see what others are saying, think about what you are going to say, gather your thoughts, make an outline, express concisely.
  • To add depth, breadth, credibility, and validity to your submission add research component in your responses, make sure to list, and cite the sources in the text.
  • End your submission in a way that it grabs the attention of other students, encouraging collaborative thinking, a multiplicity of viewpoints and perspectives.
  • Use Socratic Method (“what,” “how,” “why” questions are open-ended and invite further discussion; “can,” “are,” and “do” questions are closed).

Course Textbook

McShane, S. L., & Von Glinow, M. A. (2013). Organizational behavior: Emerging knowledge, global reality (6th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.

Unformatted Attachment Preview

Communicating in Teams and Organizations McGraw-Hill/Irwin Copyright © 2013 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Communication at Zappos Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh values open communication with staff, such as sending Twitter tweets, writing blogs, and having an office with no door. 9-2 Communication Defined  The process by which information is transmitted and understood between two or more people  Effective communication • Transmitting intended meaning (not just symbols) 9-3 Importance of Communication 1. Coordinating work activities 2. Vehicle for organizational learning 3. Critical ingredient for decision making 4. Influencing others – changing their behavior 5. Employee well-being 9-4 Communication Process Model Sender Form message Transmit Message Encode message Receiver Receive encoded message Decode message Encode feedback Form feedback Noise Decode feedback Receive feedback Transmit Feedback 9-5 Improving Communication Coding/Decoding 1. Communication channel proficiency  Sender/receiver have motivation and ability to use the communication channel 2. Similar codebooks  Both parties generate similar meaning from symbols, language, etc 3. Shared context mental models  Parties have a common understanding of the environment 4. Experience encoding the message  Sender is experienced at communicating the message topic 9-6 Atos Origin Replaces Email with Social Media Communication European information technology company Atos Origin plans to replace email completely with other Internetbased communication tools within the next couple of years. 9-7 How Email has Altered Communication  Now preferred medium for coordinating work  Tends to increase communication volume  Significantly alters communication flow  Reduces some selective attention biases 9-8 Problems with Email  Communicates emotions poorly  Reduces politeness and respect (flaming)  Inefficient for ambiguous, complex, novel situations  Increases information overload 9-9 Communicating Through Social Media  User-generated content • Users, not professionals, create the content • Usually interactive -- viewer can respond • Includes social sites -- Facebook, blogs, wikis, tweets  Serves diverse functions • Presenting individual’s identity, enabling conversations, sharing information, sensing others’ online presence, maintaining relationships, revealing status, supporting interest communities 9-10 Nonverbal Communication    Influences meaning of verbal symbols Less rule bound than verbal communication Most is automatic and nonconscious Courtesy of Microsoft. 9-11 Emotional Contagion  The automatic process of sharing another person’s emotions by mimicking their facial expressions and other nonverbal behavior  Serves three purposes: 1. Provides continuous feedback to speaker 2. Increases emotional understanding of the other person’s experience 3. Communicates a collective sentiment -- sharing the experience as part of drive to bond 9-12 Choosing Channels: Social Acceptance Do others support use of that communication channel for that purpose? Depends on: 1. Firm/team norms for using the channel 2. Individual preferences for using the channel 3. Symbolic meaning of the channel 9-13 I Love Rewards Gets Media-Rich Quickly Every day at 11:15 am, employees at I Love Rewards Inc. meet face-to-face for 10 minutes to communicate priorities and coordinate their efforts. These quick meetings provide a personal connection and highly interactive feedback. 9-14 Choosing Channels: Media Richness The channel’s data-carrying capacity needs to be aligned with the communication activity High richness when channel: 1. conveys multiple cues 2. allows timely feedback 3. allows customized message 4. permits complex symbols Use rich communication media when the situation is nonroutine and ambiguous 9-15 Hierarchy of Media Richness Rich Overloaded Zone Media Richness Oversimplified Zone Lean Routine/clear Situation Nonroutine/ Ambiguous 9-16 Computer-Mediated Exceptions to Media Richness Media richness theory less applicable to computer-mediated channels because: 1.Able to multi-communicate through lean channels 2.More varied proficiency levels 3.Lean channels have less social distraction than do media rich channels 9-17 Persuasive Communication  Changing another person’s beliefs and attitudes.  