Management and Supervision for Working Professionals, Third Edition, Volume II

Herman Koren

• Publisher: CRC Press
• Year: 2021
• ISBN:
  9781000724097
• Edition: 3
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Human Resource Management
• Index: Business

The practical set of methods and tools contained in the two volumes of Management and Supervision for Working Professionals provides the reader with the knowledge and means to become an effective manager or supervisor. Volume I emphasizes organizational structure, planning, and leadership, while Volume II emphasizes communication, instruction, and daily management responsibilities such as performance ratings, unions, and health and safety.

LESSON 1

COMMUNICATIONS PART I
UPWARD, DOWNWARD, AND SIDEWARD - ARE YOU LISTENING?

Learning Objectives

Fundamental Management Information

Lesson Discussion

I.	The Communication Process
II.	One-Way Versus Two-Way Communication
III.	Human Barriers to Communications
IV.	Downward Communications Systems
V.	Upward Communications Systems
VI.	Horizontal Communications Systems
VII.	Communication Problems
VIII.	Grapevines
IX.	Types of Communications
X.	The Art of Speaking
XI.	The Art of Listening and Perceiving
XII.	Building your Communications Skills
XIII.	Communication Difficulties
XIV.	Public Policy and Community Relations
XV.	Summary

Case Problems

Practical Exercises

Self-Testing Examination

Answers to Self-Testing Examination

Answers to Case Problems

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

When you have successfully completed this lesson, you should:

1. Understand how the communication process works.
2. Recognize the importance of the concept of one-way versus two-way communications and why two-way communications are necessary.
3. Recognize the many human barriers to communication and how to avoid them.
4. Understand that communications go upward, downward, and in a horizontal manner and know the types of communications that go in these directions.
5. Recognize the variety of communications problems that exist and know how to compensate for them.
6. Recognize that a grapevine will exist in the organization and what it is to continually provide proper information if grapevine problems are to be avoided.
7. Understand the art of oral communications and the techniques of speaking, listening, and perceiving.

FUNDAMENTAL MANAGEMENT INFORMATION

Influencing people through appropriate communications is the process of guiding their activities to achieve the goals and objectives of the organization. Influencing people includes leading, motivating, and controlling groups and individuals. Communication is the process of sharing information with others to achieve a desirable result. The manager must understand the communications process, the role of feedback, and the importance of verbal versus nonverbal communications. The individual speaks or writes, the other person or persons receive the message, the receiver perceives what is said, and some positive action is taken. This occurs in a positive communications process. In a negative communications process the message is received, but is misinterpreted and a negative or non-response is the result of the original communication.

Barriers to communication include: (1) Too little information to carry out the prescribed tasks; (2) Information overload; (3) Too complex information; (4) Inadequate technical or people-type training for the communicator; (5) Lack of understanding of someone else’s culture; (6) Lack of knowledge of the audience; (7) Environmental problems interfering with the communication; (8) Use of ambiguous or multi-meaning words.

Feedback can be either verbal or nonverbal. Verbal feedback can be requested. Nonverbal feedback can be determined by observing facial questions, gestures, body motions, looking at the eyes and seeing if they are glazed, averted, or attentive.

Selectivity is a means of screening communications to accept or reject that which is of importance to the receiver. Selectivity can become a serious barrier to communications.

Perception of a message is the process by which an individual gives meaning to the communication. Perceptual defense is the screening out of environmental stimuli in order to concentrate on what is important. Constant oral and visual stimuli can overwhelm you and affect the appropriate perception of the message. Some individuals have a specific set of ideas established in advance. If the message does not fit within these boundaries, the message is rejected. Further, a conclusion may be based on incomplete, hastily gathered information. If the communication is incomplete the individual may erroneously fill in the blanks and react in an inappropriate manner. The individual may interpret the message improperly because of a highly specialized and restrictive perspective.

The difference between ineffective and effective communications in an organization may be based on its structure, the grapevine, the verbal and nonverbal communications, and the level of upward, downward, and sideward communications. Organizational communications are carried out through: (1) Advertising and promotional campaigns; (2) Employee communications; (3) Media relations; (4) Training programs; (5) Public relations; (6) Governmental relations; (7) The grapevine.

Organizations can enhance upward communications by:

1. Using employee attitude and opinion attitude surveys.
2. Using suggestion boxes.
3. Using the open-door policy of management.
4. Using informal gripe sessions.
5. Using task forces to evaluate problems and programs.
6. Using exit interviews.

The good communicator is of necessity a good listener. This type of person will allow others to formulate ideas without interruption, ask stimulating questions, encourage all to participate, be a sympathetic listener, avoid premature judgments, and then briefly summarize the individual’s thoughts and give credit when the ideas are good.

LESSON DISCUSSION

I. THE COMMUNICATIONS PROCESS

Communication is basic to existence. Communication consists of the ways in which we express ourselves to other individuals and the techniques used to understand this expression. The first line supervisor must be able to communicate effectively in order to lead people and to achieve the necessary objectives of both the individuals and the organization. The effectiveness of a supervisor will depend largely upon his/her ability to interpret and relay information from a higher level in the organization to the working force and also relay the problems of the working force to the higher levels. The first line supervisor must be clearly understood - whether - the supervisor uses written or spoken words, or body language. The supervisor is the medium whereby information moves from management to workers and then is used. The supervisor, besides being a good communicator, must also recognize the various barriers to communication and be able to remove them when necessary.

In order to avoid frustration, misunderstanding, and trouble, the supervisor must know what needs to be said, understand what the individual is willing to hear, and use the right method for a positive response to the communication. The supervisor must accept the fact that not all communication are clearly understood. Many communications are open to personal interpretation. Communications must be clearly expressed in a simple and straightforward manner. The feedback which is received from workers will help the supervisor in determining the best way to communicate.

Communication consists of gestures, spoken words, and written words as well as the emotional or conscious state of the sender, receiver, or listener. The gestures, which are made up of facial expression, physical actions, and other nonverbal signs, can change the entire meaning of a communication. When a student answers a question, but seems to be off in another world, he or she is really saying, “I’m only paying partial attention to you and the rest of my concern is elsewhere.” When a parent says something to a child and says it with a smile, the child understands love. When a parent says something to a child and exhibits anger, the child has an entirely different feeling. The color combinations used in the communication and the types of material used can also affect how the communication is received. The spoken and written word will be described more fully in another portion of this lesson and the following lesson. The emotional state of the communicator is also important because if the communicator is calm the message is more likely to be received calmly. Whereas if the message is an excited one the listener will recognize the excitement. The emotional state of the receiver must likewise be considered. The listener may hear somethin...