Chapter 16
Communication

Chapter Objectives
 

Describe the communication process, and explain the role of perception in communication.

Define information richness, and describe the information richness of communication media available to managers.

Describe the communication networks that exist in groups and teams.

Explain how advances in technology have given managers new options for managing communications.

Describe important communication skills that managers need as senders and as receivers of messages.

Chapter Outline

1 Explain why effective communication helps an organization gain a competitive advantage

1. Communication and Management
   1. The importance of good communication – good communication can improve a company's responsiveness to customers and develop innovative products.

2 Describe the communication process, and explain the role of perception in communication.

2. The communication process
   1. Transmission phase – information is shared between two groups
   2. Feedback phase – the parties reach a common understanding.
   3. Sender – shares information
   4. Encoding – translating the message into symbols
   5. Noise – anything that interferes with communication
   6. Receiver – the person for whom the message is intended
   7. Medium – the pathway for the message
   8. Decoding – the receiver interprets the message
   9. Verbal communication – uses words
   10. Nonverbal communication – shares information with facial expressions or body language.
3. The role of perception in communication – perception is always selective.
4. The dangers of ineffective communication – managers spend much of their time in communication.

3 Define information richness, and describe the information richness of communication media available to managers

2. Information Richness and Communication Media
   Information richness is the amount of information a communication medium can carry.
   1. Face-to-face communication – has the highest information richness of any medium.
   2. Spoken communication electronically transmitted – using phone lines is the second highest medium in information richness.
   3. Personally addressed written communication – memos, email, letters, instant messaging
   4. Impersonal written communication – company newsletters are a good example.

4 Describe the communication networks that exist in groups and teams

3. Communication networks
   Communication networks are the paths over which information flows.
   1. Communication networks in groups and teams
      1. Wheel network – information flows to and from one member of the group.
      2. Chain network – group members communicate in a set sequence.
      3. Circle network – group members communicate with others who are similar to themselves.
      4. All-channel network – every group member communicates with every other group member.
   2. Organizational communication networks – the grapevine is an informal network over which unofficial information (which may or may not be accurate) flows.
   3. External networks – members span a variety of other companies

5 Explain how advances in technology have given managers new options for managing communication

4. Information Technology and Communication
   1. The Internet is a global network of computers.
   2. The intranet shares Internet information within a company.
   3. Groupware consists of computer software that allows groups to share information.

6 Describe important communication skills that managers need as senders and as receivers of messages

5. Communication Skills for Managers
   1. Communication skills for managers as senders
      1. Send clear and complete messages.
      2. Encode messages in symbols the receiver can understand – do not use jargon that is a specialized language.
      3. Select a medium appropriate for the message.
      4. Select a medium the receiver monitors.
      5. Avoid distorting information along a series of receivers.
      6. Include a feedback mechanism.
      7. Provide accurate information (not unfounded rumors).
   2. Communication skills for managers as receivers
      1. Pay attention to messages you receive.
      2. Be a good listener.
      3. Be empathetic and try to understand how the sender feels.
   3. Understanding linguistic styles – a person's characteristic way of speaking
      1. Cross-cultural differences – managers from different countries have very different communication styles.
      2. Gender differences – men and women differ in communication in every language and culture.
      3. Managing differences in linguistic styles – instead of trying to change others' linguistic styles, try to manage these differences.

Explore the WWW
Flashcards
Glossary
PowerPoint Presentations

Self Quiz

Part Six: Controlling Critical Organizational Processes

Chapter 17
Managing Organizational Conflict, Politics, and Negotiation

Chapter Objectives

Describe conflict management strategies that managers can use to resolve conflict effectively.

Understand the nature of negotiation and why integrative bargaining is more effective than distributive negotiation.

Describe negotiation strategies that managers can promote integrative bargaining in their organizations.

Explain why managers need to be attuned to organizational politics, and describe the political strategies that managers can use to become politically skilled.

