A Basic Course on Organisational Behavior

8/11/2019 A Basic Course on Organisational Behavior

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DME-III: IMOrganisational Behavior

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ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR

Organizational behaviour is a field of study that investigates the impact that individuals, groups and

organizational structure have on behaviour within the organization, for the purpose of applying suchknowledge towards improving an organizational effectiveness. The above definition has three main

elements;1. Organizational behaviour is an investigative study of individuals and groups,2. The impact of organizational structure on human behaviour and the3. The application of knowledge to achieve organizational effectiveness.

These factors are interactive in nature and the impact of such behaviour is applied to various systems so

that the goals are achieved. The nature of study of organizational behaviour is investigative to establishcause and effect relationship.

Contributing Fields to Organizational Behaviour

Psychology: Psychology is an applied science, which attempts to explain human behaviour in a particularsituation and predicts actions of individuals. It has contributed towards various theories on learning,motivation, personality, training, individual decision making, leadership, job satisfaction, attitude, job

design, work stress and conflict management. Various psychological tests are conducted in theorganizations for selection of employees, measuring personality attributes and aptitude. Studies of thesetheories can improve personal skills, bring change in attitude and develop positive approach toorganizational systems.Sociology: Science of Sociology studies the impact of culture on group behaviour and has contributed toa large extent to the field of group-dynamics, roles that individual plays in the organization,communication, norms, status, power, conflict management, formal organization theory, group processesand group decision-making.Political science: Political science has contributed to the field of Organizational behaviour. Stability ofgovernment at national level is one major factor for promotion of international business, financialinvestments, expansion and employment. All organizations have to abide by the rules of the governmentof the day which also play a very decisive role in growth of the organization.

Social psychology: Working organizations are formal assembly of people who are assigned specific jobsand play a vital role in formulating human behaviour. It is a subject where concept of psychology andsociology are blend to achieve better human behaviour in organization. The field has contributed tomanage change, group decision-making, communication and ability of people in the organization, tomaintain social norms.Anthropology: It is a field of study relating to human activities in various cultural and environmental

frameworks. It understands difference in behaviour based on value system of different cultures of variouscountries. The study is more relevant to organizational behaviour today due to globalization, mergers and

acquisitions of various industries. Managers will have to deal with individuals and groups belonging todifferent ethnic cultures and exercise adequate control or even channelize behaviour in the desireddirection by appropriately manipulating various cultural factors.

Perception

Perception is defined as a process by which individuals organise and interpret their sensory impressionsin order to give meaning to their environment.


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Individual differs in the way he sees, interprets and understands a particular event. A manager mayperceive non-attendance of duty by the subordinate in a different way. Individuals also differ in theiropinion though the event or situation may be the same. For example, in an organization where lunch isserved in a subsidised manner may be interpreted by the employees in a different way. An employee mayperceive it as right to get a subsidized lunch, the other may feel that it is being given out of surplus ofprofits achieved by the organization while the third individual may state that it is mandatory for the

management to provide lunch free of cost and that the management is not doing any favour to them byproviding the lunch.

There is often disagreement among the individuals in the organization in relation to pay andallowances, administrative back up, policies and procedures and the place of work itself. An individualwho displays a positive attitude may perceive above factors as good and conducive to work environmentwhile the others may consider them inadequate. Employees also compare themselves on job assignment.If a job is assigned to one individual who may consider the assignment in excess to his job entitlement on

the contrary if he is not given the job, he may consider it as neglecting him in allocation ofresponsibilities.

The study of perception is very important in the organization because it is necessary for the managerto perceive individuals correctly irrespective of their status and perceive each of the situations as close tothe real fact or as it exists by interpreting the sensory reflects in correct way. No two individuals can

perceive an employee in the same manner, for one he may be efficient while for the other he may beperceived as useless.