Spoken communication is more persuasive because: • accompanied by nonverbal communication • has high quality immediate feedback • has high social presence 9-18 Communication Barriers  Perceptions  Filtering  Language • Jargon • Ambiguity  Information Overload 9-19 Information Overload Episodes of information overload Information Load Employee’s information processing capacity Time 9-20 Managing Information Overload  Solution 1: Increase info processing capacity • • • • •  Learn to read faster Scan through documents more efficiently Remove distractions Time management Temporarily work longer hours Solution 2: Reduce information load • Buffering • Omitting • Summarizing 9-21 Cross-Cultural Communication  Verbal differences • Language • Voice intonation • Silence/conversational overlaps  Nonverbal differences • Some nonverbal gestures are universal, but others vary across cultures 9-22 Gender Communication Differences  Men consider more power, status, functionality • Report talk • Give advice quickly • Dominate conversation  Women consider more interpersonal relations • Rapport talk • Indirect advice/requests • Sensitive to nonverbal cues 9-23 Getting Your Message Across 1. Empathize 2. Repeat the message 3. Use timing effectively 4. Focus on the problem, not the person Courtesy of Microsoft. 9-24 Active Listening Process & Strategies Sensing • Postpone evaluation • Avoid interruptions • Maintain interest Active Listening Responding Evaluating • Show interest • Clarify the message • Empathize • Organize information 9-25 Communicating in Hierarchies  Workspace design • Open offices – consider noise, distractions • Clustering people in teams  Web-based organizational communication • Wikis -- collaborative document creation • E-zines -- rapid distribution of company news  Direct communication with management • Management by walking around (MBWA) • Town hall meetings 9-26 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, social networking, tweets are becoming the main grapevine media • Social networks are now global 9-27 Grapevine Benefits/Limitations  Benefits • Fills in missing information from formal sources • Strengthens corporate culture • Relieves anxiety • Associated with the drive to bond  Limitations • Distortions might escalate anxiety • Perceived lack of concern for employees when company info is slower than grapevine 9-28 Communicating in Teams and Organizations Power and Influence in the Workplace McGraw-Hill/Irwin Copyright © 2013 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. The Power of Managing Your Boss Managing your boss is the process of improving the relationship with your manager for the benefit of both of you and the organization. It includes developing bases of power that enable you to influence the manager and thereby achieve organizational objectives. Most executives say it is a key factor in everyone’s career success. 10-2 The Meaning of Power Power is the capacity of a person, team, or organization to influence others. • Potential, not actual use • People have power they don’t use -- may not know they possess • A perception, not necessarily reality 10-3 Power and Dependence Person B’s countervailing power over Person A Person A Person A is perceived as controlling resources that help or hinder Person B’s goal achievement. Person B’s Goal Person B Person A’s power over Person B 10-4 Model of Power in Organizations Sources of Power Legitimate Reward Coercive Expert Referent Power over others Contingencies of Power 10-5 Deference to Authority: Le Jeu de la Mort French reality television recently revealed how far people are willing to submit to authority. Only 16 of the 80 contestants refused to administer the strongest shocks (460 volts – enough to kill a person) when another contestant gave the wrong answers. Fortunately, the other contestant was an actor whose screams were fake; he did not actually receive the shocks. 10-6 Legitimate Power  Agreement that people in certain roles can request certain behaviors of others  Based on job descriptions and mutual agreement  Legitimate power range (zone of indifference) varies across national and org cultures.  Norm of reciprocity – legitimate power as a felt obligation to help others who helped you in the past 10-7 Legitimate Power: Right to Control Information Flow Wheel formation This person has high information control All-channels formation These people individually have low information control 10-8 Reward and Coercive Power  Reward Power • Ability to control the allocation of rewards valued by others and to remove negative sanctions  Coercive Power • Ability to apply punishment • Peer pressure is a form of coercive power  Reward and coercive power exist upward as well as downward in hierarchies. 