Chapter 1 Notes - Communication and Ethics at Work

**Models of Communication:** - One-way Model (Linear Model of Communication - Shannon and Weaver, 1949) -- communication is viewed as going from one person (the sender) to another (the receiver). - Sender (Encoder), Receiver (Decoder), Internal and External Noise, Message,...

**Models of Communication:** - One-way Model (Linear Model of Communication - Shannon and Weaver, 1949) -- communication is viewed as going from one person (the sender) to another (the receiver). - Sender (Encoder), Receiver (Decoder), Internal and External Noise, Message, Code, and Channel - *No feedback or response in this model.* - Circular Model (Interactive Model of Communication -- William Schramm, 1954) -- communication is viewed as a step-by-step process. - Sender (Encoder), Receiver (Decoder), Internal and External noise, Message, Code, Channel, Feedback, and Frame of Reference (individual's experience and background used to interpret message). - *This takes the linear model a step further by adding Feedback and Frame of Reference.* - Transactional Model (Dean Barnlund, 1970)-- communication is a simultaneous transactional process between senders and receivers. The people involved in the communication phenomenon are sending and receiving messages simultaneously. It is transactional because everyone involved is responsible for creating meaning and influence; both influencing each other. - Sender (Encoder), Receiver (Decoder), Internal and External noise, Message, Code, Channel, Feedback, Frame of Reference (individual's experience and background used to interpret message), environment, and stimulus/motivation. - *This takes the interactional/circular model a step further by introducing environment, stimulus/motivation and overlapping of roles.* **2 Things that MUST happen before a sender even sends a message:** 1. First, the sender must be stimulated -- an internal (need) or external stimulus (uncontrollable AND situationally based) triggers a thought, which in turn triggers the desire to communicate. 2. Second, is sufficient motivation. There has to be a benefit or reason to respond when the decoder interprets your message. **Encoding vs. Decoding:** - Encoding: the process of putting a message into a form in which it will be communicated. (\*Email messages should receive the same careful encoding) - Consider who, what, where, when, and how the message should be communicated. While these factors often occur involuntarily, effective communicators consciously and deliberately address these questions. - Decoding: the process the receiver goes through in trying to interpret the exact meaning of a message. - Responsible for understanding the "what" of a message. **Frame of Reference:** - Our own background and experiences (lens) are often used to interpret the messages we hear. Our frame of reference is made up of our: - Educational background - Race - Cultural Values - Gender - Life experiences - Attitudes - Personality - There are no identical frames of reference. No one person has the same exact personal experiences as someone else. NOT EVEN TWINS!! - If each person's frame is somewhat different from everyone else's -- especially when the difference is cultural- then we must ASSUME that we will encounter difficulties when communicating. - Each communicator needs to understand the message that is received is the one that counts! It doesn't matter what you thought you said, or what you meant to say. As a sender, you need to be concerned with what your receiver thought you said. (THE BURDER ON COMMUNICATION LIES WITH YOU AS THE SENDER). **Code:** - The symbols that carry a message. There are 3 basic communication codes: - Language (verbal code) -- spoken or written words used to communicate thoughts and emotions. - Paralanguage (vocal code) -- the vocal elements that go along with spoken language, including tone of voice, pitch, rate, volume, and emphasis. Paralanguage is often listed as a subcategory of nonverbal communication. - Nonverbal cues (visual code) -- all intentional and unintentional means other than writing or speaking by which a person sends a message, including facial expressions, eye contact, gestures, appearance, posture, size and location of office, and arrival time at meetings. - Successful communicators will utilize all three codes to ensure effective message crafting and communicating. **Channel:** - A channel is the medium selected to carry the message. (ex. face-to-face discussions, video conferencing, telephone calls, memos, emails, instant messages, blogs, newsletters, social media networks, radio, magazines, and television). - Not all channels have the same capacity to carry information. This is considered *CHANNEL RICHNESS*. The more codes a channel carries, the higher the level of richness. - For example, F2F, TV, and Video Conferencing carry all three codes and are therefore, considered to be effective. - Radion and Telephone communication on the other hand lack the nonverbal clues needed therefore, is susceptible to a greater risk of communication breakdown AND possible misinterpretation. - F2F communication is especially important in large organizations undergoing rapid change. - Not all channels have the same capacity for speed. Complicated messages and messages needing immediate feedback are normally best with the F2F channel, where all codes are present, and messages are synchronous or instantaneous. - Although email seems to allow for fast feedback, it is asynchronous (low-speed channel) which means there is a lag between when the message is sent and when it is actually read and replied to if at all. - Other asynchronous channels include: - Instant messaging, text messaging, social media, blogs, chat rooms, and so on. **Feedback:** - The verbal and visual response to a message. It is the only way we can know whether the messages we send are interpreted as we intended. - Feedback can be a self-monitoring response that allows us to modify our behavior until it meets our expectations. - Advantages of FB: - Improves trust within the workplace. - Improves individual and team performances. - FB increases employee satisfaction with the job and can help with giving employees a sense of identity with the organization. - Disadvantages of FB: - FB can cause people to feel psychologically attacked. - FB is time-consuming. It takes time to ensure that everyone understands, but it takes more time and money to redo tasks that should have been done correctly the first time. - It may also take more time to construct FB and think through how best to deliver it. - FB can be difficult to obtain from team members/employees. Often people may be reluctant to respond to questions seeking FB such as: "Does anyone have any questions?" Instead, ask them about what they understood from the message you just gave, by asking someone to rephrase what you just said to ensure effective communication. This also allows you to determine which part of the message/instructions were left out and to