Cultivation of the Corporate Grapevine - Assignment Example

1.How could you control the non‐verbal communication without decreasing the verbal communication practices? Managers sometimes find it difficult to communicate ideas to their employees verbally, as the linguistic vocabulary is limited and in certain occasions people struggle to express their thoughts. There are many non-verbal communication categories that help us to deliver the meaning of the words from eye contact and body posture to adornment, touch, locomotion and paralanguage. As useful as the non-verbal communication might be, if we apply it excessively, this can hinder the verbal one, because people interpret is differently. In order for a manager to evade misleading his employees while trying to convey specific information or concept, he has to use universally understood non-verbal language, simplified as much as possible. In my opinion there are three vital non-verbal categories which if applied properly will fully complete all the functions of the non-verbal communication and will not hinder the verbal one – eye contact, paralanguage and adornment. Modern business culture values eye contact, because it maintains the balance of the interpersonal relation between the seniors and the workers. Looking away might be read as avoiding the importance of the message conveyed. Thus, keeping eye contact with the employees when talking is of crucial importance. Scheflen (1972) explains that paralanguage involves non-lexical vocal communication. Paralanguage uses the broadest emotional nuances, consequently, if applied properly can replace excessive gestures or facial expressions. This category includes inflection, tone, pitch (high, low), pauses (hesitant, organized, meaningful), pacing (rapid, measured, slow) (Scheflen 1972). Paralanguage is a powerful tool, because it plays with associations and on unconscious level. Knapp and Hall (2002) note that adornment – clothes, make-up, accessories are also important communication tools, which besides appearance transmit emotional and psychological signs. Managers need to be extra careful when choosing adornments, because they play a powerfully suggestive action. Moreover, the room where the meetings are held has the capacity to affect the interaction. The amount of light, the color of the walls, the seat arrangement, the temperature and smells have to the correctly applied by the manager who is trying to make his point and his ideas to be understood and followed. 2. Discuss in detail the relationship between emotional intelligence and effective listening. The most common mistake made in management is not listening. Active listening is the other term used to identify undivided attention and empathic attitude. Rock (2007) outlines four basic rules that active listening involves: Seek to understand before you seek to be understood; Be non judgmental; Give your undivided attention to the speaker; Use silence effectively. All these require a high emotional intelligence, because they operate on mental, emotional and subconscious levels. When we try to understand rather than to be understood, this strains our listening abilities. Furthermore, through collecting the information while listening takes place, we process the details first we our intelligence and then exchange it emotionally to see what we have understood. Empathic listening proves that emotional intelligence is necessary to accomplish this. An example of being non judgmental is when we are acquainting with a new person. We avoid addressing arguable issues, until we learn the disposition or judgment criteria of the individual about the problem. This empathic behavior is excellent indicator for the emotional intelligence involved is active listening and communication techniques. The undivided attention is also dependent on the emotional intelligence, because the listener intentionally directs his senses towards the speaker. The listener can also consciously send messages to the speaker to demonstrate that he is actively listening through body language, applauses or asking questions. The final concept for effective listening is to use silence. This valuable tool is also employed thanks to the emotional intelligence, which implies us when to maintain silence rather than ask questions. Using silence effectively can be achieved with body language – nodding, eye contact, or affirmative sounds and expressions. 3. Discuss grapevines communication. The most spread definition of grapevine communication is an unofficial information transmission, corresponding to gossip or rumor. The grapevine communication is informal and unsanctioned information network within each company. Simmons (1985) comments that “The network helps employees make sense of the world around them and consequently provides a release from emotional stress and all informal information is undocumented (39).” Davis (1969) discovers in his researches that organizational grapevine communication is motivated primarily by the human necessity to initiate talk and to communicate with others. Moreover, if employees are indifferent to their work, they would not engage in small talks about it. The grapevine communication is unstructured and can move in all directions – between workers and seniors, upwards, downwards, diagonally and no one can control is completely (Davis 1969). The grapevine is helpful in reinforcing formal channels, thus if managers understand its power, they can be better prepared in applying it to assure stability and credibility in the work environment. Davis (1973) explains that grapevine is a pure evidence for social interaction and expresses the natural motivation of individuals to engage on conversation. In addition they exert their freedom of speech, opinion and informal leadership skills. In this sense grapevine communication can be defined as the organization’s informal, information network. 