7 | Communication, emotion and decision making Flashcards
What is communication?
The process by which information and views are exchanged.
Communication in the workplace is important because itboosts employee morale, engagement, productivity, and satisfaction; it is a key for better team collaboration and cooperation.
What are the 3 types of organizational communication?
Sending or receiving information
Sharing knowledge
Informal communication
What is information sharing?
= describes the exchange of data between various people, organizations and technologies.
Generally information involves facts, data, schedules, processes, etc - it can be separated from the person and communicated through mediums such as emails, spreadsheets etc.
people engage in info. sharing in interdependent tasks
Examples of information sharing
“company policy about holidays”
involves facts, data, schedules - “What is the deadline for the project?”
interdependence - “I need the sales data to run my analysis”
What are challenges of information sharing?
recognising different meanings
sharing implications of information
interpreting emotions
establishing trust
What is knowledge sharing?
knowledge (info, skills, expertise) is exchanged among people within or between orgs
- individuals learn or teach from another person
- diffcult to share knowledge by sending or recieving info only. Often you should work together over a period of time and help someone else learn.
Examples of knowledge sharing
learning: “How did you develop this model of sales growth?
Can you show me how you estimated customer acquisition so we can update our supply chain for future production?”
teach: “Sure, let me talk you through the parameters of the model and how I estimated them.”
What is the difference between information sharing and knowledge sharing?
information sharing is merely giving peopple something, or getting something from them.
Knowledge sharing occurs when people are genuinely intereted in helping one another develop
Peter Senge, MIT
What are some challenges to knowledge sharing?
lack of time
resistance to change
lack of motivation
obsolete tech or unnecessarily complicated tools
anxieties about job security
What is informal/social communication?
interpersonal rels
doesn’t follow any rules that formal comms does
opposite of formal communciation
multi-dimensional - moves freely within the organization and is not bound by pre-defined channels; is quick; is more relational than formal; a very natural; it moves faster and does not have a paper trail.
Examples of informal communciation
lunchtime at cafeteria
chatting in the lift
gossip
What is employee voice?
the ability of of employees to express their views, opinions, concerns and suggestions, and for these to influence decisions at work (CIPD, 2019)
- allow people opportunity to provide inputs
- Linked to fairness/justice perceptions in organisation procedures
- Impacts on commitment, trust, satisfaction, citizenship, engagement
The importance of non-verbal communication - stats
55% of in-person cmm comes from non-verbal cues; facial expresions, tone, body language
miscommunication is more likely to happen through information –> like email bc of the importance of non-verbal comm in comprehension
Good feedback characteristics
Should be based on facts not subjective opinion (describing events without judging them)
*Should be backed up with evidence and examples (related to actual events, observed behaviours or actions)
*Specific not general
*Not personal (focusing on behaviour not a person)
*Not public
*Balance positives with negatives
*Friendly language
What are some drawbacks of instant feedback?
- anonymous so might encourage ‘backbiting’
- instant knee-jerk reactions (with all the subjective biases it can involve) and not thought out or reflective
- trolling; online harrassment
- feedback may be on just one part of the job and the overall work - fragmentary
- may discourage cooperation, teamwork, risk/innovation
- does not create trust, cooperation, trust – can be perceived as aggressive
What is emotional intelligence?
popularized in 1990s
= The ability to understand and manage your own emotions.
People who possess this trait also have the ability to understand and influence the emotions/bhvs of others
What is IQ (Analytical Intelligence)?
rational and logic based verbal and quantitative intelligence
What is SQ (Social Intelligence)?
A person’s capacity to perform actions with and through others (Gradner, 1993)
What is EQ (Emotional Intelligence)?
a person’s capacity to understand and convey human emotion (Goleman, 1995)
What is CQ (Cultual Intelligence)?
Explains why some intelligent people with good social skills associated with high emotional maturity can still have some problems adjusting properly to a new culture or work in multicultural teams
What is the role of emotional intelligence?
People use this type of intelligence to:
- understand and regulate their own mood and emotions
- recognize how other people feel and empathize with them
- solve problemsand get their needs met
- influence others
What is rational decision making and what is the process?
multi-step process for making choices between alternatives
- favours logic, objectivity and analysis (over subjectivity and insight)
- assumes that people completely understand the dcision, know all available options, hav no perceptual biases, they want to make optimal decisions
What is irrational decision making?
counters logic
there are many factors that affect DM abilities causing people to make irrational decisions or contradictory choices
- decisions made in haste, outcomes not considiered
- peple lack knowledge, make unrealistic assumptions
What are the 3 types of decisions?
- Strategic - set the course of the org
- Tactical - about how something will get done
- Operational - decisions that employees make to make the organisation run
Examples of strategic decisions, and who are they typically made by?
“Should we merge with another company?”
“Should we downsize our org?”
“Pursue a new product line?”
These types of decisions are usually made top management - CEOs, Board of Directors
Examples of tactical decisions, and who are they typically made by?
“What should we do to help facilitate employees from the two companies working together?”
“Who should be let go when we downsize?”
“How should we market the new product line?”
Typcally made by managers
Examples of operational decisions, and who are they typically made by?
“How often should I communicate with my new coworkers?”
“How will I balance my new work demands?”
“What should I say to customers about our new products?”
Made by employees throughout the org.
What is the bounded rationality decision-making model?
individuals knowingly limit their options to a manageable set and choose the first acceptable alternative without conducting an exhaustive search for alternatives.
What is the intuitive decision-making model?
arriving at decisions w/o conscious reasoning - use ‘intuition’; a gut feeling or sensation when making decisions
Elements of the creative decision-making model
1) Fluency - number of ideas a person can generate
2) Flexibility - how different these ideas are
3) Originality - unique the ideas are