Chapter Outline

1 Explain why conflict arises, and identify the types and sources of conflict in organizations

1. Organizational Conflict
   Organizational conflict arises from the goals and values of workers are incompatible.
   1. Types of conflict
      1. Interpersonal conflict – occurs between workers because of differences in their goals or values.
      2. Intragroup conflict – arises within the group because the members disagree.
      3. Intergroup conflict – occurs between groups.
      4. Interorganizational conflict – occurs across different organizations.
   2. Sources of conflict
      1. Different goals and time horizons – workers differ on these important points.
      2. Overlapping authority – two or more managers both claim authority for the same activities.
      3. Task interdependencies – interdependent workers or teams have the potential for conflict.
      4. Different evaluation or reward systems – production managers are evaluated for lowering costs, while marketing managers are evaluated for increasing sales.
      5. Scarce resources – financial resources are in demand by all departments and promotions are not given to every manager.
      6. Status inconsistencies – workers have different statuses in the organization's pecking order and this can create conflict.

2 Describe conflict management strategies that managers can use to resolve conflict effectively

3. Conflict management strategies
   1. Functional conflict resolution – conflict is settled by compromise or by collaboration.
   2. Compromise – each party engages in a "give-and-take" exchange until they resolve the conflict.
   3. Collaboration – the parties try to accomplish a "win-win" result.
   4. Accomodation – one party gives in to the demands of the other party.
   5. Avoidance – the parties ignore the problem.
   6. Competition – each party tries to maximize his or her own gain without understanding the other's position.
   7. Strategies focused on individuals
      1. Increasing awareness of the sources of conflict – so that workers can then try to resolve the conflict.
      2. Increasing diversity awareness and skills – diversity can cause conflict.
      3. Practicing job rotation or temporary assignments – job rotation can resolve conflict by increasing appreciation for the responsibilities of different jobs.
      4. Using permanent transfers or dismissals when necessary – sometimes workers need to be transferred to a different department, or to leave the company to work elsewhere.
   8. Strategies focused on the whole organization
      1. Changing an organization's structure or culture – changing the organization's structure can sometimes resolve conflict.
      2. Altering the source of conflict – for example, managers can clarify the chain of command and resolve the problem of overlapping authority.

3 Understand the nature of negotiation and why integrative bargaining is more effective than distributive negotiation

2. Negotiation
   Negotiation involves the parties in conflict trying to allocate resources to each other to resolve the conflict. Third-party negotiation involves using a neutral party that is not involved in the conflict. A mediator does not force the parties to accept a resolution. An arbitrator can impose a solution that the parties are bound to accept.
   1. Distributive negotiation and integrative bargaining
      1. Distributive negotiation – the parties compete to divide up a "fixed- pie" of resources among themselves.
      2. Integrative bargaining – the parties try to create a win-win situation in which all the parties gain.

4 Describe ways in which managers can promote integrative bargaining in organizations

2. Strategies to encourage integrative bargaining
   1. Emphasizing superordinate goals – goals that are common to all parties in conflict.
   2. Focus on the problem, not the people – the parties attack each other instead of trying to resolve the conflict.
   3. Focusing on interests, not demands – demands are what a person wants, while interests are why that person wants them.
   4. Creating new options for joint gain – the parties create new alternative solutions.
   5. Focusing on what is fair – trying to distribute outcomes based on the meaningful contributions made by each party.

5 Explain why managers need to be attuned to organizational politics, and describe the political strategies that managers can use to become politically skilled

3. Organizational Politics
   Organizational politics involves managers trying to increase their power in the organization. Political strategies are the tactics that managers use to increase their power and to use it.
   1. The importance of organizational politics – these activities can be a positive force within the organization.
   2. Political strategies for gaining and maintaining power
      1. Controlling uncertainty – managers who can control or reduce uncertainty will have more power.
      2. Making oneself irreplaceable – managers gain power when they have knowledge and expertise that no one else has.
      3. Being in a central position – these manages control crucial organizational activities.
      4. Generating resources – managers that can increase needed resources will have more power.
      5. Building alliances – these managers build successful working relationships with people both within and outside of their organization.
   3. Political strategies for exercising power
      1. Relying on objective information – objective information can help to overcome opposition.
      2. Bringing in an outside expert – an outside person who is an "expert" can lend credibility to a manager's proposals.
      3. Controlling the agenda – influencing which alternatives are considered, and whether or not a decision needs to be made.
      4. Making everyone a winner – managers make sure that everyone who supports them personally will gain from offering that support.