Factors Influencing Perception: Following three factors influence the perception

Perceiver Situation Object/TargetAttitude Time ShapeMotives Work setting Size

Interests Social setting ShadeExperience SoundExpectations Silhouette

MovementBackground

Perceiver: When an individual looks at the object and attempts to interpret the same, what he or she seesit is largely influenced by the personal characteristics. Perception is a matter of attitude that can bepositive or negative. Some workers would feel and perceive that the prevailing working conditions in theorganizations are congenial for work and it contributes positively while for others, it would be inadequateand demand improvement. Motive is another factor that plays an important role in perception. Motive isnothing but unsatisfied needs. This exerts considerable influence on perception. Interest is persons likingfor a particular thing in an individual. It has been observed in the work places that workers would displayinterest as per their liking. Past experience also plays an important role in perception. Just as interestnarrows down ones perception so does past experience. In contrast past experience nullifies an objectinterest. For example second or subsequent visit to a historic place. Object or events that have not beenexperienced before are more noticeable and creates an interest. Expectations can distort ones perception

in what one sees and what one expects to see. For example power hungry police officer to be strictregardless of his actual traits.

The Situation: Change in situation leads to incorrect perception about a person. Time is one factor,which influences the perception. Time is related to work setting and social setting. What is important toremember is the perception should be done in a correct manner not to be led due to work setting or socialsetting and that the situation is not allowed to perceive wrongly.

The Target: An object can be identified by its size, shade, shape, sound it makes and background. It canbe distinguished based on its movement. In darkness it may be identified by its silhouette, for examplecaravan moving on skyline at the dawn. Objects, events that are similar to each other tend to grouptogether and have a tendency of perceiving them as common group for example. Blacks, Whites orIndians etc irrespective of their different characteristics. Physical and time proximity also leads us to

perceiving a situation in a different form than actual reality. Increase in the sales volume may beattributed to newly posted sales manager. In actuality the increase in sales may have been the outcome of


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hard work done in the past by sales representatives and public contact. It is therefore important to analysethe event, situation, or an object in its correct perspective.

Common Errors While Judging Others

1. Selective Perception: People selectively interpret what they see based on their attitude, interest,background and experience. An individual might have been appointed on a key position on the

day of the visit of CEO and the appointment may be incidental but we may perceiveappointments as a consequence of CEOs visit. It is important that when we read others, we makea mistake reading with speed and putting seal of what has been selectively seen by a perceiver.For correct perception an individual must be observed, studied, tried and later perceived withoutan individual bias.

2. Halo Effect: Halo effect refers to judging an individual based on single characteristics, such asintellectual ability, sociability and appearance. Sales Managers visit to sales territory and

consequent increase in sales volume may be attributed to the visit of the sales manager to aparticular sales territory. Perceiver in this situation did not notice the cause of increased sales toprobably higher demand, change in market forces, subordinate sales employees past efforts towoo customers to buy the product and host of other factors that go with increase in the salesvolume. This type of perception is quite common in any organization, which is called halo effect

in perceiving an individual or situation.3.

Projection: You assume a person based on your own traits and not what he actually possesses. If

you were hard working and dependable you would expect others to be so. If a person projects theabove characteristics in his dealings he is rated high or perceived in a different way than what heactually is. It is commonly found that subordinates do or exhibit the same behaviour as desiredby the boss. This phenomenon is called the projection, an error that is common in anyorganization.

4. Contrast Effect: We do not evaluate a person in isolation. Our reaction to one person is relativeto the other. During selection process, interviewer selects a particular person for a particular jobnot because he fulfils all requirements but he is generally selected in relation to the othercandidates. So it is a comparative or contrast phenomenon of perception.

5. Stereotyping: In order to simplify matters, we often tend to classify people and events into

already known categories. In our mind we have established certain categories with certainattributes. For example, category of teenagers would generally be independent, undisciplined andso on. In reality this may not be true. Similarly we attach positive attribute to judges, professorsand doctors and negative attributes to school dropouts, addicts although they may not be reallyso.

MotivationIntroduction:It is the duty of every manager to ensure that the employees have a high degree of motivation. Whilemachines, processes, technology of high order can be made available to the individuals, but highproductivity can only be achieved if workers are highly skilled and adequately motivated. This meansgiving close attention to how individuals can best be motivated through such means as incentives,

rewards, leadership and, importantly, the work they do and the organization context within which theycarry out that work. The aim is to develop motivation processes and a work environment that will help toensure that individuals deliver results in accordance with the expectations of management

Motivation: is defined as a process of stimulating people to action to accomplish desired goals.Motiveis defined as an inner state that energises, activates (or moves) and directs (or channelizes) thebehaviour towards certain goals. A motive is a reason for doing something. Motivation is concernedwith the factors that influence people to behave in certain ways. Work Motivation is defined as the

psychological forces that determine the direction of a persons efforts, level of those efforts, andpersistencein face of obstacles.

