Communication and Group

Decision Making
Presented by:
MJS
February 7, 2015
PUP Graduate School
Psychology Department

Communication
Involves the sharing of information between two or more people
to achieve a common understanding about an object or
situation.
Successful Communication
Communication is a Process
The steps between a source and a receiver that result in the
transference and understanding of meaning.

 Encoding
the process whereby a sender translates the information he
or she wishes to send in a message
Channel
the manner in which a message is conveyed.
Decoding
the process whereby a receiver perceives a sent message
and interprets its meaning.
Feedback
the process whereby a receiver encodes the message
receive and sends it or a response to it back to the original
maker.

Types of Communication
Organizational 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 Communication
Purpose
to facilitate the achievement of organizations goals.
Functions
Includes sharing of information
Provide performance feedback
Integrating and coordinating parts of the organization
Persuading others
Expressing emotion
Innovating

Communication Networks
Represents pattern of communication (who communicates with whom).

Y Network

Networks characterization
Sparse networks
a communication network in which most or all
members communicate with only a few other
members. (wheel, y and chain)
Dense networks
a communication network in which most or all
network members communicate with many
others. (all channel-all connected network)

 Centralized networks
a communication network in which one or a
few network members dominate communications.
(wheel, y networks)
Decentralize networks
a 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 be
more effective in accomplishing complex task
Brokerage
For 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 Communication

Downward

Lateral

Upward

Downward Communication
which 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 Communication
which 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 meetings
Open door policies
Suggestion boxes
Exit interviews
Attitude surveys

Horizontal Communication
which 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 Communication
involves a direct verbal or non verbal interaction between two or
more active participants.
Forms:
Formal communication
Communication that follows the formal structure of the
organization (e.g. superior to subordinate and entails
organizationally sanctioned information.)
Informal Communication
Communication 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

Rumors
Unsubstantiated information of universal interest.
People often create and communicate rumors to
deal with uncertainty.
Gossip
information 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 Communication

Organizational barriers

Information Overload
A 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 information

 Information Distortion
it 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 Pressure
In most organizations, work needs to be done
under deadlines, which create time pressure and
constrain an individuals ability to communicate.
Cross Cultural Barriers
involve lack of language fluency or a broader
lack of cultural fluency.

Slogan from the sixties, successful in the US

 Network Breakdowns
frequently 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 Barriers
Differing perceptions
occurs when the sender has one perception of
message and the receiver has another.

 Semantic Differences
refers 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 Differences
Organizations 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 Space
when 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 Barriers

Conduct Communication Audits
An 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 it
Conduct interview with top management
Collect, inventory and analyze communication
material
Conduct associate interviews
Prepare and administer questionnaire to measure
attitudes toward communications
Communicate survey results

Encourage Individual Actions

Know your Audience
me 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 Timing
involves 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 heard
Promote and cultivate feedback, but dont try to
force it
Reward 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 Actively
Listening 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 Listening
1. Stop Talking
2. Pay attention
3. Listen empathetically
4. Hear before evaluating
5. Listen to the whole message
6. Send Feedback

Decision making
Choices of actions from among multiple feasible alternatives.

Decisions are choices.

We
make
everyday.

decisions

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 Making

Feedback

Group 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.

Group Decision Making Pitfalls

Groupthink

A situation in which group

members maintain or seek
consensus at the expense of
identifying and debating
honest disagreements.
Self censorship
Shared stereotypes
Beliefs in groups morality
Like one another and therefore
do not criticize ideas
Have high regard with the
groups collected wisdom and
ideas of the leader
Try 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 Infighting
A situation in which group members engage in
unproductive, negative conflict over differing
views.

Risky Shift
A 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 Techniques

Brainstorming
A process in which a large number of ideas are generated while
evaluation of the ideas is suspended.

Brainstorming has the following basic features:

1. Imagination is encourage
2. Using or building on the ideas of others is encourage
3. There is no criticism of any idea, no matter how bad it may
seem at the time.
4. Evaluation is postponed until the group can no longer think
of any ideas.

 Nominal Group Technique

a 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 presented
3. 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 Technique
A 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 Inquiry
A group decision-making technique that relies
on debate between two subgroups that have
developed different recommendations based on
different assumptions.
Devils Advocacy
A group decision-making techniques that relies
on a critique of a recommended action and its
underlying assumptions.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Group

Decision Making
ADVANTAGES

Groups 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.

DISADVANTAGES

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 contd
ADVANTAGES

Group involvement in
decisions leads to a higher
level and greater satisfaction
Group decision making can
result in growth for members
of the group

DISADVANTAGES

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.