Page 418 - Fundamentals of Management Myths Debunked (2017)_Flat

CHAPTER 13 • Managing Communication and Information 417
How Do Managers Communicate Effectively?

13-1 Describe what Poor communication can cost
managers need a business up to $5,000 per
to know about employee each year! 1
communicating
effectively. The importance of effective communication for
managers cannot be overemphasized for one specific
reason: Everything a manager does involves
communicating. Not some things but everything!
A manager can’t formulate strategy or make a decision without information. That informa-
tion has to be communicated. Once a decision is made, communication must again take
place. Otherwise, no one will know that a decision has been made. The best idea, the most
creative suggestion, or the finest plan cannot take form without communication. Managers,
therefore, need effective communication skills. We’re not suggesting, of course, that
good communication skills alone make a successful manager. We can say, however, that
ineffective communication skills can lead to a continuous stream of problems for a manager.

Write It 1!
If your professor has assigned this, go to the Assignments section of mymanagementlab.com to
complete BCOMM 3: Importance of Communication.

How Does the Communication Process Work?

WHAT is communicated? The 3 I’s: Information,
Ideas, Instructions

Communication can be thought of as a process or flow. Communication problems occur
when deviations or blockages disrupt that flow. Before communication can take place, a
purpose, expressed as a message to be conveyed, is needed. It passes between a source (the
sender) and a receiver. The message is encoded (converted to symbolic form) and is passed
by way of some medium (channel) to the receiver, who retranslates (decodes) the message
initiated by the sender. The result is communication, which is a transfer of understanding and
meaning from one person to another. 2
Exhibit 13–1 depicts the communication process. This model has seven parts: (1) the
communication source or sender, (2) encoding, (3) the message, (4) the channel, (5) decod-
ing, (6) the receiver, and (7) feedback.
1 and 2. The sender initiates a message by encoding a thought. Four conditions affect
the encoded message: skill, attitudes, knowledge, and the social cultural system. Our message
in our communication to you in this book depends on our writing skills; if we don’t have the
requisite writing skills, our message will not reach you in the form desired. Keep in mind that
a person’s total communicative success includes speaking, reading, listening, and reasoning communication
skills as well. As we discussed in Chapter 9, our attitudes influence our behavior. We hold pre- A transfer of understanding and meaning from
one person to another
disposed ideas on numerous topics, and our communications are affected by these attitudes.
Furthermore, we’re restricted in our communicative activity by the extent of our knowledge of communication process
the particular topic. We can’t communicate what we don’t know, and should our knowledge The seven-part process of transferring and
understanding of meaning
be too extensive, it’s possible that our receiver will not understand our message. Clearly, the
amount of knowledge the source holds about his or her subject will affect the message he or encoding
she seeks to transfer. And, finally, just as attitudes influence our behavior, so does our position Converting a message into symbolic form