Importance of Motivation

1.

High level of performance: Highly motivated workers would be regular for work, and have a

sense of belonging for the organization. Quality of product will be improved, wastage will beminimum and there will be increase in productivity, and performance level will be high.


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2. Low employee turnover and absenteeism. When dissatisfaction is increased employees do notenjoy the work assigned to them. Employee turnover and absenteeism is caused due to low levelof motivation and causes low level of efficiency, wastages, and poor quality. Increased turnoverputs strain on financial position of the organization due to additional recruitment, training anddevelopment. Motivation is therefore a very important management tool to achieveorganizational excellence.

3. Acceptance of organization change. There has been a great impact of. Social change andtechnology evolution on the motivation level of employees. Management must ensure that thechanges are introduced in the organization and its benefits explained to the employees so thatthere is no resistance to change and organizational growth is achieved.

4. Organizational image: Employees are the mirrors of any organization. Managers must lay downhigh performance standards coupled with high monetary and non-monetary rewards. Training &development programmes will have a positive impact on the employees. It will also reduce

employee turnover and better employee will look forward to join the organization. Highorganizational image will contribute towards brand image of the product and services theorganization is marketing.

Extrinsic & Intrinsic Motivation: Motivation at work can take place in two ways. First, people can

motivate themselves by seeking, finding and carrying out work (or being given work) that satisfies theirneeds or at least leads them to expect that their goals will be achieved. This is called intrinsic motivation.

Secondly, people can be motivated by management through such methods as pay, promotion, praise, etc.this is called extrinsic motivation.

Extrinsic motivators can have an immediate and powerful effect, but it will not necessarily last long. Theintrinsic motivators, which are concerned with the quality of working life, are likely to have a deeper

and longer-term effect because they are inherent in individuals and not imposed from outside.

Motivation theories of management

Maslows Theory of Hierarchy of Needs.

Herzbergs Two Factor Theory

McGregors Theory X & Theory Y Alderfers ERG Theory

Vrooms Theory of Motivation (Performance Satisfaction).

Maslows Theory of Need Hierarchy:

Maslows Motivational Theory covers the following:


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(a) There are five levels of human needs.1. Physiological Needs: Include need for food, water shelter, air, rest etc.2. Safety Needs: Need for protection against thread, danger, job security, insurance etc.3. Social Needs: Need to associate with others, to belong to a group, to be accepted by

others, family affection, friendship etc.4. Esteem Needs: Need for self-respect, achievement, recognition, prestige, status etc.

5. Self actualization Needs: Need for self-fulfilment, realizing ones highest potential,creativity, self-expression.

(b) These needs are hierarchical in nature.(c) A satisfied need is no longer a need. The next level need becomes stronger.(d)Needs do not diminish. It is the gravity that changes. Individual strives to satisfy the

need that has a strong appeal at any point of time.The level of motivation of a person depends on the level of needs he is experiencing at any given time.

Alderfers ERG Theory: This is a modification & simplification of Maslows theory. The idea isif anemployee faces frustration with respect to a higher order need, and if that frustration is not resolved, thenhe may gradually start transferring that frustration to an already satisfied lower order need.

Herzbergs Two-Factors Theory: Herzberg interviewed hundreds of workers about situations wherethey were highly motivated to work and where they were de-motivated. He concluded that there are twotypes of needs, independent of each other.

1. Motivational Factors: Set of job conditions, which build strong motivation and job satisfaction.They are intrinsic in nature and include Achievement, Possibility of Growth, Recognition, Work

Itself, and Responsibility. These factors have positive effect on morale, productivity, and jobsatisfaction and over all efficiency of the organization.

