Communicating Among People

The communication model in Exhibit 13.2 illustrates the components of effective communi- cation. Communications can break down if sender and receiver do not encode or decode lan- guage in the same way.9  We all know how difficult it is to communicate with someone who does not speak our language, and today’s managers are often

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Organizational Communication

Another aspect of management communication  concerns the organization   as a whole. Organization-wide  communications typically flow in three directions—downward, up- ward, and horizontally.  Managers are responsible for establishing and maintaining  formal channels of communication in these three directions.  Managers also use informal channels, which  means they get out of their offices and mingle with employees.

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Communicating During Turbulent Times

During turbulent times, communication becomes even more important. To build trust and promote learning and problem solving, managers incorporate ideas such as open commu- nication,  dialogue, and feedback and learning. In addition,  they develop crisis communica- tion skills for communicating with both employees and the public in exceptionally chal- lenging or frightening circumstances. 1.

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Managing Organizational Communication

Many of the ideas described in this chapter pertain to barriers to communication and how to overcome them. Exhibit 13.9 lists some of the major barriers to communication, along with some techniques for overcoming them. 1. BARRIERS TO COMMUNICATION Barriers  can be categorized  as those that exist at the individual  level and those that

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Teams at Work

Some organizations  have had great suc- cess with teams, including  increased pro- ductivity, quality improvements, greater innovation, and higher employee satis- faction. FedEx, for example, cut service problems  such as incorrect  bills and lost packages by 13 percent by using teams. At Xerox, production plants using teams reported  a 30 percent increase in produc-

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Types of Teams

Many types of teams can exist within organizations. The easiest way to classify teams is in terms of those created as part of the organization’s formal structure and those created to increase employee participation. 1. FORMAL TEAMS Formal teams are created by the organization as part  of the formal organization structure. Two common types

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Team Characteristics

The next issue of concern to managers is designing the team for greatest effectiveness. One factor is team characteristics, which can affect team dynamics and performance. Character- istics of particular concern are team size, diversity, and member roles. 1. SIZE More than 30 years ago, psychologist  Ivan Steiner examined what happened each time the

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Team Processes

Now we turn our attention to internal team processes. Team  processes pertain to those dy- namics that change over time and can be influenced  by team leaders. In this section, we discuss the team processes of stages of development,  cohesiveness, and norms. The fourth type of team process, conflict, will be covered in the

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Managing Team Conflict

The final characteristic of team process is conflict. Of all the skills required for effective team management, none is more important  than handling the conflicts that inevitably arise among members. Conflict can arise among members within a team or between one team and another. Conflict refers to antagonistic interaction in which one party attempts

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Work Team Effectiveness

Teams  are the building blocks of today’s organizations,  but not all teams are effective. Teams often do not live up to their potential or to the dreams managers have for them. Good  leaders help teams be successful. In this section, we look at the positive outcomes of effective teams. By assessing teams in terms

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Introduction to Organizational Control

1. The Meaning of Control It seemed like a perfect  fit. In the chaotic aftermath of 2005’s Hurricane Katrina, the Ameri- can Red Cross needed private-sector help to respond to the hundreds of thousands of people seeking emergency aid. Spherion Corp., a staffing company  based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, had the expertise to hire

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Feedback Control Model

All  well-designed  control systems  involve the use  of feedback  to determine  whether performance meets established standards. In this section, we will examine the key steps in the feedback  control model and then look at how the model applies  to  organizational budgeting. 1. STEPS OF FEEDBACK CONTROL Managers set up control  systems that consist of

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Financial Control

In every organization, managers need to watch how well the organization is performing finan- cially. Not only do financial controls tell whether the organization is on sound financial foot- ing, but they can be useful indicators of other kinds of performance problems. For example, a sales decline may signal problems with products, customer service,

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The Changing Philosophy of Control

Managers’ approach to control is changing in many of today’s organizations. In connection with the shift to employee participation and empowerment,  many companies are adopting a decentralized rather  than a bureaucratic control  process. Bureaucratic control  and decen- tralized control represent different philosophies of corporate culture, which was discussed in Chapter 2. Most organizations display

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Managing productivity and quality

1. Managing  Productivity Productivity is significant because it influences the well-being of the entire  society as well as of individual  companies. The only way to increase the output of goods and services to society is to increase organizational  productivity. 1.1. LEAN  MANUFACTURING Many of the concepts we have discussed, including just-in-time inventory and an

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