10-9 Expert Power  The capacity to influence others by possessing knowledge or skills that they value  Coping with uncertainty • Organizations operate better in predictable environments • People gain power by using their expertise to: - Prevent environmental changes - Forecast environmental changes - Absorb environmental changes 10-10 Referent Power  Occurs when others identify with, like, or otherwise respect the person  Associated with charismatic leadership 10-11 Contingencies of Power Sources of Power Power over others Contingencies of Power Substitutability Centrality Discretion Visibility 10-12 The Power of Nonsubstitutability Your personal brand improves career success when you offer something that is valued and nonsubstitutable. “Be unique about something. Be a specialist in something. Be known for something,” advises Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu CEO Barry Salzberg (center). 10-13 Increasing Nonsubstitutability  Few/no alternatives to the resource  Increase nonsubstitutability by controlling the resource • exclusive right to perform medical procedures • control over skilled labor • exclusive knowledge to repair equipment  Differentiate resource from others (i.e. be unique) 10-14 Centrality  Degree and nature of interdependence between the powerholder and others (reflects the person’s importance to others)  Centrality is a function of: • How many others are affected by you • How quickly others are affected by you 10-15 Discretion and Visibility  Discretion • The freedom to exercise judgment • Rules limit discretion, limit power • Also a perception – acting as if you have discretion  Visibility • Make others aware of your presence –more face time, locate office near busy routes • Symbols communicate your power source(s) - Educational diplomas - Clothing etc (stethoscope around neck) 10-16 Power and Influence Through Social Networks  Social networks – people connected to each other through forms of interdependence  Generate power through social capital -goodwill and resulting resources shared among members in a social network  Three power resources through social networks • Knowledge sharing • Visibility • Referent power 10-17 Social Network Ties  Strong ties: • Close-knit relationships (frequent interaction, high volume sharing, multiple roles) • Offer resources more quickly/plentifully, but less unique  Weak ties • Acquaintances • Offer unique resources not held by us or people in other networks  Many ties • Resources increase with number of ties • Limits on number of weak/strong ties one can create 10-18 Social Network Centrality   Person’s importance in a network Three factors in centrality: A 1. Betweenness – extent you are located between others in the network (i.e. information gatekeeper) 2. Degree centrality -- Number of people connected to you 3. Closeness – stronger relationships (faster/plentiful resources)  B Example: “A” has highest network centrality due to all three factors; “B” has lowest centrality 10-19 Influencing Others  Influence -- any behavior that attempts to alter someone’s attitudes or behavior  Applies one or more power bases  Process through which people achieve organizational objectives  Operates up, down, and across the organizational hierarchy 10-20 Types of Influence Silent Authority • Following requests without overt influence • Based on legitimate power, role modeling • Common in high power distance cultures Assertiveness • Actively applying legitimate and coercive power (“vocal authority”) • Reminding, confronting, checking, threatening more 10-21 Types of Influence (con’t) Information Control • Manipulating others’ access to information • Withholding, filtering, re-arranging information Coalition Formation • Group forms to gain more power than individuals alone 1. Pools resources/power 2. Legitimizes the issue 3. Power through social identity more 10-22 Types of Influence (con’t) Upward Appeal • Appealing to higher authority • Includes appealing to firm’s goals • Alliance or perceived alliance with higher status person Persuasion • Logic, facts, emotional appeals • Depends on persuader, message content, message medium, audience more 10-23 Types of Influence (con’t) Ingratiation/ Impress. Mgt. Exchange • Increase liking by, or perceived similarity to the target person • Promising or reminding of past benefits in exchange for compliance • Includes negotiation and networking 10-24 Consequences of Influence Tactics people oppose the behavior desired by the influencer motivated by external sources (rewards) to implement request identify with and highly motivated to implement request Resistance Compliance Commitment 10-25 Consequences of Influence Tactics Hard Influence Tactics Soft Influence Tactics Silent authority Persuasion Upward appeal Coalition formation Ingratiation & impression mgt Information control Exchange Assertiveness Resistance Compliance Commitment 10-26 Contingencies of Influence Tactics  “Soft” tactics generally more acceptable than “hard” tactics  Appropriate influence tactic depends on: • Influencer’s power base • Organizational position • Cultural values and expectations 10-27 Organizational Politics Behaviors that others perceive as self-serving tactics for personal gain at the expense of other people and possibly the organization. 