2. Maintenance Factors or Hygiene Factors: These are the basic minimum job conditions

necessary for work. When present they do not motivate in a strong way, but when absent theycause employee dissatisfaction. These factors include reasonable Company Policy and

administration, Technical supervision, Interpersonal relationship, Salary and Job security,Personal Life, Working condition.


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McClellands theory: focuses on three needs: achievement, power, and affiliation.Need for achievement: The drive to excel in relation to a set of standards, to strive to succeed.Need for power: The need to make others behave in a way that they would not have otherwise.Need for affiliation. The desire for friendly and close interpersonal relationship

McGregors Theory X & Theory Y

McGregor suggested that management tends to view employee- nature in two different ways:

It is unusual to find exclusively Theory X people or Theory Y people in any organization. There wouldalways be a mix of both types of employees in varying proportions. Managers therefore will have totailor their motivational application in appropriate manner suiting behavioural patterns. Hence in our

opinion, there is no particular category in which an employee can be placed; rather, these two categorieshelp us in dealing with employees under different situations.


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Vrooms Expectancy Theory: He believes that employee is motivated to exert high level of effortswhen he believes that efforts will lead to good performance and therefore organizational rewards that willsatisfy achievement of personal goals. The focus of the theory has three elements.(a) Efforts - Performance relationship. It is related to the probability perceived by individual thatexerting a given amount of efforts will lead to performance (Expectancy).(b) Performance - Reward Relationship. The degree to which the individual believes that performing a

particular level will lead to attainment of desired outcome (Instrumentality).(c) Reward-personal goal relationship. The degree to which an organizational reward will satisfyindividual needs and its attractiveness for the individual (Valence).

Motivating Force or Effort = Expectancy * Instrumentality * Valence

Morale

Morale is a state of happiness, optimism, good relationship among the members of a group orassociation. Management is concerned with good employee morale, a mental state of an individual orgroup enabling the employee or group to realize maximum satisfaction in achieving the organizationalobjectives.

Morale is a degree of enthusiasm and willingness towards the performance of work. Morale is anindividual matter and is reflected in the attitude of an employee towards enterprise. It is aggregatesatisfaction derived by an employee through his job and as a member of a group. Thus morale is an

indication of group motivation. A group with high morale requires less supervision, has greaterproductivity, and lesser grievances.

Leadership can be defined the process of influencing people so that they will strive willingly,enthusiastically and with confidence towards achievement of group goals.

Leadership Styles:

Autocratic Democratic Laissez-faire

1 Policy is determined by leader Policy is decided by group, assistedby leader

Policy decided by individuals or

group without assistance by leader.

2 Activity & method of working aredictated by leader. Instructions

are given one at a time. Whole

plan is not explained.

Activity & method of working

decided during group discussion.

Leader may suggest many options

and group selects any one.

Activity & method of working are

decided by individuals based on

inputs by leader. But each

individual may choose a different

option.

3 Tasks are dictated. Groups areformed by leader himself.

Members of groups too are

selected by leader.

Tasks are informed to groups by

leader. Groups are formed by

mutual choice of members.

No part is played by leader in

determining task or who is to

accomplish that.

4 Leader maintains distance fromsubordinates. He is whimsical in

dealings with them.

Leader is objective and tries to be a

group member.

Leader is defunct. He makes no

personal contribution to the work at

all.


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Personal Traits of a Leader:

1. Intelligence: Leaders tend to have higher degree of intelligence than their subordinates.2. Social maturity & breadth: Leaders have a tendency to be emotionally mature. They have a

broad range of interests.3. Inner motivation & achievement drive: Leaders want to accomplish things. When they achieve

one goal, they seek out another goal. They are inner motivated and do not depend on outside

forces for their motivation.4.

Human relations attitude: Leaders are able to work effectively with other persons. Theyunderstand that to accomplish any task, they must be considerate to others.

Managerial Grid Leadership:

Managerial Grid style of leadership was developed by Robert Blake & Jane Mouton (1969). Thismodel explains concern of a manager for production and people. Blake & Moutons model helps to

measure a managersrelative concern for people and task and reflects bi-directional nature of leadership.The managerial grid shown identifies a range of management behaviour based on the various ways thatthe task oriented and employee oriented styles, which have been explained as a continuum on a scale of 1to 9.