add and fill in the gaps. - People can be reluctant to provide FB because of their past experiences. Especially if they have reacted negatively to FB in the past, or others have reacted badly to their FB. (It takes only a few negative verbal or nonverbal reactions to convince people that it is simply too risky to say what they think or admit that they don't understand). **Environment:** - Includes the time, place, physical, and social surroundings in which you find yourself. For example, the effectiveness of your meetings could be dependent on when and where you are having these meetings. Consider when the best time would be for the team to engage in these conversations. - *Organizational Climate --* This is an organization's social and work environment. It is often determined by the prevailing atmosphere and attitudes of its members. **Noise:** - External noise: Distractions in the environment in which we often don't have control over (to some extent). - Speaker's poor grammar - Papers being shuffled - Phones ringing - People talking/screaming - Cold air in the room - Poor lighting - Internal noise: Distractions that occur internally and include both psychological and emotional. - Headaches - Daydreaming - Lack of sleep - Preoccupation with other problems - Lack of knowledge on the topic - As a communicator, you need to be aware of potential noise and its effect on messages. When possible, you should select a relatively noise-free environment. If not possible, you should postpone the message or eliminate the noise which may mean moving to a new environment altogether. **How Communication Flows in Organizations** *FORMAL VS. INFORMAL:* - Formal -- communication that flows along the official paths prescribed by the organization's chain of command. - Formal messages that flow from managers and supervisors down to subordinates are known as *downward communication.* - Downward communication problem areas: - Not having enough information can be a bad thing and may lead to an increase in dissatisfaction among members of the organization. It is better to oversaturate this information than to not have enough. - Remember to think about message richness when developing these messages. - Formal messages that flow upward from subordinates to supervisors or managers are called *upward communication.* The following messages are useful when upwardly communicated: - Reports of employee work - Achievements and progress - Outlines of work problems that need to be solved. - Suggestions for improvements within the department or company - How employees think and feel about their jobs, associates, and company. When considering upward communication, be cautious of providing too much information and too little. Effective decision-making depends on timely, [accurate], and sufficient information traveling upward from subordinates. - In *horizontal communication,* messages flow laterally between people of the same rank. This is important for coordinating tasks such as problem-solving, sharing information, and resolving conflict. - Empowered teams: Teams that are equipped with the power to make decisions are especially adept in this situation and are mainstays of the news organization models \*Multiunit and \*Virtual organizations. - Informal -- circumventing the chain of command based on friendships or specific information needs, communication is flowing through this network. - Grapevine (Gossip) within an organization. - Gossip is necessary for the maintenance of the grapevine. Whenever the formal communication channels fail to do the job, the grapevine begins to carry information about the organization, such as policy changes, impending layoffs, or workload revisions. - Information carried by the grapevine is 75 -- 95% accurate. They are often more accurate than formal ones because status, power, and rank differences seem less important. - Information carried by the grapevine travels fast. ("Good news travels fast, bad news travels faster, and embarrassing news travels at warp speed.") - The regular use of the grapevine are more satisfied with their jobs and committed to the organization. - Effective managers use the grapevine to learn about new ideas, concerns, and problems from subordinates experiencing them firsthand. - 2 Advantages: - Get advice without admitting you need it. - Think out loud about problems which in turn, can increase self-confidence and problem-solving ability. **Communication and Ethics** - Ethics: The standards by which behaviors are evaluated for their morality; their rightness or wrongness. When applied to human communication, ethics are the moral principles that guide our judgments about the good and bad, right and wrong of communication. - 4 Ethical Rules: - Utilitarian: Attempts to achieve the greatest good for the greatest number of people possible. - Moral Rights: Ethical decisions protect people's rights and privileges. - Justice: Fair and equal treatment for all. - Practicality: Easy to communicate to people outside of the company or organization. - 5 Ethics Traps: - Necessity: - Definition: This ethical trap involves justifying actions that are otherwise unethical by claiming they are necessary due to urgent circumstances. It implies that the situation leaves no other option but to take the unethical path. - Example: Breaking the law to achieve a goal because it is deemed absolutely essential for survival or success. - Relative Filth: - Definition: This trap involves comparing one\'s unethical behavior to worse actions by others to make one\'s own actions seem less wrong. It is a way to minimize one\'s unethical behavior by suggesting it is not as bad as what others are doing. - Example: Justifying minor dishonesty at work by pointing out that others are committing more serious fraud. - Rationalization: - Definition: This trap involves creating logical but false reasons to justify unethical behavior. It often involves convincing oneself that the unethical action is acceptable because it serves a perceived greater good or aligns with one\'s goals. - Example: Claiming that cheating on an exam is acceptable because it will lead to better grades, which are necessary for future success. - Self-Deception: - Definition: This ethical trap involves convincing oneself that an unethical action is actually ethical, often by ignoring or denying the unethical aspects of the behavior. It is a way to avoid guilt or cognitive dissonance. - Example: Believing that exploiting loopholes in a contract is fair because it is legally permissible, even if it is morally questionable. - The End Justifying the Means: - Definition: This trap involves justifying unethical actions by claiming that the outcomes or goals achieved by these actions are so important that they warrant ignoring ethical principles. It focuses on the results rather than the morality of the actions taken to achieve them. - Example: Arguing that lying and manipulation are acceptable in a campaign because winning the election is crucial for implementing beneficial policies.