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PowerPoint Presentation to Accompany Chapter 17 of

Management Canadian Edition

Schermerhorn Wright

Prepared by: Michael K. McCuddyAdapted by: Lynda Anstett & Lorie Guest

Published by: John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd.

Management - Chapter 17 2

Planning Ahead — Chapter 17 Study Questions

What is the communication process?

How can communication be improved?

How does perception influence communication?

How can we deal positively with conflict?

How can we negotiate successful agreements?


Study Question 1: What is the communication process?

Communication.– An interpersonal process of sending and receiving

symbols with messages attached to them. Key elements of the communication process:

– Sender.– Message.– Communication channel.– Receiver.– Interpreted meaning.– Feedback.


Figure 17.1 The interactive two-way process of interpersonal communication.



Effective and efficient communication:– Effective communication

• Occurs when the intended meaning of the sender is identical to the interpreted meaning of the receiver.

– Efficient communication• Occurs at a minimum resource cost.

– Potential trade-offs between effectiveness and efficiency must be recognized.



Persuasion and credibility in communication.– Communication is used for sharing information

and influencing other people.– Persuasion is getting someone else to support

the message being presented.– Horizontal structures and empowerment are

important contexts for persuasion.



Persuasion and credibility in communication (cont.).– Expert power and referent power are essential

for persuasion.– Credibility involves trust, respect, and integrity

in the eyes of others.– Credibility can be built through expertise and

relationships.



Sources of noise in communication:– Poor choice of channels.

– Poor written or oral expression.

– Failure to recognize nonverbal signals.

– Physical distractions.

– Status effects.

Management Fundamentals - Chapter 17 9


Poor choice of channels.– Choose the channel that works best.– Written channels work for messages that:

• Are simple and easy to convey.• Require extensive dissemination quickly.• Convey formal policy or authoritative directives.

– Spoken channels work best for messages that:• Are complex or difficult to convey where immediate feedback

is needed.• Attempt to create a supportive, even inspirational, climate.



Guidelines for making oral presentations:– Be prepared.– Set the right tone.– Sequence points.– Support your points.– Accent the presentation.– Add the right amount of polish.– Check your technology.– Don’t bet on the Internet.– Be professional.



Failure to recognize nonverbal signals.– Nonverbal communication takes place through

gestures, facial expressions, body posture, eye contact, and use of interpersonal space.

– Mixed messages occur when a person’s words and nonverbal signals communicate different things.

– The growing use of communication technologies causes important nonverbal communication to be lost.



Physical distractions.– Include interruptions from telephone calls,

drop-in visitors, a lack of privacy, etc.

– Can interfere with the effectiveness of a communication attempt.

– Can be avoided or at least minimized through proper planning.



Status effects.– Occur when an organization’s hierarchy of

authority creates a barrier to effective communication.

– Status effects include:• Filtering — the intentional distortion of information

to make it appear favorable to the recipient.• Subordinates acting as “yes men.”


Study Question 2: How can communication be improved?

Active listening.– The process of taking action to help someone say

exactly what he or she really means. Rules for active listening:

– Listen for message content.– Listen for feelings.– Respond to feelings.– Note all cues, verbal and nonverbal.– Paraphrase and restate.



Ten steps for good listening:– Stop talking.– Put the other person at ease.– Show that you want to listen.– Remove any potential distractions.– Empathize with the other person.– Don’t respond too quickly; be patient.– Don’t get mad; hold your temper.– Go easy on argument and criticism.– Ask questions.– Stop talking.



Feedback.– The process of telling others how you feel about

something they did or said, or about the situation in general.

Constructive feedback guidelines:– Give it directly.– Make it specific.– Give it when the receiver is willing/able to accept it.– Make sure it is valid.– Give it in small doses.



Use of communication channels.– Channel richness is the capacity of a

communication channel to carry information in an effective manner.

• Low channel richness is impersonal, one-way, and fast.

• High channel richness is personal, two-way, and slow.

– Managers need to choose a channel with the appropriate richness for the communication.


Figure 17.2 Channel richness and the use of communication media.



Ways to keep communication channels open through interactive management.– Management by wandering around (MBWA).– Open office hours.– Regular employee group meetings.– Computer-mediated meetings and video conferences.– Employee advisory councils.– Communication consultants.– 360-degree feedback.



Proxemics and space design.– Proxemics is the use of interpersonal space.– Interpersonal space is an important nonverbal

cue.– Workspace layout is often overlooked as a form

of nonverbal communication but is being increasingly recognized for its impact on communication and behavior.



Technology utilization.– Information technologies facilitate communication.– The electronic grapevine speeds messages and

information from person to person.• Functional if information is accurate and useful.• Dysfunctional if information is false, distorted, or based on

rumor.

– E-mail privacy.– Employer’s policy on personal e-mail.– Don’t assume that e-mail privacy exists at work..



Valuing culture and diversity.– Ethnocentrism is the tendency to consider one’s

culture superior to any and all others.– Ethnocentrism can cause people to:

• Not listen to others.• Address or speak to others in ways that alienate

them.• Use inappropriate stereotypes in dealing with

someone from another culture.


Study Question 3: How does perception influence communication?

Perception.– The process through which people receive and

interpret information from the environment.

– People can perceive the same things or situations differently.

– People behave on the basis of their perceptions.


Figure 17.3 Perception and communication.



