MHR 405 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Social Presence Theory, Organizational Communication, Organizational Learning
13 Sep 2018
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MHR405 Test 2
Week 8 : Communication (chapter 9)
Communication: Definitions and Importance
• Process by which information is transmitted and understood between people
➔ Transmitting intended meaning (not just symbols)
• Importance of communication
➔ Coordinating work activities
➔ Organizational learning
➔ Better decision making
➔ Changing others’ behavior
➔ Employee well-being
Communication Process Model
Improving Communication Coding/Decoding
• Sender/receiver have similar codebooks
• Sender is experienced encoding that message
• Sender/receiver are motivated and able to use the selected channel
• Sender/receiver have shared mental models of the communication context
Communication Channels
• Verbal
➔ Verbal communication uses words, so it includes spoken or written channels.
➔ Spoken and written channels are very different from each other and have different
strengths and weaknesses.
➔ Written mail has generally been a slower medium however, transmitting messages through
email, tweets etc. has improved written communication efficiency.
• Non-verbal
➔ Non-verbal communication is any part of communication that does not use words. It
includes facial gestures, voice intonation, physical distance, and even silence.
How Email has Altered Communication
• Preferred channel for coordinating work
• Tends to increase communication volume
• Significantly alters communication flow
• Somewhat reduces status differences and stereotyping
Problems with Email
• Communicates emotions poorly
• Reduces politeness and respect (flaming)
• Inefficient for ambiguous, complex, novel situations
• Increases information overload
Communicating Through Social Media
• Internet/mobile-based channels with user-generated, interactive content
➔ Blogs, wikis, tweets, personal sites (e.g. Facebook)
➔ More conversational and interactive
➔ Most can develop a public identity
➔ Encourage communities -- links, interactivity, feedback
• Serves diverse functions
➔ Presenting identity, enabling conversations, etc
Nonverbal Communication
• Influences meaning of verbal symbols
• Less rule bound than verbal communication
• Most is automatic nonconscious
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
Choosing Channels: Social Acceptance
• Do others support sue of that communication channel for that purpose?
• Depends on:
1. Firm/team norms for using the channel
2. Individual preferences for using the channel
Document Summary
Communication: definitions and importance: process by which information is transmitted and understood between people. Improving communication coding/decoding: sender/receiver have similar codebooks, sender is experienced encoding that message, sender/receiver are motivated and able to use the selected channel, sender/receiver have shared mental models of the communication context. Verbal communication uses words, so it includes spoken or written channels. Spoken and written channels are very different from each other and have different strengths and weaknesses. Written mail has generally been a slower medium however, transmitting messages through email, tweets etc. has improved written communication efficiency: non-verbal. Non-verbal communication is any part of communication that does not use words. It includes facial gestures, voice intonation, physical distance, and even silence. How email has altered communication: preferred channel for coordinating work, tends to increase communication volume, significantly alters communication flow, somewhat reduces status differences and stereotyping. Problems with email: communicates emotions poorly, reduces politeness and respect (flaming) Blogs, wikis, tweets, personal sites (e. g. facebook)