10-28 Conditions that Encourage Organizational Politics • Scarce resources – to safeguard own resources • Ambiguous resource allocation decisions • Organizational change – due to uncertainty, ambiguity 10-29 Minimizing Political Behavior       Introduce clear rules for scarce resources Effective organizational change practices Suppress norms that support or tolerate self-serving behavior Leaders role model organizational citizenship Give employees more control over their work Keep employees informed 10-30 Power and Influence in the Workplace UNIT V STUDY GUIDE Team Communication & Power and Influence Course Learning Outcomes for Unit V Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to: 1. Explain why communication is important in organizations and the four influences on effective communication encoding and decoding. 2. Compare and contrast the advantages of and problems with electronic mail, other verbal communication media, and nonverbal communication. 3. Explain how social acceptance and media richness influence the preferred communication channel. 4. Determine effective communication strategies in organizational hierarchies and the role and relevance of the organizational grapevine. 5. Elaborate on the dependence model of power as well as the five sources of power in organizations. 6. Discuss the four contingencies of power. 7. Explain how people and work units gain power through social networks. Reading Assignment Chapter 9: Communicating in Teams and Organizations Chapter 10: Power and Influence in the Workplace, pp. 288-301 Unit Lesson Effective Communication The interdependence of organizational departments or any organizational setup is highly dependent on communication. There are many influences on communication. Body language and eye contact are among the physical ones. With virtual teams, however, we have to consider other factors to accommodate for the unstated intent or feeling/tone of our message. Still other factors, such as integrity and care for ensuring the process is effective, are helpful to efficacy. During this unit, we will discuss the advantages of email and social media, for instance, and ways it expedites communication that is transactional in nature. We will also uncover the value of non-electronic communication – simply put, the need for face-to-face communication. We will consider what is lost when we use electronic mail and other technologies. What is missing from these communications? While emoticons can help suggest emotion, there are countless facial expressions and other types of body language that add texture to the art of human communications that are simply lost when we do not talk to people in person. Also, culture and customs might not be respected with a lack of human contact or too much human contact. Social and business norms are also considerations when we consider the inherent and unavoidable communication break-downs in an organization. Thus, improving communications of any type, whether verbal, face-to-face, media-supported, or nonverbal is every company’s quest. As we examine the ways communications are transmitted, we will also need to consider the role of social acceptance. Is it safe for a teacher or security guard to be texting while it is their duty to supervise or provide surveillance? Was the telephone, an auditory device, a better method because it did not take away their visual contact with their duty? BBA 3451, Organizational Theory and Behavior 1 Organizations must determine effective communication strategies and, in doing so, consider many factors such as media richness, which is a theory that helps us to choose and assess proficient communication tools. We see barriers in many situations. For example, a person working in a busy call center might communicate better in a live chat because a verbal discussion would be interrupted by the background noise. Depending on the organizational hierarchy or design, communication processes can be formal or informal. Management by walking around (MBWA) was coined by managers at Hewlett Packard who discovered that the live presence of communications with employees helped propel effective two-way communications among managers to subordinates. The organizational grapevine is known to be the fastest form of communications. It can lead to the rumor mill, or it can act as a conduit of factual organizational stories and values. There are benefits and limitations to the grapevine, but managers who understand it is motivated by the need of subordinates to bond, will not fear the grapevine, but instead allow it to be an opportunity to spread intended messages. Do you think the grapevine can be used purposefully? Consider the Debating Point on page 279 in the textbook. Power is gained in the organization on many levels, including bridging issues via social networks and cliques (McShane & Von Glinow, 2013). Leadership and subordinates must have a shared understanding of power. While respect and trust are optimal, the process of relationship is subsequent to clear expectations of both the lines of authority and the power of the communication structures. Consider your current or past workplace. Who has the power? Reference McShane, S. L., & Von Glinow, M. A. (2013). Organizational behavior (6th ed.). New York, NY: McGrawHill/Irwin. Suggested Reading Click here for the Chapter 9 Presentation in PowerPoint form. Click here to access a PDF version of the presentation. Click here for the Chapter 10 Presentation in PowerPoint