Explore the WWW
Flashcards
Glossary
PowerPoint Presentations

Self Quiz

Chapter 18
Developing Advanced Information Systems and Technologies

Chapter Objectives

Describe three reasons why managers must have access to information to perform their tasks and roles effectively.

Describe the computer hardware and software innovations that have created the information technology revolution.

Differentiate among seven kinds of management information systems.

Explain how advances in IT can give an organization a competitive advantage.

Chapter Outline

1 Differentiate between data and information, and list the attributes of useful information

1. Information and the Manager's Job
   Data are raw facts. Information consists of data that are organized in some meaningful way.
   1. Attributes of useful information
      1. Quality – how accurate and reliable is the information?
      2. Timeliness – Is the information needed for a decision available?
      3. Completeness – Is all the information needed available?
      4. Relevance – Does the information fit the manager's needs?

2 Describe three reasons why managers must have access to information to perform their tasks and roles effectively

2. What is information technology (IT) – the techniques used to acquire, organize, store, manipulate, and transmit information. A management information system (MIS) is a form of IT that managers use to obtain the specific information that they need.
3. Information and decisions – managers make decisions every day based on information.
4. Information and control – information is needed to control plans to be sure that organizational goals are achieved.
5. Information and coordination – activities of different managers need to be coordinated based on information relevant to their performance.

3 Describe the computer hardware and software innovations that have created the IT revolution

2. The IT Revolution
   1. The tumbling price of information – the costs of acquiring, storing, and organizing information have dropped dramatically.
   2. Wireless communications – by 2001, there were over 110 million cell phone subscribers in the U.S.
   3. Computer networks – computers exchange information through a network of interlinked computers.
   4. Software development – operating system software tells a computer how to run, while applications software includes word processing, spreadsheets, graphics, and database management. Artificial intelligence is machine behavior that would be called "intelligent" if it were performed by a human being.

4 Differentiate among seven different kinds of management information systems

3. Types of Management Information Systems
   1. The organizational hierarchy: the traditional information system – the organization's hierarchy of jobs has been the main system for gathering needed information before the explosion of technology.
   2. Transaction-processing systems – this is an MIS that has been designed to handle large amounts of routine transactions.
   3. Operations information systems – an MIS that gathers nonroutine data, organizes it, and summarizes it in a form useful to managers.
   4. Decision support systems – provides a computer-model that helps managers make nonprogrammed decisions that are novel ones.
   5. Expert systems and artificial intelligence – expert systems use human knowledge contained in computer software to solve problems.
   6. Enterprise resource planning systems (ERP) – these software packages allow a company to coordinate the operations needed to move products from the design stage to the customer stage.
   7. E-commerce systems – IT and Internet transactions between companies or with customers.
      1. Business-to-business (B2B) commerce – trade between companies using IT and the Internet.
      2. Business-to-consumer (B2C) commerce – trade between a company and its customers using IT and the Internet.
4. The Impact and Limitations of Information Systems and Technology
   1. Information systems and organizational structure – IT has helped to "flatten" (i.e., delayer) the structure of organizations.
      1. Flattening organizations – IT has reduced the need for tall management structures.
      2. Horizontal information flows – email and Intranet sharing of documents within the organization has increased the horizontal flow of information.