4. With an example differentiate between power and influence. Haugaard (2002) extensively explains that there are considerable differences between the concepts of “power” and “influence”. These are not interchangeable notions. Haugaard (2002) shows that the words derived from two different contexts. “Power” comes from Latin “potere” and means “to be able to” and “influence” comes from the Latin “influere” meaning “to flow”. I would say that exercising power carried a delegated authority. An example of power can be the manager’s decision to suspend bonuses, because of the unsatisfactory target sales. The manager possesses the power to control and set rules, dominate and command. In this case, he uses his authoritative power vested in his position to change the conditions for his subordinates. Influence on the other hand, seems to hold an invisible formal authority, based on social status, experience, gained knowledge. The influence can be unseen and often remains undetected. An example of influence is the advice received by the team leader. He is not compelling the employee to strictly obey the advice, he only recommends what are the best options. Thus, it is up to the individual to decide whether the team leader has to authoritative standpoint, or he will not consider is influential enough. Whereas, influence is something that we voluntary accept, power is undisputable. 5. How the coercive and reward could be used at the same time as sources of power. French and Raven (1959) came up with a model scheme for classifying the different bases of power. They determined five distinct powers – legitimate, coercive, reward, expert and referent. Reward power represents the people’s ability to prize desirable behavior. Coercive power on the contrary is the opposite of the reward power. It is based on the ability to sanction and punish individuals and prevent them from receiving the reward (French and Raven 1959). In management coercive and reward power are useful motivational tools which leaders apply. We can again quote the bonus example, which clearly demonstrate simultaneous use of reward and coercive power. Those of the employees who has reached the sales target will obtain the reward in the form of a bonus, those who haven’t, will not. 6. Prevention, forecasting, or absorption are three approaches to gain more power. They are not equal with respect to power gained. Which one the manager might use if he/ she tries to get more dependency from his/ her subordinates? Power is a dependent variable especially in an organization. This is so, because the company is formed by interrelated individuals with different beliefs, values, and attitudes. Employees in an organization are performing different tasks and their job positions differentiate them. There are three different approaches which utilize the leaders to gain their preserve their power – prevention, forecasting and absorption. Prevention is connected with restraining the subordinates from obtaining more responsibilities. In this way they will need the manager’s approval if they are to perform tasks not listed in their job characteristic. Absorption concerns immersing the employees with work, so that they can dedicate their abilities to the performance. Forecasting involves anticipating the situation and foreseeing who is about to show higher results in his performance. In this way the manager can stimulate these subordinates, demonstrating his power and the employees’ dependency on his positive feedback and reward. 7. Discuss one of the contingencies that might increases the manager Power? A common situation which increases manager’s power are the contingencies involving immediate decision making about espionage or product claim. In espionage cases, the decisions are usually taken by the senior managers and board of directors. However, in sudden and unable to envisage situations, the manager working in the shift when the espionage has been discovered needs to take actions exceeding his competencies and authority. In this particular contingency the manager has to be directed by the company’s policies and know-how preservation. If possible he has to immediately get in contact with the senior management and eventually implement their pieces of advice about the espionage issue. 8. What does yielding mean in conflict solving conditions? Pruitt (1991) remarks that they are four negotiation strategies: problems solving, contending, yielding and inaction. Yielding in a conflict solving conditions means that the parties are trying to reduce their goals and intentions. Yielding is an efficient way to conclude negotiations in situations when the discussed issues are not of primary importance and time is pressuring the parties to resolve other radical problems. Yielding can also promote a successful problem solving approach, because it is obvious that the parties are willing to make a compromise, thus they are interested in finalizing the negotiations. In certain cases, though, if both parties use a yielding strategy, this might lead to undesirable outcomes and eventually both parties will be unsatisfied with the agreement. Works cited: Davis, Keith. Grapevine Communication Among Lower and Middle Managers, Personnal Journal, April, 1969, p. 272. 1969. Davis, Keith, The Care and Cultivation of the Corporate Grapevine, Management Review 62, October, 1973. French, J. and Raven, B., The Bases of Social Power. In D. Cartwright (Ed.), Studies in Social Power, Ann Arbor, University of Michigan Press. 1959. Haugaard, Mark, Power: a reader . Manchester University Press, 2002. Knapp, M.L., & Hall, J. A. Nonverbal communication in human interaction (5th ed.).  New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. 2002. Pruitt,Dean.Strategic Choice in Negotiation, in Negotiation Theory and Practice, eds. J. William Breslin and Jeffery Z. Rubin, Cambridge: The Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School .1991. Rock, Michael, The 90% Factor EQ (Emotional Intelligence) and the New Workplace,iZone Internet Group, Inc. 2007,web. Scheflen, A.E. Body language and the social order. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. 1972 Simmons, Donald. The Nature of the Organizational Grapevine, Supervisory Management, November,1985 Read More