Virgilio C. Boado, MA Ed.M

School Principal IV, PEQNHS

A process by which information and understanding are transferred between a sender and a receiver

6

Internal and external sources

Strategic ConversationOpen climate ListeningDiscernmentDialogue

Purpose DirectedDirect attention to vision/values, desired outcomes; use persuasion

MethodsUse rich channels Stories and metaphorsInformal communication

Leaderas

Communication Champion

7

Leaders sharing all types of information throughout the organization and across all levels.

8

An open climate is essential for cascading vision, andcascading is essential because:

Natural Law 1: You Get What You talk about A vision must have ample ‘air time’ in an organization. A vision must be

shared and practiced by leaders at every opportunity.

Natural Law 2: The Climate of an Organization is aReflection of the Leader A leader who doesn’t embody the vision and values doesn’t have an

organization that does.

Natural Law 3: You Can’t Walk Faster Than One Step at a Time A vision is neither understood nor accepted overnight. Communicating

must be built into continuous, daily interaction so that over time followers will internalize it.

9

Keys Poor Listener Good Listener

1. Listen actively Is passive, laid back Asks questions; paraphrases what

is said

2. Find areas of interest Tunes out dry subjects Looks for opportunities, new

learning

3. Resist distractions Is easily distracted Fights distractions; tolerates bad

habits; knows how to concentrate

4. Capitalize on the fact that

thought is faster than speech

Tends to daydream with slow

speakers

Challenges, anticipates,

summarizes; listens between lines

to tone of voice

5. Be responsive Is minimally involved Nods; shows interest, positive

feedback

10

Keys Poor Listener Good Listener

6. Judge content, not

delivery

Tunes out if delivery is

poor

Judges content; skips over

delivery errors

7. Hold one’s fire Has preconceptions;

argues

Does not judge until

comprehension is

complete

8. Listen for ideas Listens for facts Listens to central themes

9. Work at listening No energy output; faked

attention

Works hard; exhibits active

body state, eye contact

10. Exercise one’s mind Resists difficult material in

favor of light, recreational

material

Uses heavier material as

exercise for the mind

11

12

13

Do Use e-mail to set up meetings, to recap spoken

conversations, or to follow up on information already discussed face-to-face.

Keep e-mail messages short and to-the-point. Many people read e-mail on handheld devices, which have small screens.

Use e-mail to prepare a group of people for a meeting. For example, it is convenient to send the same documents to a number of people and ask them to review the materials before the meeting.

Use e-mail to transmit standard reports. Act like a newspaper reporter. Use the subject line to

quickly grab the reader’s attention.

14

Don’t Use e-mail to discuss something with a colleague

who sits across the aisle or down the hall from you. Take the old-fashioned approach of speaking to each other.

Lambast a friend or colleague via e-mail – and especially don’t copy others on the message.

Use e-mail to start or perpetuate a feud.

Write anything in an e-mail you wouldn’t want published in a newspaper. E-mail with sensitive or potentially embarrassing information has an uncanny way of leaking out.

I.Formal Communication in Organizations

Formal communication f lows along prescribed channels which all members desirous of communicating with one another are obliged to follow.

A. Vertical Communication

1. Upward Communication

2.Downward Communication

B. Horizontal Communication

II. Communication Networks

III. Informal Communication In Organizations

It is the transmission of information through nonofficial channels within the organization.

The Grapevine

Vertical Communication Horizontal Communication

A. Vertical Communication

Communication that flows both up and down the organization, usually along formal reporting lines-that is, it is the communication that takes place between managers and their superiors and subordinates. Vertical communication may involve only two persons, or it may flow through several different organizational levels.

Downward Communication occurs when information flows down the hierarchy from superiors to subordinates.

Examples : Orders, circulars, individual instructions, policy statements, Inter Office Memos, e-mail, notices

It is best suited for organizations where the line of authority runs distinctly downwards.

Main objectives:

To give specific directions to subordinates about the job entrusted.

To explain organizational policies and procedures.

To apprise the subordinates of their performance.

To give subordinates the rationale of the job so that they understand the

significance of the job in relation to organizational goals.

1.Under-communication

- Superior may talk little about the job.

- Withholding of information

2.Over-communication

- superior may talk too much

- Leaking of information

3. Delay

- Line of communication being long.

4. Loss of Information

-Unless written, it will not be transmitted fully.

-Sometimes written communication may not be fully understood.

5. Distortion

-Long lines of communication- exaggerating or under-statement

Communication consists of messages from subordinates to superiors. This flow is usually from subordinates to their direct superior, then to that person’s direct superior, and so on up the hierarchy. Occasionally, a message might by-pass a particular superior.

Examples : The typical content of upward communication is requests, information that the lower-level manager thinks is important to the higher-level manager, responses to requests from the higher-level manager, suggestions, complaints, and financial information.

Importance :

1.Providing feedback: Whether directions issued are understood by lower staff.

2.Outlet for pent-up emotions : Grievances and problems addressed, solutions are developed and employees feel better after having talked about them.

3.Constructive suggestions: These can be secured for improvement of the organization.

1. Open-door policy: Employees are given a feeling that their views, suggestions are always welcome by superiors.

2. Complaints and suggestion Boxes : Are installed in the company. Employees are encouraged to drop in these boxes.

3. Direct Correspondence: Write directly to superiors or managers.

4. Counseling : Employees are encouraged to talk to their superiors of their problems.

Employees are reluctant to initiate upward communication as they - feel it may reflect their efficiency. - fear of disapproval from superiors.

Upward documentation is prone to distortion.Unpleasant information is distorted more.

Workers/juniors may ignore immediate superiors and approach higher management. Immediate superiors may feel: - bypassed. - become suspicious of intentions.

Whereas vertical communication involves a superior and a subordinate, horizontal communication involves colleagues and peers at the same level of the organization.

For example : an operations manager might communicate to a marketing manager that inventory levels are running low and that projected delivery dates should be extended by two weeks. Horizontal communication probably occurs more among managers than among non managers.

Horizontal communication serves a number of purposes.

It facilitates coordination among interdependent units. For example, a manager at Motorola was recently researching the strategies of Japanese semiconductor firms in Europe. He found a great deal of information that was relevant to his assignment.

He also uncovered some additional information that was potentially important to another department, so he passed it along to a colleague in that department, who used it to improve his own operations.

Horizontal communication can also be used for joint problem solving, as when tow plant managers at Westinghouse got together to work out a new method to improve productivity.

Finally, horizontal communication plays a major role in work teams with members drawn from several departments.

Subordinates making commitments / passing information beyond their authority.

Harmful if subordinates do not inform superiors of interdepartmental activities.

Communication that takes place in an organization that transcends formal channels and instead follows any of several methods. Fig. 3 illustrates numerous examples of informal communication.

F I G U R E 3. Informal Communication in Organizations