Perception and attribution.– Attribution

• The process of developing explanations for events.

– Fundamental attribution error • Occurs when observers blame another’s performance failures or

problems on internal factors rather than external factors.

– Self-serving bias• Occurs because individuals blame their personal performance

failures or problems on external factors and attribute their successes to internal factors.



Perceptual tendencies and distortions:– Stereotypes.

• Occur when someone is identified with a group or category, and then oversimplified attributes associated with the group or category are used to describe the individual.

– Halo effects.• Occur when one attribute is used to develop an

overall impression of a person or situation.



Perceptual tendencies and distortions (cont.):– Selective perception.

• The tendency to single out for attention those aspects of a situation or attributes of a person that reinforce or appear consistent with one’s existing beliefs, values, or needs.

– Projection.• The assignment of personal attributes to other

individuals.


Study Question 4: How can we deal positively with conflict?

Conflict.– A disagreement between people on:

• Substantive issues regarding goals and tasks, allocation of resources, distribution of rewards, policies and procedures, and job assignments.

• Emotional issues arising from feelings of anger, distrust, dislike, fear, and resentment, as well as personality clashes.

– Conflict that is well managed can help promote creativity and high performance.



Functional conflict.– Moderately intense conflict.– Constructive and stimulates people toward

greater work efforts, cooperation, and creativity.

Dysfunctional conflict.– Low-intensity and very high-intensity conflict.– Destructive and hurts task performance.


Figure 17.4 The relationship between conflict and performance.



Causes of conflict:– Role ambiguities.– Resource scarcities.– Task interdependencies.– Competing objectives.– Structural differentiation.– Unresolved prior conflicts.



Structural approaches for resolving conflicts:– Appealing to superordinate goals.

– Making more resources available.

– Changing the people.

– Altering the physical environment.



Integrative devices for resolving conflicts:– Using liaison personnel, special task forces,

cross-functional teams, or a matrix organization.

– Changing reward systems.

– Changing policies and procedures.

– Training in interpersonal skills.



People’s conflict management styles reflect different combinations of cooperative and assertive behavior.– Cooperativeness is the desire to satisfy the

other party’s needs and concerns.

– Assertiveness is the desire to satisfy one’s own needs and concerns.



Conflict management styles:– Avoidance (withdrawal).

• Uncooperative and unassertive.– Accommodation (smoothing).

• Cooperative and assertive.– Competition (authoritative command).

• Uncooperative and assertive.– Compromise.

• Moderately cooperative and assertive.– Collaboration (problem solving).

• Cooperative and assertive.


Figure 17.5 Alternative conflict management styles.



Conflict management styles:– Lose-lose conflict.

• Management by avoidance or accommodation.

– Win-lose conflict.• Management by competition and compromise.

– Win-win conflict.• Management by collaboration.


Study Question 5: How can we negotiate successful agreements?

Negotiation is the process of making joint decisions when the parties involved have different preferences.

All negotiation situations are susceptible to conflict and require exceptional communication and interpersonal skills.



Negotiation goals and approaches:– Substance goals.

• Concerned with outcomes.• Tied to the “content” issues of negotiation.

– Relationship goals.• Concerned with processes.• Tied to the way people work together.

– Effective negotiations occur when …• Issues of substance are resolved.• Working relationships are maintained or improved.



Criteria for effective negotiation:– Quality.

• Negotiating a “wise” agreement that is truly satisfactory to all sides.

– Cost.• Negotiating efficiently, using minimum resources

and time.– Harmony.

• Negotiating in a way that fosters interpersonal relationships.



Types of negotiation:– Distributive negotiation …

• Focuses on claims made by each party.• Leads to win-lose outcomes.

– Principled (or integrative) negotiation …• Goal is to base the outcome on the merits of

individual claims.• Leads to win-win outcomes.



Gaining integrative agreements:– Separate the people from the problem.– Focus on interests, not on positions.– Generate many alternatives before

deciding what to do.– Insist that results are based on some

objective standard.


Figure 17.6 The bargaining zone in classic two-party negotiation.



Common negotiation pitfalls:– Falling prey to the myth of the “fixed

pie.”– Nonrational escalation of conflict.– Overconfidence and ignoring other’s

needs.– Too much “telling” and too little

“hearing.”



Approaches to avoiding negotiation pitfalls:– Mediation

• Involves a neutral third party who tries to improve communication between negotiating parties and keep them focused on relevant issues.

– Arbitration• Involves a neutral third party who acts as a

judge and issues a binding decision.



Approaches to dispute resolution when integrative agreements cannot be achieved:– Mediation.

• Involves a neutral third party who tries to improve communication between negotiating parties and keep them focused on relevant issues.

– Arbitration.• Involves a neutral third party who acts as a “judge”

and and issues a binding decision.



Ethical issues in negotiation …– High ethical standards should be

maintained.– Profit motive and the competitive desire

to win sometimes lead to unethical behavior.

– Unethical negotiating behavior can lead to short-term gains but long-term losses.

COPYRIGHTCopyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd. All rights reserved. Reproduction or translation of this work beyond that permitted by Access Copyright (The Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency) is unlawful. Requests for further information should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd. The purchaser may make back-up copies for his or her own use only and not for distribution or resale. The author and the publisher assume no responsibility for errors, omissions, or damages caused by the use of these programs or from the use of the information contained herein.

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