form. Click here to access a PDF version of the presentation. Using the CSU Online Library, locate and read the following article. Look for this article using the Academic OneFile Database: Patterson, P. D., Pfeiffer, A. J., Weaver, M. D., Krackhardt, D., Arnold, R. M., Yealy, D. M., & Lave, J. R. (2013). Network analysis of team communication in a busy emergency department. BMC Health Services Research, 13, 109. Learning Activities (Non-Graded) Active Listening Exercise (Adapted from McShane & VonGlinlow, 2013, p. 284) This exercise is designed to help you understand the dynamics of active listening in conversations and to develop active listening skills. For each of the two vignettes presented below, compose three statements that demonstrate active listening. One statement will indicate that you show empathy for the situation; the second will ask for clarification and detail in a nonjudgmental way; and the third statement will provide non-evaluative feedback to the speaker. Here are some details about each of these three types of responses:  Showing empathy: Acknowledge feelings. Sometimes it sounds like a speaker wants you to agree with him or her, but in reality the speaker mainly wants you to understand how he or she feels. “Acknowledging feelings” involves taking in the speaker's statements while looking at the “whole BBA 3451, Organizational Theory and Behavior 2   message,” including body language, tone of voice, and level of arousal, and trying to determine what emotion the speaker is conveying. Then you let the speaker know that you realize what he or she is feeling by acknowledging it in a sentence. Asking for clarification and detail while withholding judgment and opinions. This step conveys that you are trying to understand and not just trying to push your opinions onto the speaker. To formulate a relevant question in asking for more clarification, you will have to listen carefully to what the speaker says. Frame your question as someone trying to understand in more detail; often asking for a specific example is useful. This also helps the speaker evaluate his or her own opinions and perspective. Providing non-evaluative feedback: Feeding back the message you heard. This will allow the speaker to determine if he or she has conveyed the message to you and will help prevent troublesome miscommunication. It will also help the speaker become more aware of how he or she is coming across to another person (self-evaluation). Just think about what the speaker is conveying; paraphrase it in your own words, and say it back to the speaker (without judging the correctness or merit of what was said), asking him or her if that is what was meant. After you have prepared the three statements for each vignette, explain how these statements satisfy the active listening criteria. Vignette 1: A colleague stops by your desk and says, “I am tired of the lack of leadership around here. The boss is so wishy-washy; he can't get tough with some of the slackers around here. They just keep milking the company, living off the rest of us. Why doesn't management do something about these guys? And you are always so supportive of the boss; he's not as good as you make him out to be.” Develop three statements that respond to the speaker in this vignette by (a) showing empathy, (b) seeking clarification, and (c) providing non-evaluative feedback. Vignette 2: Your subordinate comes into your office in a state of agitation, asking if she can talk to you. She is polite and sits down. She seems calm and does not have an angry look on her face. However, she says, “It seems like you consistently make up lousy schedules; you are unfair and unrealistic in the kinds of assignments you give certain people, me included. Everyone else is so intimidated they don't complain, but I think you need to know that this isn't right and it's got to change.” Develop three statements that respond to the speaker in this vignette by (a) showing empathy, (b) seeking clarification, and (c) providing non-evaluative feedback. Submit your answers in APA essay format with headings to separate each part of your response Non-graded Learning Activities are provided to aid students in their course of study. You do not have to submit them. If you have questions, contact your instructor for further guidance and information. BBA 3451, Organizational Theory and Behavior 3
Purchase answer to see full attachment
User generated content is uploaded by users for the purposes of learning and should be used following Studypool's honor code & terms of service.

Explanation & Answer

Hello,Find attached the completed work.Feel free to ask for any editing or clarification if need be.Looking forward to working with you again in the future.Thank you.
Attached.

Running head: DISCUSSION

Discussion: Communication
Student’s Name
Professor’s Name
Course Title
Date

DISCUSSION
All units within an organization have to work collaboratively if the overall set
goals and objectives are to be achieved. This can be achieved by effective
communication, which ac...


Anonymous
Just what I was looking for! Super helpful.

Studypool
4.7
Trustpilot
4.5
Sitejabber
4.4

Related Tags