Team, Groups & Committees:

A team is a small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose,set of performance goals, and approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable.In organisations, functional teams called Groups & Committees are set up with specific goals, objectives,responsibilities and powers.Formaland informalgroups and committees can be seen in organisations. Formal groups & committeeshave permanence. Informal groups are formed without specific delegation of authority, usually by someperson interested in group thinking or a group decision on a problem.

Reasons for using groups & committees:

(a)

Group deliberation & judgment(b) Fear of too much authority in a single person.(c) Representation of interested groups(d) Coordination of departments


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(e) Transmission & sharing of information(f) Consolidation of authority(g) Motivation through participation(h) Avoidance of action

Disadvantages of groups & committees:

(a) They are costly(b)

They could result in compromise(c) They may lead to indecision(d) They could split responsibility(e) The voice of minority may get stifled

Communication:

Communication is the process by which information is shared / exchanged and understoodby two ormore people, usually with the intent to motivate or influence behaviour.

Importance of Communication:

Effective communication is most important in organizations since it affects practically every aspect of

Organisational Behaviour. Employees understand each others and the management only whencommunication is effective. Likewise, employees are motivated to work only when someone

communicates clearly what is expected from them. Finally leaders can influence and persuade followersonly through effective communication.

Good communication serves several important functions such as providing knowledge, motivatingthe employees, controlling and coordinating group activities, and expressing feelings and emotions.

Objectives of Communication

1) To keep employees abreast with external and internal environment.2) Develop understanding and cordial relationship with management.3) Development of team spirit, group task resolution and psychological bent of mind.4) Promote creativity and innovativeness.

5)

Develop social commitment among employees.6) Make them aware of their rights, entitlements, and responsibilities.7) Prepare employees to accept and implement change.8) Prevent mis-information and counter rumours.9) Promote participative type of leadership model.10)Motivate employees by displaying an attitude of commitment.11)Knowledge management.

Communication Process

Source: Source is an initiator of a message. He may be an individual or group or even an organization.

Message is required to be encoded that will depend upon distance, the receiver, time available (urgency)and availability of channel.

Message: Message is an information and is essence of communication. Encoding is a process of selectingan appropriate channel.


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Medium: Medium is also called channels through which a message is transmitted. It is the path throughwhich the message is physically sent to the receiver. It may be face to face communication, Telephone,tele-printer, computer network, Mobile phones and radio sets. What is important is the compatibility ofthe sender and the receiver to use the medium.

Channel richnessis the amount of information that can be transmitted during a communication episode.Capacity of a channel depends on ability to 1) establish multiple cues simultaneously 2) facilitate rapidtwo-way feedback, and 3) establish personal focus. Channel selection depends on whether a message is

routine or non-routine.

Receiver: The message is received by a person called a receiver. Receiver is also responsible to decodethe message and interpret it in an appropriate manner. He must assign correct meaning to varioussymbols, gestures, words as is intended by the sender.

Effect: Effect is the change in behaviour of receiver. Action messages are acted upon and information

messages are acted upon for wide circulation as information only. It is further stated that the principle ofneed to knowmust be kept in mind while transmitting.

Feedback: Once the message is received by the receiver, he has to either act upon it or prepare a replymessage to the originator. Feedback is essential to know whether the message is clearly understood and

action taken.

Means of Communication

There are three primary methods of communication. These are written, verbal and non verbal form ofcommunication. The choice as to which method to adopt would largely depend upon the location of thesender and receiver, ability, the nature of the message, urgency with which the information is required tobe passed on and the cost involved in passing or receiving the information.

1) Written CommunicationWritten communication contains information of a permanent nature is generally in the form ofstanding orders, policy documents, orders, instructions, notes, memos, formal letters, demiofficial letters etc. Written communication is important to ensure the uniformity of action and

future plans. Written documents can be saved and stored. Written communication is lengthy,time consuming and has a high probability of leakage in respect of confidential documents.

