Communication and Group Decision Making

Communication and Group Decision Making

Communication and Group Decision MakingPresented by:MJS February 7, 2015PUP Graduate SchoolPsychology DepartmentCommunicationInvolves the sharing of information between two or more people to achieve a common understanding about an object or situation.

Successful CommunicationCommunication is a ProcessThe steps between a source and a receiver that result in the transference and understanding of meaning.

Encodingthe process whereby a sender translates the information he or she wishes to send in a message

Channelthe manner in which a message is conveyed.

Decodingthe process whereby a receiver perceives a sent message and interprets its meaning.

Feedbackthe process whereby a receiver encodes the message receive and sends it or a response to it back to the original maker.

Types of CommunicationOrganizational communication: It is a kind of communication which is used in a business enterprise. It encompasses generations or collection of data, collation and dissemination of information, decision making and implementation, and managing the conflict etc.

Interpersonal communication: It is one that takes place between two persons. It is characterized by active interaction.

Intrapersonal communication: When a person communicates with himself to develop new and useful ideas.Organizational CommunicationPurposeto facilitate the achievement of organizations goals.

FunctionsIncludes sharing of informationProvide performance feedbackIntegrating and coordinating parts of the organizationPersuading othersExpressing emotionInnovating

Communication NetworksRepresents pattern of communication (who communicates with whom).

Y Network

Networks characterizationSparse networksa communication network in which most or all members communicate with only a few other members. (wheel, y and chain)

Dense networksa communication network in which most or all network members communicate with many others. (all channel-all connected network)Centralized networksa communication network in which one or a few network members dominate communications.(wheel, y networks)

Decentralize networksa communication network in which no single network member dominates communications.(all channel)Sparse and highly centralize networks such as the wheel and the Y an be effective in accomplishing simple tasks. These structure promote efficiency, speed and accuracy by communication through a central person.

Dense network with some degree of centralization role might bemore effective in accomplishing complex task

BrokerageFor example if member B does not communicate with member C but member A communicates with both of them, then member A is said to be a broker of B-C relationship.Direction of Organizational CommunicationUpwardDownwardLateralDownward Communicationwhich refers to communication from senior managers to junior managers and from junior managers to associates, is necessary to provide job instructions, information on organization policies and performance feedback. Upward Communicationwhich flows from associates to junior managers and from junior managers to senior managers is necessary to provide feedback on downward communication and to provide ideas and information.

Departmental meetingsOpen door policiesSuggestion boxesExit interviewsAttitude surveysHorizontal Communicationwhich takes place between and among people at the same level, is also important but is frequently overlooked in the design of organizations.

360-degree multi-rater feedback to evaluate senior managers. Feedback includes performance appraisal from peers (lateral communication) sub ordinates (upward) and superior (downward). Interpersonal Communicationinvolves a direct verbal or non verbal interaction between two or more active participants.

Forms:

Formal communicationCommunication that follows the formal structure of the organization (e.g. superior to subordinate and entails organizationally sanctioned information.)

Informal CommunicationCommunication that involves spontaneous interaction between two or more people outside the formal organization structure. (e.g. communication between peers during coffee break)Downside to informal communication

RumorsUnsubstantiated information of universal interest. People often create and communicate rumors to deal with uncertainty.

Gossipinformation that is presumed to be factual and is communicated in private or intimate settings. (third-hand, can cause problems in the organization, reduce focus to work, ruins reputation, create stress and lead to legal problems.)Nonverbal Communication

Communication that takes place without using spoken or written language such as communication through facial expressions and body language.

Advantages: Supports other communications and provides observable expression of emotions and feelings.Disadvantage: Misperception of body language or gestures can influence receivers interpretation of message.

Barriers to Effective CommunicationOrganizational barriers

Information OverloadA condition in which information inflow exceeds an individuals processing capacity.

Occurs due to:Organization face higher levels of uncertainty because of escalating change and turbulence

Increasing complexity of task and organizational structures creates a need for informationInformation Distortionit is common for information to be distorted intentionally or unintentionally.Unintentionally because of an honest mistakes or time pressure.

Intentional distortion often occurs because of competition between work units in an organization.Specialty Area Jargon

One problem in large, complex organizations concerns the proliferation of specialist. Specialist are highly knowledgeable within their own fields but often have limited understanding of other fields.Time PressureIn most organizations, work needs to be done under deadlines, which create time pressure and constrain an individuals ability to communicate.

Cross Cultural Barriersinvolve lack of language fluency or a broader lack of cultural fluency.Slogan from the sixties, successful in the US

Network Breakdownsfrequently occur in large organizations because so much information flows through those networks or due to power outages, brought by calamities or when malware affects the intranet servers.Individual BarriersDiffering perceptions

occurs when the sender has one perception of message and the receiver has another.

Semantic Differencesrefers to the meaning people attach to symbols, such as words and gestures. Because the same words may have different meanings to different people, semantic differences can create communication problems

Symbols or Words with Different Meanings:A symbol or a word can have different meanings. If the receiver misunderstands the communication, it becomes meaningless. For example, the word value can have different meanings in the following sentences:(a) What is the value of computer education these days?(b) What is the value of this mobile set?(c) Value our friendship.

Status DifferencesOrganizations create status difference through titles, offices and support resources, but individuals attribute meaning to these differences.

Example:subordinates are reluctant to express an opinion that is different from their managers because of time pressures or arrogance-may strengthen status barriers by not being open to feedback or other forms of upward communications.Personal Spacewhen someone enters that space, we feel uncomfortable.