5 Explain how advances in IT can give an organization a competitive advantage

2. IT and competitive advantage – IT can improve an organization's competitive advantage by reducing layers of management and by increasing efficiency by reducing the number of employees needed.
3. Limitations of IT – some information needs a human being to explain it and to decide what to do next.

Explore the WWW
Flashcards
Glossary
PowerPoint Presentations

Self Quiz

Chapter 19
Promoting Innovation, Product Development, and Entrepreneurship

Chapter Objectives
 

Identify the factors that shorten the product life cycle and explain why reducing product development time increases the level of industry competition.

Identify the goals of product development and explain the relationships among them.

Explain the principles of product development and describe the way in which managers can encourage and promote innovation.

Describe how managers can encourage and promote entrepreneurship to help create a learning organization.

Chapter Outline
 

1 Explain managers' role in facilitating product development

1. Innovation, Technological Change, and Competition
   Quantum technological change is a major shift in technology resulting from new kinds of goods and services, while incremental technological change is a gradual improvement of products over time.
   1. The effects of technological change – technological change is both an opportunity and a threat.

2 Identify the factors that shorten the product life cycle, and explain why reducing product development time increases the level of industry competition

2. Product life cycles and product development – the product life cycle describes the change in demand for a product over time through the embryonic, growth, maturity, and decline stages.
   1. The rate of technological change – in many industries, product life cycles are short because change is very rapid.
   2. The role of fads and fashions – they determine the length of the product life cycle for many products.
   3. Managerial implications – the shorter the product life cycle, the more important it is to innovate quickly and continuously.

3 Identify the goals of product development, and explain the relationships among them

2. Product Development
   1. Goals of product development
      1. Reducing development time – product development begins with the idea of the product and ends with its introduction into the marketplace.
      2. Maximizing the fit with customer needs – products need to be designed with the customers in mind so that they fit the customers' needs.
      3. Maximizing product quality – poor quality often results from rushing a product into the market.
      4. Maximizing manufacturability and efficiency – how high is the cost per unit and can we make a profit at that cost?

4 Explain the principles of product development, and describe the way in which managers can encourage and promote innovation

2. Principles of product development
   1. Establish a stage-gate development funnel – how many products can we afford to fund with the funds that they need for development?
   2. Establish cross-functional teams – the core members are the people who are responsible for the product development process.
   3. Use concurrent engineering – the simultaneous design of the product and of the process for manufacturing it.
   4. Involve both customers and suppliers – product development needs input from both customers and the company's suppliers to determine unmet needs and projected costs.
   5. Problems with product development – the track record for successful product development is poor.

5 Describe how managers can encourage and promote entrepreneurship to help create a learning organization

3. Entrepreneurship
   Entrepreneurs notice opportunities and marshal the resources needed to produce new products from outside their organization. Intrapreneurs are employees who marshal the resources needed to produce new products within their own organization.
   1. Entrepreneurship and new ventures
      1. Characteristics of entrepreneurs – high on openness to experience and also have an internal locus of control which accepts responsibilities for what happens to them.
      2. Entrepreneurship and management – entrepreneurship and management are two very different things.
      3. Developing a plan for a new business – a detailed business plan is essential for the success of a new business.
   2. Intrapreneurship and organizational learning – a "learning organization" encourages all workers to identify opportunities and to solve problems.
      1. Product champion – a manager who takes "ownership" of a new product and provides the leadership necessary to bring it to the marketplace.
      2. Skunkworks and new venture divisions – a skunkworks is a group of intrapreneurs who work separately from the normal chain of command and develop new products.
      3. Rewards for innovation – it is necessary to link entrepreneurship to rewards if it is to be encouraged.

Explore the WWW
Flashcards
Glossary
PowerPoint Presentations

Self Quiz
 

Business Around the Wo...
Build Your Management ...
Text Updates
Sample Video Clips
Study To Go
Skill Booster

Site Full Resources

Marketing   Kerin   (c) 2005 $ 73.91 USD

          

Road & Track

   

Motor Trend

BusinessWeek