2) Oral CommunicationOral communication is the most common form of communication. It is face to face or by inpublic address system or electronic media like audio-visual conferencing. It is a direct, simpleform of communication which is the least expensive and yet the most effective. Feedback isspontaneous and any error in the message is corrected immediately. It is more effective thanwritten communication because the receiver not only hears the contents of the message but alsois influenced by the tone, pitch, gestures, speed and even volume of conversation. Oralcommunication promotes better relationship due to its personalized nature. However oralcommunication suffers from various disadvantages like lack of records, mis-interpretation of

message by the receiver, filtration, distortions and giving the meaning to the communicationwhich suits the receiver best. Oral communication, to be effective, must be specific, short, to thepoint and devoid of ambiguity of any sort.


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Grapevine is a very powerful informal medium of communication where messages are passedby word of month to maximum number of employees in a minimum possible time. Grapevinetravels like a wild fire. Management can use grapevine in a productive manner to convey aparticular message. The greater the quantity of information that passes through the grapevine theless accurate it usually is.

3) Non Verbal CommunicationNonverbal messages are transmitted through gestures, facial expressions and through bodylanguage. It can also be expressed how one designs ones office and through officialprotocols.Body language is known a Kinesics. A handshake isprobably the most common form of bodylanguage which conveys a lot about a persons personality and can characteristics of a personthat cannot be expressed through written or oral communication.

Structure of Communication

Communication has a structure that is based on two things. First, the organizational structure and secondthe purpose the communication is intended to achieve.

(a) 1. Downward CommunicationIn hierarchical structure where there are various organizational levels the communication

is from top to bottom. In this pattern the communication flows from superior tosubordinates. It is in the written form like policy letters, standing orders, staff

regulations, handbooks, procedure, manuals and the like. When it is verbal, it pertains topassing information about day to day functioning and operations.

(b) Upward CommunicationUpward communication relates to communication being made by junior person to senior.This generally follows the reporting channel of command. The communication relates to

reporting production levels, sales performance, reaction to certain orders andinstructions. The communication reflects motivational condition of the employees. Theflow of information from bottom to top helps the top management to know the actions,attitude, opinion and feelings of people. Management must evolve an Open doorsystem and employees should feel that their superiors are always available to share their

opinion, ideas and views that can be effectively used for decision making.(c) Horizontal or Lateral Communication

This type of communication refers to communication across departments or betweenpeople within different departments. It is more informal in nature and is necessary inpromoting a supportive organizational climate. It provides the means by whichsupervisors, grass root level workers and managers organize and coordinate theiractivities without referring the matters to their respective seniors. Generally, peopleprefer accomplishment of work smoothly and therefore like to refer laterally.

Types of Communication

1) Formal Communication

Formal communication takes place within the chain of command or task responsibility definedby the organization, in the form of upward, downward and lateral communication. It may takethe form of written or verbal communication that will depend upon the relationship, timeavailable, importance of the issue etc. Main problem is drop-off or information loss/distortion.

2) Informal CommunicationInformal communication is not planned by the organization, hence no lines of communicationexist. This type of communication takes place due to sheer desire of an individual to

communicate with others. Two of the main channels of informal communication are:Management by Wandering Around, and grapevine.This type of communication takes placeduring lunch, or coffee/tea breaks and during social gatherings. There is a likelihood of rumoursbeing spread in the organization through informal communication channels, which should beguarded against.

Barriers to Effective Communication


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Communication made by a sender, must be received and interpreted correctly by the receiver.Communication noise means problems such as, message not reaching the receiver, faulty encoding anddecoding, faulty channel selection, wrong language or the interpretation of the message. These problemscan be classified as various barriers to effective communication.

Physical Barrier

1) Poor Timing: A person must evaluate the timing of sending a message. Receiver must getadequate time to implement the instruction given. Last minute communication and very advancecommunication are likely to be ineffective.

2) Choice of Channel: Routine messages should be passed on verbally to subordinates and boss.Important messages should be followed in writing as a confirmation to verbal conversation.Extraordinary situations demand Face to face communication.

3) Inadequate Information: Too much or too little information is dangerous. Information must be

of value, meaningful and related to the job of the receiver.4) Organizational Structure: Unclear lines of command cause confusion in communication. Every

individual in the organization must know the channels of command and communication.Authority and responsibility must be clearly defined so that the communication is directedtowards the correct person and quick decision making is achieved.