Women seem to have smaller personal space than men. Similarly the typical personal space in some cultures.

Personal space affects for example how close together people stand when conversing.Poor listening Skills

A frequent problem in communication rests not with the sender but with the receiver. The receiver must listen in order to hear and understand the senders message, just as the sender must listen to feedback from the receiver.Overcoming Communication BarriersConduct Communication AuditsAn analysis of an organizations internal and external communication to assess communication practices and capabilities and to determine needs.

Can be conducted in-house (for example the Human Resource Management department) or by external consulting firms.The following is a recommended method for conducting a communication audit:

Hold a planning meeting with all the major parties to determine a specific approach and gain commitment to itConduct interview with top managementCollect, inventory and analyze communication materialConduct associate interviewsPrepare and administer questionnaire to measure attitudes toward communicationsCommunicate survey resultsEncourage Individual Actions

Know your Audienceme to me to me communication (Virgil Scudder)Scudder is describing communicating with others as if you were communicating with yourself.

Example: An It Professional teaching how to use a new program to his technologically unsophisticated colleagues. He may use a jargon that they do not understand but he believes that he has done his job.

To communicate effectively people must know their audience, including the audience experience, frames of references and motivations.

Select an Appropriate Communication Medium

When messages are complex and/or important, use of rich media, such as face to face communication should be considered. It can be also beneficial using several media.

Regulate Information Flow and Timinginvolves discarding information of marginal importance and conveying only significant information. Proper timing of message is also important.Encourage Feedback related to Understanding

Guidelines:Ask recipients to repeat what they have heardPromote and cultivate feedback, but dont try to force itReward those who provide feedback and use the feedback received. Respond to feedback, indicating whether its correct. In other words, obtain feedback, use it and then feed it back to the recipients.

Listen ActivelyListening is not a passive, naturally occurring activity. People must actively and consciously listen to others in order to be an effective communicators.

Steps to Effective ListeningStop TalkingPay attentionListen empatheticallyHear before evaluatingListen to the whole messageSend FeedbackDecision makingChoices of actions from among multiple feasible alternatives.

Decisions are choices.

We make decisions everyday.

We tend to make decisions that are strategic in nature, such as adding or deleting products and services.

Making decisions is one of the primary activities for senior managers.

Basic Steps in Decision MakingFeedbackGroup Decision Making(also known as collaborative decision-making) is a situation faced when individuals collectively make a choice from the alternatives before them. The decision is then no longer attributable to any single individual who is a member of the group.Purpose Arrive at preferred solution to a problem and make use of the decision making process.

Groups are made up of multiple individuals resulting in dynamics and interpersonal processes that make group decision making different from decision making of an individual.

For instance some members will arrive with their own expectations, problem definitions and predetermined solutions.41Group Decision Making PitfallsGroupthink

A situation in which group members maintain or seek consensus at the expense of identifying and debating honest disagreements.Self censorshipShared stereotypesBeliefs in groups moralityLike one another and therefore do not criticize ideasHave high regard with the groups collected wisdom and ideas of the leaderTry to prevent the group from serious division.

Common Information bias

A bias in which group members overemphasize information held by a majority of the entire group while failing to be mindful of information held by one group members or a few members.

Diversity-based InfightingA situation in which group members engage in unproductive, negative conflict over differing views.43Risky ShiftA process by which group members collectively make a more risky choice than most or all of the individuals would have made working alone.Group Decision Making TechniquesBrainstormingA process in which a large number of ideas are generated while evaluation of the ideas is suspended.

Brainstorming has the following basic features:

Imagination is encourageUsing or building on the ideas of others is encourageThere is no criticism of any idea, no matter how bad it may seem at the time.Evaluation is postponed until the group can no longer think of any ideas.

Nominal Group Techniquea process for group decision making in which discussion is structured and the final solution is decided by silent vote.This technique share some features of brain writing and electronic brainstorming.

Follows four procedural rules:1. Individuals seated around a table write down their ideas silently without discussion.2. Each member presents one idea to the group. After the initial round has been completed, each members presents a second idea. The process is repeated until all the ideas were presented3. After the ideas have been recorder, tabulated or in a computer database for projection. The members discuss them to clarify and evaluate.4. The meeting concludes with a silent and independent vote or ranking of the alternative choices.Delphi TechniqueA highly structured decision making process in which participants are surveyed regarding their opinions or best judgment.

Groups using Delphi Technique do not meet face- to face. Instead, members are solicited for their judgments at their various homes or places of business. Members respond to a questionnaire about the issue of interest.Dialectical InquiryA group decision-making technique that relies on debate between two subgroups that have developed different recommendations based on different assumptions.

Devils AdvocacyA group decision-making techniques that relies on a critique of a recommended action and its underlying assumptions.Advantages and Disadvantages of Group Decision MakingADVANTAGESDISADVANTAGESGroups can accumulate more knowledge and facts and thus generate more and better alternatives

Groups often display superior judgment when evaluating alternatives, especially for complex problems.Groups take more time to reach decisions than do individuals

Group social interactions may lead to premature compromise and failure to consider all alternatives fully.Advantages and Disadvantages of Group Decision Making contdADVANTAGESDISADVANTAGESGroup involvement in decisions leads to a higher level and greater satisfaction

Group decision making can result in growth for members of the group

Groups are sometimes dominated by one or two decision leaders which may reduce acceptance, satisfaction and quality

Managers may rely too much on the group decisions, leading to loss of their own decision and implementation skills.