Industrial/ Organizational Psychology o responsible for taking employee
Chapter 11: Organizational Communication Reviewer complaints and suggestions and
Aamondt personally working with
management to find solutions
Types of Organizational Communication
Upward communication Downward Communication
communication of subordinates to superiors It is considered a key method not only of
or of employees to managers keeping employees informed but of
Ideally, employees speak directly to communicating vital information needed by
management in an environment with an employees to perform their jobs.
“open door” policy Such communication can be accomplished
Serial communication in many ways, including bulletin boards,
o the message is relayed from an policy manuals, newsletters, and intranets
employee to her supervisor, and so
on until the message reaches the Business Communication
top the transmission of business-related
o MUM (minimize unpleasant information among employees,
messages) effect – It negatively management, and customers.
affects the organization by keeping Business communication methods include
important information from memos, telephone calls, and email and
reaching the upper levels voice mail
o Proximity
Attitude surveys Informal Communication
o usually conducted annually by an informal information is transmitted through
outside consultant who administers the grapevine
a questionnaire asking employees o The communication across these
to rate their opinions on such lines was often distorted
factors as satisfaction with pay, o They are common because they
working conditions, and supervisors provide employees with
o Employees are also given the information, power, and
opportunity to list complaints or entertainment
suggestions that they want o Four grapevine patterns:
management to read single strand
Focus Groups and Exit Interviews gossip
o which an outside consultant meets probability
with groups of current employees cluster
to get their opinions and Three categories of employees:
suggestions o Isolates were employees who
o Exit interviews with employees received less than half of the
voluntarily leaving an organization information
also provide an excellent source of o Liaisons were employees who both
information received most of the information
Suggestion Boxes and passed it on to others
o they allow employees to o dead-enders were those who heard
immediately communicate their most of the information but seldom
feelings in an anonymous fashion. passed it on to other employees
o Suggestion boxes provide a safe The grapevine contains two types of
voice for subordinates and information:
customers, and essential feedback o Gossip
to the organization as well Primarily about individuals
Third-Party Facilitators and the content of the
1
message lacks significance o Empathic listening
to the people gossiping o Nonconforming listening
o Rumour
contains information that is Improving Employee Communication Skills
significant to the lives of Interpersonal Communication Skills
those communicating the One of the most common methods
message, and can be about used is the training workshop
individuals or other topics conducted by an outside consultant
Written Communication Skills
Interpersonal Communication Attempts to improve the quality of
involves the exchange of a message across a written communication have generally
communication channel from one person to taken two paths.
another o One concentrates on improving
Problem Area 1: Intended Message Versus the writer’s skills, and
Message Sent o The other concentrates on
Interpersonal communication problems can making material easier to read.
occur when the message a person sends is Improving Writing
not the message she intended Readability
There are three solutions to this problem:
o thinking about what you want to
communicate
o practicing what you want to
communicate
o learning better communication skills.
Problem Area 2: Message Sent Versus Message
Received
Even though an individual knows what she
wants to say and says it exactly as she
planned, many factors affect how that
message is received.
Problem Area 3: Message Received Versus
Message Interpreted
Even though a person knows exactly the
intended message, and the receiver
receives the intended message, its meaning
can change depending on the way in which
the receiver interprets the message.
this interpretation is affected by a variety of
factors, such as:
o listening skills
o listening style
o emotional state
o cognitive ability
o personal biases.
Styles of Listening
Attitudinal Listening Profile
o Leisure listening
o Inclusive listening
o Stylistic listening
o Technical listening