5)

Information Overload: Information may be passed to concerning individuals as it is needed.Excessive information causes information overload.

Interpersonal Barriers

Effective communication largely depends upon the sender and receiver and their personal bent of mind,commitment to organizational effectiveness and the relationship they enjoy. Some of the importantinterpersonal barriers are discussed in the succeeding paragraphs.

1) Filtration:Filtration is a process when sender deliberately wants to withhold information fromreaching the receiver. It takes place when subordinates send information to superiors based onthe liking of the latter. Therefore the information may be far from the truth.

2) Perception:It is human tendency to hear what one wants to hear and ignore all else. This totallydistorts the intent and contents of the message.

3)

Semantic Barriers: Semantic barriers refer to the misinterpretation of words, abbreviations andsymbols. Choice of wrong word or a comma at wrong place can change the meaning.

4) Power Position: While authority makes communication more authentic but may create socialdistance and therefore restrict communication due to gap that may be created.

5) Cultural Barriers: Cultural differences can adversely affect the communication effectiveness. Itis necessary to understand ethnic backgrounds and cultures of various employees working in theorganization.

6) Sender Credibility:If a senders credibility is high, the receiver willtake and interpret messagefavourably. Conversely, if sender is not trusted receiver may try and interpret the messagewrongly by deliberately giving hidden meaning to various words and may even distort thecomplete message.

Overcoming Communication Barriers1. Improve Listening Skills: An individual must be a good listener. Listening is half of

whole communication. Important points for good listener are as under:a. Do not have preconceived ideas about a subject matter.b. Pay full attention to what the sender is saying.c. Think as the sender thinks.d. Check back as to what you have received.e. Give time to take feedback on action taken on the message received.

f. Keep in mind the principle of need to know to avoid information overload.2. Improve Written Skills:A well written communication in simple language has negligible

chances of misinterpretation. The text of the message should be simple and should clearlyindicate as to what actions are required to be taken by the receiver. Writing good message isan art and it must be practiced overtime. Basic principles of good written message are

brevity, clarity and simplicity.


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3. Maintain Unity of Command Principle: Most of communication problems arise whenchannels of command and control are not followed strictly. One must receive orders from aspecific authority and should be answerable to the same authority. The object ofcommunication is not only to carryout assigned task but create an atmosphere of trust andunderstanding among all members of the organization.

Module 2 Questions

1. Elucidate the measures to be taken to overcome the major barriers to Communications. (14) 20102. Write short notes on a) Leadership & Team-building b) Ethics in Management. (7+7) 20103. Write short notes on a) Organizational Culture & Work Culture b) Modes of Recruitment. (7+7) 2010

4. Write short notes on a) Motivation & Productivity b) Human Resource Planning. (7+7) 2009

5. Short notes on a) Role of Communications in managerial function b) Leadership style. (7+7) 2009

6. Write short notes on a) Maslows hierarchy of needs b) Two-factor theory of motivation. (7+7) 2008

7. Account for the importance of Communication in organizational Management. (14) 2008,2012 (N)8. Explain McGregors Theory X and Theory Y of motivation.Which theory, in your opinion, would work better in

most situations and why? (8+6) 2007

9. Discuss various leadership styles? What factors should a manager consider in adapting his leadership style in a

particular situation? (8+6) 2007

10. Write short notes on a) Theory X and Theory Y of motivation b) Leadership styles. c) Communications Process

(7+7) 2006

11 a) Discuss the factors which influence the behaviour of a worker or a manager in the work place. b) What is aTeam? How teams are formed and sustained (8+6) 2003

12 a) Define leadership style. What is managerial grid? b) How would you develop interpersonal relationship in an

organization? (8+7) 2003

13. b) ii) Two-factor theory of motivation. (3) 2011

14. Explain Mc Gregors theory of motivation. Which theory in your opinion would work better in most situations? (6+4) 2011

15. Briefly discuss Maslows hierarchy of needs (7) 2010 Nov

16. a) Write notes on Motivation and Productivity b) Leadership Style Explain (7+7) 2010 Nov

A Basic Course on Organisational Behavior

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