MRK360Chapter 6

Communication, Conflict and Negotiation

What’s the problem?

Communication Questions

Describe an example of communication breakdown. What led to the breakdown?

What types of difficulties have you experienced when communicating with someone from a different culture than yours?

How do you let the other person know you have heard what they are saying? How often do you do this?

Communication Problems

People spend nearly 70 percent of their waking hours communicating—writing, reading, speaking, listening

WorkCanada survey of 2039 Canadians in six industrial and service categories found 61 percent of senior executives believed that they did a good

job of communicating with employees. only 33 percent of the managers and department heads

believed that senior executives were effective communicators. Only 22 percent of hourly workers, 27 percent of clerical

employees, and 22 percent of professional staff reported that senior executives did a good job of communicating with them.

Canadians reported less favourable perceptions about their company’s communications than did Americans

Communication Terms

CommunicationThe transfer of meaning among people

Sender Establishes a message, encodes the

message, and chooses the channel to send it

Receiver Decodes the message and provides

feedback to the sender

Exhibit 6-1 The Communication Process Model

Receiver

3. Chooses

the channel

5. Provides

feedback

1. Choosesa

message

2. Encodes

the message

4. Decodes

the message

Sender

Communication Terms

MessageWhat is communicated.

EncodingConverting a message to symbolic form.

ChannelThe medium through which a message

travels Decoding

Retranslating a sender’s message.

Choosing Channels

Channels differ in their capacity to convey information.

Rich channels have the ability to Handle multiple cues simultaneouslyFacilitate rapid feedbackBe very personal

Exhibit 6-1 The Communication Process Model

Receiver

3. Chooses

the channel

5. Provides

feedback

1. Choosesa

message

2. Encodes

the message

4. Decodes

the message

Sender

Barriers to Effective Communication

FilteringRefers to a sender manipulating

information so that it will be seen more favorably by the receiver.

Selective PerceptionReceivers in the communication process

selectively see and hear based on their needs, motivations, experience, background, and other personal characteristics.

Barriers to Effective Communication

DefensivenessWhen individuals interpret another’s

message as threatening, they often respond in ways that retard effective communication.

LanguageWords mean different things to different

people.

Barriers to Effective Communication

Think of an example of each barrier that you have experienced

Nonverbal Communication

Messages conveyed through body movements, facial expressions, and the physical distance between the sender and the receiver Kinesics

The study of body motions, such as gestures, facial configurations, and other movements of the body

Proxemics The study of physical space in interpersonal relationships

Communication Barriers Between Men and Women

Men use talk to emphasize status, women use it to create connection

Women and men tend to approach points of conflict differently

Communication Barriers Between Men and Women

Men and women view directness and indirectness differentlyWomen interpret male directness as an

assertion of status and one-upmanshipMen interpret female indirectness as covert,

sneaky, and weakMen criticize women for apologizing, but

women say “I’m sorry” to express empathy

Conflict

A process that begins when one party perceives that another party has negatively affected, or is about to negatively affect something that the first party cares about. Functional

Supports the goals of the group and improves its performance

Dysfunctional Hinders group performance

Group Exercise - Conflict

In groups

Think of a conflict situation during a group project (real or imaginary)

Describe the conflict to the classThink of ways that you could resolve the

conflict

Three Main Sources of Conflict

1. Communication – we already discussed this

2. Structure

3. Personal Variables

How Structure Can Lead to Conflict

Sources of conflict:Size, specialization, and composition of the

groupToo much reliance on participationDiversity of goals among groupsAmbiguity in precisely defining where

responsibility for actions liesReward systems where one member’s gain

is at another’s expense

How can personal variables lead to conflict?

How can Personal Variables Lead to Conflict?

Different personalities

Different values

Exhibit 6-4 How Conflict Builds

• Functional:increased

performance• Dysfunctional:

decreased groupperformance

Behaviour

Outcomes

• Competing• Collaborating• Compromising• Avoiding• Accommodating

Conflict-handling Intentions

Specific Intentions

Competing A desire to satisfy one’s interests, regardless of the impact on the

other parties.

Collaborating A situation where the parties to a conflict each desire to satisfy

fully the concerns of all parties

Avoiding The desire to withdraw from or suppress a conflict.

Accommodating The willingness of one party in a conflict to place the opponent’s

interests above his or her own

Compromising A situation in which each party to a conflict is willing to give up

something

Exhibit 6-4 How Conflict Builds

• Functional:increased

performance• Dysfunctional:

decreased groupperformance

Behaviour

Outcomes

• Competing• Collaborating• Compromising• Avoiding• Accommodating

Conflict-handling Intentions

Conflict Outcomes

Functional (supports the goals of the group and improves performance)Desired outcomes

AgreementStronger relationshipsLearning

Dysfunctional (hinders group performance)